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10 Questions with ... Donovan Short
March 14, 2006
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NAME:Donovan ShortTITLE:PD/Morning HostSTATION:KTRSMARKET:Casper, WYOWNER:Clear Channel
1. How would you describe your first radio gig?
WRSM, a 1,000-watt AM daytimer in a double-wide trailer, in a cow pasture in Sumiton, AL. Joined the DECA program while I was in high school in Birmingham, so I could get out of school early and drive to the sticks to do afternoons. The entire place was held together by chewing gum and bailing wire. I spent most of my time praying for my voice to change while I was doing the "Trading Post" call-in show, reading the obituaries for the local funeral homes, giving away biscuits and gravy from the local Hardee's ... all the good stuff. Place used to be owned by Herb Steadman, who was a legendary morning guy at WSGN in Birmingham. He was eccentric to say the least, but he put me through a unique version of radio boot camp that most people don't get to experience. At the time, I couldn't wait to get out and move on to bigger things, but looking back, I got a great education in the basics. (See the W-NNNN-B-C scene from "Private Parts".)
2. What led you to a career in radio?
My Dad used to volunteer at a campus radio station in Birmingham where he would do a weekend show. About the time I was eight, I started coming in, and soon learned how to run his board. Eventually, he formed a pretty successful ad agency in the South, which led to my picking up regional and national VO work, which I recorded at a local studio. Through the studio, I got to know many people, and everything just took off from there.
3. How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?
For our population, it's very "over-radioed." Actually, it's like an island because, once you get outside of town, there's nothing around but dirt and antelope. Not a lot of outside influence or signals blowing in that you might get from if you were in a market like Cheyenne, WY or Fort Collins, CO. The cool part about being here is that you have the freedom to step out and try new things without those big market pressures. I like to think we've done a pretty good job of making our mark.
4. KTRS is a heritage Top 40 station. To what would you attribute its continued success?
Everyone has the right work ethic, nobody gets comfortable or lazy. We try to approach every day like it's the day we launched, which helps keep that hunger some stations lose sight of once they get in the chips. It's working so far ... and can always get better.
5. Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?
My guilty radio pleasure is Phil Hendrie, who airs at night on one of our sister AM's. He is incredible and unique to say the least. I consider him one of the most talented personalities in our business, hands down.
6. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
There were some great CHR radio battles in Birmingham when I was a kid that were a lot of fun and really inspired me to want to be in the business. WAPI-FM, WKXX-FM, etc. I fell in love with WAPI at an early age, and was lucky enough to get my first FM job there as a kid a few years later. Spent some time in Tampa as a kid too, the breeding ground for the Q105/WFLZ battle. Good stuff.
7. Do you have a favorite hobby outside of radio?
I'm a Texas Hold 'Em maniac. I TiVo all the shows, read all the books, play whenever I get a chance ... it's a sickness. My next goal is to pick off Chris Kelly at KSME in Fort Collins ... he's been talking a lot of smack lately, and it's about time to take it to the felt (:-)
8. What music do you listen to when you're not working?
Everything from Classic R&B and Electronica to old Steely Dan box-sets, John Mayer Trio, even Hip-Hop and Bluegrass ... it's all there.
9. What advice you would give people new to the business?
Be well-rounded, learn all you can, be flexible and embrace change. If you don't have or develop the "bug" early on, get out now. It'll save you time in the long haul.
10. What is the current state of the radio 'talent pool'?
I worry a bit about the farm team, and who is coming up through the ranks. You see less and less part-timer/intern-type folks that truly have the radio 'bug' these days. Face it, in a lot of instances our starting pay is rivaled by hamburger joints. I was one of those weirdos that would have done it for free in the beginning as long as they'd let me, and you sure don't see that as much anymore.
Bonus Questions
What station from Top 40's past would you like to have programmed?
It would have to be WFLZ/Tampa, back during the Power Pig days. I've collected old Pig airchecks over the years, still listen to them religiously. Randy Michaels, Marc Chase, Jeff Kapugi, Gabe Hobbs ... the list goes on. Those guys wrote the book on how to lay the smack down on a competitor. Classic!
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