10 Questions with ... Tim Clarke

NAME:Tim Clarke POSITION:Program Director STATION:WAPE MARKET:Jacksonville, FL OWNER:Cox Radio

Please outline your radio career so far:

Close friends still make fun of me for the Internet radio station I had in my basement. I spent the early years of my career dabbling with Internet radio startups like Radiostorm.com and MakRadio. Following that, from 2005 to 2009 I went from Programming/Production Assistant at WBLI-WBAB/Long Island to MD at 'BLI, and then in February of '09 got the call to head to Jax.

1) So ... how's a guy from Long Island adjusting to life in the south?

Fortunately I don't have too much of a Lawn-Guy-Land accent, so I don't get picked on for that too much. But it was my first time moving away from home after living in New York for 20 years, so it's definitely an adjustment on many facets. The most shocking moment to me was when I said something about an "Italian hero" and someone didn't know what I was talking about. Oh ... and I miss the pizza and bagels.

2) From WBLI to WAPE, you went from one heritage station to another. What are the unique challenges in programming a station that's been around for 50 years?

The challenge is that an APE P1, a 23-year-old female, doesn't care about the heritage of the station. My staff and I are the stewards of this brand that has been around for 50 years, and the task is to make that mean something to our everyday listener. The APE yell still plays at the top of every hour; it's a common bond between generations. Our music and personalities may have changed over the years, but the passion of our brand is still a driving force behind everything we do.

3) What is your favorite part of the job?

The people! We have a phenomenal staff from programming to sales to promotions and everything in between. There's this envied culture among the APE team in our building that makes it an engaging and fun environment. It's not unusual to find many of our jocks going to each other's appearances just to show support. This attitude permeates through the hallways and makes this a great place to work.

4) What is the most challenging part of the job?

Reinventing ourselves and our product every day. We're not just a radio station anymore. We're a brand with multiple distribution channels. Our clients don't just buy commercials anymore; they come to us for marketing solutions. For our listeners, it's more important now than ever to cut through the clutter and give them more than just music; we offer content and lifestyle to accent the music they love and we offer larger-than-life promotions and events that no amount of money can buy.

5) Could you give us a little insight into your on-air staff?

Mark Kaye and Mikey P make up the Big Ape Morning Mess. Mark is an incredible talent who I started listening to when he was on Hot 99.5 in D.C. It helps that we both have the same style of radio and go to the same hair stylist. Mikey P is a future morning rock star; he's the little brother that we pick on constantly, but he does a great job.

Tessa Hall is the super utility player that every team needs. She involves herself in any project, from web to re-wiring the broken sound system at an appearance. She's also the Mensa among us C students.

Orphan Andrew is the night guy that you see during the day. Andrew makes it a point to be involved in the daily culture of the station; he's also been doing a lot of great work with our Internet production efforts.

Chris Tyler has been in this market for years and is a true problem-solver. He's proud to be the market's only live and local overnight jock, but what our listeners don't know is that he's responsible for making sure all the Cox Radio stations in our cluster operate smoothly while the rest of our staff is getting their beauty rest.

6) Looking back, which years hold the best musical memories for you and who were your favorite acts at that time?

I loved my time as music director at 'BLI. I got into radio because of music and being MD gave me the opportunity to interact and learn from the best in the industry. I saw a LOT of concerts, met a lot of artists and spent a lot of time experiencing all the different venues around the NYC area. Last summer I went to practically every show at Jones Beach and loved every second of it. My favorite memory was standing on the side of the stage alongside the water with Sara Bareilles and watching Maroon 5.

7) What is it about our industry that keeps you wanting to do it for a living?

This is such a lifestyle industry. I've found that I can truly be successful in my job here by being myself. There aren't too many other industries where your lifestyle and personality are qualities that help you thrive at your job.

8) What advice you would give people new to the business?

Dreams do come true as long as you don't stop working hard and learning new things. The state of the industry is definitely discouraging to up-and-comers, but the truth is that this business NEEDS hard working and multi-faceted individuals. The days of the one-trick pony are over; learn everything that you can.

9) What is the current state of the radio "talent pool?"

There's so much great talent and not enough jobs. I experienced this firsthand when we started searching for a morning show personality a month ago. With the amount of people who applied, you would think we were paying in diamonds.

10) What would you like to do to save radio from its "dying industry" image?

The radio and music industry is CHANGING, not DYING. The worst thing we can do right now is work against the change. The need for radio is drastically different than it was 10 years ago -- both to clients and listeners. As programmers, we need to recognize how that need has changed and make sure we're delivering it.

For someone vacationing in your market, what one thing would you say they "must see"?

St. Augustine is the oldest city in America and the real Fountain Of Youth is there ... not that I need that yet.