10 Questions with ... Tommy Chuck

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Some kids play with Tonka trucks, I played with headphones and reel-to-reel tape at WXIS/ Johnson City, TN. My first paid gig was mowing the grass, running Rick Dees WT40, hosting the crappy shifts and being a general pain in the ass to everyone there.

The minute I graduated high school they kicked me out and I went off to WTXM/Knoxville, TN, where I did nights for a hot minute, then afternoons and APD. After accumulating some blackmail material, I got my first PD gig at WVSR/Charleston, WV. I was there for one book, then spent three years at WKXJ/Chattanooga, two years at WQEN/Birmingham, nine months at WXXL/Orlando ... and I've been at WFLZ for three years and some change.

1) In addition to being the WFLZ PD, you're the "Director of Digital Media" for Clear Channel. What does that entail, and how do you balance your time between "directing" and "programming?"

I oversee all of the CCR/Tampa websites, social networks and mobile platforms. Between that and the WFLZ PD gig, it's a lot. If I didn't have a killer team of people like Kim Cusmano and Mike Baker backing me up on both sides, I'd be sunk. Having Doug Hamand and Clay Hunnicutt keeping me focused from above doesn't hurt either.

2) WFLZ has an amazing heritage, but in some cases, heritage can become baggage. What are some of the things that you've done to keep 'FLZ on the cutting edge?

This history of WFLZ is intimidating. We don't want to be the group that screws it up. Our challenge is not letting the pressure of holding on to old thinking keep us from evolving. Over the last three years I'm proud that our team saw PPM coming and made adjustments without eliminating the rebellious, edgy personality that has always made WFLZ special. Because our team created "new fundamentals" without becoming a boring iPod, we debuted #1 P18-34 in July 2009 and have maintained that rank every month since!

3) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?

I'm honored to compete against some of the greatest radio stations and personalities in America. Clear Channel/Tampa has some monster brands including 970 WFLA, 98 Rock, 620 WDAE, US103.5, 95.7 The Beat and Mix 100.7. Aside from that great competition, Orlando and his Wild bunch and Shark and his gang at 97X are very good at what they do. I enjoy watching them all fight for second place.

4) What makes your station unique? How would you compare it to other stations you've worked at?

Let's see ... we have fun. We get in trouble. We have a dwarf on staff. We have massive stickers of our dwarf stuck up in random places around the radio station. We have dwarf handles on doors so he can open them easily. We have a bird living in our morning DJ's office. We have a gold star board which awards staff for good behavior. We have a golden tee game, Guitar Hero and basketball hoop to entice our air personalities to come in for aircheck sessions. We actually have real, live, entertaining air personalities on the air each weekend and even some overnights. We have a raccoon that lives out back and shares a food dish with two stray cats. We have a pet squirrel that lives outside our lobby door that we can feed by hand. Did I mention we have fun? Did I mention we get in trouble?

5) What is your favorite part of the job?

Listening to 93.3 FLZ loud out of the car radio of the person next to me at a red light.

6) What's the coolest promotion you've EVER been involved with?

Our legal team has advised me to not answer this question until the matters have been resolved. While this sounds like a cheese-ball attempt at humor, it's not. I'm serious.

7) Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?

I am a big fan of all air personalities who realize that the things it took to be successful yesterday aren't the same today. I love hearing a diary power hitter like Kane (who happens to be on my air staff) take the things that made him great in that ballpark and adapt them to hit grand slams in PPM.

If you really want me to name names... I like Elvis Duran, Howard Stern, Randi West, MoJo In The Morning, Bobby Bones, Ace & TJ, Toby Knapp, Mikey and Big Bob, The Bert Show, Drex, Boy Toy Jesse, JoJo on the Radio, Sisanie, Lisa Paige. Off the radio, I like this dude on YouTube with username SlyFox4569, and this other kid Praune2Forever is gold, too.

8) What music do you listen to when you're not working?

I'm gonna hit shuffle on my iPod and share with you the first five artists or bands that come up ... Muse, Conway Twitty, Hampton the Hampster, Barenaked Ladies, Young Money. Yep, I'd say that's pretty random.

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

It's as good as ever; tt's just not located in the same place. The GPS has pointed us to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, nightclubs, one-night stands, random acquaintances, etc. We have to find people who love to entertain and train them on the fundamentals of radio. At WFLZ we have a great crop of awesome young talent that we've given opportunities to ... and I'm always looking for more. If you've got "it," I will fight like hell to find a place for you on our team.

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

Focus on what I can control and make sure that our team is not contributing to the problem.

What's the best sweeper/liner you've ever heard?

It's not even close, the famous "Don't be a Dick" sweeper from the Power Pig/Q105 war.