10 Questions with ... Skeery Jones

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Somehow I parlayed my college credit internship with Joe McCoy, Cousin Brucie and WCBS-FM in 1994 into a career in radio. Andy Shane hired me as a Z100 phone operator in 1995 and after being assigned to answer the request lines and run the contests for Elvis Duran in the afternoons, OM/PD Steve Kingston gave me a Saturday morning board operator shift running American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. A year later, in May 1996 as I graduated Brooklyn College, PD Tom Poleman came to town, moving Elvis Duran to mornings with Elliott, and they brought me on to be the assistant producer of their brand new show, Elvis, Elliot & the Z Morning Zoo. It was also at that time that I landed additional duties doing on-air weekend, overnight and filliin shifts.

Meanwhile, something was clicking with the morning show, and by 2001 I was elevated to Producer and later Executive Producer of Elvis Duran & The Z Morning Zoo. In 2006, we got our first affiliate in WHYI/Miami(Y100), and the nationally syndicated Elvis Duran & The Morning Show was born. Today, we are heard in over 27 U.S. cities including: New York, Philly, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa and Cleveland.

1) What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?

My first radio gig happens to be this one here at Z100. In fact, it's my 15th anniversary working at the station this month. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and I've never moved out of this market to do radio. I'm told that's virtually unheard of.

2) How would you describe your first radio gig?

I was hired as a phone producer at Z100, answering the request lines for Elvis Duran when he was doing afternoons. The job paid minimum wage (like $5.15 an hour) and I ended up losing money every day I worked, since it cost me $10 in tolls plus gas to get there. Elvis was the final word in afternoon radio and it was a privilege to learn from one of the most creative minds in the business. And as a Z100 phone op, you were able to get knowledge and hands-on experience, as well as access to the most famous radio studios in the country. (I'll kiss the ring all day.)

3) What led you to a career in radio?

I was the quintessential radio call-in contest prize pig, and at nine years old, while listening to my father's radio station, WCBS-FM with Cousin Brucie, I learned how to "call in and win," and although I had no clue what "a copy of The History of Rock N Roll by Norm N. Nite" was, I was enamored at hearing myself on the radio. So Brucie would put me on to request songs anytime I called. After all, the nine-yea-old asking to hear "In The Still of The Night by The 5 Satins" phone bit on the Oldies station never gets old. This led to me trying to get on-air with as many DJs as I could ... Scott Shannon, Ross Brittain, Jack Da Wack, Kid Kelly. I even made up a sexual dysfunction to get on with Dr. Judy and Chris Jagger on Lovephones. I had a CB radio in my room, so I would duct tape the microphone into the "on" position and put it next to the speaker of my stereo, using my Radio Shack mixer, microphones, CD players and a bunch of my friends...and we would pretend we were a radio station. I think only my mom heard the broadcasts...from downstairs.

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

Being spontaneous is the most challenging and the most rewarding at the same time. We get to "be in the moment" because that's the type of show Elvis puts on. He is a master at processing what he's hearing from the cast, or a phone caller, setting a mood and conveying a thought to the audience. We will toss out the scheduled plan in favor of an awesome phone caller who brings a juicy relationship issue to the table ... right there, live on the spot, without any warning. And we all jump into action. I'll grab an appropriate music bed or sound effect for the bit. Our phone producer Loren Cicalese will then start collecting calls to put on that go right with the modified plan. Our web guy Garrett Vogel will put a live poll up on elvisduran.com about it.

Maybe it's a caller saying they heard some funny audio. TJ the DJ will spring into action and scour the web looking for audio to play on the air. Co Executive Producer David Brody is writing potential jokes and we are both suggesting scenarios to Elvis of where the bit could go next. It gets intense, but I live for this stuff.

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

Radio provides the most intimate and instant communication loop ... and on a mass level: We give an opinion on the air; the listener hears it, forms an opinion of their own, then texts or calls to let us know exactly how they feel about what we said. And we then feed off what they say and respond on air. And that, in turn, affects our next move. Unrehearsed. Uninhibited. And so very rewarding. What other medium can boast that? Not television or newspapers ... Most TV is pre-recorded, edited or scripted, or all three ... And when it IS live, when is there room for instant feedback? When was the last time you saw anyone live on TV, stop down to get people's immediate opinion and respond on the spot? Obviously social networks do this well on a small scale, but not enough to reach a single mass audience at once.

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

Elvis Duran & the Morning Show is syndicated to 27 cities around the U.S. and we have some of the best people in the industry working on the show. There's Elvis Duran, Jon Bell, Carolina Bermudez, Danielle Monaro, Froggy, Greg T the Fratboy and myself. Then there's the rest of the Z100 lineup, featuring Ryan Seacrest (middays), JJ (afternoons), Mo' Bounce (nights), Tre Morgan (late nights) and Shelley Wade (overnights.) Phill Kross and Scotty B are swing shift guys.

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

We are in trouble here, people. And we have only ourselves to blame. About a year into working at Z100 in 1996, Chris Jagger helped me cut together my college radio station demo (shout out to Brooklyn College's WBCR and Kingsborough's WKRB) and APD Ryan Chase and PD Tom Poleman took a chance on me, allowing me to do weekend overnight shifts on Z100. I was able to do weekly airchecks with Tom and Ryan, and later OM Kid Kelly, learn from my mistakes and crutches, and ultimately be groomed into a major-market jock (although that's arguable.)

That scenario doesn't exist anymore. Voicetracking has vastly reduced the opportunity to develop new talent. The overnight show was the perfect playground to practice on -- until someone came by, tore it down and put up condos. There are probably hundreds of hopefuls out there who never even got a shot to be heard, so they're off doing some thankless job in another industry (see cult film favorite "Office Space" for further reference.)

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

Learn it all. Absorb everything from editing audio on several software programs, to scheduling music in Selector, to devising a quality power point presentation ... because radio doesn't hire niche employees anymore where one person performs one role. Come to think of it, learn how to shoot, edit and post video, teach yourself html, and figure out a way to talk on the radio while tweeting to your listeners about the u-stream video you are about to go live with. And have Bluetooth at the ready, because as you drive yourself to your gig, that new client needs to have a brief teleconference call with you and the sales team. You get the picture. Just make yourself valuable on every front.

9) What artist would we be surprised to find on your iPod?

I think you'd be more surprised to find out that I don't have an iPod. I have an iPhone, but the iPod portion is empty. It's pointless to me because I'm around music all day, and all night. And it's all virtual. It's not like back when we had CDs or vinyl, where it was a tangible thing which you could hold in your hands...those made for great collectors items with the artwork, lyric sheets, jackets and photos. Music is so "on demand" now, that it's disposable. Plus, there's an inherent comfort in knowing that a Lady Gaga track is a $1.29, a push of a button and 20 seconds away at any given moment if I really want it. If you were looking for a straightforward answer ... I got nothin...

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

Well, Apple just re-did its Nano with the inclusion of FM RADIO. Finally! I have friends who have rediscovered us because they got a Nano for Christmas. We just need to stay "top of mind" and be a part of as many media platforms as possible. If radio is available where the masses are going, and with the devices they are using, we will never die. That's why it was so important for Clear Channel to put together the iheartradio.com project. Not only can you hear radio online, but on your iphone, Blackberry and Android cell phones. My bright idea would be to get the FM DIAL installed on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. A little built in media player would be nice while you stalk your friend's photo galleries and comment walls. Skeery Jones likes this.

What's the biggest gaffe you've made on air?

Let me take you back to one summer 1999 overnight shift I was doing on Z100 when I said... (SFX: touchtones)..."Z100, New York's Hit Music Station...1-800-242-0100...Be caller 100 and I've got a family 4 pack of passes for you to ride the rides at Six FAGS Great Adventure ... from Z100!"