10 Questions with ... Brody

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I started my radio career in May of 2000 at WILI/Wilimantic, CT under Gordon Smith, who started me out Saturday mornings, 6-10a. It was early but I was so hungry and excited to get into the industry. I was lucky enough to fill in on every daypart for vacation fill-in, including mornings. Months later, Danny Ocean hired me to work in New Haven, CT at WKCI, where I took on part-time on-air shifts, lots of production and promotions (what felt like full-time hours). I think I slept an average of four to five hours each afternoon!

I got my first full-time on-air gig at WQGN/ New London, CT, with PD Kevin Palana in the driver seat. I did nights there until August of 2003, when Chris Edge hired me to do nights at WDCG/Raleigh. I was really excited to move to a warmer climate and take on a new challenge in a bigger city. Since then, I've shifted to middays, as MD, APD and Online Content Dir. for WDCG. I've been here six-and-a-half years and I'm still loving it!

1) How would you describe your first radio gig?

I was so excited to get my first opportunity in the business. I realized I was going to actually get paid for what I loved doing, even though it was only minimum wage, which I think was $6.25 at the time. I started out doing a one day a week, Saturday morning, 6-10a on Top 40 WILI, a mom-and-pop operation in Wilimantic, CT. I had heard that people like Kid Kelly had at one point been on the air there, so this just made me even more enthusiastic about being a part of the staff there. Since I didn't have a full-time job at the time (which turned out to be a blessing), I had the opportunity to do vacation fill-in for every shift on the station, which was very educational and a blast! I'll never forget where I started, or the girls who I tried to pick up in that town.

2) What led you to a career in radio?

I was always listening to the radio as a kid. Whether I was doing homework, just hanging at the house or driving around town in high school and college, the radio was on in the background. I would even pretend to be a DJ for Z100/New York just for fun and for my own amusement. My career goals back then centered around working in the film industry behind the scenes. I would later realize that radio might be fun to actually participate in when I was dating my girlfriend senior year of college at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. I was about to graduate college in three months, when I started hanging out with her at the school radio station to support her show. It then clicked that I wanted to take a crack at my own show, too.

That was my first realization that radio wasn't just something I wanted to keep on in the background anymore; I wanted to be a part of it. I continued doing my radio show at the school with my good friends Paulie and Karl, while I was working full-time as a news videographer for the local Fox affiliate and then later at a video production house. The longer I kept at the radio thing, the more I realized that I wanted to pursue it as a career, which led me to that interview in Wilimantic. I'm going on 10 years in radio this May and still remember the day I interviewed for my first radio gig like it was yesterday. I miss playing Soul Decision.

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

G105 is very "real." I don't think we pretend to be something we're not. We have fun on AND off the air. Everyone who makes up the G105 family works incredibly well together, and it really is a FAMILY here. I've walked away with a lot of great memories from the other stations I've worked for, but this is by far the happiest I've ever been working anywhere, and I'm sure most of the team would say the same ... and not just in programming. The combination of being "real" and enthusiastic comes across on the air and at our events. It always feels good to hear people on the streets say, "Wow, you guys are really cool!" What, do they expect us to be jerks? I feel like we are not one of those radio stations that are just a jukebox. We become part of people's lives, through music, entertainment and realness, and hitting the streets.

4) Are you wearing more "hats" than you have in the past?

I am wearing lots more hats than I have in the past, which I embrace since I'm somewhat of a control freak. When I had my radio show in college, I did my show, posted banners around school promoting it, made my own contacts at the record labels to get interviews and concert tickets ... I did it all! So, I love the fact that I get to have a hand in so much of what is G105. My day-to-day responsibilities besides my midday shift include producing the Seacrest show, scheduling music, maintaining our social networking sites, as well as our station site, and on certain days taking record label calls. I am pretty much Randi West's right hand man, especially when she's traveling for meetings.

5) What is your favorite part of the job?

This is a two-parter for me, as there are the perks that anyone would enjoy, and then also seeing the results of what you've accomplished. I love concerts, and if it's a band that I really love, I'll be that fan who wants to get up close to the stage for the show. It's also pretty eye-opening to see that many artists are actually pretty down to earth, making it feel like you've known them forever.

The one thing I've learned about myself here in Raleigh is that my reasons for getting in the business are not all selfish. I get a kick out of seeing listeners smile from something that G105 has had a hand in. I love making listeners happy. It's hard to see listeners' reactions when you're in a room talking on a mic. However, when you're on the streets meeting people, whether at a club gig, concert, or just literally on the street, and you get to see their reaction to the radio station and how it's affected their lives in a positive way, it makes me feel like our whole team is actually making a difference, even it it's just through entertainment.

G105 doesn't have to just be a radio station playing music in the background; we CAN MAKE a moment or multiple moments for people that will stay with them forever. You can't buy that kind of word-of-mouth advertising. Good thing, too ... It's not in the budget!

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

I've made peace with the fact that you can't make everyone happy all the time. As a matter of fact, that's the line I use in my response to the rare complaint letter about music repetition. In this day in ag,e when there are so many responsibilities to take on, I would say time management can sometimes be the biggest challenge. Every time I think I have a majority of things on my list done, then a new list comes up, without enough time in the day to complete it! Having a laptop to work from home after hours is a blessing and a curse.

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

This is not a one-word answer for me, either. Even some simple promotions, including concert ones, with meet-and-greets, front-row seats, limo and even fly-aways can sound huge if you make it sound different and special on the air. We have branded two promotions very well, one being our Listener Lounge. We've had everyone from John Mayer and Gavin DeGraw to Lenny Kravitz and Rob Thomas, who performed twice! It's an exclusive, private, and invite-only event listeners have to win their way into, and at the same time you're just strengthening client relationships by using their venue.

The best compliment can sometimes come from the artist, who insists on playing more than just the four songs they are supposed to because of how much fun THEY have at the your event, too. The other event, which our promotions and marketing director Carly Laskey and PD Randi West came up with years ago, is the well-known Pick Your Purse. It's been around now for a few years, but it's still very effective and profitable!

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

I'm pretty lucky to be surrounded by some of the most talented on-air folks I've ever heard and met. I never understood how an all-talk, Top 40 morning show could be successful until I heard Bob and the Showgram, where Bob Dumas has been at the helm for over 15 years now. Controversial? I'd call it being real, with a big heart and 14% nicer this year! He's got an amazing team, making up a well rounded morning show that just has fun and consistently places #1 across the board. It's a wonder how they just started syndication last year.

I do middays, keeping people company before Seacrest, and then comes Randi West, who for most people needs no introduction. She has truly taught me the art of being conversational on the air, especially when it comes to listener interaction. Plus, I really have never seen a woman pull off a man jacket the way she does. Very sexy. Geller is our night guy. I really enjoyed doing nights at G105, but I knew I was never funny. Geller is as random as the day is long, but hilarious at the same time! Randi and I have nearly driven off the road listening to his show. We got lucky when he came to us from Atlanta. Porkchop Jenkins is our overnight jock, who doubles as a production guy and on-call person in the building for our cluster. He has his own brand of humor that keeps the graveyard shift entertained.

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

I am a big fan of '80s music, which always reminds me of growing up listening to Z100 in New York. I really miss listening to radio back then. However, my favorite time for music surrounds the last few years of the '90s, up to the end of 2000. My favorite music comes from bands like LIT, SMASHMOUTH, EVE 6, THIRD EYE BLIND, FUEL, and yes, I was actually a fan of the BACKSTREET BOYS. It's too bad that I didn't get into radio until the middle of 2000. There's nothing like talking up your favorite record on the air.

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

I would tell anyone looking to get into the business to not pass up any opportunity to learn or meet people. If there's any chance to take an internship in radio, do it. And don't waste it trying to ask for free concert tickets or trying to pick up girls. Absorb as much as you can because it's those people that show the motivation and enthusiasm to learn that will make an impression and get hired. No opportunity is too small. Learn, ask lots of questions and then put what you've learned into practice. Network with as many people in the business as you can, even in the record industry.

I'll never forget the first person in the biz I met was Joe Daddio (originally a radio guy), now a national for Jive Records. He was doing a fill-in shift at WKCI/New Haven, CT around Thanksgiving in '98 when I called him on the request line, asking if I could come in and hang out. I don't know why he let me in, but he did. That was encouragement enough for me to get the fire going under me. Who knew that he would one day down the line be working me on records? More importantly, he's become one of my best friends. Thanks, bro.

Name the artist/act (living or dead) you'd love to meet and why?

I've been made fun of for this before, but I'd love to see Huey Lewis and the News. I loved the Fore album - "The Power of Love" was my favorite song! I still love that band to this day because they remind me of when MTV was actually cool. I was so jealous when I found out that Jagger from WKTU/WHTZ met Huey Lewis -- at a deli in NYC, of all places! I can't remember which of them was drunk when it happened. If they ever play anywhere around here, I'm getting tickets no matter how much the price tag!