10 Questions with ... Jeff Hurley

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I've been with FM97 for almost four years, and on-air for KISS 107 (Cincy), and mornings at Gen X Radio 106.1 (Tulsa) via voicetracking.

I've previously programmed at 99.3 KISS FM (Harrisburg), Star 104 (Erie) and Island 106 (Panama City).

Previous on-air stints include 97BHT (Wilkes-Barre), Q102 (Philly), 98PXY and 94.1 The Zone (Rochester) and WINK 106 (Elmira).

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

FM97 is such a huge, heritage station. There are enormous expectations from both listeners and sales based on the incredible history of this station. I don't make changes lightly without solid information to back them up. It's very similar to my time with Star 104 in Erie. They're both big, heritage Top 40s with enormous coverage areas and generation after generation of devoted listeners. There are very few "small" decisions.

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

I'm a walking hat-rack. Like most clusters, we lost some staff due to downsizing and cutbacks. We've spread the responsibilities of several departed staffers around to the remaining staff. It's very challenging to handle the duties of so many different positions, but that's radio in the year 2010. To paraphrase Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, "The expectations of success don't change, no matter who is in the lineup." We still expect to win and be bigger than life, even if we have less staff than in the past.

3) What is your favorite part of the job?

My show. I still go live every afternoon and have a blast interacting with listeners. That's why I still make time to do the show live -- and find time to voicetrack other markets. I got into radio because I liked being a goofball on the air. I'll keep doing that as long as I can manage it.

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

Remembering that my girlfriend's family listens to my show on a regular basis.

5) What's the coolest promotion you've been involved with recently?

We did a Gaga-Okie contest, where listeners submitted videos of themselves singing/dancing/performing their favorite Lady Gaga song. Listeners voted for their favorites at FM97.com. We tripled our page views and saw a 40% increase in unique visitors during that contest.

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

A wheel. I haven't upgraded to one of the touch-screen iPods yet, so I've still got an older one with the big wheel in the middle. Oh, you mean music? BT, Crystal Method, Bullet For My Valentine, Black Keys, 30 Seconds To Mars, Mastodon. I'm all over the board musically.

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

I'm very blessed. We have a live, local air staff that understands the station and the audience. Liz and Bryan have been together in mornings for about two-and-a-half years. They hit it off right away, and have been great as a morning team. Our midday talent is actually the receptionist for our sister station. She sent me an aircheck a few years ago ... and we added her on the spot. Sometimes, you just get lucky. She's funny and so in touch with our listeners' tastes. Damian, our Production Dir., and also hosts the Retro Café'. He's forgotten more about '90s music than most of us have ever known. I hold down afternoon drive, and Jojo tracks nights from Chattanooga. He grew up in the area, and has been on the air here for years. He doesn't feel like an "out of market" jock, because he's so comfortable with the area and listeners. B-Rock and Stoney are live on weekends and do a great job.

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

Here's a random list of people who blow my mind every time I hear them or their stations: Toby Knapp, Pete Kennedy, Kane, Tone E. Fly, Bobby Bones, Micki Gamez, Randi West ,Cubby, Rayne, OC, Jagger, 'DVE Morning Show, Kobe, Kidd Chris, Jordan (seriously, I like his show ... and yes I'm kissing up to my boss in Cinci!)

Special props to John Allers and the entire Radio 104.5/Philadelphia staff - my favorite out-of-market station. This is the future of Alt/Rock radio. Someday I will tone down and relax enough to do the Sunday overnight shift on this station.

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

This will be hard. Don't kid yourself. You're going to wake up and wonder if all this work is worth it. Your paycheck will suck sometimes. You'll probably get fired. Pissed off former board-ops and wanna-bes will cower behind fake names and slag you on message boards. Some people won't "get" you. You may have to share an apartment with a guy named Busta who thinks it's okay to burn the spilled rum off the linoleum kitchen floor instead of wiping it up. You'll have to steal food from the booth at the end of a remote if you want to eat before payday arrives.

But if you love it, it's completely worth it. Do this job right and you'll never have to "work" a day in your life.

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

I'd grab every naysayer and remind them that we're not dying. Despite increased competition and new technical challenges, we're still a strong, powerful medium. Do people have other options? Of course. I love Pandora just as much as the next music geek, but radio is still the only medium that's figured out how to blend entertainment, music and information so seamlessly into one single program.

That being said, we need to embrace digital technologies as our listeners gravitate to them. If you're not available on a smartphone app, you're probably too late. If you're thinking about creating a Facebook page for your station, you're too late. We need to be where our listeners are before they get there.

We need to better prepare ourselves and inspire innovation, rather than reacting. We have unique and powerful brands that resonate with millions of listeners every day. Embrace our role as content providers, create amazing content and deliver it though both our traditional means and new technologies.

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

Everyone who visits has three things they must experience:

The Amish. I take it for granted, but most people aren't used to seeing horse and buggies rolling down the street.

Hersheypark . It's a top-notch amusement park, and the whole town smells like chocolate. Plus you can take the "factory tour" ride, and there are dancing cows. If you don't like dancing cows, you probably hate freedom and America.

Intercourse. What? It's the name of a town! It's just up the road from "Blue Ball" and "Paradise." (seriously, Google this ... I'm not kidding)