10 Questions with ... Matthew 'Doughboy' Florence

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I got my first internship in 1993 at KKXX/Bakersfield. I basically called the night guy every night for about 6 months and begged for an internship until I finally wore him down. Since then, I've been fortunate enough to work with some great people in some great markets like Kiss 99.7 in San Luis Obsipo, 95.7 The Wolf in San Francisco, Wild 106, Kiss 97.3, 93.3 KOBFM in Albuquerque, and most recently KVYB/Oxnard-Ventura

1. What got you into radio?

My mom's favorite show when I was a kid was WKRP. I wanted to be Johnny Fever, and when I told my mom I wanted to be a radio DJ I'm pretty sure it broke her heart.

2. What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid?

As far back as I can remember I wanted to be in radio. I used to imitate the DJ's I listened to and record myself repeating their station call letters. Looking back I guess I wasn't really shooting for the stars lol

3. What was the biggest change in the move from Albuquerque to Oxnard/Ventura?

Living in California most my life I already knew what I was getting back to, but after being in Albuquerque for the last eight years I forgot how much more laid back everyone is out here. It's also been nice to get used to a smaller town again without all the craziness, because Albuquerque is out of control.

4. You grew up in Bakersfield. How did that best prepare you for programming in Hispanic leaning markets?

When my mom moved us to Bakersfield from the Bay Area (thanks mom) it was a weird time in Bakersfield. That city always felt very segregated, but working for KKXX was a whole different world for me. I learned how deep the cultural roots of the Hispanic community really were. I was there at a time when The Baka Boyz came along and really brought the whole city together, after they left and rightfully took their place as kings of L.A., we got The Almighty Ruffnex (Mr Choc & C-Minus) and that's when I really started to learn about Hip Hop and R&B and the love the Hispanic community had for the music and the personalities.

5. What would probably surprise most people about Oxnard/Ventura?

The most surprising thing is what a tight knit community this is. It's a beautiful area and everything we are going through right now has shown me the heart of this place and it's really a beautiful thing.

6. You and your staff are living through the tragedy of the California's largest ever wildfire, the Thomas Fire and subsequent devastating mudslides. Many have seen video and photographic documentation on the news and online. What aren't we seeing that only residents are exposed to?

I've seen things like this on TV from 1000 miles away before, one thing you never fully understand until you are in the middle of it is how absolutely scary, tiresome and emotionally draining it can be. The night the fires started has to be one of the scariest nights of my life. Alex G and I were in the studio broadcasting all night and around 1 am we stepped outside to take a look and the entire hillside was on fire and the fire was coming straight towards us. The sound and force of the fire is something I'll never forget. People also don't fully get to see the way everyone has come together and helped out. We're tired, but we're staying positive and helping everywhere we can. This place and the people are amazingly strong and we'll continue to push through all of this together as one community.

7. In hindsight, what would you do differently in your stations' coverage of the fires and slides?

I feel like all of us here at Cumulus did everything we could. The night the fires started the power went out from Ventura up to Santa Barbara. 103.3 The Vibe was one of 3 FM's still on the air at that point so Alex G and I stayed in the studio from 9pm to 4am giving evacuation info and road closures. We continued round the clock for the next few days with the whole staff doing their part to make sure we were there for the people of Oxnard/Ventura and Santa Barbara. Spencer was on the air with firefighters every morning getting as much info as we could, Perez was constantly on air with Thomas Fire reports, I was extremely proud of the way our team at Cumulus Media stepped up and did everything we could for our community.

8. Who are/were some of your radio mentors?

I will always give props to Mark Adams for taking an extremely annoying 15 year old in as his intern. Tom "Jammer" Naylor for giving me my first real shot on the air and continuing to guide me through this radio life. Carlos Duran for pulling me back into this crazy business and just being a really great friend. Last but certainly not least, the late "Phat" Matt Ganssle. We all lost this amazing guy last year and words can never express what he meant to me as a mentor and friend. He always made me feel like I could do anything and he never stopped encouraging me to be me, and in his words "kick some radio ass".

9. What's your favorite song on the station right now?

Kendrick Lamar ft SZA - All The Stars

10. If you weren't in radio, what do you think you'd be doing professionally?

Probably designing home theater media systems, I dabbled in that a little bit cause I'm a tech nerd.

1. We know your radio job keeps you very busy but what do you like to do in spare time you have?

I don't have as much spare time as I used to, but when I do have free time you can usually find me golfing or at least attempting to golf. I also have an extreme addiction to comic books and Xbox One gamertag Mayhem297, come at me, bro!

2. If you could be on any TV reality show or game show, which would you want to be on?

Wheel of Fortune is still a dream...I will make it happen one day!

3. If you had to eat one type of meal every day for a month, what would it be?

I would eat Mexican food everyday if I could, although my blood pressure tells me differently these days. lol