10 Questions with ... Booker

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

• WKQI/Detroit Dec 1999-Aug 2000 Parttime On Air
• KFTZ/Idaho Falls/Pocatello Sep 2000-July 2001-nights/Afternoons/MD
• KUUU/Salt Lake City July 2001-Aug 2003-nights
• WBVD/Melbourne, FL Sep 2003 - Oct 2005 MD/nights then PD/afternoons
• KUUU/Salt Lake City Oct 2005 - Feb 2013 APD/MD/nights
• iHeartMedia/Salt Lake City Feb 2013 - Jan 2014 Parttime on air, Board Op/Producer
• KEZE/Spokane Feb 2014 -Aug 2014 APD/nights
• KYYY/Bismarck Aug 2014 - Jan 2016 PD/afternoons (Swing On air WKQI, KZHT)
• KYWD/Boise May 2014 - Jan 2019 VT nights to PD/middays
• KZMG/Boise Jan 2016- June 2017 APD/afternoons and eventually PD/afternoons
• KEZE/Spokane Oct 2016 - VT nights, afternoons, middays, now mornings. Yes, I've done every day part on this station.
• KUUU/Salt Lake City mornings (Round 3!)
• KTVX/Salt Lake City (News Producer)

1. What got you into radio?

I grew up in Detroit listening to great radio but as a kid never fathomed that I would eve be in a studio playing music and talking to a huge audience. Once I graduated from high school I was lost for the first year figuring out what I wanted to do. I went to community college and took a communications course which was a joke! In the fall of 1998, I decided to go to the world famous, Specs Howard School of Broadcasting in Michigan. Originally TV production was my focus but once I got a little taste of radio during the first half of the program, I shifted my focus did a couple of internships and went full steam at pursuing radio. Looking back at this, it’s pretty ironic that 20 years later, I’m circling back around to TV and still doing radio.

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

At one point I wanted to be a lawyer but, pretty quickly, that changed. After that, I always knew I wanted to do something that involved music or entertainment but didn't have the face to be on anyone's camera. Radio was the perfect way to go.

3. Radio has taken you across the country. What was your favorite market to live in?

I spent quite a few years away from Salt Lake City and being back here this place has grown an insane amount in that time. I've always called SLC my second home for personal reasons. But I would probably say Boise was my favorite place to live in terms of "quality of life". The city literally has any and everything a person needs. Outdoor life is awesome for those who are adventurous, great city for food and a very vibrant nightlife. I've had several people ask me about Boise since I've left, I have and always will give that city high recommendations.

4. What do you think the first lesson you learned in radio was?

Never burn a bridge, still carry that one with me to this day.

5. You're a veteran air personality and programmer. What still excites you about being on the air every day?

Connecting with the audience, I've taken a different journey into TV news (more on that below). It's been a bit of challenge adapting to that form or broadcasting, so getting to still be on the radio each day is a release for me. U92 is a heritage brand in Salt Lake City and luckily a lot of those same listeners from back in the day still listen. It's almost like I get to talk to my friends each morning.

6. You're exploring new broadcast territory these days. Aren't you also working in television?

Yes! When I moved back to Salt Lake City there wasn't a "fulltime" radio position waiting. So, I looked at other options. I'm working as a morning news producer at the ABC/CW affiliate in the market. I started with the company in the traffic inventory department which I did for a month. But I kept bugging the news director to take a meeting with me, he liked my writing and saw my potential and it's been quite the learning experience. TV news is very different than radio!

7. What has your radio experience meant to you in your work in TV?

There are a couple skills I've been able to utilize, my ability to pinpoint which stories/content will grab the viewer's attention. My passion for storytelling has been something noted and my sense of knowing how to hold an audience through tease writing. My co-workers are aware of my radio career so whenever I have an opportunity to showcase my creativity in a story that I'm writing for the show or web content, I know I have radio to thank for that skillset.

8. How do you manage your time?

Ehh...that's been tough. My main purpose for coming back to SLC was for my kids so making sure I'm spending enough time with them on top of my other commitments gets tricky. I need to really make sure what I'm doing and how long I'm spending doing it is efficient.

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

I would love to maybe work with some sort of community outreach program for kids who come from broken homes, or something health related. My passion for helping people really sparked during my time in Boise so I think that would be a fulfilling career path.

10. You've made significant changes in your lifestyle. What prompted those changes and how's your health?

What prompted them was being in the public and being winded walking from my car to wherever my remote was, and not being physically able to play with my kids when they were younger. I'm in a maintaining stage now. My hours are a little wacky at the moment. But I know I will never go back to where I was prior to beginning my health journey.

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

Well it was just announced that Real Housewives is doing a season in Salt Lake City. I'd have to imagine that would be an interesting experience, haha!

Money is no object-- What celebrity would you want to partner with for mornings?

I'm good on having a celeb co-host but who I’d really want is my homegirl Binky Lee that's in Grand Forks, ND. I’d partner with her in a heartbeat. We've joked that we would do a pretty lit morning show, especially on a rhythm!