-
10 Questions with ... R Dub!
September 22, 2020
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I was lucky enough to score my first industry job at the tender age of 15, in Tucson. I married the market and spent half my career there, working at some legendary stations including KRQ and the infamous KJYK-Power 1490…I hear there’s a movie about that station!
I moved to Los Angeles at age 30 to program KHHT (Hot 92.3) and then retired from local radio two years later, moving to Brazil to host Sunday Night Slow Jams on the water. Just two years later, I was sucked back into local radio, accepting my dream job here in San Diego, where I’ve been Supreme Commander at Local Media San Diego for nearly ten years.
1. What got you into radio?
I was the class clown since pre-school and would always raise my hand to help "host" every classroom game or school event. I simply loved being on the mic, even if that "mic" was just a magic marker or a hairbrush. At 13, I discovered Hip-Hop and R&B (aka the Urban format) and those two loves soon collided...hard! The light bulb went off one day when I realized there were people that actually get paid to run their mouths while enjoying and experiencing music at the same time. "That’s an actual job???"
I wouldn’t wait until after high school. I wanted it now. I’d check out "radio broadcasting" books from the library. My grades turned from Cs to straight As overnight. I’d attend "how to" radio seminars and enrolled in a nightly class at the community radio station in town. I was on the air at 15 years old and the fulltime night guy at the city's Rhythm station by my senior year. I was really lucky that a handful of great programmers believed in this kid: Shout out to Bruce St. James, Boogie D and Tim Richards.
2. What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid?
Like most kids, I would change my mind every few weeks. One day I’d want to be an astronaut, the next a fireman, etc. But as soon I realized that "radio" was an actual career choice and would combine my two biggest loves in life (talking and music - see my answer in question one) that was it. That changed everything.
I also think having such an intense passion and strong aspirations as a young man kept me out of trouble. All of a sudden I had a goal; a mission in life – something to work for. I improved my grades, I kept out of trouble, I stayed far away from drugs and alcohol and I worked hard – and I did it for nobody but myself. I had some "thing" to work towards; something tangible. I think it’s important we help young people find these aspirations early, because it can change the entire path of one’s life in such a major way, and almost immediately.
3. Best thing about programming a radio station?
I’ve always loved the ability to "make cool stuff". I thrived in creative writing classes in 5th grade and enjoyed making posters while campaigning for student office. (True story: Did you know that I was the only student officer in history to ever be impeached at Apperson Elementary School???) I’ve always loved the ability to create things out of thin air, which is really what we do in radio. Sometimes we even have a budget! Getting to combine my love of content creation and marketing, with music…how is that not just a dream come true, everyday?
Speaking specifically to my role here in San Diego: I truly appreciate working for a locally owned and operated company that genuinely cares about its employees and our community. I came to work here nearly 10 years ago and the honeymoon has never ended. It’s the best company I’ve ever had the pleasure of working for. Our managing partners, including President Gregg Wolfson and COO/CFO Norm McKee have created this incredible culture from the top down. Really, the story of Local Media San Diego deserves its own full spread in All Access. There’s no way I can describe what an incredible place LMSD is in just one paragraph.
4. How has programming and hosting your syndicated show, Sunday Night Slow Jams, most helped you with programming Magic and Z90?
First and foremost, it provides me with the opportunity to work with over 200 PDs. They always say that two heads are better than one – imagine 200+! We have a network of 200+ PDs in multiple formats and all market sizes. I also work closely with the VPs of programming from almost every radio group. Slow Jams aside, often we connect on station stuff – we kick around new ideas, exchange programming and promotional concepts and help each other solve problems. Slow Jams has helped build one of the most powerful programming networks in America, and there’s no doubt this has assisted me when it comes to our San Diego properties.
My syndication partners at Benztown have also been incredibly helpful when it comes to assisting our stations here. From jingles, to the custom imaging they do for us, to special promos that arrive only minutes after a legendary artist passes - there is no end to their offerings. They’ve really helped us achieve so many of our goals. It’s almost an unfair advantage!
> Finally, not just hosting, but owning Sunday Night Slow Jams (and its parent company Fusion Radio Networks) has no doubt improved my business skillsets and understandings of the fiduciary side of things. This second dimension helps remove me from the "radio station programming" bubble that’s easy to get caught up in as a PD. I like to think it’s made me a little more well rounded.
5. Programmers generally focus on their own stations and how they are executing. That being said, what elements tend to jump out at you about competing stations? (both positively or negatively)
Candidly, I’m disappointed at the lack of creativity, new, and most importantly big ideas that seem to be sorely missing in radio these days. In general, I just don’t see many radio stations executing those giant, larger-than-life, “Oh WOW!” promotions - the kind of promotions and contests that are talked about, that command real attention, that make the market and even other stations say, "How’d they DO that???!!!" We’re at a point in time where radio needs those most – now more than ever before! I’m grateful we’re still able to pull off massive promotions like that in San Diego. If you’re not familiar with Z90’s #EPIC48hours you need to stop everything and go here: epic48hours.com. Seriously, click the link and watch the videos. It’s everything that's missing in radio today.
6. Other than slowing your travelin' ass down dramatically, how has the pandemic effected your life the most?
Obviously, revenue has been off – at our stations and at Slow Jams – so we’ve had to make some necessary budgetary adjustments. Thankfully, we’ve done it thoughtfully and with minimal casualties. The company has worked so hard to save bodies – it’s been on the forefront of most all of our decisions.
When I’m not traveling, I’m a homebody anyway, so no big whoop for me about not being able to go to parties, concerts, festivals, etc. Just when I start to feel bad about things for a minute, it doesn’t take long for an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and appreciation to take over. I’m really fortunate: I basically have two jobs, a roof over my head, food on the table and my health. My family has been safe, too. There are so many people going through just incredible hardships right now. The pandemic has helped me realize just how fortunate I am. I thank God every day.
7. What do you think makes Magic 92.5 such a special radio station?
Over the past five years, the industry has said goodbye to so many Jammin’ Oldies-formatted stations. Many (if not most) huge and iconic stations in the format have been abandoned, from KISQ in San Francisco to KHHT/Los Angeles. These stations had enormous brands and loyal audiences. I believe the issue was that these stations refused to evolve and adapt over the years (decades, really), as their audience aged out of the demo. The result was slowly eroding ratings and stations that sounded old. We saw the writing on the wall at Magic, but instead of abandoning ship on one of San Diego's most important radio stations, we invested in the product. Crazy concept, huh?
We spent countless dollars and man-hours resuscitating the legendary Magic 92.5. Instead of blowing it up with a full-on format change, we updated the music and the presentation, while maintaining the station’s core values and meanings. Along with Magic's lineup up of longtime market mainstays (Midday king Xavier “The X-Man” has been here 20 years and morning hosts Jagger and Kristi over 15), we doubled down on the "Magic" and strategically realigned the station to not just survive, but thrive. It wasn’t easy, but we did it together, as a team, and have reaped the benefits of our work. Today, there’s no other station in the world that sounds like Magic. I invite you to give us a listen.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the PDs that were responsible for building the incredible foundations of Magic 92.5. Brilliant folks like Bruce St. James, Rick Thomas and Fred Rico did a great job paving the way for Magic's success today.
8. You've recently published your second book. What did you learn about yourself, leadership and programming in writing, Go Syndicate Yourself?
After all the tedious work of writing, editing, publishing and marketing a book, my head was spinning. After I was able to take a breath, step back, and process it all, I took away a few things:
First, just how much the industry has changed over the past ten years. Second, how fortunate I am to still be part of this wonderful business (it was a lot of hard work, but there was definitely some luck involved), and third: the power of entrepreneurship in America. With the right idea and a relentless work ethic, it’s possible to do just about anything here in the US. After traveling to 149 countries around the world, I can say that not everyone in the world has this luxury. This is still the land of opportunity.
9. I know that you are a huge Sonoran hot dog fan from your days in Tucson. What excites you, food-wise in San Diego?
First of all, if you haven’t had an authentic Sonoran Hot Dog from Tucson, you haven’t LIVED…so go ahead and put that on your bucket list. Here in San Diego, I’ve actually caused physical fights over my love for Tucson Mexican food – "Sonoran" cooking is simply the best Mexican food in the world...period. And if you’ve never had it, then see me when you do.
As far as San Diego, they do know how to do Mexican seafood right. Check out the hole-in-the-wall that is Oscar’s Mexican Seafood when you’re here; you’ll thank me. Karina’s is a Mexican version of Hooter’s, so that excites me before the plate even arrives at the table. And we’ve got a great place that specializes in chilaquiles called Cocina 35. Oh, and great burritos at the wrestling-themed Lucha Libre Taco Shop. That’s always a fun place to take visitors from out of town. Spoiler alert: I like Mexican food.
10. What have you learned from the pandemic as a person, leader and programmer that you're looking forward to putting to use in a non-pandemic world?
I’ve learned just how important radio—specifically personalities—are to our listeners. They came to us to cry on our shoulders, for comfort, for familiarity, for laughs and for friendship. The music we played was just a bonus. In San Diego, we’re doubling down on our commitment to serve the community and form relationships with our local listeners.
Bonus Questions
Top of the bucket-list travel destination? Interested in a Space-X or Virgin Galactic?
As I mentioned earlier, I’m currently on a mission to see all 193 countries in the world. At 149, I’ve visited some incredible places that most people wouldn’t even think you could travel to, like Iraq, Libya, Somalia, even North Korea (not just the DMZ, I’m talking about all the way in, visiting Pyongyang for two nights). The biggest bucket list item for me today is Damascus, Syria – only because it’s one of the few countries (pandemic aside) that’s really hard to get into with an American passport. Contrary to popular belief, visiting Damascus via an organized tour is very safe. It’s a cosmopolitan city with rich industry and culture – street cafés, movie theaters, shopping malls and museums. It’s not what you see on the news.
Hypothetical...what's the first dance/slow jam at your wedding reception?
What’s amazing about Slow Jams, is they are universal. If you’re a female with a pulse, all the big Slow Jams (any of them) will immediately strike an emotional cord and have you in your feelings. Keep in mind, the word "Slow Jam" has a different definition and meaning for everyone. It’s why we have a POP version of the show that plays Taylor Swift and Sam Smith; a Classic Hip-Hop version that plays slow grooves from LL Cool J, Outkast and Boyz II Men, and a Rhythm/Urban version that plays Drake, Weeknd and Khalid.
So before I chose a song, I’d want to know which of my favorite PDs were going to be attending the wedding, and then I’d pick a song that would match the format of their radio station to make them comfortable. I’d also make sure they had local liners and the music sounded like it was coming out of their local studio. It’s a partnership and a two-way street. I want their station to win as much as they do!
And if you think I hijacked this question to promote Sunday Night Slow Jams, you’d be correct. It’s also the reason I don’t have a fiancé or wife!
-
-