10 Questions with ... Nick Taylor

NAME:Nick Taylor POSITION:Host, THE Z MORNING ZOO STATION:Z104 (WNVZ) MARKET:Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA COMPANY:Entercom BORN:Detroit, MI RAISED:Detroit, MI

Please outline your radio career so far: (station/date, station/date, etc.)

By the time I was a teenager, I was DJ-ing in three different clubs in the DETROIT area, so majoring in broadcasting was a no-brainer for me. I got my degree from WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY (home of the mighty BRONCOS!). I interned at local classic rocker WRKR, then slid over to do nights at sister Top 40/Mainstream WKFR/KALAMAZOO, MI. After putting up double digit numbers and holding down the number one spot in mornings, I was fired by CUMULUS for, get this, mentioning how many people in our building were getting fired. So, in the midst of my preparation for manic overload, I emailed a very smart friend named NIKKI, who introduced me to the smartest man I have ever met, my new boss at WNVZ, DON LONDON. After doing middays for a month, he asked me to move to mornings, and Z104 went to number one in my first book. Not bad, huh? I left market #180 and landed in market #40. Sure I'll miss the blizzards and 20 degree temps of MICHIGAN. Now all I have is 80s on the oceanfront, and many women in many bikinis. What I like to tell people is, "Sometimes when God closes a door, he opens a window. And sometimes there's a whole lotta money and half-naked women outside that window

1) What was your last non-Industry job?

Spinning in night-clubs, lifeguarding, and installing audio equipment

2) What got you interested in Radio?

Growing up in DETROIT, I was heavily influenced by great talents like DICK PURTAN, JIM HARPER, JOHN MASON, and my personal favorite, the electriying MOJO.

3) What's been your biggest disappointment in Radio?

Finding out that it's a business. In mornings it's a business more than anywhere else. "What do you mean I CAN'T complain that I was in the drive-thru at MCDONALD'S for a HALF-HOUR!?? They're a client? They paying my salary!? Crap!"

4) What's the highlight of your radio career to date?

Everything that has happened to me since my arrival in VIRGINIA BEACH has been one blessing after another. When I got fired (like most of us) I was ready to freak! Then I realized that if I hadn't gotten fired, I never would've made it here. What blessing in disguise (no more blizzards, and next week I'm buying myself a PONTIAC SOLSTICE.)

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5) What's your most embarrassing moment?

I was supposed to do a live read for an outdoor equipment store that said, "Everything you need for hunting and camping." Of course, it came out "Everything you need for HUMPING." I just lost it. I tried to finish, but we were all laughing so hard I just couldn't do it.

6) Where do you see yourself in five years?

I'd love to see myself making another huge market jump, but to be honest, I truly love this place, and my PD is one of the most encouraging, truly helpful bosses I've ever worked for. So I'm just going to stay here, and tell him to PAY me a NEW YORK salary. I'm sure he'll do it.

7) Who do you consider to be your mentor(s)?

J.P. MCCARTHY, KIDD O'SHEA, DICK PURTAN, my current PD DON LONDON, my very first PD, MIKE FERRIS (thanks for the job!), and most importantly my agent/father BILL COURY.

8) What was the biggest challenge you saw in moving to mornings?

I came from doing nights and pulling a 22-share. Trying to convert that number to mornings is nearly impossible. Plus I had to "tone it down" a lot. My night show was HIGH energy, and I had to learn what people wanted to hear at 6 am was NOT always HIGH energy. One of my consultants said to me, "Get up one morning at 6 am, and turn on the radio, and decide for yourself what it is that you want to hear when you first wake up." It worked.

9) Briefly describe your Zoo team?

TRICIA my on-air wife is a great partner. She's smart, funny, and HOT baby! We clicked as a team so quickly people thought we had worked together before. She fights for her opinions, but is always quick to squash an argument, which makes the job easier. SHAGGY is the true X-factor to our show. Imagine doing a show with someone who can get you PHARRELL, or TEDDY RILEY on the phone in 10 minutes, will set himself on fire if you asked him to, and never complains about the workload. He's also one of the funniest people I have ever met. Plain and simple, we could not do this show without EITHER TRICIA or SHAG. I was originally hired to help them out, but they brought ME up to another level.

10) Money is no object.who would cover for you during your next vacation?

(no matter how much KLEIN pays you, you can't say "MIKE KLEIN"!)

Somebody who really sucks, so when I was gone everyone would notice how talented I am, and then when I came back, everyone would say, "Thank God you're BACK! That SEACREST guy SUCKED!"

What's your dream market?

You can take the boy outta MOTOWN, but you can't take the MOTOWN outta the boy

A freak gravitational shift has added three hours to everyday. What would you do with those extra three hours?

1st hour-sleep
2nd hour-read all 16 magazines I get every week (I never get through them all)
3rd hour-study to find cure for freak gravitational shift affecting my home planet.