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10 Questions with ... Preston Lowe
March 31, 2009
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NAME:Preston LowePOSITION:MD/Air PersonalitySTATION:WMBX X102.3MARKET:West Palm Beach, FLCOMPANY:CBS RadioBORN:Detroit, MIRAISED:Bastrop, TX
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Began career on-air at KNLE/Austin, TX
On-air personality at KGSR/Austin, TX
Program Director at KJCE-A/Austin, TX
Music Director at KQBT/Austin, TX
Program Director at KWIE/Riverside, CA
Music Director at WMBX/West Palm Beach, FL1. What was your last non-Industry job?
I worked for awhile at the Apple Computer campus in Austin, TX in their iTunes Department.
2. Why Radio?
I've had a life long love of radio. Even at the age of 7 years old when other kids played Cops and Robbers or Cowboys and Indians, my brother and I would play radio announcers... which would include... mind you... top of the hour news and sports breaks with very tight segs back into music by way of our Fisher Price record player...
3. You're a Texan, aren't you? How did you end up in West Palm Beach, FL?
Yes... spent a lot of years on the air in Texas... but after accepting a Program Director job in Riverside, California... I suffered a marital separation and other personal issues that sent me spiraling back to Austin with thoughts of never returning to a career in radio. But my longtime friend and radio mentor, Mark McCray suddenly found himself without a music director and he thought the best thing for his radio station, that he pushed to #1 in the West Palm Beach market, was to bring in someone who already knew how he like things done without having to train someone. He asked me to come back into the biz.
4. What are the biggest differences you've seen between your audience in Austin and your listeners in West Palm Beach?
Mainly the ethnic break down out here. In Austin, your largest demos are White, Black and Hispanic. Here in West Palm Beach it's White, Black, Cuban, Haitian, Jamaica and Puerto Rican. There are several large ethnic groups here and Mark wants the station to touch everyone if possible...
5. You and your brother did a countdown show in Austin. Are you still working on it together?
Not as much anymore. Perry still helps me out with imaging work. He is a complete master when it comes to the Adobe Systems but he is working on his recording career and writing songs now.
6. Everyone is wearing multiple hats in the business now. One of your hats is "MD" at WMBX. What other hats are you wearing?
Well, I'm a big believer in that there is no such thing as "it's not my job". If you can do it, do it. I'm on air at our sister station WNEW, I do swing shifts on X102.3, of course. I also help with the station's Web page. I'm responsible to the barter and syndicated programs on our sister station, I help out with commercial production and Mark McCray's morning show and I help out the promotions department when needed.
7. You've known and worked with your boss, WMBX PD/morning host Mark McCray for many years. Here's a great opportunity to score some brownie points. How has Mark's leadership inspired you in radio?
Mark has taught me the true nuts and bolts of the radio business. In a way a lot of people don't seem to understand. There is a method to the madness of why certain music is played or not played on a radio station. It is not my personal jukebox (for those of you old enough to know what that is). He helped me better understand the listening habits of our P1s and why we play certain songs and schedule them at certain time. Because of his knowledge of other markets, Mark was able to teach me to understand the numbers game when it came to ethnic breakdowns in those other markets and that in turn gave me confidence in programming music for any station no matter the market.
8. What do you think is your biggest asset you bring to the MD gig?
I think my time as a PD in Riverside and being Interim Program Director in Austin helped me to help Mark tackle his day to day issues of programming a winning radio station and host a winning morning show. He knows he can lean on me to sweep up the small stuff while he takes on the big stuff and still have enough time to go home to his family. Which in the end, is why we do this in the first place.
9. What do you miss most about Austin and Texas, in general?
My family, they all live there. I've known Mark awhile so that helps being out here but I've always had a small family. I'm single with no kids of my own which has been very disappointing to me. My mom passed away while I was a junior in high school and my dad shortly after that. My grandmother died two years ago leaving my older brother Paul as the oldest living member of our family Seeing them as much as I can is important.
10. What secret about you may surprise even your close friends?
Believe it or not, I really can't think of any. I am a big old open boring book. What people see is what they get.
Bonus Questions
Hypothetically...you're getting married on Saturday. What singer or group would you like to perform at your reception?
I would have to say Morris Day and The Time. I had a high school band. We actually played instruments and we molded our band around them.
What's your all-time favorite party record?
Even though the The Time has some great party records... wow... this is tough! Have you seen my YouTube page. I'm all over the place. I would have to say The Whispers with "And the Beat Goes On. I've loved it since the day it came out.
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