10 Questions with ... Nick Taylor

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

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 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 then 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. Why Radio?

I have always LOVED music, and NEVER played an instrument. I always wanted to do SOMETHING connected with popular music. I may not know how to PLAY it, but I can tell you everything you need to know about the artists and producers who MADE it.

2. You grew up in Detroit. What do you miss most about Detroit?

I MISS PROFESSIONAL SPORTS! Here in Virginia, there are NO PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS! None! No football, hockey, basketball teams to root for! It SUCKS. If you live in a major sports city, DON'T take it for granted. Imagine moving to Montana, where you'd root for...yep. Nobody.

3. Reflecting on your many years at WNVZ, what jumps off the page at you about those years?

How much our morning show has evolved. Evolution has been the key to our success. Even NOW, we're still evolving. Moving into a more "clutter-free" program, as we adjust to PPM. Evolution is the key. Ask Madonna. Or U2. Or Darwin.

4. Who's on your morning team at WNVZ?

Myself, Tricia Delicia, and Shaggy. Brains, beauty, and umm...a guy who will eat just about anything, no matter how disgusting. Pretty good combination.

5. If you could name your celebrity vacation replacement, who would you pick to sit in for you?

Gotta be Conan O'Brien. We have the same sense of humor. Besides, he could use the work.

6. Please complete this sentence..."The Norfolk-Virginia Beach area needs more _____."

EXPOSURE. For many reasons. I honestly feel we do a TOP TEN show in a TOP FIFTY market. I am so proud of what we put on the air every morning, and I wish more people could hear it. Also, this area is SO nice to live and work in. More exposure would be great.

7. Let's play word association...what's the first thing that pops into your head when I say, "WNVZ PD Tias Schuster?"

OMG EASY ONE-Tapdancer. Not because he has happy feet (he does), but because HE is the intermediary between corporate decisions, and an airstaff that doesn't always like them. He is the BEST at making a BAD idea sound better by "selling us on it". He has the tough job of selling us on ideas we don't always agree with, and nobody is better at it.

8. How much sleep do you get every night?

Honestly? Four hours. But I also sleep during the day for about 3 hours. Usually 7 hours of sleep per 24 hour cycle, but I just don't get it all at ONE TIME.

9. What do you do to relax?

If you haven't purchased DJ Hero yet, you're missing out on one of the best video games on the market. Also, I have the NHL center ice package, so I can still watch my Red Wings!

10. What's the chatter among morning guys about PPM?

LESS CLUTTER. Also, get to the point quicker, and come out of the records with the MEAT of the order. Specifically, don't come out of a record with "Z104... Today's Best Music", come right out with "Z104...Lady Gaga tickets every hour, all day". Also, to all jocks getting frustrated by the sweeping changes coming with PPM, try to remember that for the first time in DECADES, the entire way our stations are rated is changing! Everything we used to know is different now, even down to the way they will teach radio classes at universities. In other words, it's a BIG DEAL. It merits big changes.

How would your morning team do if you competed against other morning shows on a reality TV show like Survivor or Amazing Race?

We would do VERY well. We thrive under pressure, and competition brings out our creativity.

Using one sentence...what drives you as a radio morning host?

The fact that somewhere out there, someone is having the worst day of their life, but something we said or did turned it around for them completely. It's an awesome feeling (whoops! 2 sentences)