10 Questions with ... P.J. Finn

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

WABN, Tri-Cities VA/TN 1994-2000, jock; WMVY 2000-2004 Morning DJ/Production Director; WMVY 2004-2010 PD/MD/Afternoon DJ

1. How did you become interested in radio?

I can go all the way back to being a pre-schooler, being allowed to stay up late (past 8pm!) to listen to a Saturday night Oldies show. One time I was even allowed to call in and request "Mother-In-Law." I listened faithfully to Casey Kasem through my pre-teen and teenager years, always trying to predict what songs would move up the chart from week to week -- handicapping that I learned from going to the dog track with Dad. At U. MA, I signed up to work at the student station, but the FCC shut it down for operating on an expired license before I ever had a chance to do a shift. I got into TV production instead. Years later, I was working for an NBC affiliate in Bristol, VA. I'd been asked to write some TV spots for the local radio station. They mentioned that they had a hard time filling a particular part-time spot. Two days later, I was on the air, hosting their Request Show.

2. How would you describe the music on the station?

My one sentence explanation is "We play music for people who are over 30 -- and are still cool."

3. How do you keep a balance competing in the Cape Cod market while maintaining the station's Martha's Vineyard vibe?

The trick is to find the universal element. We don't have the resources to have a physical presence on the mainland, like our FM competitors, but we do a better job than all of them of creating the on-air Cape & Islands experience. If a jock is talking about going fishing, or going to see a local band at a beach venue, or the tourist traffic, that story works whether the listeners are on the Vineyard, Nantucket, or the Cape, or is listening to our repeater signal in Newport, RI.

4. The station also has a very strong online presence. Tell a bit about that.

Going further on the last question, we have 15,000 people on the Island in January, but over 10 times that in July. Those 150,000-plus vacationers and summer residents each feel a special connection to this place. When they're back at their jobs in Dallas or London or Chicago, they can't have the beach or the waves or the bike trails, but they can listen to mvyradio, and hear the Ferry reports and the details of the Fishing Derby, and feel like they're right back here.

Beyond being passionate about mvyradio because of the location, so many of our online listeners do not have a Triple A option in their neck of the woods. To make sure our musical omnivores are well-fed, we devote a huge amount of energy toward alternate content. On top of streaming the broadcast, we archive all our of home-grown specialty shows, we stream concerts live from several area venues, we have hundreds of archived performances just a click away, and we have several MyMvy Channels created through Accuradio. Plus we have a new free App for iPhone and Blackberry. All this streaming is available for free.

5. Do you still have your "Friends of MVY" donation component? How is that holding up for you in the challenged economy?

Because the stream version of the station, as well as on the online content, is commercial-free, we were able to work with Public Radio Capital to create "Friends of mvyradio," which allows listeners to make tax-deductible donations to support free streaming. And while we are a long way from "Friends" completely sustaining our efforts, we have been pleased and humbled by just how many folks are willing and able to donate to support free content. While our commercial advertising has struggled, just like the rest of the broadcast world, "Friends of mvyradio" has grown in double-digit percentiles each year.

6. Tell us about the station staff. Most have been at the station for a long time, right?

This is definitely the warmest working environment I've ever been a part of. I doubt that, at most stations, the jocks regularly hug each other after a crossover. We just happen to have a mix of folks who have known each other for a long time, and who are genuinely sweet, genial, committed people. More than half of the full and part-time jocks have been with the station for over 10 years. And this year, former PD and now owner of the fantastic title World Wide Programming Director, Barbara Dacey, celebrates 25 years with the station. She's marking the occasion by digging into her interview archives every Thursday to play back landmark interviews with Judy Collins, John Mayer, Lou Reed and others, and we'll cap it off with a concert, featuring lots of local players and, hopefully, Ms. Dacey herself, singing and playing guitar.

7. What is your biggest challenge at the station?

The details. I tend to work better with the bigger picture, but the PD job is details. I's are dotted and T's are crossed on every aspect of every element that winds up on the air. I feel like I never have one big project; I have 100 little projects.

8. Does the station do anything special during the summer months when the island's population increases dramatically?

The summer kind of creates its own hoopla. By virtue of the fact that the population has increased, venues that are closed nine months a year are bringing in great artists, non-profits are holding amazing fundraisers, and there is a festival or street fair most every week. We try to have a presence at the shows, have artists into the studio, stream the concerts and be out meeting folks. We have these business-sized "Take mvyradio With You" cards that let the summer people know that when they leave, they can still be connected to the station through their iPhone and computer.

And occasionally, we put on our own show. In August, we are doing a Martin Sexton/Friends of mvyradio fundraiser. It's a solo show at a private Beach Club, on the water, with food and drink included in the ticket price.

9. What do you like best about working at a Triple A station?

I love the fact that the artists we play are of the highest quality -- the best songwriters, the best players, the best performers. And we have the freedom to say "No" to something that might "sound like a hit" but is cheesy, and say "Yes" to a true artist who may not be as slick.

10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?

Coffee.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?

My wife and I have a toddler and an infant, so any spare time is spent with them -- and that includes trying to fill their lives with music. Nothing's better than over-hearing a two-year-old, unprompted, sing "Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in . . ."

Last non-industry job:

Part-time boat bottom painter

First record ever purchased:

J Geils Band, "Freeze Frame"

First concert:

The Replacements, Student Union Ballroom, UMass, Amherst 1987

Favorite band of all-time:

The Replacements