10 Questions with ... Anthony "Big Ant" Simmons

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

It was never easy for me ... I was born a poor black child, I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi ... (Bonus point if you get it!)

The real story is I started off in Minneapolis. A graduate of Brown Institute, I got my first paying gig with Pete Rhodes at WRNB Cable FM. I got to crack the mic every evening from 6-9 doing the quiet storm at "Silk Simmons" ... shut up! It seemed cool at the time! I also interned from 10p-2a at KDWB with Michael Knight and during the day I was assistant manager at Great American Cookie Company at the Mall of America! (And yes, I can bake and decorate the hell out of cookie!) After that, a cruise ship for a year, then Nation MC for Deja Vu, (yes ... it was as great as you're thinking it was!) started off Friday Nights with Brother Jules at KMOJ 89.9, then moved to the mornings for the Q&A Morning show with Walter "Q-Bear" Banks for a good little while. Eventually moved on to KTTB for a short stint, then on to Huntsville, AL where I truly learned the art of programming radio! Now I'm at KMJJ and ready to have a ball! I hope that was brief enough for ya!

1) What do you have coming up at your station?

At 997 KMJJ we just launched a huge "Visit Dallas" promotion in a BIG way. The Big Station is sending the #BIGcommunity to the Big D to see all of the great attractions Dallas has to offer, The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, The Reunion Tower Geo-Deck, Dallas Zoo and everything else we can squeeze in. And if that's not enough, how about concert and hotel hook-ups to see Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Russ? And the only way for our listeners to win is to be a part of KMJJ's new #Bigcommunity. We have other stuff coming too, like the Car and Bike Show, Movies in the Park, and Mudbug Madness. We just keep rocking

2) Would you share your thoughts on listeners today?

Basically, they're the same, just more tech savvy, which allows them better access to information, entertainment and music faster than the past. Same thing we wanted when we were younger just couldn't get as much as fast! For example, when I was DJing on the cruise ship in Florida back in 19**, I heard a song called, "Let Me Clear My Throat" by DJ Kool (I think you might have heard of it). When I went back home to Minneapolis, I played it for my friends and they had never heard of it. Mind you, it was already in rotation in the South and heavy rotation on the East Coast and the main thing in all the Go-Go clubs in DC! No one had heard it yet in the North, but eventually it became a monster hit everywhere ... years later! Today, one tweet by the right person about a song on iTunes and game over ... national hit!

3) What are some of the most important lessons you have learned?

When you look in the mirror, be sure to like what and who you see. If you do, then believe in yourself and your dreams only. No one else's. Be you, be the best and most creative you that you can be. And when they laugh at you, or say you're crazy for thinking or being a certain way, keep doing you, they just haven't caught up to you yet.

4) Do you have a favorite radio memory?

Last year after 20+ years in radio, I got a chance to meet and talk to the legend Tom Joyner and ask him a question I been wanting to ask since I was 16 years old ... I called and requested Lenny Williams "Cause I Love You" and he never played it! Why not?

5) Who were your mentors?

Pete Rhodes, Tom Joyner, Michael Knight, Walter "Q-Bear" Banks, Dusty Hayes, Paige Nienaber, Dr. Dave, Hundley Batts, Tim Moore. Most importantly, my father for teaching me about management and my mom for nurturing and encouraging my creativity.

6) How should a PD approach programming in a new situation?

Have a GPS! LOL! Don't be so arrogant and cocky to think you can walk in a city and make it yours or change everything without even checking the system out! I'm a firm believer in Stopping, Assessing, Thinking, Planning and Proceeding. Gather all the information you can to best map out a good course of action.

7) How important are details when you are an on-air PD?

Crucial! To go between management and artist requires a lot of mental energy and I promise you're gonna drop the ball every now and then. To minimize screw-ups, you have to be a little more detailed than most with paper work.

8) Any advice for those just starting out in broadcasting?

RUN! GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND DO SOMETHING ELSE! LOL! Seriously, be prepared for a hard, mentally draining, heart wrenching career that you'll either love for life or run screaming! If you are not a hustler, creative out-of-the-box thinker, adaptable, flexible, an insomniac and slightly touched mentally, you need to start working on these things or move on!!!

9) What do you see for the future of Urban radio?

Since I'm one of the most optimistic people I know, I see the future very, very bright as long as we continue to grow with the times.

10) How do you see radio syndication evolving?

In my humble opinion, the future of radio syndication will rely on localism. That's what listeners want and that's what we should be giving them. Can most stations afford to bring in a new morning show team to do local? No! But they can bring in one person to produce and do local breaks in the 16-20 minutes per hour. This will greatly improve your listenership in the morning looking for local content and you'll also give a new jock some time to work with some real pros (depending on the show). Win-win in my book,