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10 Questions with ... Traci Thomas
April 26, 2022
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I’ve been in the radio industry coming up on 5 years on 4/20. I started off on the street team for several months before my interest in producing landed me an opportunity presented by Kimmie Tee to learn how to operate the board. I trained for about a week or so, worked weekend shifts and fill-ins, and about 2 months into the gig, I was learning how to produce the morning show. I was the producer for the KBLX Dream Team Morning Show for roughly a year, and then transitioned to behind the scenes, focusing on community affairs programming and taking on a more administrative role. I rolled with these responsibilities for a couple years; through the hefty part of the pandemic, my role in music programming both KBLX and our HD2 station became my new focus and specialty. When it came time to find a new producer, I did not hesitate to step in while the interview process was underway, I wanted to help out during that window as much as I could because I love the crew and I missed being creative in the studio. A couple months later, I’m in here for the long haul.
1. What’s The best advice you’ve ever been given?
“Don’t get comfortable,” my family will always tell me that, and my first radio mentor, Gerry Dove gave me that advice on my first day. It’s not a message to be thought of in a negative connotation. You can get into a groove with your job, the environment, and all the responsibilities, and that’s great! But to get comfortable is to settle, you stop learning and evolving. You never know what you’ll uncover about yourself and the talents you possess.
2. Did you always want to go into radio?
Not. At. All. When I finished school, I moved back to the Bay with the intention of either getting into journalism or broadcast news.
3. How do you view your job as a producer?
I would sum it up in two ways: Studio Gate Keeper and quality control. I grew up listening to Kevin Brown in the Morning from a very young age, so understand how important Mornings on KBLX are for the longtime listeners. From the moment I started producing mornings and getting comfortable with the role, I was very protective of how the show was executed. I wanted the team to sound great and have fun when the mics come on, because the listener enjoys and deserves that kind of energy from a morning show.
4. Why do you think you’ve been thrust into various work scenarios in your cluster?
It’s all about growth, having all that experience in different departments is such a benefit. Jumping from my programming duties to back inside the studio felt worlds different from the first time: I now have a thorough editing portfolio, social media skills, and my direct knowledge of the music we play on 102.9 KBLX put me in a better position to produce again.
5. Are there some things you especially wish you were better at?
I’m continuing to expand my audio production repertoire with the help of Jay Styne. What I’d love to learn in the near future is how to properly produce music, and I’m in such an advantageous position to be working around producers and DJ’s like “Jazzy” Jim Archer, Freska, and Billy Vidal.
6. What are you most proud of?
Honestly, I’m very grateful for the radio family I’ve gained over the last 5 years. Even today, I have awesome people like Richie Brown, Hope Bidegainberry, Karina Farias-Dey, Ben Shaw, and so many others I’m constantly learning from and alongside, despite our different focuses. A huge shoutout to B-Fox (Bryan Fox), Gerry Dove, Jesse Moore, and Tony Cafarelli for bringing me in to Promo and establishing a close team of us youngins trying to get into the “biz”.
7. Who have been some of your influencers and mentors?
As a producer, I looked to J Martin Reyes, Kimmie Tee, and Armand Carr; these 3 helped me find my footing when I first started. Elroy Smith and Brian “Fig” Figula nurtured my programming side and educated me from a managerial perspective; it’s given me the mindset of a Program Director. Von Coffman has been such a fatherly figure for me; what was initially a mentorship pairing to learn more about voiceover work has evolved into such a great friendship that I’m very blessed to have.
8. How do you see your future evolving?
Expanding my reach as a Producer! I came into radio with an undeveloped idea about production, and now my mind is rooted with so many ideas for the show, for the station, and all these other side projects I’m working on. As a Producer, I love helping my peers and friends shine and showcase the best of their talents and passions.
9. Would you share one of your funnier moments in radio?
There’s always going to be ridiculous situations that happen in the studio when you have two stand-up comedians as your hosts, prepare for anything! One story I will always treasure is the day I learned that my uncle lied to me at a young age about his Rolls Royce having lion fur lining the floor. I nonchalantly brought it up on a Tuesday, then early Wednesday for the first break, I’m looking for African tribal music for the team to explain to me on air that it was actually sheep’s wool.
My uncle felt like a local celebrity that day, he still plays that clip from time to time.
10. What’s something that you’re looking forward to?
The kinds of content I’m going to be putting together with the team. Freska, Rudy, & Tony Sco are energetic, creative, and incredibly funny; I’m so lucky to have this team. I’m also a very get competitive, and I see all of these moves being made in Market 4. It’s made me hungry to improve myself every day in hopes that the show can continue to flourish
Bonus Questions
Is there anything about you that would surprise those who think they know you?
I think most of my radio peeps have yet to see any of the footage of me performing in theater in my high school days. I wouldn’t mind showing them clips from The Wiz or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but The Golden Apple stays in hiding!
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