10 Questions with ... Mark Gunn

NAME:Mark Gunn TITLE:Afternoon Personality STATION:WGZB (B-96.5, Blazin' Hip-Hop And R&B and Home Of The Russ Parr Morning Show) MARKET:Louisville COMPANY:Radio One BORN:Salina, KS RAISED:Practically everywhere else

Please outline your radio career so far.

WVOC/Columbus, GA (1978-1982)
WCGQ/Columbus, GA (1982-1984)
WNKS/Columbus, GA (1984-1986)
WZKX/Biloxi, MS (1986-1987)
WJYL/Louisville (1987-1989)
KSOL/San Francisco (1989-1992)
KACE/Los Angeles (1992-1995)
WAMO/Pittsburgh (1995-1997)
WIZF/Cincinnati (1997-2000)
WGZB/Louisville (2000-Present)
WBLO/Louisville (2001-2003)

1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?

My first job was overnights at an Adult Contemporary station in Columbus, GA. The station was automated, so I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the art of production.

Early influences included Robert W. Morgan, Brute Bailey from way back in the day, and there's an AOR jock who became a mentor named John Harlan. I think I learned a lot about the technical aspects of announcing from them -- diction, phrasing and not sounding like an announcer.

2) What led you to a career in radio?

At the insistence of a dear friend, Nina Ware, I joined my high school's radio station, where I learned a lot of the basics that simply aren't taught now. She thought I was a good speaker, and having been in many debates, I guess I was. We had the opportunity to visit a local radio station and cut spots for Vocational Education. It was incredible. It was a Saturday morning when he did it. As each of the six or seven us cut our spots, the station aired them. I was the last one to cut mine, and when it aired, the general manager, Rick Taylor (R.I.P.), heard it and offered me a parttime gig. At 16, it didn't take much for me to accept. It was surreal. I was a high school senior working for a 100,000-watt radio station. The deal was that if I kept my GPA up, the parttime job would become fulltime, and it did.

3) Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it"?

Yes, and a rather tragic one. It was 1980, and I was on the air when John Lennon was killed. I was still a teenager, and I had the task of conveying the news to the audience. Looking back, it was really tough because I was dealing with the shock myself and I was a Beatles fan from childhood. The program director heard what I did and wanted me to put together an hourlong radio special about the local reaction to John's death. I went at it like a madman and was really proud of the results. The PD was so impressed, he ran it a few times over a two-week period. It was then that I realized that this is what I'm supposed to do, and damned if I'm not still doing it some 25 years later.

4) What was the first record/CD you purchased?

"Chicago Transit Authority" (1968) on the original red and white Columbia Records label. I was 9 at the time. I've always had somewhat eclectic musical tastes.

5) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?

I see us dealing with some of the same issues we're faced with now. Where is the next crop of talent gonna come from? We're no longer teaching the way we used to because of the very nature of the jobs we do. Talent will become a bigger issue because I'm hoping that someone will finally realize that regional or national voicetracking just no longer works. Satellite radio may become more of a competitor, and smart operators will embrace the importance of localization again.

As for where I see myself in five years, I hope to be able to become more of a teacher, helping to develop the next few generations of talent. It'd be cool to still be on the air, but probably in a Talk radio format. I've done a taste of it, having guest-hosted a couple of shows while in Cincinnati. It's something I think I would really be strong in. Besides, there aren't enough black voices in the format to begin with.

6) What is your favorite radio station outside of the market, and why?

I don't really have a favorite per se, but I love listening to different product as I travel. I've always been a real fan of KMEL (back in the late '80s and '90s). I competed against them and got my ass handed to me in the afternoon by Rick Chase (R.I.P.), but it was cool because I learned a lot about localization from them. I also witnessed the birth of Theo Mizuhara as an incredible talent. He's someone I've always been proud of.

7) What format does not exist that should? Would it work?

I wished there was an adult-based hip-hop format. Today's 25-54 demo has had a steady diet of it and grew up with it.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't work. Old-school hip-hop has never tested well. The target audience (upper demos) have moved on from it, and younger demos can't relate to it.

8) What's your take on current music? Is it as good as six months ago, better, or about the same?

Much of it is disposable, and I blame the labels for that. When it became more about the business than the music, that's when we went wrong. There aren't many "classics" that'll stand up 10 or 20 years from now. I think that's why you don't hear many recurrents. I do see some bright spots in Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Eminem and a few others so there's hope.

As for whether it's as good as it was six months ago, I think you have to look at it on a song-by-song basis. I don't think you can point to any particular time during the year where everything that dropped was an out-of-the-box add. I think Usher, Kanye, Jay-Z and even R. Kelly had great years though. You have to look at everything that came out and ask yourself if you would play a lot of this year's stuff in the next couple of years, and if you were honest you'd have to say "no."

9) How do you feel terrestrial radio competes with Internet and satellite radio these days?

Maybe because I'm old school, but the one thing terrestrial radio will always have over the 'Net and satellite is that one-on-one personal touch the others just can't deliver. Sure the others are more advanced when it comes to the technology, but give me that "local, human, one on one, I can really relate to that guy or girl" feel any day.

10) Please describe the best or worst promotion you've ever been part of.

Best promotion has to be "The Big Black Box." It had everything you'd want from a radio promotion -- forced listening, great TSL building and really hot prizes. If I told you how it worked, you might steal it!