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10 Questions with ... Ron Atkins
March 28, 2006
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NAME:Ron AtkinsTITLE:Operations ManagerSTATIONS:WAMOMARKET:Pittsburgh, PACOMPANY:Sheridan BroadcastingBORN:Buffalo NY,1957RAISED:Buffalo
Please outline your radio career so far:
WBLK BFLO. 1978-1983,
KMJM ST .L, 1983-1985,
KMJQ HOU 1985-1987,
WOWI NORFOLK 1987-1989,
WYLD N.O. 1989-1991,
KMJQ (AGAIN!) 1991-1993,
WVAZ CHI. 1993-1994,
WAMO PGH 1995-2001,
AURN 20001-2005,
WAMO - 2005-Present1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
Intern at WUFO AM in Buffalo. Frankie Crocker started there along with many other notables.
2) What was the first record/CD you purchased?
"Kool & The Gang" by Kool & The Gang, 1969.
3) How is the relationship between programmer and record label changing for better or worse?
When the independents were assigned to station clusters to work those stations exclusively, that became a problem. This relationship created distance between the regionals and the radio station, thus causing regionals to be expendable. It's worse now.
4) What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?
Radio has lost some of its moral values
5) What is your favorite radio station outside of the market and why?
WGCI in Chicago. There's something magical about their sound
6) Besides your own, what is your favorite radio format?
Smooth Jazz.
7) What format does not exist that should?
Would it work? Kids hip-hop. Where there is no cussing. No loss of moral judgment. Good clean fun! It would work. Good will always win over evil.
8) Favorite artist you have met?
Luther Vandross
9) Name the artist/act (living or dead) you'd love to meet and why.
Michael Jackson. I'd like to get in his head and see what makes him do some of the things he does, but not in a judgmental way.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
You hire talented people and you become successful. Even if you have to baby-sit them sometimes.
Bonus Questions
What was the biggest gaffe you've made on air?
While in Buffalo, I was on the air at night and my liner book fell of the console and tripped the microphone pot. I had the mike volume slide control set at seven, where I usually kept it. Well, the first thing out of my mouth after the book fell was "mother------, I don't believe this s----." I had a hot record on at the time, so I thought all the lines were lit up because of the song playing at the time. After a while I picked up one of the several lines that ere lit and the first voice said to me, "Don't you know kids are listening to your radio station?" Evidently, every thing I said went out over the air. Ouch!
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