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10 Questions with ... Brad Erickson
October 3, 2005
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NAME:Brad EricksonPOSITION:Toni & Brad In The MorningSTATIONS:KHTE Hot 96.5MARKET:Little Rock, ARCOMPANY:Archway BroadcastingBORN:Braham, MNRAISED:Braham, MN
Please outline your career so far: (station/date, station/date, etc.)
My first full time gig was doing afternoons at KKRL/Carroll, IA in 1996 and then I moved to Minneapolis and worked at Cities 97 KTCZ, B96 and Metro Traffic as a traffic reporter.
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
My older brother Jim was a huge influence on me. He is in Memphis now doing play by play for the Memphis River Blades Hockey organization. I started my career on my his fake radio station in his room at the age of 8 (1984). I had my own show called "Animals In Review" that was a show where I interviewed my stuffed animals. You think Willie Nelson is a tough interview, try Duggie the Dog. I was fired later that day for eating Jim's lunch out of the refrigerator. He got me back into the business years later when he let me do Play by Play with him at WCMP Pine City MN for high school football.
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
The defining moment was when I lost my job at an event marketing company and I was living in my best friend's parents' basement (Loser). It was a beautiful September day and I was in a dark basement watching T.V depressed as hell. A Brown Institute ad for broadcasting came on the television and I called. That was a Thursday, I went to Brown's open house that Saturday and started class on Monday. Then at my first job in Iowa I was doing my show and a girl called up and told me thanks and I asked her why. She told me that her best friend passed away yesterday and that she just got in a car accident that morning on her way to a job interview that she missed because of the accident. She mentioned something that I said that made her laugh and she said that it turned her whole day around. I can't remember what I said but I know it wasn't anything spectacular because I do remember that I really sucked back then but that's when I knew for sure that radio was meant for me.
3) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?
Yes. Everything that's worth having in life is tough to get and often harder to keep. It's a blessing to be able to have a career that you enjoy. Most people don't.
4) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?
Pregnant! What? Who says I don't have a uterus? I'll just buy one at Wal-Mart. I would like to be part of a syndicated morning show that remembers the whole point of what we do is to play some music, give the listeners some info they can use, give them a lot of entertainment and make them laugh.
5) What's your take on radio currently? Is it as good as six months ago, better, or about the same? Elaborate.
I think It depends on who you talk to in the business and are they happy where they're at. I didn't get a chance to do radio in the 80's (when great radio, I've been told, depended on who did the wildest stunt and who snorted the most coke before the show) so I can't compare decades, but as for the last 6th months, I think radio like anything and is always changing and the key is to change with it but we need make sure that we are improving things while we're changing and not hurting them.
6) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
It doesn't matter where you come from, what format you're in or who you are. If you make people laugh they will forget your race, your religion, political and social beliefs, your accent and they will let you be a part of their everyday lives.
7) What was the transition you had to make in your new position?
Learning that different places do things differently and not to fight it but learn to adapt and that your way isn't always the best way to do things even if you've been doing it that way for awhile.
8) Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?
My game with the ladies. I sucked back then and I suck now.
9) How well do you think today's urban broadcasters really understand Arbitron?
I'm not sure on this one, but I do know that a lot of people look at Arbitron and will see what they want to see. 'Well our Female numbers 18 to 34 are crap but our small pet and barnyard animal numbers have never been higher! (that was stupid wasn't it?)
10) As you look back over your career ... any regrets? Missed opportunities?
Just one regret, but I didn't know she was the station manager's daughter and she never told me she was either!
Bonus Questions
What's been your biggest disappointment in Radio today?
Finding places to go that will allow you to be creative, original and different and the lack of people that can see up and coming talent and then give that talent a shot .
What is your biggest challenge working at this station?
It's been a great opportunity but it's tough when you often have transmitter problems, you are only 10,000 watts with the transmitter 40 minutes away from the city and you have poor building penetration. But it's also a good feeling that with all that you're still competing with the big dog and forcing them to step up their game because they've been all there was for 15 years.
What do you do with a song you don't like?
I make fun of it.
What's the best piece of advice anyone's ever given you? The worst?
This is from a movie but it goes like this: "You can wish in one hand and crap in the other and we'll see which one gets filled first."
What "reality show" could you see yourself appearing on and why?
I would love to be on "Being Bobby Brown." They do nothing all day and when they do, Bobby always has a beer or drink with him. I would be afraid of Whitney, though.
You just won the lotto and you have your boss on the line. What's the first thing that you would say?
I'd yell I'M RICH BITCH! and then I would say "here is what I think needs happen with the station."
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