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10 Questions with ... Myronda Dexter
November 1, 2005
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NAME:Myronda DexterTITLE:PDSTATIONS:WBLX - The Big Station 93BLXMARKET:Mobile, ALCOMPANY:CumulusBORN:June 22 in MobileRAISED:Mobile, AL
Please outline your career so far:
WBLX (Mobile) 1991, KKDA (Dallas) 1994, KJMM (Tulsa) 1995, and back to WBLX in 1996.
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
I started as a board op. My early influences were Skip Cheatam, Greg Street, Elder James Simon, Double D, and Morgan Sinclair
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
My interest was originally television, but I was able to get my foot in the door at the radio station and haven't looked back. One of the many defining moments for me was when a young woman called me while I was doing an airshift and told me that something I said kept her from doing something that could have ended her life. That was it for me. To be able to change one life means the world to me.
3) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?
Yes I would.
4) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?
This industry is changing all of the time. In five years, I see this industry still making changes and I will continue to do what I love and grow.
5) What's your take on radio currently? Is it as good as six months ago, better, or about the same? Elaborate.
Radio today is different from what it was like 5 to 6 years ago. There has not been much change in the past six months. It's all good.
6) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Relationships mean everything.
7) How did you handle the programming given the needs of all those affected by the recent hurricane Katrina and the effect the storm had on Mobile?
This is not new to us. We have to get prepared and make sure our listeners are prepared every year for hurricane season. A few of us have packed up and spent the night at the station to give around the clock information to listeners during a storm. We become the information station for the community. They depend on us to keep them updated on storms that we see will affect our area. When the power goes out, all people have is radio. Even after the storm we are constantly giving out information to help everyone affected get the help they need.
Mobile has some recovering to do, but we also have the task of helping those that evacuated to this area from places like Louisiana and Mississippi. The station has helped raise over $10,000 for the Red Cross, we have delivered food and clothing to affected areas and we have done clothing drives to help people still in shelters. We are far from being finished.
8) Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?
I can always use some improvement on my programming skills. I am constantly learning something new.
9) How well do you think today's urban broadcasters really understand Arbitron?
I think they understand it very well.
10) As you look back over your career ... any regrets? Missed opportunities?
Everything happens for a reason. I have no regrets.
Bonus Questions
How did you get your present job?
Hard work.
What do you do with a song you don't like?
I let my listeners decide whether it is going to be a hit or not.
What's the best liner you've ever heard?
The Big Station Is 93BLX!
You just won the lotto and you have your boss on the line. What's the first thing that you would say?
"Let me call you back."
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