10 Questions with ... Reggie 'The Big Dog' Rouse

NAME:Reggie 'The Big Dog' Rouse TITLE:VP/Urban Programming, CBS Radio & OM STATION:WVEE and WAOK MARKET:Atlanta COMPANY:CBS Radio BORN:Bronx, NY RAISED:Bronx and Harlem

Please outline your career path.

VP/Urban Programming CBS Radio. OM of V103 and WAOK PD, May 2005-present; co-Creator/Exec. Producer, "Live In The Den With Big Tigger," June 2003-present; OM and "Donnie Simpson Morning Show" producer, WPGC/Washington, February 2003-May 2006; APD and "Donnie Simpson Morning Show" producer, WPGC, October 1999-February 2006; "Donnie Simpson Morning Show" producer, WPGC, March 1998. I have also been APD of WBLS/New York and PD of WAEG/Augusta and have worked at WQKS/Hopkinsville, KY and in the research department of WQHT/New York.

1) What was your first job in radio?

My first job was at WUSS/Atlantic City.

2) Early radio influences?

Early influences: I interned for Tony Gray at WKRS (Kiss FM) in New York; Barry Mayo helped me get my internship at Kiss; Johnny Allen (former Kiss jock), Ray Boyd, Frankie Crocker, Vaughn Harper, Cool DJ Red Alert, Mr. Magic. Programming influences: Jay Stevens, Tony Gray, Ray Boyd, Thea Mitchem, Elroy Smith.

3) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it"?

Interning in the programming department of Kiss FM in New York with people like Tony Gray and Barry Mayo ... and watching a staff like Mike Love, Jeff Foxx, Johnny Allen, Bob Slade, Ann Trip, Bobby Gailes, Chris Welch, Carol Ford, Tina Georgiou, Brian Marks, Eric Marlgolos in promotions and Wyatt Cheek on the streets -- God, I was in heaven.

4) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now what you didn't then, would you still do it?

Absolutely.

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

Continuing with my duties as VP at CBS Radio and OM of WVEE and WAOK, or perhaps working for another of the Viacom properties such as MTV or BET.

6) How do you feel about the PPM eventually replacing the diary?

It's reality -- I still need to produce ratings.

7) How you feel about being asked to wait on a record you hear until the research validates it?

That doesn't apply to me.

8) What is going to happen to the training of tomorrow's talent and programmers if the current trend continues? How do you feel about syndication and voicetracking?

It's up to us to train young talent, but they have to be hungry. You can't expect to be handed a job in radio; you have to work for it. Syndication can be good and bad -- it all depends on the talent available -- but I will always prefer to have local talent. Voicetracking is last resort for me. It can definitely be an asset if you are short-staffed.

9) How do you feel the current crop of releases is going to affect both industries? Are Urban programmers going to be slower in adding and playing new music?

Most stations are going to be a little slower at adding new music, but I still believe you have to rely on gut instincts at times.

10) As you look back over your career, any regrets? Missed opportunities?

No regrets. Everything happened for a reason.

How did you get your present job?

I was recommended to Rick Caffey by Jay Stevens. Thank God Rick hired me. I was like a kid in a candy store when he hired me.

What is your biggest challenge working at this station?

Keeping WVEE #1. Being #1 is cool; staying #1 consistently is no joke. At V103, we're expected to be #1 25-54, 18-34 and 12+. To do that, the station has to be balanced musically and promotionally. We walk a fine line. And then I want to do all I can to work with the other CBS Urban stations that I'm involved with and help them to improve. That's not easy. But I'm not complaining.

What do you do with a song you don't like?

If the listeners want to hear it, I play it.

What's the best piece of advice anyone's ever given you?

Don't ever let the bastards see you sweat. Rusty Walker, a Country consultant whom I worked for in Hopkinsville, KY, told me that.

Describe your favorite meal?

Wine, lobster, steak.

What do you read? What's your favorite reading material?

I read a lot of magazines. The sports section is my favorite reading material. The New York Post and the New York Daily News.