Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Berea, OH.
Share some memories of your childhood -- school, family, hobbies,
extracurricular activities, musical instruments, sports, etc.
I had a happy childhood in the Cleveland suburbs. Our family consisted of my parents, my younger brother, myself, and a dozen or so pets, from fish to turtles, to lizards, to cats, and dogs. I was a small, skinny kid who learned how to make the bullies laugh. I took up trumpet in 7th grade. When that didn’t get me any girls, I took up guitar. When that didn’t work, I realized I needed a new tactic.
What was your first job? What did you learn from it?
My first job was weeding strawberries on a farm somewhere around Cleveland. I learned that it’s important to always get your herbicide application done on time, so you don’t have to hire some kid to weed your strawberries. I also learned that the hard jobs can be important stepping stones on the path to discovering what you love.
In what car did you take your driver's test? What was your very own
"first" car?
I took my test in a 1977 Buick LeSabre that was nearly the size of the USS Eisenhower. That I passed my driving test on my first try was a miracle. My first car was a 1985 Chevy Citation with an AM radio. That car had a host of problems including door locks that routinely froze, forcing me to crawl in through the hatchback on cold mornings. I consequently developed a fondness for big band tunes, since that was the only music I could find on that radio. There’s something telling in the name “Citation.” After all, who drives a car named after a traffic ticket?
Did you end up in Ada by way of attending ONU? What was your major?
A lot of my family attended ONU, and I used to visit for homecoming as a kid. I transferred to ONU in 1992 where I met my future wife, Jenny. I majored in communications.
When did you decide you wanted to be on the radio? Childhood dream?
I don’t recall ever wanting to be on the radio. I just knew I wanted to entertain. When it came time to decide on a career, standup comedy seemed too risky, so I went into radio. Still, I loved radio as a kid. I collected old radios, was a ham radio operator, put together comedy bits using my mom’s cassette recorder, and even built radios from junk parts. I suppose there was a voice in me that knew radio was the way to go.
What types of radio positions have you held? What do you enjoy the
most?
In a market the size of Lima, you do everything. I’ve done it all, from broadcasting news, to farm markets, to overseeing a staff, to trimming the hedges and taking out the trash. My favorite, and longest-held position, was as Program Director of 1150 WIMA. My job was basically to oversee all of the programing that ultimately came out of the speaker on your radio. That allowed a great mix of creativity, developing talent, and time on the air.
Does that type of job require a lot of energy? Certainly some
chutzpah?
Energy? Probably not. It does take some chutzpah to occasionally be obnoxious on the air, and to take punches from listeners who disagree with you or who don’t like you. To be alone in a quiet room and push a button that allows you to talk to 100,000 people at once, I think it takes some confidence to do that. At times when I’m less than confident, I fake it. Most radio announcers are introverted and extroverted at the same time. Radio allows the introvert to pretend.
You said recently -- maybe with some sarcasm -- that you generally
dislike DJs....yet you are one. Do you have any favorite DJs or other
radio personalities? Do you listen to other radio stations?
There are things about radio I love and hate. Radio is a business where originality is rare. Originality is hard. It’s risky. Mass media inherently seeks a broad audience. Things can get vanilla in an effort to attract the most listeners. Today it seems like every morning jock is the same. Every talk show host is the same. It’s all been done before. It’s those times when I find myself adhering to convention that I get frustrated. I listen to all radio stations, but I usually flip when the DJ comes on. I also listen to a lot of recorded books, newscasts, and podcasts. My favorite podcast right now is “WNYC’s Radiolab.” It’s the most amazing audio production I’ve ever heard.
Does your wife listen to your show? Does she offer you any advice?
No one close to me listens to me! I think that’s because those people hear enough of me already. If my wife had any advice for me, it would be to shut up and play the music.
How about television? Any favorite shows?
I don’t watch much TV. I can’t sit still enough. My all-time favorite shows have to be “Seinfeld”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, and “Arrested Development.” I also love science and history documentaries. My greatest influence of all time, however, is Jack Benny. Growing up, I also studied the greats such as Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, and Jackie Gleason.
Favorite movie? Least favorite movie -- the one for which you wish
you could get a refund on your money?
My favorite movie has to be “Airplane!” It’s so stupidly funny that I still laugh till I cry. One movie I love to hate is “Legends of the Fall.” It tries so hard to be an epic film that it’s a complete mess. Why, exactly, is Brad Pitt so crazy? Who really wants to hear Elliott from “E.T.” singing? Who isn’t trying to win an Oscar in that directionless disaster of a film?
A few years ago, you returned to school to earn an MBA. What kind of
advice would you offer other adult students?
Just learn as much as you can for your own sake. Be bold and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to look stupid doing so. It’s often those minor lessons, ancillary to the main subject matter, that stick the most. The MBA program at Bluffton was amazing. It changed the way I see myself, others, and global issues.
In fact, you've started a non-profit with several classmates, correct? What can you tell me about this?
The Jamii Project is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization founded by myself and two of my fellow Bluffton classmates, Hassan Mosoka and Jeff Bowlus. Our goal is to build a medical clinic in the village of Meseke, Tanzania. Two things especially excite me. First, the average income in America is over 33 times what it is in Tanzania. Your American dollar has a great deal of leverage there. Where it would cost millions to build a medical clinic in America, we can do it for a fraction of that in Tanzania. Second, when you think of the generations of Tanzanians who will benefit, this medical clinic could ultimately impact hundreds of thousands of people. We currently have $9,000 of our $40,000 goal. Details about The Jamii Project can be found at www.jamiiproject.org.
Compare your current life in a small town (Ada) to where you grew up?
Biggest difference? Any similarities?
When I was a kid, I thought of Berea a smaller part of a small city. When I came to Ada, there was a period of adjustment. The pace was slower here. Some songs that were hits on the radio in Cleveland couldn’t even be heard here in those pre-internet days. I went from cable TV to two or three broadcast channels. I came to town with some big city arrogance in me. Today, I wouldn’t give up the small town for anything. Everyone here knows each other. It’s like a giant family.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Ideally, what would you like
to be doing?
I usually have several irons in the fire, so it’s hard to say which, if any, will lead to some dramatic change of course. As more and more communication becomes internet-based and user-generated, the future of radio is uncertain. Radio is just one of many things I love. I don’t care what I’m doing in 10 years, so long as I’m not weeding strawberries.
