10 Questions with John Monds

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: 10 Questions with ... John Monds (aka "Rockin' Ron", "The Nighttime Dog") : : Please outline your career path. : WRRZ/Clinton, NC (High school) : WOOW/Greenville, NC (College) : WKTK/Baltimore (Still in college) : WBSB (B104)/Baltimore (with Joel Denver) : WBLZ/Cincinnati : WKRQ (Q102)/Cincinnati : KMJQ (MAJIC 102)/Houston : WCIN, Cincinnati : WAGO/WCKG/Chicago (Started as Top 40 G106 then became Classic Rock WCKG) : WQHT/New York (THE ORIGINAL Hot 103 prior to frequency switch to Hot 97) : WUSL/Philadelphia (Power 99, afternoons and MD) : KKBT/Los Angeles (afternoons, mornings, MD, PD) : WVAZ/Chicago : WHUR/Washington, DC (mornings with Monique) : WILV/Chicago : KRBV/Los Angeles : 1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences? : WRRZ in Clinton, N.C. I followed some upper-classmen friends into a Radio class. They all graduated; I had two more years of high school and wound up doing news, weather, farm reports, obituaries during my junior year. That led to a four hour after school shift Monday thru Friday during my senior year. : I grew up listening to Dan Ingram, George Michael, John "Records" Landecker, and Spider Harrison late at night. : 2) Aside from your obvious voice talent, what led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it"? : The after school class I mentioned led me to radio. It was an action by a college classmate and my older sister, who told me this is it. After high school and making about $80 a week, I thought this is not what I want to do. I met a girl in college whose brother ran a local station in Greenville, NC, who talked me into meeting him. He hired me. I sent tapes of me to my sister in Baltimore for my nephews. She decided to take one of the tapes to WKTK. The PD called me several times -- with me hanging up the phone, thinking that my roommates were playing a joke. He must have really been interested because he kept calling and I wound up taking the job. I realized then that the business had chosen me. : 3) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now what you didn't then, would you still do it? : I would still do it, but would take more advantage of the opportunities that being on the radio offers. : 4) Where do you see yourself and the industry five years from now? : Video did not kill the radio star, but Internet radio and syndication are certainly putting a hurt on radio as we knew it. Five years from now? Programming a major-market station ... or a very successful Internet station owned by me. : 5) How you feel about being asked to wait on a record you hear until the research validates it? : I understand why things are this way, so I deal with it. Some in our business have ruined stations and lined their pockets, so it is what it is. : 6) How do you feel about syndication? Does it affect significantly on the number of hours that you have control over the music that you play? : Having been syndicated, I have no problem with it. It does kill the chance for youngsters trying to get into the business. It affects about a third of my day. Tom's in the morning and does fine; I have the Sweat Hotel at night. His music is programmed well. : 7) Because of callout research, are today's Urban and Urban AC PDs going to be slower in adding and playing new music? What is the maximum number of spins a record in power rotation could be expected to receive in a given week on WRRX? : We give a power rotation record about 33 spins a week, not counting plays in the syndicated shows. : 8) Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve? : I'm working on my production skills again. : 9) What immediate steps are you going to take to ensure the ratings improvement for WRRX in the Pensacola market? Do you feel there are going to be new challengers from other formats? : Cleaning up and adding to the music library. I doubt there will be another station in the : format. : 10) As you look back over your career ... any regrets? Missed opportunities? : I think leaving the Monds Squad with Bonnie Deshong and George Willborn at V103 in Chicago might have been a mistake. We had a nice run of about six years. We should have pushed for syndication. : Bonus Questions : What would people who think they know John Monds be surprised to know about you? : I've been married to the same woman for 22 years! : Describe your favorite meal ... restaurant. : No favorite restaurant, but I find it hard to pass on some really good North Carolina BBQ : You just won the lotto and you have your boss on the line. What's the first thing that you would say? : I used to say that I would still come to work and probably not tell anyone, but these days, I think I would move to Paris or Jamaica, and have my own Internet station. : Do you feel that Urban stations should be more careful not to blindly copy formats, but tailor them specifically to the age and racial make-up of their own markets? : I think radio one proved that you shouldn't try to use what works in other markets to win in other major markets. Most of us on the staff at V100 knew our direction missed the target, but the powers that be would not listen. : Do you feel that Urban stations should support new artists? Wouldn't it be nice to hear the local artist doing well at home first? : I would love for Urban radio to support the established artists that have aged, kind of in the manner that Rock formats still give love to The Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, etc. I had this conversation with Anita Baker a few years ago. Why is it that we tend to turn our backs on R&B legends so quickly? : (AA)

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