Get to know former Chicago DJ Mark McCray

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: All Access 10 Questions with ... Mark McCray (McCrazy) : NAME: Mark McCray (McCrazy) : POSITION: OM/PD/mornings : STATION: WMBX and WNEW : MARKET: West Palm Beach, FL : COMPANY: CBS Radio : BORN: Chicago, IL : RAISED: Chicago, IL : : BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS: : WCIL/Carbondale, IL : WPNT/Chicago, IL : KRLD/Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX : KKDA/Dallas-Ft Worth, TX : KRNB-FM Dallas/Ft Worth : ABC Radio Networks : KJCE/Austin, TX : KQBT/Austin, TX : WMBX/West Palm Beach, FL : WNEW/West Palm Beach, FL : : 1. When did you know you would have a career in Radio? : When I was 15 years old... I took a class one summer at Columbia College in Chicago called "Intro To Radio". It was a way to keep busy one summer and I fell in love with it. : : 2. You've been at WMBX virtually from its birth. What has probably changed the most about the station since you got there? : I arrived when the station was barely a month old, so I am the first PD it has had. I am thankful that I have been here this long, sincerely. The biggest change would be some changes in our building from a personnel standpoint. We were the first station to play Hip Hop in this market. Before our listeners were listening to Miami area stations. We have been able to service this community with their own station. We also added an Urban AC station (WNEW) to the landscape, which works as a good sister to WMBX. : : 3. What has probably changed the most about the West Palm Beach market since you got there? : The Market has GROWN so much. Not with just population growth but with some impact on the Hip Hop community in South Florida. : : 4. In addition to your programming duties in the cluster, you're also the star morning guy on WMBX. What's the most important tool to help you with time management? : I think it is paramount so surround yourself with great employees! (Shout out time: My Music Directors Preston Lowe for WMBX, and Patrice for WNEW are a HUGE help in the day to day operations of this place. My Promotions Director Kailey Mills is a great employee who is everything I could ask for in a promo person, Reggie D my street guy who makes us look great in the streets, Production/Imaging person Kyle Stewart and my air staffs) I can't do everything, therefore, I have to lean on competent individuals who understand the mission and have the passion to help us achieve our goals, and thankfully I have that. We really are a team! : : 5. What's been the highlight of your radio career to date? : I have a few. Talking to President Obama, Michelle Obama, President Clinton were amazing experiences for me on the air. Our successful events and consistantly being #1 P18-34 has been a huge highlight for me, and being able to do what I love everyday (sounds corny but I'm sincere about that). I am truly blessed to be in this business that I love. : : 6. What do you think is the most common mistake young programmers make? : For those that are actually allowed to program their stations, I think a lot of young programmers and radio people, in general, are afraid to take chances because they are afraid of losing their jobs. My advice would be to ALWAYS think about the listeners with every decision you make, and take chances! Listen to what they want...attend events...show up at remotes...talk to the people...and listen to the jocks at your radio station. You can learn a lot from keeping your eyes and ears open to others. : : 7. Who do you consider to be your radio mentor(s)? : I have a few... The Late Michael Spears, Todd Manley, My Dogg Jay Stevens and my former GM Lee Strasser! I learned a lot from them. : : 8. How can record companies work better with stations and programmers? : I think some labels don't do their homework when it comes to stations. They need to understand that certain records are perfect for the station and others may take a while to get on. I do think however, MOST labels understand this, only a few do not! : : 9. How significant is the Internet in the marketing of WMBX or the morning show? : It is EXTREMELY important. We work really hard on our streaming numbers and have an interactive webcam for the morning show. Most of our imaging talks about our web componets as well. As a matter of fact...LISTEN LIVE AT WWW.THENEWX1023.COM! (shameless plug) : : 10. If you were to leave Radio today and you could choose any other occupation, what would it be? : I would be a teacher. Or follow in the footsteps of my brother and father and be on the Fire Dept. : : Bonus Questions : Your VP/GM tells you that you have new budget to hire a new fulltime, WMBX dedicated employee? What position do you think you'd fill? : Full-time internet content person. : : Look back on the air personalities you've worked with over the years...can you think of one that you'd want to join you on the morning show at WMBX right now? : Even though I am EXTREMELY happy with my team... I would love to work with Lady K from Austin again. Kristi Reif, who was on my show before she moved to Tampa was a great addition as well just to name a few. This is an extremely hard question, because I have worked with so many talented people, I don't want to leave anyone out. If I do, I know I'll get calls!

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