September 6, 2011 Issue 259 Where Were You? (Part 2) We continue with industry recollections of Sept. 11, 2001 and its aftermath as readers answer Alan Jackson’s question, “Where were you when the world stopped turning?” • R&J’s Tim McFadden: I spent that morning trying to reach my daughter, who had moved to Manhattan a month prior. I was pretty sure she had no business being that far downtown, but I couldn’t be sure. It took two-and-a-half hours for us to connect, and when I saw her Jammed: KMLE/Phoenix fills the frame in this pic taken at last week’s 8 Man name on my caller ID and then heard her voice, all I could say was, Jam. Pictured (l-r) are the the station’s Tim Hattrick, Phil Vassar, Kix Brooks, “Baby, are you OK?” When she said she was, it was an emotional Sara Evans, KMLE’s Jeff Garrison, Gary Allan, LeAnn Rimes, Aaron Lewis, moment I will never forget and even now is difficult for me to the station’s Tim Pohlman and Willy D Loon, Vince Gill and Dierks Bentley. express. I can only imagine the feelings of those getting bad news. Marconi Personality Finalists On top of that, I had Billy Gilman in town for a Michael Country stations nominated for this year’s Marconi Radio Jackson special at Madison Square Garden. His road manager Awards are profiled in the September print edition of Country saw the news about the first plane and reacted immediately, got Aircheck. This week and next, we’ll bring you the Personality the doorman to find a Town Car and got Billy and his entourage finalists in this space. The Marconis will be out of the hotel and on the road. It took them a few hours, but awarded Sept. 15 at the NAB Marconi Radio they got out of the city, into Queens and back to Rhode Island. I Awards Dinner & Show in Chicago. can’t remember his name for the life of me, but he kicked ass as Medium Market Personality, Bill a road manager that morning. Poindexter: WUSY/Chattanooga’s MD/ • Westwood One’s George Achaves: I was at my house in afternoon host, more commonly known as Alexandria, about five miles south of Washington, DC. When “Dex,” has been a fixture at ‘USY since 1993. Bill Poindexter the first tower was hit in New York, a friend of mine working in He’s humbled to be a Marconi nominee, but says lower Manhattan called and told me to turn on the television. I having the station nominated makes it even better. watched as the second tower was hit. (continued on page 9) I’m just a kid that got a job at his hometown radio station ©2011 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] September 6, 2011 Country Aircheck Weekly Page 3 when he was 15. I didn’t know what a microphone was, much THE PAGE THREE PIC less a Marconi. I never dreamed in my entire career I’d ever be nominated for one. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is our No.1 focus. It’s a year-’round thing for us. The most rewarding thing is when you see a St. Jude children who has been given a small chance to live, but he or she makes it anyway. The most exciting thing in the world is knowing we had a part in raising money that helped this child live. Our afternoon show is The Dex And Mo Show. Mo is Melissa Turner and she’s been with me for two years now, but with the station for seven. Public service is our No. 1 thing. We want to be the ones that tell you the tornados are coming, and the ones that help clean up and rebuild things. Friends In Tight Spaces: Garth Brooks visits with KPLX/Dallas staffers A lot of our show is just lighthearted BS. We try to have a lot backstage at Borrowed Money in early 1991. Pictured (l-r) are the of humor, and feel that if we’re having a good time, then people station’s receptionist, Brooks, morning co-host Steve Harmon, Gwen Foster ([email protected]) and morning co-host Scott will have fun listening to us. Evans. “This was the first time we saw Garth live,” Foster says. “And I’m the only one from the station going to the Marconis. I’ve never seen him play as small a room since.” Send your photos to [email protected]. I don’t expect to win, but if I did and wasn’t there, I’d never forgive myself. If I win, I’ll probably cry like a baby, then thank the people who were so supportive of me, Clay Hunnicutt and money for cancer research. Every mile you cover is sponsored, Sammy George. They’d be first, after God and my wife, of course. and the money raised stays in this community. If I had the choice of the station winning or me, I’d pick the On my show, I try to rely on things I observe. I depend heavily station every time. We have a remarkable group of people here. on Facebook, which helps you realize what people really care about. They like to give their opinions; I try to make it about them • Small Market Personality, Kelly Wayne: and not me. I’m not driven by glitz and glamour, so what impacts As PD/middayer for Ida-Vend’s KMOK (Outlaw me is when somebody pulls me aside and tells me, ‘You’ve made 106.9)/Lewiston, ID, as well as cluster OM, a difference.’ That has to be one of the most rewarding feelings Kelly Wayne wears a lot of hats. But she never ever. That’s power, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. forgets to put the listeners first. Winning would mean the highest honor and something I could I was in the office when I saw it online. There never have dreamt, almost to the point of being unbelievable. was nobody here to celebrate with, but I lost my Kelly Wayne More important, it would mean that whatever I’m doing in radio, I breath, put my glasses on and did the victory must be headed in the right direction. dance. The dance isn’t pretty, but it does my soul good. We do so much charity work here. We’re proud of our Holiday Heroes effort, where we feed hundreds of families Austin Fire Update between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A Day of Caring, through “We are okay,” KASE & KVET/Austin PD the United Way, is about donating personal time painting a Joel Burke reports as wildfires encroach on house, mowing a lawn, weeding or working behind a counter. the city’s outskirts. “No employees have had to We invite listeners down to get educated and, it’s hoped, volunteer evacuate, but a few were very close yesterday.” later. We also do the Relay For Life, an 18-hour walkathon to raise Burke says the station is preparing for a big Joel Burke ©2011 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] September 6, 2011 Country Aircheck Weekly Page 4 OFF THE REC O RD : HUN T ER HAYES Atlantic/WMN’s Hunter Hayes gives an industry spin on the artist interview: What station did you grow up listening to? KXKCand KMDL/Lafayette, LA were always on my dial. Any favorite cities on your radio tour? I was the biggest tourist in Seattle. We immediately went to the Space Needle to have dinner in the restaurant that spins. Hunter Hayes It was one of the coolest things I did on the radio tour. The view and menu were fantastic. I had a blackberry-flavored Italian cream soda, and it was heavenly. Remember the first time you heard yourself on the radio? We did an interview at KBEQ/Kansas City, and TJ McEntire played “Storm Warning” before we got on-air. That was the first time I heard it with the compression and it was kind of an out-of-body experience. I had to remind myself that it was me. How do you adjust to all the travel? I’ve always wanted to do this. In high school, I had busforsale.com bookmarked on my computer. If I was having a rough day, my happy place would be imagining life on the road. I’d walk myself through the day from load-in to load-out. So, I’m in heaven. What’s your go-to food stop? We play a lot of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and I love their Bourbon Salmon because there’s a lot of brown sugar in it, and I’m a huge seafood fan. Any gross truck stop food tempt you? We have a truck stop on wheels because the bus is always stocked with food and drinks, so I stay away from all that. Which regional is the worst driver? Ha! I love it. Mark Neiderhauser. I never let him drive. He stops at the last minute, and it always freaks me out. Who is the best road hang? Lou Ramirez. He’ll sit in the back of the bus with me and listen to Ronnie Milsap records front-to-back and sing along with me to every song. He doesn’t care who listens.