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Straight From The Mouth
The Morning Mouth's December Interview with Dave Smiley
(Reprinted by permission; Copyright © 2004 Talentmasters Inc.)

Give us a quick background check.

DS: I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. My dad actually owned a couple of Christian radio stations. We had the equipment and my dad had a small studio in the garage and when I was a kid I would go in there and pretend that I was on the radio. When I was older, I worked at a lot of stations there like an Oldies and at a Rocker. This was all when I was in high school working weekends and swing back around 1988. After that in 1989, I went to Z100. I was about 20 years old and really intimidated by everyone. Scott Shannon was the PD and I was part of the Z morning Zoo with Ross Brittain, and Gary Bryan. I was the promotion assistant and stunt guy. That was the real beginning.

What was your first solo gig?

DS: I went to Q106 in San Diego where I did nights. Then I did afternoons Q106 and they put me in mornings. Then Jeff and Jer came back to star and I

was fired, so I went back to Q106 just before it turned into Hispanic Music. I was the last one to run that station into the ground. I also did a stint in Phoenix at KZON.

Where did you meet Scott Sands your producer?

DS: I met Scott a long time ago at Morning Show Boot Camp. What a sales pitch to WZPL, "We've got a guy, he failed in San Diego, he failed in Phoenix, and burned more stations down than we know what to do with." I was in bad situations, it wasn't really that bad. Howard Stern replaced me at KZON and so I was the odd man out.

How long at 'ZPL now?

DS: It's been a year and a half.

(To Scott Sands) Do you remember the first time you met Dave Smiley?

SS: Most of us had met him years ago because he was friends with Tom Gjerdrum. When Gjerdrum was PD he would come in to visit and hang out.

DS: He would let me do weekends.

KJ: (female co-host) I actually had to do a weekend shift after him once and wanted to kill him because every woman was calling in an bitching about him.

When you made the shift from New York to L.A. to Phoenix and now Indianapolis, did you worry about how would play out professionally?

DS: In a nutshell, I am currently working for a small company and I am sick of all of the corporate stuff and working for big companies where you don't get a chance to estabish yourself. You are in there for a year and if you are not doing things or if they have a better morning show coming around, they will flip flop around. You don't get a chance to make an impact in a

market.

Is there anything about the majors you miss?

DS: No. Not other than a lot of money. I think you can make a lot of money if you can lock yourself into a market. I am 32 and have been bouncing around every year from this city to that city and making some decent money, but I am not really fulfilled. I can't ever stay somewhere long enough, to where I can get my hook in and make an impact. This is a small company and these guys believe in me, Scott lets me play and goof around.

What are your hours on the air?

DS: 5-10am. Sometimes it is 5:15 to 10:30. I have started the show at 4:45 before.

SS: We have also started at 6:00.

Who taught you how to do a show?

SS: It was all me.

DS: I give a lot of credit to Tracy Johnson in San Diego. He let me just do it. I haven't been in a good situation like this since doing afternoons and mornings in San Diego with Tracy at Q106 and at Star 100.7. I did overnights first in San Diego and Tracy figured it's not rated and he let me goof off. He used to get up in the middle of the night and pee and hear me messing around on the radio.

Would your show work anywhere?

DS: I would never be able to do this show in Des Moines, Iowa, where my father is a minister and I couldn't talk about going out and getting a cocktail and talk about sleeping with chicks and stuff. We have hired people from the audience before. We hired a girl once who could have been good but with her family living in town she couldn't be open and honest on the show, so she had to be cancelled. The more you are open with things, the more the listeners can bond with you. I used to be scared to talk about personal things because of offending people.

Is it tougher or easier for a single guy to do morning radio?

DS: Is it tough being single and doing mornings because you want to stay out late at night and have fun? Being 32 you are past the transition of being able to get away with two hours sleep. Yes, I party too much. I party like I am 23. I go out and party all night, do the show, go home take a nap, shower again, do promotions or just go out with friends. I am always out, there is always drama in my life. But that always give me material to talk about.

On a professional level are you impressed at the growth of Christian radio?

DS: Yes, it is pretty amazing. I guest DJ'd on a Christian station back home when I went home last Christmas.

How have you done since coming to Indianapolis?

SS: We have gone from 14th to 4th in 25-54's and 11th to 1st in 18-34 women.

What have you done to get people over to WZPL?

DS: I think I like to be different. If it is not supposed to be done, then I want to do it. For instance one guy called in and said quit playing John Meyer and I turned around and played it over and over again for a couple of hours.

Coming up, which jock did you want to be like?

DS: I always wanted to be like Scott Shannon. I always thought it would be fun to be a Program Director and a morning show host. I have always been a big Scott Shannon fan!

Have you always been good with relationships in the studio?

DS: Every time we start a show we build it from scratch. The first day I was on the air I was disappointed. I went in there and played by myself. It was pretty boring in the beginning. I ended bringing Scott (Sands) in which was not easy to do. Then I got Brian and KJ and it kind of worked.

What do you think is a key to a good morning show marriage?

DS: I'm not a good communicator. When I was out in Phoenix, Greg Simms and I almost got a counselor.

Have you worked with consultants?

DS: Yes, but I'm not good with criticism.

Which of your shows will you never forget?

DS: The 9/11 show in Phoenix with Greg Simms, we shined!

SS: You have to remember Dave can barely remember the show this morning.

What do you do when you are not in the mood to do a show?

SS: He drinks.

Not on the air?

All: Yes!

DS: There have been some times that I have but it doesn't happen on a regular basis. Usually the first hour 6-7 is dead. We don't really get cooking until KJ wakes up around the 7 o'clock hour.

Do you see ever see yourself doing talk?

DS: Who knows what the future is? I just want to be on a radio station and be successful.

What are your favorite subjects on the air?

DS: I love talking about retro stuff. People love to talk about Ataris and old school things. I love talking about relationships and where people have been.

What's your take on the business these days?

DS: I don't like it. I don't like what big corporations have done.

How would you change it for the better?

DS: I would love to see it go back to old school radio, where there a few people and a few stations. I don't like all these weird managers who are head of a bunch of stations and these people who you don't know what they do but they are on the payroll.

What is the single most important thing you learned from Scott Sands?

DS: (Long pause) (even more pause....) Uhhh...

What was your first recollection of meeting Scott Sands?

SS: That picture that we took naked.

Is there anything about yourself that other show members would be surprised to learn?

DS: No. We know he pees in the shower, he bites his toenails.

KJ: He has a girlfriend!

DS: No they know all of it. But I actually pee in the bath tub as well.

Read previous Morning Mouth interviews.

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