Straight From the Mouth

What advice you got then still works today?

Sell the call letters. Say them with pride and say them in a different way each time. Make them sound magical. Most of us just toss them out before we get to what we think is the really important part. But those call letters really can make a station sound magical.

Who haven't you met in radio that you'd like to?

Rick Dees. I've talked to him on the phone and saw him once while he was on the air, but I've never met him.

Name someone in radio who when they call you'll jump over desks to take their call?

Bert in Atlanta, Mojo, Rich Berra. Honestly, if some kid from Elkhart, Indiana calls me, I'll talk to him until he wishes he hadn't called me.

Career defining moment(s)?

When I got my first morning job at KLUC in Vegas. I was 21 and got not just a morning show, but a morning show at a huge station. It scared me to death, but it taught me so much about the responsibility that comes with doing the most important shift of the day.

How have you changed most as a host?

In Columbus at WNCI I wrote a song that basically slammed everyone on a local TV station. I thought it was funny but it was really embarrassing to the people who were just trying to do their jobs. I've become much more considerate of other people. I used to make fun of local TV anchors for being fat or for being an alcoholic. I would never do that now, because they're people with feelings and kids and friends. I feel terrible about some of the stuff I used to think was funny to do on the air.

How do you and your show members plan for each day's show?

Prep has evolved so much on our show over the years. It used to me pretty much me, home all afternoon and into the evening working on bits.

almost every show and we plan out the next few days, filling holes and changing things as we go. My best ideas don't come to me in front of the computer, so I don't spend as much time there as I used to. Steve LaTart is our producer and he handles everything mechanical and organizes the entire show. We would sit and stare at each other with Steve. Lena Svenson worked at a bank three years ago and had never worked in radio. Hers is such an enormous, natural talent and listeners love her because she doesn't sound like every other sassy woman on the radio. She's filthy as hell, but she's also innocent. She's intelligent, but naive. She's gorgeous, but insecure. And it's not an act, it's who she really is. Crisco is our 350 pound lifetime intern who is the loveable dumbass on our show. And Intern John is technically no longer an intern, but does all the behind-the-scenes technical stuff that makes us sound good. As far as prep, everyone's ideas are welcome and encouraged and no one gets upset when their idea isn't used. We really are a team and work hard not to let each other down.

Do you follow a pretty rigid daily routine, or is some of the show spontaneous?

I worked with a couple of lazy people a long time ago who used to complain that we needed to be more spontaneous and not plan so much. Today, one of them is installing cable and I don'të know what happened to the other one. Spontaneaity is a form of laziness. We set up a rigid daily show schedule. If something amazing happens spontaneously, we throw the prep out the window. But if something doesnët, we have a full show to fall back on. Watch Letterman or Jimmy Kimmel. Their shows aren't ad-libbed. There's something to be learned there.

How do you pull off great shows when your head's not into it?

This is going to sound corny, but my head is always into it. My show is often the best part of my day. It's my relief from the real world. One day when I'm out of radio, I'm going to wake up at 4am and read TMZ to my wife because I won't be able to get it out of my system!

Most amazing thing someone ever revealed to you in an interview?

Tom Hanks told me that the toy doll of Woody that is sold to the public is actually voiced by his brother. That was kinda cool to get out of him. Will Smith told us that he knew Wild, Wild West was going to suck duing the first few days of filming but he just kept working hard at it.

Interview from hell storie(s)?

I asked Ashley Judd how she felt about being in Maxim's 50 Hottest Women issue and she got very snotty and rude because she didn't want to talk about it. The audio was so priceless we sent it into E! and they played it on the air.

You recently became #1 for the first time. What do you think finally put you over the top?

I think a lot of it has to to with People Meter. There's a local heritage classic rock show that for years was the show that was supposedly cool to say you listen to. So people would write it down in their diaries to seem cool, when they were actually listening to us. But I give even more credit to the people on our show. Every single person (there are five of us) is critical to the show, they work hard, they're so talented, and they are all friends. I love every one of them.

Are you one of those people that reads Arbitron?

A long time ago, an old radio guy told me, "Dave, your ratings can't go up every time or you'd have a 100 share." Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. You can't read too much into every book. If the boss is smiling after the book comes out, great. If not, I don't let it bother me too much.

How have you adjusted your show since the PPM invasion?

We pre-promote to keep listeners around through commercials because PPM says that's when they leave. You can't just say, ìWe'll tell you how to improve your sex life coming up next.î It has to be, "What is the one thing that every man wants you to do to him in bed, but he'll never ask you?" You have to make sure they are dying to hear what you have to say.

Are their things you no longer do on your show that use to be benchmarks?

We no longer do Speedy CD. I'm kidding. There are so many benchmarks we have changed over the years, but none because of PPM. Last word on PPM is too many programs directors and jocks are busy trying to figure out ways to trick it, to fool it into giving you better numbers. Maybe some tricks will give you an extra tenth of a point, but compelling content is what will make the real difference in ratings.

Before I forget, is it true you created "Battle of the Sexes?"

In 1990, I found a board game at Toys R Us called "Chauvanist Pigs." It was a trivia game with guy questions for the guys and women questions for the women. I thought it was fun so I put some of the questions on a prep sheet. Ric Tower was a radio producer who came up with the brilliant idea of asking the guys questions for women and vice-versa.

And to set the record straight, any other well known bits you launched first?

Oh, don't make me brag. Okay, I will. "Mile of Meat," "Lie Like a Guy," "The One That Got Away" and "Cheater's Club"are some of the ones I've come up with. Once in awhile I see other shows take credit for them and it stings a little because in radio, the most valuable commodity is ideas. And nobody will believe this one, but the website "Hot or Not" was an idea that started at KDWB on our website. If I was a better businessman, like Kidd Kraddick, I would have gotten rich from it.

Looking back over your career, give us 4 or 5 of the coolest, funniest, most responded to things you've ever done?

We got every morning show in town, but one, to broadcast live from a downtown street in 1997 to raise money and supplies for a big flood in Fargo. Three days after 9/11, we formed a giant American Flag with thousands of listeners holding colored cards that was broadcast live on CNN. When Playstation 3 came out, we offered a free PS3 to the listener who would let us have their baby for the longest time and that got us on the networks.

Pet peeves when listening to other shows?

There's a jock here in town who was a great night jock, but didn't' understand how to be a human when he tried mornings. A good morning jock should never try to sound cool or like a bad-ass. Leave that to your night jock. The more human you sound, the better listeners will like you.

Boot Camp is next month. A young jock comes up to you and says I want to make it to the majors. What would be your three tips to make it there fastest and how to stay there?

I'd tell him 90 percent of radio people are lazy. Work a little hard than those 90 percent and you'll stand out. Work a LOT harder than those 90 percent and you'll be a star. I'd tell him there's no secret to success besides talent and hard work. And I'd tell him to always wear a condom even if she's super hot and tells you she's on the pill.

After making it number 1, did you finally get the popcorn machine you always wanted in the studio?

No, but my contract says any comb I find on the men's room floor is mine to keep.