SJ.COM: Tell us a little about your radio career.

JD: OK, well, I've been in radio for 26 years. Mostly Hot AC. I have been music director with pretty much all of the stations I've worked for because that's my thing. I love the music. I've been with with KJZS for 3 years, but I have been a contemporary jazz fan since the 70's. In fact, in my 3rd year in radio in 1979, I was with a rock station in Carson (KKBC) that would mix in Pat Metheny, David Sanborn, Lee Ritenour, that kind of stuff.

SJ.COM: An AOR hybrid?

Yes, but we never got a chance to prove anything witha that format because they took it off the air. Then a station signed on that mixed in a lot of New Age with contemporary jazz and that format died quickly on the vine here in reno.

SJ.COM: Where were you before KJZS?

JD: At Magic across town. I was there for 5 1/2 years. I've also worked in Seatle at KPLZ. KEZY in Anaheim, and K-EARTH in L.A.

SJ.COM: Is the station consulted?

JD: We work with Mike Vaschez from KIFM. And I rely on other sources of input from R&R to record promoters like Dave Kunhertz who is totally hooked in, and now Smoothjazz.com.

SJ.COM: Is "Smooth Jazz" still doing it for you after all these years? Are you still feeling the passion for the music?

JD: I love it more. So many new artists. I'm not a fan of cover tunes, but I'm starting to like them. That's scaring me a little, but some of the cover tunes are cool, and this elevator's going up.

SJ.COM: What makes you bring up cover songs?

JD: We are being deluged by covers right now. There's just so many of them.

SJ.COM: Is the format trying to appeal to the AC listeners through these songs?

JD: I agree somewhat that the covers will help the format lean mainstream, but to go solely after the "Boomies" is not a way to program a radio station.

I won't play covers of songs that we play by the original artists. I just don't see the point. If we play "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker, why would I add Najee's version. Same with Warren Hill's "Fallen". I prefer to play Lauren Wood. And I loved "September Morning" from the latest Warren Hill CD but nobody went on that.

SJ.COM: What are the covers that you are into?

JD: BWB's "Groovin'" is really cool and we because wouldn't play the original version of that, it's a great fit to the format. The one that I am totally hooked on right now is Peter White's "Who's That Lady?".

SJ.COM: You mentioned programming for the Baby Boomers, but don't you think that Smooth Jazz radio programmers want a younger audience as well?

JD: Smooth Jazz programmers say they want the 25-49 audience as well but they won't play the artists that will attract them. In my opinion, we need to broaden the vocals and get on a new band wagon. I think that Joan Osborne tune is a perfect example of this. I'm also playing Everything But The Girll and Sarah McLachlan.

There's so much airplay based on testing and my biggest beef is that they seem to test the same gold category over and over every year even though all of the songs continually test well.

Why not test some vocals? If you want to try something new that might help the format, test the top 10 songs each year for the past 25 years in Adult Contemporary and determine if there are any additional vocals that our listeners would like.

I do think we should test more vocals in this format, because those are the ones that are getting burned.

SJ.COM: Why are there only 5 or 6 current vocals in our format?

J.D.: Some consultant came up with that. Once someone has a winning combination, someone follows it. They have taken total control.

SJ.COM: Are you happy with the direction that the format is heading with new music?

JD: Yes. absolutely. I'm not happy with programmers and consultants who do not play new music from new arttists.

SJ.COM: Do you play new music even if your consultant advises against it?

JD: If I'm really excited about a new song before Mike is, I ask him to live with it for a few weeks, and see if he can warm up to it. Reno is a unique market and we think we know what our audience likes. I can count on one hand the complaints this station has received in the past 3 years.

SJ.COM: What would you say if I told you that in the couple of hours we've been listening to the station, I've not heard one bad song?

JD: I want you in my next research test or I'd love it if you would get a diary. Do you really like the station?

SJ.COM: Very much. You seem to have a great balance of new songs and format staples.

JD: Thank you. I use artists and songs as textures and spices. If we start leaning too funky, I balance it out with something acoustic or whatever. I really go for a balance.

SJ.COM: Who do you hear as the next big star or stars of the format? Who are you really hot on?

JD: Michael Lington, Jimmy Sommers, Kirk Whalem, 3rd Forece, Kim Waters, and Mike Phillips.

SJ.COM: Love Mike Phillips.

JD: I wish more programmers would have heard that record.

SJ.COM: If you could cross over any sound or artist into the format without concern of risking ratings, who or what would you introduce to Smooth Jazz? Why?

JD: Some Salsa because it's hot and fun.

SJ.COM: What are you doing in your market that you feel is unique to the format?

JD: I'm excited about the Celebrity Guest Series. We bring in artists solo to play with a band that I put together to play their music. We have them send us their charts and we learn the songs so that when they arrive, we'll be ready to play their music. It's great, we do this on the last Friday of every month and get 200-300 people to come out. We've had Jimmy Sommers, Greg Adams, Sherry Winston and more.

We're just trying to expose as many artists as possible to Reno. It's working too. We had 1500 people come out to see Craig Chaquico and we have Rick Derringer coming to play a local music store.

SJ.COM: What's the best way for a new Smooth Jazz artist to develop their career?

JD: I hate to say it, but get a label or get a record promoter. Seriously, get someone working for you because you just can't do it on your own.

SJ.COM: How do you utilize Internet presence to further your radio station's image and your programming?

JD: We're just coming about on that. I really want to do email contests and the like. I just don't think this audiene wants to call on the phone between 9 and 5 to win stuff. I've got an attorney out there in his car and I'm going to make him call me in the middle of what's he's doing? No, we need to reach out to these people in a way that they can deal with.

I think with email, you can do "Instant winner" and things like that. I even want to do our own music testing on the web stie. The site is called SmoothjazzReno.com because we just thought people could find that easier than KJZS.com.

SJ.COM: What was the last live show you caught?

JD: "Motor City" is starting up at Harah's (a new show that features members of the Platters, the Drifters, and the Coasters). It was really fun. That's a nice perk to living in Reno, we get to see a lot of great entertainment.

SJ.COM: What's in your CD player (home or car)?

JD: Joan Osborne and the new Michael Lington.

SJ.COM: Outside of radio, are you an enthusiast for anything else (wine,
golf, movies, etc.)?

JD: I'm a singer and I have a little jazz band. I'm also going to be performing in A Christmas Carol at the Pioneer Center for Performing Arts this holiday season. I also love to ski.

SJ.COM: What perfume are you wearing, smells great?

JD: Why it's Donna Karen's "Angel".

SJ.COM: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

JD: Just that I really believe, based on all of my years in the radio business, that it's time that we go mainstream with this format. I really wish that the programmers and consultants wouldn't play it so safe. Let's give the masses what they don't know that they want.

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