Many people in and around the radio world, often voice concern over the industry’s lack of a farm system where grooming young talent to become the programmers of tomorrow today are almost non-existent. True, it’s not as easy as it once was to find young talent who has both a passion for music but more important the understanding of the science of programming, but Chris Peters, known to most simply as “Chris P”, is one of those finds!
A Tucson native, Chris started his radio career as an intern in 2000, and then became an overnight board op. In 2003 he took on nights at Clear Channel Top 40 KRQQ, and in 2004 was promoted to Music Director. Then in 2007 he earned APD stripes. Chris P’s passion for music has served him well but it’s his understanding of radio as a business that makes him one of radio’s top young talents on the rise.
When did you know radio was going to become your career?
When I became an intern and realized I got college credit without any homework. For real that is actually how it started, but then I started helping R-Dub on his show when he was doing nights. I saw how fun it was, and how creative you could be and I fell in love.
How did the opportunity come about to join the programming department?
KRQQ was REALLY short on part timers and Mark Medina was PD at the time. He asked me if I would like to do weekend overnights. I was like HELL YEAH! I am 19 and there is nothing more that I would like to do than destroy my social life. LOL. Then I slowly worked my way up and it was one of the best choices I made.
What’s it like to work under a great programmer like Tim Richards?
I’ve learned a lot from a bunch of great programmers like Ken Carr, R-Dub, and Mark Medina. Tim has been fantastic though. He has taught me so much, not just about radio but about life. He’s had complete confidence in me and has been my number one supporter which is very humbling. I can’t thank all of these people enough for giving a punk kid a little bit of their time and teaching him a few things.
What makes a good Music Director?
Someone who can take his or her personal music tastes out of the equation and someone who just loves music and still gets excited about new music. There is a lot of music that isn’t my personal favorite but is such a hit for radio. I still get excited and count down days when I find out there is going to be new music coming out from a power artist.
You spend a great deal of time on the air, hosting station events, and interacting with listeners. How has the vibe of the market changed over the years?
The thing I love is that people in Tucson are still excited about KRQ. We have such a great morning show, Johnjay & Rich; and that people love the station and stay dialed in.
Tell us something about Tucson that we might be surprised to find out?
You know what? There really is a difference between 103 degrees and 104! And no you don’t get used to the heat.
The Pop format in general is in one of its strongest cycles in some time with hits from multiple genres. Does this make your job easier when it comes to selecting records for the music meeting?
I almost find it harder because you have to keep your eye on so much and there are so many good records out. Music meetings are lasting a lot longer.
Where are the best places to find new music nowadays?
I do a lot of club nights so I get to find some records just by watching the instant reaction. One of the best places comes from kids. They find music soooo fast. I just keep my ear to them; see what they have as their ring tone. And you always have to keep watching MySpace.
What are the do’s and don’ts when promoting Chris P on music?
Be real! The guys who come in and know they got crap and can admit it are the ones I respect the most. There are others that come in with crap but always are “super promo guy” with alphabet soup and every record is a hit and a priority.
Any new artists or music you’re excited about?
Well I don’t think I am blowing the lid off a well-kept secret but Katy Perry is such a star. I like her album a lot and think there is definitely more to come from her. I don’t know if you have heard of this Chris Brown kid? But I think he really might have something!
What new technologies do you see having the most impact on radio and is radio doing enough to stay in the game?
The usual suspects: MP3 players and internet are going to have the most impact. The new iPhone offers Pandora, AOL radio and Sirius radio. I think that does have an impact. Radio is making a lot of good moves and has to keep offering the things others can’t, and that is the listener interaction. One thing Johnjay & Rich do well is make things locally bigger than life. That will keep leading radio to success.
A key to any station’s success is having a great morning show and KRQ has a pretty good one in Johnjay & Rich.
They are one of the best! They are so talented and good at what they do. They are so real with the listeners and hide nothing from them and the listeners love that. The guys have become superstars in Tucson. People line up just to meet them; it is amazing and so great to see. I am blessed to work with them along with the rest of the staff, from Seth O’Brien who is on at night, to Joe Joe, our overnight/utility guy, to Obi Wan Kenobi (legal name), the morning show’s “behind the scene” guy and work horse. We have the best promotions staff with Nikki Van Doran and Rosanna Gaxiola, the best imaging guy in Ryan Cota, and the fearless leader Tim Richards. It’s just a great team here.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given that still applies today?
What you put out into the community they will give back. It has worked here at KRQ and I have bought into it. We do a lot of Radiothons raising money to help the community, which are sometimes really rough, stressful, and kind of scare you as to what the ratings will be. But the community has always given back to us and been very good to KRQ.
What’s next on Chris P’s to do list?
I can’t say I can complain on where I am at right now, things are so good. I was going to explore the world of being an Abercrombie model until I found out I am not that attractive, so I guess I am going to just see where the road takes me.
** QB Content by Bob Burke **
