One of the jokes of my radio career has been how I never wanted the responsibility of having people’s professional lives to be subject to my scrutiny. I’ve never had any interest in being the guy who had to decide who gets to eat and who doesn’t.

In my new position as Program Director for a 100,000 watt Rock station in America’s 5th largest city, I have come to truly understand the term “You never know who’s listening.” I’ve received calls from the widest variety of people, with the widest tastes in music that I’ve ever known. I’ve also had to, by definition of my job, monitor and keep cognizant of anything we may broadcast that could be in violation of FCC, community, or company standards. I am ultimately responsible for everything that comes out of the speakers of our station.

I’ve also come to realize…when one of our staff members broadcasts something that could possibly cost the company tens-to-hundreds of thousands of dollars, I have to make a decision. Depending on the severity of the infraction, I may have to cap them immediately.  It’s not something I relish having to do.

However, I did have to do it this weekend. I won’t get in to the details. But, it came down to this: By their poor decision, this person was jeopardizing not only their job…but the jobs of everyone at the station. Once this fact made itself clear to me…I had no problem making the decision. I love my gig. I have a lot of other people to account for. When one intentionally screws with the lives of many, they have to go. It’s that simple.

Running a radio station is not an easy job. I’m not bitchin’ I think it’s a blast! I’m just sayin’…It’s so much more than just picking music and giving away prizes. I am learning new things and it has opened my eyes to things I never knew. For all of the former bosses I owe a huge “fuck you” to…I owe an equal # of “thank you/I’m sorrys” to the others.

I don’t regret doing what I did. I now know that sometimes you have to make a shit decision for the greater good.

Good Luck Kid…You’re someone else’s blog-fodder now.

I did two tours at WAAF. One 2-3 year stretch in the mid-90’s, and a couple more in the mid 2000’s.

So…I’ve been doing radio for going on 28 years. And for the most part, it’s been a goof. I’ve seen every band I’ve ever wanted to see. I’ve had a chance to interview most of ’em. And it’s been a blast.

However…once I had a chance to take part in something special. I mean truly special. I mean a once-in-a-lifetime moment that made a real difference. This is that moment…caught on tape. It was 2005 and I had the chance to thank a soldier. Not just any soldier. But, a local boy from the South Shore of Boston. His name is Sgt. Peter Damon. You may recognize him from the shameless, exploitation of his situation by scumbag-director Michael Moore. If you “google” him, you’ll read his true story.  It suffices to say…the man deserves more than we could ever give. I am more proud of this day, than any I have ever spent.

We were asked by the amazing organization Homes For Our Troops to take part in the very first project of its kind in America.

What you are about to listen to…is just a sample of that day. It is a long file (about an hour)…but IMHO…well worth the listen. Not for my glory. This day wasn’t about me.  I am so glad to have this audio. When I was editing it, it brought back emotions that move me just as much today as they did almost 6 years ago.

Sgt. Damon has gone on to do incredible things.  He is the epitome of an American hero. And I thank him for allowing me the honor of serving his family…if only for one day. Please give this a listen. I think you’ll be touched.

Welcome to the blagh part of the site. I have been so slammed with KDKB stuff, that quite frankly, I’ve slacked on keeping you in the loop on my own site. Priorities. They can be a bitch.

As you may, or may not know, I’ve been hired to be the Program Director for 93.3 KDKB in Phoenix, Arizona.

It’s a pretty amazing opportunity, and the focus that I’ve been applying to the station over the past ten weeks, has really begun to pay off. We took a real close look at what the station has been historically, and what the listeners of Phoenix Rock radio expected from us, and have now put together what we hope is what Phoenix wants to hear.

To give you a bit of background…Imagine the Rock station where you live. Is it new? Or, has it been there since before you were born? KDKB has been here in Phoenix since the beginning of what’s called Album Oriented Rock. Basically, back in the day, you had those Be-Bop stations that played all the Top-40 music of the time. And then in 1967 or so, a group of music fans decided that Radio was out of touch with what’s really going on in their world (sound familiar?). So, they put these stations on in cities like San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, and yes…Phoenix.

Each big city had their version of the “cool Rock station,” that played real music that real music fans wanted to hear. The syrupy shit that was passing for “Rock n’ Roll” wasn’t really indicative of the people who really loved the music. It was the flavor-of-the-month stuff that could be packaged and sold to teeny-boppers. Think “Idol”…

Well here in Phoenix…KDKB was that station. Over the years, it’s gone through a lot of shifts and swings. Basically, leaving it in a place where it had lost any real identity. Like that CD that sits on the rack that you loved at one time, but now…never listen to. It was just…here.

When I took the job in July, the owners laid out a plan. They told me what they wanted to do with KDKB and asked what needed to be done. I told them what I saw and what I thought we could do to restore KDKB to its rightful place at the top. Ten weeks later, KDKB is very different sounding radio station than when I got here. When you tune in now, it sounds like it is meant to sound. If you’re tired of listening to the “Cookie Monster” screaming at you all day, and not quite old enough to take a nap with Fleetwood Mac on in the background. Then KDKB is your station.

The challenge has been met so far.

We have a great staff of personalities. No fake radio clowns who talk like they’re badasses (but in reality haven’t been to a show, or couldn’t tell you anything about the music we play, or football, or anything related to real life because they’re completely out of touch…. unless their producer looks it up for them). We don’t think we’re that cool. In fact…we know we aren’t. We’re just KDKB. I invite you to tune in and give us a listen for a bit. I think you’ll like the station.

Of course all of that means I haven’t been updating this page that often. It’s been a ton of work fixing a radio station. So, I apologize for being out of touch for a bit.

In case you missed it, I’m also back on the air. Weekday afternoons from 3-7 (AZ time) you can find me.  All the stupidity you’ve come to expect over the past 25 years, now packaged for the Valley Of The Sun!

Of course, nothing in my world goes exactly as planned. Within two weeks of moving to Phoenix, the great “katana incident” happened where I almost lost my right hand. If you’re really interested…there are pictures on my Facebook page. Those who know me well, also know I’m heavily armed (Hey! That’s a pun!). I’ve had weapons my whole life and I’m proficient in their use. However…accidents happen. And, in all of the years I’ve owned this razor-sharp Japanese sword, I’ve never experienced the working effects. Until recently.

The sword is housed in a sheath (tsuba). It is to be drawn specifically, and the blade is sharp enough to bi-sect you should I choose to do so. However, in this instance, it was being stored atop a 6′ shelf, in the tsuba, and really just on display. What I didn’t plan for, was the tsuba to be protruding over the edge of the shelf to the point where the door to the room could potentially knock the tip (just the tip…just for a moment…just to see how it feels…it does not feel good!) causing the katana to spin sideways and drop toward the floor.

Now…there’s good news, and there’s bad news. The good news is…the tsuba hit my right wrist square on the bone. It hurt like hell! The bad news…the blade was extended about 3″ from the housing, and almost fileted my right hand.  Yes…it was wide open and I now know what the inner workings of the hand look like. It’s a lot like what you saw in “the Terminator.” Thankfully, gravity chose not to take my hand, or any of my fingers. In fact, a month or so later…I have full use of the limb. Didn’t sever any arteries or nerve endings. I got very lucky. But I know two things…I heal quickly, and that katana will end you if held in the right hands (no pun intended).

In more positive news…I have the bike up n’ running again. I took it off the road when I was sans job/insurance. Arizona might be the best place to ride that I’ve ever lived. NoCal was beautiful as well…But the mountains here are…different. Anyone who’s ridden here will tell ya as much. I’m looking forward to rolling all Winter while all of my friends back east have to put ’em away.

Raiders football is back. They certainly started out like shit. We’ll see if they can get it together. Funny, when I was a season-ticket holder, they went to the Superbowl…I left the Bay Area, and they got bad. Moved to the Midwest and their football team went through the worst collapse in history. I left the Midwest and their team is getting better…I’m closer to the Black Hole again. Perhaps some karma would be in order? It’d be nice to have them winning.

The dogs are adjusting nicely to the desert. I take that back. More accurately, the dogs love air conditioning.

I’ll start collecting new audio soon so that we can add a Phoenix section to the audio section. I still have a lot of archive stuff to upload as well. So, it will get fun again here on the page soon. Meanwhile, feel free to check out my Facebook & Myspace (Really?) pages if ya want. You can also follow me on Twitter! Or…just e-mail me at work: neanderpaul@kdkb.com or here on my page. And of course, you can listen every weekday afternoon from 3-7pm on the station webpage.

That’s it for now. As always, thank you for all the e-mail and for the years of support. I’ll talk to you soon!

NP

Here’s where any press/interviews I’ve done & recognition by the industry live. I’ve been very fortunate to receive some awards for my work, and it’s gratifying to have your peers acknowledge your accomplishments. It makes you look cool?