Jerry's Career Capsule
I started working radio as a news anchor my freshman year of college at Walla Walla University in Washington State at KGTS, now Positive Life Radio.  Eventually, I realized the jocks were having more fun, so I started doing that too.  After college, I moved to Boise, Idaho where I loved doing mornings for 11 years.  From there I spent almost four years at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's 106.9 The Light based out of Asheville, North Carolina doing PM Drive.  In early 2012, WGTS 91.9 general manager, the late John Konrad invited me to the nation's capital.  I'm the once again a morning show host and the promotions director.

1. Tell us about your morning show, what makes it tick ?

 Our morning show ticks because it's about three good friends hanging out together with our friends all over Washington DC.  We simply have a daily visit, and try to share what's on everyone's mind in the nation's capital.

2. How did the current members all come together?

I'm the new kid on the block.  My co-host, Blanca Vega, has been with the station for a decade.  She did the number one rated evening show in the market for several years.  Producer Spencer White has been with the station almost 20 years.  Unlike most of us, he's actually professionally trained.  He simply decided he wanted to be in radio.  He went to the Columbia School of Broadcasting and voila, he's been at WGTS ever since.  My two partners are unique in that they are both native Washingtonians, so I bring the transplants perspective.   My friend, John Konrad, had been working on me for years to come to DC, and he came on a "vacation" to Asheville and asked me if I'd like the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people who influence our country, I tried to say no.  It didn't work.

3. Do you believe a morning show needs to connect off the air in order to gel on the air?

It certainly doesn't hurt.  The three of us are friends in real life.  We're very different, but we all have children and we all genuinely enjoy each other's company.  It's realizing that my team members have different opinions, and that's okay, that makes us a solid team.  If you don't get along, I think listeners can sense that something is wrong, even if they can't exactly put their finger on it.   It's kind of like when a husband and a wife are in a room together and they've been fighting, you don't have to know them well to sense that things are uncomfortable.

4. What do you rely on most for daily show prep?

While we're reading the Washington Post, local TV and national websites like MSN and Yahoo News, I'd say that more than half of our prep comes from personal experience.  It's how the government shutdown is affecting ridership on the Metro.  It's how my three-year-old fell out of the third story window of our condo (true story), and didn't get hurt and how the doctor at the Children's National Medical Center couldn't believe it.  It's the two-year-adoption process my producer went through with listeners giving him advice and encouragement every step of the way.  Real life in DC is always more interesting that some artificially manufactured bit of prep.

5. Where do you think tomorrows radio air talent will come from?

I think we're already seeing people come from all walks of life.  They aren't necessarily coming up through a comm degree at a university.  Sure there are still some of those, but they seem to be fewer and farther between.  I'm seeing more and more GMs and PDs who are looking for talented communicators who work in a variety of fields that aren't at all connected to radio.  If someone already knows how to connect on the personal level, we can teach them to run a board.

6. What do you attribute the success to?

I'm not sure exactly what you mean here.  Success is measured so many different ways.  For me personally, I feel successful any day I can walk out of the station and say, "We did something that matters today.  We encouraged someone.  We made someone laugh.  We reminded someone that they're not in this alone."  That's success.

7. What are the goals for the morning show in 2014?

We want to become better communicators, so we can reach more people than we've ever reached before.  We want to be people who are grounded in our faith in God, so we have something of value to share.  Oh, and we wouldn't mind a 25 share and a six-figure bonus.  Are you reading this boss?

8. Would you encourage young people to pursue a career in radio, please explain?

Absolutely, but only if you're passionate about it.  There is always room in this businesses for people who eat, drink and breathe it.  If you're just looking for a job, then you don't want to be in radio.  It's a lot of work, and the rewards seldom come in the form of greenbacks.

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