He began his career in radio as an intern at WRIF in Detroit and worked as a Board Operator for Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg at WQBH. Pretty impressive introduction to the business for David Moore, Operations Manager and Brand Content Director for Classic Rock 100.7 KSLX, ALT AZ 93-3, and Oldies 92-7 KAZG at Hubbard Radio in Phoenix.
He’s been there for about ten years now. Before that, he was OM for Audacy in Madison, WI, for about a decade, and before that, he spent another decade programming WFYV/Rock 105 in Jacksonville.
“Dave & Mahoney” host mornings on KSLX, where they are based, and the station focuses on Veterans and Hunger. They are plugged into the Valley, despite being nationally syndicated and implement April Food’s Day, Need to Feed, Socktober and 10,000 for the Troops.
The station’s other passion project includes pets. “Right now, we are implementing Cause for Paws, a summer-long promotion tied in with a big advertiser, Fulton Homes,” explains Moore.
“And about every other Saturday, we are at a high-traffic location and invite people to stop by for free dog booties. This is a big deal around here because the pavement can get too hot to walk your dog. And as we all know, your dog does not understand the explanation that it is too hot to walk.”
On Alt AZ, the station’s passion projects include Pride, Phoenix Children’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Food Bank. “Mo, our Midday Talent, also hosts a weekly Homegrown program spotlighting local music. This is something she believes in and is super passionate about, and the local music community loves her as a result.”
“The unique thing about the Phoenix Market is the massive growth of the city,” says Moore. “There are lots of listeners from other places who did not grow up with the radio stations. This, combined with the Snowbird culture of large numbers of people leaving the market for the summer because of the heat, can create some unique challenges and opportunities.”
“For a Classic Rock station, it means that you have to be cognizant of the fact that you are regularly being exposed to potential P1s that are not very familiar with you. It’s kind of like always being on a first date.”
“It is tough to be a successful talent in an environment like this if you are not curious and charismatic. Being funny helps, too. There also needs to be some discipline and an ability to make solid content judgments on the fly.”
“But more than anything else, they need to be decent people who play well with others. There is no room for a-holes. Interestingly, I have found that the jerks are usually not the most talented people you can hire.”
“Here at Hubbard Phoenix, we have ‘Dave and Mahoney’ with Audrey Drake on KSLX mornings with Karen Dalessandro in afternoons. Both of these shows were recruited to come here, and both shows are loaded with talent and are incredibly easy to work with.”
In addition to starting the day with “Dave and Mahoney,” Long Paul, aka LP, hosts Middays, Dalessandro hosts afternoons, and market legend and resident Alice Cooper hosts Evenings.
“We also have long-tenured swing talent with Val More and Russ Egan,” says Moore. “That is a key factor in making the station sticky and more than a Classic Rock jukebox.”
“Mike Abad keeps the imaging sounding great, and there is always something happening promotionally. Usually, some sort of a Tap the Track or Keyword promotion. For example, we are currently implementing a Concerts and Cash promotion, where the method of entry involves tapping the KSLX app when a designated artist plays. That will be followed by a Bad Company promotion where they tap for a five-album vinyl set. We like to gamify the listening experience.”
“On Alt AZ, we have Izzy doing Mornings, Mo on Middays and APD Dustin Carlson doing Afternoons. All of these people are loaded with talent and are easy to work with as well. As for the musical lane, it’s pretty wide, even with more and more brands utilizing Alt Gold in their music recipe. Dustin Carlson does a tremendous job with the imaging on Alt AZ, and it cuts through.”
Moore says they’ve had plenty of discussions about the new three-minute PPM rule when considering programming strategy. “Phoenix was among the most-impacted markets,” he tells us. “Outside of a few minor tweaks on break placement, there were no other changes. Here at Hubbard, we talk a lot more about how to create great radio than how to manipulate breaks for Nielsen advantage.”
And as for the future of the industry, “I don’t know what it would look like, but we need to figure out a Gen Z/Alpha format,” insists Moore. “I don’t know exactly what it would sound like, but I bet some smart young programmer could figure it out.”
Connect with David Moore @davidmoorepd@facebook.com
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Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talent, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. She is also a Voice Actor and Voice Over Talent as well as a Freelance Writer for International Broadcast Outlets. Find her at @MCMediaOnline or www.mcmediaonline.com.
