Posted by chicagomedia.org on April 01, 2009 at 17:25:09:
NAME: Brian Haddad (aka Sludge)
TITLE: Afternoon Host
STATION: WDYL
MARKET: Richmond
COMPANY: Cox Radio
BORN: Toledo, OH
RAISED: Toledo, OH
-----------------------------
10 Questions with ... Brian Haddad (aka Sludge)
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
WFAL/WBGU/Bowling Green State University -- 1987-1990, On-air and Production
WIOT/Toledo -- 1988-1990, On-air and Production
WZRZ/Cincinnati -- 1990-1992, Operations Manager
WBZX/Columbus --1992-1994, Production Director and On-air host
WLLZ/ Detroit -- 1994-1996, Morning Host and Creative Director
WRCX/Chicago --1996-1998, Evening Host and Co-Creative Director
WKQX/Chicago -- 1999-2005, Afternoon Host and Co-Creative Director
WZZN/Chicago --March 2005-October 2005, Morning Host
WCKG/Chicago -- 2005-2007, Talk Show Host
WDYL/Richmond -- 2006-present, Morning/Afternoon Host
LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:
Caddie at Highland Meadows Golf Club
FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:
Cheap Trick Live at Budokan
FIRST CONCERT:
The Firm, University of Toledo Centennial Hall
FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:
Van Halen
1. How did you become interested in radio?
I never intended to get into radio. I was always into music, and I played guitar in a band. Throughout my life, I always tried to make people laugh. Never thought you could combine the two into a career. I went to Bowling Green State University, and a friend worked at the college radio station. I just wanted to play music and goof off. I thought I'd go to law school. The first show on my college station was surely a disaster, but I felt this unbelievable power when speaking into the microphone and it felt great too. Before I knew it, I changed my major, started interning at WIOT in Toledo, and I was having a blast! I always thought it would end, and then I would go to law school, but it hasn't yet, to my parents dismay.
2. What part of your job do you like best? Least?
No matter how I am feeling, physically or mentally, the minute I enter the studio, I feel like I just had a Red Bull enema! It still feels like that "first time" feeling I was describing in the last question (not the "other" first time, but close). After all these years, my show is a sanctuary for me, and a creative outlet like nothing else. I also enjoy getting on the street and meeting people, and using my show to help my community. I'm proud of the fact that my annual food drive, "Show Us Your Cans", holds the record for food donation in the state of Virginia.
The least favorite stuff is probably meetings that have no purpose. Fortunately, there's not too many of these anymore.
3. How would you describe Sludge Nation?
Funny, compelling, passionate, and local. I believe a great show has to have these four elements, and I strive for this everyday. You have to take care of compelling and funny first. "Compelling" comes from prep and a plan. "Funny", well, hopefully you are a funny person naturally, but you can learn, and it's not good to force it. "Passionate", that is just something you better be, or get off the air. You can have a successful show with those three elements, but if you add being the "Local" source for you community, your show can not be stopped. You can't just be local and think you'll win. You need the first three to be taken care of. I hope someone listening would agree that my show covers all 4 bases.
4. What is your show prep routine?
Essentially, it's the same as when I did mornings, and probably similar to other hosts. Several hours in the morning of going through a ton of websites. I copy and paste the stories I want into a word doc. I grab all the audio as well. Depends on the day, but I'll also possibly produce a comedy bit. As I'm gathering stories, I always think of at least one item I can get a killer phone topic out of, one that can carry throughout the show. I also produce a daily feature with a character voice, "Johnny St. John St. Owens." It's a news feature with a "Daily Show/Onion" take on the stories. I write, voice, and produce it everyday (and it's available to stations, if you'd like to contact me...heh heh).
I think everybody says, "Hey, I prep 24 hours a day...my life is my prep". Well, that's true, but you better do the "actual" prep everyday, or you'll get killed. That being said, you have to bring your life to the air, the good stuff and the bad stuff. If you don't open your life to your audience, you will never connect or reach anybody.
5. What is your favorite part of your show and why?
Two things. Talking to the audience everyday makes me feel good. It makes my week when a guy calls up and says, "My job sucks, but dude, that last thing you said made me laugh so hard I had to pull the car over." That's priceless.
The other, being selfish, is getting talk to famous people, and ask them things you've always wanted to ask them. I truly believe you must take advantage of every situation, because you may never have another chance. For example, I got to play my "Fight Club: The Musical" bit to Edward Norton, who was in Fight Club, and he asked for a copy of it! (His assistant told us he emailed it to Brad Pitt, and they both thought it was hilarious.....how cool is that?!). Another example is when I interviewed Matt Damon, and did my impression of "Teddy KGB" from the movie Rounders. We were going back and forth with the impressions, it was ridiculous. But listeners called in for hours after that saying how ridiculous it really was. To me, that's how you connect with your audience, by not asking, "So, how'd you get into acting?"
6. What makes your show unique?
Goes back to the things I said earlier: funny, compelling, passionate, and local. I work hard to hit on all four. My opinions seem to generate reactions, good and bad. I once had five guys confront me outside a bar ready to fight me because of something I said on the air. I also once had a chef at Morton's hear my voice, came out from the kitchen, and shook my hand over something I said on the radio. Both situations, to me, say I'm doing something right, and hopefully doing something that other shows are not.
7. How has your show changed since switching from mornings to afternoons?
Thankfully, it hasn't changed much. Cox Radio is essentially letting me do a morning show in the afternoon, and the response has been tremendous with the audience and the clients.
I did have a cast member change. Unfortunately, Abe Kanan, who is incredibly talented, hard working, and funny, was let go for budgetary reasons. I am now working with a new partner, our PD, Mojo.
8. What do you find most amusing about your audience? Most annoying?
I can't believe that the audience will tell me absolutely anything! Whether they are cheating on their wife or husband, stealing from their company, or they are gay and no one knows. It's like being a bartender, or better yet, a priest in the confessional. There's something awesome about that.
The thing I like the least is the "prize pigs". People that just call up and ask for free stuff. Ugh!
9. What are you most passionate about?
Truly, entertaining people. I've always been the kind of person that if I was in a group of 10 people, and I was making nine of them laugh, I would focus on the one person that wasn't, and wonder why they weren't laughing! It drives me crazy sometimes, and it's not healthy, because you can NOT please everybody, but that's what drives me.
If it's not entertaining them, I am passionate about helping people. As I said earlier with my food drive, I've also used my show for aiding military charities and a drunk driving benefit that involved the death of a friend of the show. Besides keeping people informed and happy, I feel that these types of things will be my legacy.
10. If you were to leave radio today and you could choose any other occupation, what would it be?
My first thoughts on a career involved astronomy, either becoming an astronomer or astronaut. I used to always want to travel to the Moon, and see what it was like to look back on the Earth. Did you know that recently the Earth was almost hit by an asteroid that would have caused an explosion equal to a monstrous nuclear blast? I think many people were hoping it would hit Nickleback ...
Bonus Questions
What are your hobbies?
Currently, most of my time is dedicated to playing guitar in Sludge's Build A Band. It's a band that I created with listeners through an audition promotion. Now, the band is playing out 10 times a month and making huge money for my station with advertising from the bars we play at! I also enjoy Boxing and doing Muay Thai, like kickboxing. Nothing feels better than punching and kicking people, except when they punch and kick you. I also enjoy looking up the "popular" people from high school on Facebook, and seeing what losers they've become. It makes me feel good about myself.
(All Access)