John Beaudin - Hi Mike. I was just in the KIFM website and didn't I see you in bed with Peter White? (laughing)

Mike Vasquez - (laughing) Oh, that was at our Anniversary Festival a couple of weeks ago. Peter dropped in where we were doing a broadcast right there at the festival. We were in a hotel and we were getting ready for a photo-op and I said, "Hey, why don't we all get in bed, take some cut-outs from his album 'Confidential' and this will be a more interesting shot than heads against the wall."

The KIFM on air team with Peter White. left to right, Mike Vasquez (KIFM Program Director), Melissa Sharpe (mornings), Peter White and Kelly Cole (afternoons).

John - It's a classic photo! Let's start with Peter White and Dave Koz who were both at your Smooth Jazz KIFM 29th Anniversary Jazz Festival. They are just two, normal, really good guys.

Mike - Oh, without a doubt and they're both good guys with a real passion about their music and their fans. That's one of the coolest things about this format whether it's the artists or people on the business side of the industry they all just have such a great passion for what they do. It just feels good to be part of this.

John - How did you start in the radio business?

Mike - I actually started when I was nineteen in Fresno, California. I was born in Santa Monica and I moved to Fresno when I was about four. It started when I got a part-time job when I was in College at KEZL which is still a Smooth Jazz station today. At the time KEZL was the lowest rated radio station in Fresno and I figured that would be the best place to start. I started out operating the board on a Sunday night shift from six to midnight. At the time it was the old elevator music format. It was beautiful music and really it was anything but beautiful music. (laughing)

John - How did you escape the beautiful music?

Mike - Well, the Program Director who hired me at KEZL originally took a job at a country station KNGS in Hanford. It was a satellite format but it was my first full time gig. I ran the board from noon - 5pm and that 5pm hour was all news with Paul Harvey and all these little vignettes and I actually had a little five minute news flash.

John - So, that's where you were first heard on air?

Mike - Well, I should back up after a couple of months, at KEZL I bugged the hell out of the Program Director to let me go on for just an hour. I asked for the eleven to midnight slot. (laughing) I mean no one is listening anyway. He finally let me go on but he watched me carefully and he would air check me often and then he let me go on for two hours and so on.

John - How long were you in Hanford?

Mike - (laughing) Only three months and then we all got fired because the FM sister station was going to simulcast their classic rock signal onto that AM station so I got my first taste of the radio axe.

John - Well, you were officially in radio from that point on. (laughing)

Mike - (laughing) Yes, I was. I was officially baptized.

John - What did you do?

Mike - Well, what was ironic was that I got fired on a Friday and two days before that I called my Program Director at KEZL in Fresno to put in notice since the KNGS gig was five days a week and I was making a lot of money, well what I thought was a lot of money. (laughing) So I just put in my two week notice for my Sunday night shift. I was actually really busy then I had a mobile DJ service and I just wanted Sunday's off. (laughing) So I put in my two weeks notice at one station, get fired from another and had my tail in between my legs. I called my P.D. in Fresno and he says, 'I already heard don't worry I haven't filled your position. It's still yours."

John - But you couldn't survive doing a Sunday night gig?

Mike - Well, I continued doing Sunday nights for a couple more months and that winter we switched to a 'Lovesongs' format and he offered me the night gig which I did full time until 1987. Then Jay Weidenheimer arrived at KEZL and he told me about this new music that he wanted to implement with the lovesongs. Interestingly, I had started getting into this music while working at a stereo store selling electronic goods and I had a buddy there who knew this Jazz stuff. He knew I was doing this mobile DJ service and he asked me what kind of music that I played during dinner at these gigs. He said, "You have to try this fusion, this Contemporary Jazz stuff." He turned me onto Jeff Lorber and David Sanborn and even a little Kenny G.

John - The shape of things to come.

Mike - Yes, exactly. So by the time Jay Weidenheimer came to KEZL I knew David Sanborn and Jeff Lorber and he was just looking at me this punk-ass kid of twenty, he was surprised that I knew some of the music. I certainly wasn't an expert. There was always exposure to this stuff. In elementary school I played trumpet and my instructor had turned us on to Chuck Mangione's 'Feels So Good.' I still have that album in my office today on vinyl. So from day one I was Jay's right hand man with this music and he was excited that I was passionate about it so I was his unofficial assistant. Back then we worked for a ma and pa organization so there was no way I was going to get the promotion to Music Director because that would mean giving me a raise. Jay who to this day is one of my nearest and dearest friends would do other things for me when he couldn't get me a raise. A lot of the management techniques that I utilize today with my employees are things that I learned from Jay. He is a very gracious human being. A while ago we were talking about Peter White and Dave Koz being very gracious human beings, well Jay Weidenheimer also goes on top of that list. He's a great friend and a mentor of mine. He taught me a lot of what I know today. I was Jay's right hand man up until 1993.

John - What happened?

Mike - In 1993 Jay left KZEL. Management felt it was time for a change. Jay fought hard with what he thought the format should sound like and at that time there was a difference of philosophies with the new management team. It was a bittersweet situation for me because they offered the programming position to me. The first thing I did was call Jay to almost ask him for his permission. (laughing) I just felt so highly of Jay and he said, "Mike, don't even think twice about it. I appreciate it really but this is an opportunity of a lifetime. You have to take this. I'll be disappointed if you don't." I had his blessing so I took it. We also signed on to Broadcast Architecture so in my first part of my career from 1987 to 1993 I had Jay and then I went to another level with Broadcast Architecture from 1993 to 1998. I worked close with Alan Kepler and of course Frank Cody.

John - I know Alan. Frank of course now has joined forces with Dave Koz at Rendezvous Records and he'll be on our site next month.

Mike - Yeah, Alan is a great guy and I learned a lot from Broadcast Architecture.

John - So you're not a B.A. station any more, right?

Mike - No, we're not. The people who own KIFM Jefferson Pilot do use consultants but we don't for our Smooth Jazz properties.

John - So you do all your own research and your own focus groups.

Mike - Yes, we do. In Fresno we had a great run. We took the station to number one 25-54 in 1998 which as we all know is pretty tough to accomplish anywhere and to do it in Fresno was quite a coup. I think that turned a few heads in the industry but I was in my own little world in Fresno just having fun. I knew that someday I wanted to escape and find bigger greener pastures and I guess I did. That summer I got a call from Mike Shepherd who was the P.D. of KIFM and KSON which is the country station here in San Diego. He said he's heard some great things about our successes in Fresno so he flew me down. Mike was moving on to go into research. I flew down and met with Mike Shepard and Mike Stafford the General Manager and it was of course a wonderful day in San Diego and we just talked a lot of radio shop.

John - Sounded very informal?

Mike - You know it wasn't really an interview for me because we were just talking about radio and I just love talking about radio. I had a great situation in Fresno and my family was there and my comfort zone was there so I had no real reason to leave.

John - Yeah, it's always great to go into those meetings from a position of strength.

Mike - No kidding! We just had great conversations and the General Manager Mike Stafford was going to take me back to the airport since it was just a quick day trip and he started showing me the various neighborhoods of San Diego and I assumed at that point that I had this one. Sure enough they made the call and made the offer and as much as I loved Fresno it took about a half second to make that decision.

John - So you started at KIFM in 1998?

Mike - Yeah, September of 1998. You know what's funny? Jay Weidenheimer and I used to come to the KIFM anniversary Festivals because they were kind of the unofficial industry hangout outside of the conventions. So back then I loved the whole vibe of San Diego and of course the radio station and I remember at one point thinking, "Boy I could live here." (laughing) There really aren't a lot of places that really excite me since I already lived in California.

John - So here you are at KIFM, you're the cheese, what needed to be done?

Mike - There were a few things that we tweaked that we molded into what I felt the radio station should be. The thing about KIFM was that it was healthy when I came in. There wasn't a lot wrong with this radio station. It was a matter of taking what was successful and building upon it. I just wanted to make it a bigger station. One of the things that I recognized immediately was that there was this perception that KIFM was very upscale. Don't get me wrong, we love that perception but it also contradicted some of the goals of the radio station. My thought was that if we were going to be consistently a top five radio station we have to treat this like a radio station. Let's get out into the community and be more involved and I thought there was more we could do. So with all due respect to my predecessors, I in fact thank them for laying the ground work. I couldn't be where I am at today without the forefathers of KIFM.

John - I don't think you can have a successful radio station or even a top five radio station unless you are all over the community. If you talk to these people every day make sure you meet them in the community. This is all about relationships.

Part Two Posted July 12, 2004

Mike - Exactly, and by getting into the community we made the station even better. By the spring of 2000 we had a number one book 25-54. I remember having lunch with Mike Stafford and Mike Shepard during that first interview and I told them I could give them a number one book here in San Diego. They said they appreciated my confidence and attitude and it was very rewarding when it actually happened. To this day that whole scenario surrounding that number one book in 2000 is probably the highlight of my life both personally and professionally. I remember the book came out July 19th and I was holding my newborn daughter who was born the night before at 9:59pm on July 18, 2003. I remember I called at 10am and I couldn't get through to anybody and finally I ended up talking to one of the Program Directors at another station and he says, "You haven't heard? You are number one 25-54!" It was the most incredible feeling ever. Here I was I had my newborn daughter in my arms and a number one book in San Diego and they didn't think it could be done.Here I was I had my newborn daughter in my arms and a number one book in San Diego and they didn't think it could be done and we did it! It was just a wonderful time in my life. If you fast forward to two years later we achieved number one status again in 2002 and now the pressures on. I had one in 1998, 2000 and 2002 and the clock's ticking here on 2004.

John - That's pretty impressive though in Canada we haven't seen those kinds of numbers yet. I scored a 10.5 share in Vancouver in 2000 for number two at QM-FM which at the time was a 32 hour a week evening show featuring only Smooth Jazz music. That's no consultants - I picked everything. The Wave in Hamilton is the only station that we have that truly sounds like a U.S. Smooth Jazz station now. Cool FM in Winnipeg is a great station but it's mostly Traditional Jazz, CLEAR-FM in Vancouver is a mix of AC/triple A and Smooth Jazz and The Breeze in Calgary who I work for are mostly an R&B station now. You should be really proud of your work.

Mike - Well, thank you John but again I don't mean to sound cliché' but I could not have done it without my support staff from the G.M Darryl Goodin that supports the vision and my Music Director Kelly Cole who just won the R&R award for Music Director of the Year. With the air staff we have all the right ingredients for success here in San Diego so I couldn't be happier.

John - Tell me a little more about the KIFM Anniversary events. That must be first of all some pretty great entertainment but also validating to see so many people show up and support the event. You had an impressive line up with Dave Koz, David Sanborn, Pamela Williams and Fourplay just to name a few.

Mike - It was an incredible event like I said the first one I attended was in 1995 then in 1997 and of course every year since 1999 being a part of the radio station. Ever year we're trying like hell to out do ourselves so the good news, bad news part of this year was this was probably the best festival ever. From the layout of the festival itself and the artist line-up and we have our 30th Anniversary coming up its going to be a little challenging to top this year. We also had Peter White and Brenda Russell. Praful did a performance at the Horton Grand Hotel inside their court yard area and it was standing room only. There were people that had to be turned away and his performance was the buzz of the festival, it was just amazing. What really made it gratifying is each year we're presented with different challenges because of the growth that's happening in the downtown area. There's the new ballpark for the Padres Petco Park which just opened this year. As the ballpark construction has been happening in the last couple of years they are eliminating parking lots and building condos and hotels. The open real estate for the street festival has been slowly disappearing so we had to get creative and we had to scout around and found a few blocks that made sense that could handle the logistics of this type of event. It is a street festival so it's a standing type festival though we do provide seating for disabled fans. We have two main stages and they rotate basically every hour so there is no down time. You finish seeing one great act and you walk over and see another great act. We also had over twenty five different bars and restaurants participating so we had some local bands and rising stars which were cool. It was perfect with a sunny 72 and you know usually the fans will grab a program on the way in and map out their day but it's impossible to see everybody. I'm the Program Director and even I couldn't see everybody because there's just too much stuff going on. It was such a great success there were over ten thousand people in the area.

John - Ok, I know something of this magnitude can sometimes feel like herding cats but on some level after so many years you must have it down to a science.

Mike - Sure every year there are new sets of challenges and we do our best to try to head them off at the pass.

John - How much did the event cost for the fans?

Mike - The price is still pretty reasonable we've got it at $35 per person and really it's going to cost twice that just to see one of these artists in another venue. We have some of the costs underwritten by sponsors. Way back the festival was a thank you to the audience from the radio station. It's still a thank you but with a very reasonable price and with that you get a commemorative radio station baseball hat and ten hours of entertainment.

John - How often do you do air check meetings with your staff?

Mike - Well we do aircheck meetings whenever they're necessary. I think some Program Directors just don't have it in their DNA for lack of a better word to confront their jocks about something that shouldn't have happened. Sometimes these things go without being addressed but that doesn't happen with me. I must say I used to aircheck a lot way back when but as we've progressed through the years my jocks have taken the direction. They know what I expect and their executing this. I do fewer airchecks than ever before but it's because I'm lucky enough to have the absolute best air staff that I've ever worked with and that's what makes my job from that point of view a little easier. Mark Zegan (mid-days) has been with the station for fifteen years, Melissa Sharpe (mornings) is the newest she's been with us for two years and I can happily say that we've just resigned her contract so she's going to be with us for quite some time, I'm sure. Kelly Cole does afternoon drive and has been with the station fifteen plus years.

John - That Mike Vee (Mike Vasquez' radio name) guy is trouble though. (laughing)

Mike - (laughing) Yeah, that Mike Vee guy at night! I don't know about him, we're keeping a close eye on him.

John - Why did you put yourself on the evening spot?

Mike - Well, actually it happened accidentally when I was in Fresno which is a smaller market it was pretty much a prerequisite that you do an air shift so I used to do part of my shift live and part of it voicetracked. Here in San Francisco I moved Kelly to afternoon drive from nights she was doing the Lights-Out show and she was one of the strongest air talents that we had so I felt that she'd be better utilized in afternoon drive. She really is one of the most recognizable personalities on our radio station and that's proven through focus groups. She's out and about in the community; she's very active with our events and it's just the way she purrs on the radio. At the same time that I moved her, our morning host at the time Len Balistreri who was part of SmartJock.com was doing all our imaging and he was leaving to go to Los Angeles to be closer to the entertainment pulse. So I was in a situation where I now needed a new morning person and since I moved Kelly to afternoons I needed an evening person. I was searching for a night time talent that could do imaging and we searched for a good three months and we got tapes and resumes from great talent but they weren't so strong on the imaging side and vice a versa. So after three months I decided to do it and allocated some dollars to an imaging guy who was actually in-house already at our other radio station. So I ended up being the night guy and the imaging guy Dave Smith is still does our imaging. To do the evening show takes a little piece of my day but it does have it's benefits of being on the front lines and feeling the radio station from that perspective is very important.

Part three posted july 25, 2004

John - Are there bad habits that announcers have that make you grit your teeth?

Mike - (laughing) If it's on my station it's dead air! If it's dead air elsewhere I love it! In fact, if another station has dead air I'm the idiot sitting there for twelve minutes or however long it takes for them to get back on the air. I will sit in silence and just wait!

John - Do you listen to the competition alot?

Mike - Wel,l for our station I know when we're going to go into a stop set so I know when to listen and of course I know when the competitor are going into their stop sets so I always listen when I can. My wife and my two girls think it's really funny and know when to talk (laughing) and when not to in the car! I have a twelve year old and a four year old and they just know if a song is on they can talk all they want but once the song is over on any station they all shut up.

John - Well, it can be very advantageous to listen as often as possible to the other guys.

Mike - I couldn't agree with you more.

John - The thing about the Smooth Jazz format is you really need to be comfortable in your skin to do it right. If you do the "let me be your buddy broadcasting" in that laid back delivery it can easily come off as pretentious or affected. On the other hand you don't want to sound like you're doing an extro to 'The Bitch is Back.' It's a fine line. With this audience you have to sound believable, this is a very smart audience they can pick out the posers!

Mike - That's what I teach my jocks all the time and they have it down. Be personal, be one on one. I don't need announcers or the ballsy voice to convey what it is we're trying to accomplish. I need someone who's real whose one on one.

John - Let's talk about your morning person Melissa Sharpe. Obviously she was a great find and you're very happy with her. Tell me about her.

Mike - Melissa is special in that it doesn't matter whether or not she has a microphone in front of her mouth. Melissa is always Melissa whether we are having a conversation in my office or she's on stage at an after work mixer or on air she's always the same person. She's intelligent, articulate and friendly. She never tries to be anyone she's not. Melissa is such a likeable person. It's just a natural talent that some folks can develop through the years but some people just have it. She's also very witty but not in a Howard Stern kind of way. Melissa really doesn't have that prima Donna attitude that sometimes happens on morning shows in radio. I know what you're talking about concerning that fine line of being real on the air. If you throw a microphone in front of an announcer there sometimes is something about them that changes and they don't even think about it half the time. I always teach my jocks that you're just talking here.

John - So you're not going to come up to them and tell them to pick it up a little bit?

Mike - No, not really because we're probably the most foreground Smooth Jazz station that I've ever heard. We're not relaxed. The whole presentation of the whole station is a relaxed utility but we actually have a line we use on the air "Smooth Jazz 98.1, where relaxing does not mean boring." We could be coming out of a Down to the Bone song and we'll say, "Here's proof once again that relaxing does not mean boring on this radio station." When we're picking the music or the imaging elements we want everything to be very foreground. We do concentrate on our tempo, we do play the slower tunes but we are probably one of the most hot sounding Smooth Jazz stations. I've been preaching for most of my radio years is that I don't care if my listener is nine or ninety-nine, people tune into the radio to be entertained and as long as it's in the parameters of our listening audience's expectations then have a little fun with it. Why do we have to be so soft and easy? There are people who aren't familiar with our format that perceive Smooth Jazz as the modern day easy listening/ beautiful music station. That couldn't be further from the truth. I think we have a duty as Smooth Jazz programmers to create compelling radio and I have to tell you I think we're doing that. I hear samples of WNUA in Chicago and even the Wave in L.A. as well as KKSF in San Francisco and all of these stations are really creating great radio. It's such a pleasure to hear. I don't care what company does it as long as it's not in my market but I want them to do well. I think it's important for Smooth Jazz programmers to continually challenge themselves and find new ways of creating entertaining radio and I think we're doing it and it feels good to be part of that.

John - My mantra all along with this format is tempo, happy, inspirational songs or driving songs as I call them. 'Sunland" by Marc Antoine or 'Show Me' by Michael Lington. I turn up the speakers when I hear tunes like this. I've always programmed this way.

Mike - Absolutely, that's true.

John - Where do you think the format is going?

Mike - As far as where the format is going who knows but the elements of Chill music have crept onto Smooth Jazz radio. Chill could be considered the spice to Smooth Jazz music. I really enjoy the textural side of Chill-out music and lounge music. I was first exposed to it about four or five years ago in Miami and I came back home from vacation once with a suitcase full of CD's. An artist like Praful comes along and you know it's not your typical structured instrumental pop song. There is a lot going on with 'Sigh.' The first time I heard it I was immediately drawn to it. There was a melody and a hook but not in the traditional sense. I think if Chill can produce more things like this that are a little bit more melodic then they'll have more of a place in Smooth Jazz. Listen to Dave Koz' latest album there are wonderful things happening there. I think before Chill came it did seem like the Smooth Jazz format was heading more into the acoustic area a little bit.

John - Wel,l Chris Botti is doing his Chill show and people are asking for more of it. I like the fact that it's relaxing yet rhythmic at the same time. Tell me about how Smooth Jazz 98.1 decides on its tunes?

Mike - Well, for the record I have to say Kelly Cole certainly deserved Music Director of the year at the R&R convention. She listens to every single CD that comes in. It could be Joe Blow from Idaho or whatever she listens to it. If she loves it she'll bring it into my office. Of course we always go over the research to see where we stand as well. I usually get in there every couple of weeks but Kelly is just phenomenal.

John - Today in radio though most P.D.'s have to be pretty hands on with the music.

Mike - Oh, absolutely. I couldn't imagine not being hands on.

John - Mike this has been great. I appreciate your time and I congratulate you on all the success at Smooth Jazz 98.1.

Mike - John, thanks for connecting with me. I appreciate your dedication to the music and your knowledge of the format. I could talk to you for hours about this stuff!