MEDIA BUZZ: A peek inside the DJ booth with Tron Simpson

You see them on TV and you hear them on the radio, but how well do you really know your local media personalities? 

How have digital downloads affected the music industry? Do radio disc jockeys really build stacks of wax? Can a person actually be named Tron? Find out the answers to these questions and more as we get up and close and personal with KCMN (1530AM) radio DJ Tron Simpson.

Terry Terrones: Is Tron your real name or a stage name? And if it is your real name, do you have any siblings with equally cool names like Clu, Quorra, or Sam?

Tron Simpson: It is actually my middle name. My given name is Richard Tron Simpson. I have always gone by "Tron". One syllable, four letters, and no residuals from Disney by the way.

TT: You've been in the radio business a long time and at KCMN for 20 years. What changes in music, in either its style or distribution have made the biggest impact on the industry while you've been a DJ?

TS: Well, since we're a station that plays oldies, many of our songs remain for the long haul. However, over the years, we have added more 60's, 70's, and 80's tunes. Our library is huge and grows all the time. KCMN is also driven by requests. I love it when someone calls and wants to hear a song they haven't heard in decades and I am able to play it for them. That interaction between listener and DJ is real radio at its best. Our play list is unpredictable. One minute Frank Sinatra is crooning about "The Second Time Around" and three minutes later the band WAR is asking the unanswered question, "Why Can't We Be Friends?" Now, if there is a new song out there that I like, I will share it with my audience and ask for their reaction.  

TT: It would seem to me that people are less patient than they used to be, I know I am. If I'm listening to something I don't like or there's a bunch of commercials on, I don't hesitate to turn on my iPod. How have changes in technology, particularly digital music and MP3 players, affected the radio industry?

TS: Digital music in all forms can be a hardship on radio. That is why radio must be willing to consider some flexibility. You mentioned "a bunch of commericals" might move you to turn on your own digital player. If I were to run 8 minutes of spots together, I believe I would be stealing from our clients and listeners. The messages are lost to either people tuning out or the simple fact that very few people can remember what they even heard in that string of audio. Our policy is to play one commercial in between songs. That's right, one spot. This enables the listener to hear the message and not be overrun by a block of what can only be described as noise. This also gives our client the deserved time he or she purchased in good faith, to be heard. And our listeners get the music they want to hear.   Because this is our policy, we have an extraordinary relationship with our long-term clients.  This policy gets them results that they expect when they purchase airtime from KCMN.

TT: How about music itself? How has the music industry progressed as a whole over your career, or has it all? Is current music getting better, or is it getting worse?

TS: Music is obviously a personal, subjective medium. I love most all genres of music and play them on my show. But, overall I have not been impressed with new music. In the mass production of short lived stars and their tunes a few good songs come through, however.  I love the talent of the late Amy Winehouse and there are a few bands that my kids like that I find myself liking as well. Can I name them? No.

TT: That's funny you mention your kids. My son and your daughter are around the same age and like you he's a musician. He has some eclectic tastes that are a little too abstract for me, I tend to find new songs I like randomly on the radio, but I gave him a good foundation. Speaking of being a musician, you tour with your own band. Does being a DJ help you be a better musician or does being a musician help you be a better DJ? Or are they completely independent of each other?

TS: Well, I was a musician before I got into radio and later found they go together very nicely. When TRON THE BAND plays cover songs, we do music that I also play on my show such as Petty, the Stones, Doors, and even some Johnny Cash. It has also been cool to hear my original music on other stations and hear the DJ's talk up TRON THE BAND. It's a real blessing to not only get to play other people's music on the radio but also to hear your own music being played on the radio. David Bowie put it best..."I am a DJ, I am what I play".

TT: Let's talk about the image of a radio DJ. Most people think of disc jockeys as fast talkers who like building "stacks of wax" (Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I've watched too many movies set in the 50s and 60s). What are the biggest misconceptions about DJs?

TS: Great question! When you can't see the person who's playing the music, you might conjure up the wrong discription of what that person looks like and acts like when that person is not on the air. Some folks I've met were surprised to see that I have hair and I'm not the size of Orson Wells. Others were sure I was diminutive in height and wore big black frame glasses. I was happy to prove them wrong on those descriptions. So, appearance is the biggest misconception people have concerning radio jocks. Since I express my opinions and beliefs on my show, there are no misconceptions about me in that department.

TT: How much of the music you play do you get to actually choose? And is playing music the best part of your job or is it interacting with listeners or something else? And since I'm on the topic, what is the least favorite part of your job?

TS: We have a base of music that will rotate as programmed. However, during my show I change it up to my liking, the listeners' requests and it's a radio rollercoaster from there. Our afternoon guy, John Michaels, does some great 'one hit wonder' segments and so our shows become very personalized. Another unique aspect of "TRON IN THE MORNING" is that I host guests in between the tunes. I like chatting with entertainers like Betty White, Jeff Foxworthy, Lewis Black, Marie Osmond, Christina Hendricks, Frank Sinatra, Jr; authors including Dean Koontz, Janet Ivanovich, Jackie Collins, Vince Flynn; and political analysts like Michelle Malkin, David Limbaugh, Bernie Goldberg, Chris Wallace, Laura Ingraham and many others. Because I have tailored my morning show into such a "radio active" event, all I do is the best part of the job. My least favorite part of my job?  It doesn't exist.

TT: Last question. Let's say someone reading this would love to be a DJ. How would they go about doing that? And what kind of skills and training would help them?

TS: They better have passion, persistence, and patience. I had a great couple of instructors when I went to broadcasting school. Curt Grow and the late Jack Donahue, both at Pikes Peak Community College. They had crazy love for radio and it easily transferred to students who could sense it. Like many other vocations, learn all aspects of radio - the technological aspects, sales, on-air, and management. Information is power and that will never change.