Doug Lazy Interview

An interview with Doug Lazy who is a radio DJ at 107.9 The End in Sacramento, CA.

What exactly is your position here at the station?
Doug Lazy: My position is afternoon drive, on air talent for 107.9 The End in Sacramento, California, USA.

How long have you been working here?
I've been here for about two years now.

Have you worked at any other radio stations?
Yes, I was at KSFM also here in Sacramento. I was at KKXX in Bakersfield and I've also been to KHZZ in Sacramento.

What made you decide to move to 107.9 or was that position just made available to you?
It was a culmination of things, I was actually going to school full time and they had an opening for part timers so I applied for the part time position and got accepted over here. I worked my way up from part time to full time.

This is a way to keep your skills fresh and be creative.

Who was the position of radio DJ open to?
They're open to anyone who's qualified.

How did you become interested in all this? Or was it just something that came along?
When I was 16 (I had just turned 16), I called a radio station and one of the DJs put me on the air. I just had asked what the name of a song was and he put me on the air. I was so juiced that I heard myself on the radio that I totally wanted to get into it. So I started doing an internship.

Did you start an internship at a local station?
Yes, I was a morning producer for Mark S. Allen at KSFM.

Most enjoyable part?
There are lots of perks to this job. Your shift is only 4 hours, you play music, you get to talk to people on the phone, you get free CDs, you get concerts tickets, so there are lots of perks.

Is there a specific time period, like shifts?
Depends on the station manager and how he schedules everyone.

And what does the station manager do?
He's my boss. He's in charge of hiring and firing the people who are on the air. He oversees a lot of the music that we play. He's pretty much the head of all the departments. Everything has to go through him, and get his okay. He's like, the radio station.

How did 107.9 The End get started?
It's a Top 40 Station. Stations are just born and they grow. Sometimes they wither up and die and sometimes they flourish. This is the way all stations get started.

Most memorable experience?
Most memorable experience? (Laughs) Well, the funniest experience was being backstage at Arco Arena (a Sacramento venue) and I was in the bathroom and someone saying, "Hey dude! I know you I know you!" And I had NO idea who it was and it was Dan from O-Town, so he totally scared me. That was the funniest experience, but I think that the most memorable was meeting Britney Spears.

Most awful experience?
I don't think that there's awful experiences here. Sometimes you have to work 7 days a week, so that's kind of a bummer. The job's really awesome, so it doesn't even seem like work. There really hasn't been an awful incident.

Who have you met through the station that you never thought you would meet?
Britney. I mean, all kinds of celebrities because you wouldn't normally run into those people on the street. There are lots of good hook ups for record companies, things like that. A couple of people that used to work here are now in charge of the San Francisco Demons for the XFL, so it's good networking. Lots of people, lots of things going on.

Who would you like to meet?
I'd really like to meet Tommy Motola, who's in charge of Sony. I would also like to hang out with the Backstreet Boys.

Do you ever get nervous anymore meeting celebrities?
No, I'm over it now. It's their job.

Disadvantages to working in this position?
I don't think that there are any real disadvantages. This is great exposure. This is a way to keep your skills fresh and be creative. I don't think that there are any disadvantages to working in this field.

Would you like to pursue anything other than this?
Probably thinking about...I'm looking into becoming a record representative.

How can people do what you're doing now?
If you want to be in radio the easiest thing to do is get an internship. Just kind of hang out. It's like an apprenticeship to learn the trade.

Now to be an intern, do you have to be in college?
It depends on who you're interning for, what their policy is.

Everyone has their off days, so how do you handle that?
Just go with it. My whole philosophy is, "Go with the flow." It's human nature. I mean, if you mess up on the air you're like "Oh God. A hundred thousand people were just listening." But after a while you just get used to it. You get used to the little things.

You can't give your friends or anyone you know connections?
No, and that's the number one question all the time: "Can you hook me up? Can you hook me up?" And I mean, contests are contests and those are really strict. If I get two of something for a movie premiere, then yeah I'll let a friend go.

Random questions

What kind of music are you into?
This kind of stuff, Top 40.

Any specific genre?
I kind of like the Matchbox Twenty, and boy band kind of stuff. Not so much 98°, but more like the Backstreet Boys.

Rod Stewart or Sting?
Sting all the way.

Bryan Adams or Don Henley?
Bryan Adams.

Bon Jovi: now or then?
Then.

Were you a child of the 80s?
Oh yeah. Not so much the hairbands though.

Making the Band or Popstars?
Making the Band all the way.

Survivor or Temptation Island?
Temptation Island. It's all about Mandy!

Real World or Road Rules?
Real World because Road Rules is lame.

MTV or VH1?
VH1.