Little bit of history first... Jay Alexander was born in Morgantown, N.C. He got started at WBMU in Asheville in the early '80s and worked as music director. Alexander went to Fayetteville, N.C. and did WZFX-FM (Foxy 99) for awhile, where he did overnights and promotions. Then Michael Saunders hired him at WPEG-FM (Power 98) in Charlotte. He also did a stint at CHR Rhythmic Kiss 102 in Charlotte. Alexander stepped out of radio for a year, then went to Top 40 95.1 in Charlotte. In addition, he did traffic and nights at an alternative station. Next he headed to Lexington, KY, to 102.5, an oldies station. Then when the WBTF-FM (107.9 The Beat) gig opened up, it was, he says, too great of an opportunity to pass up. He's been at the Beat for six years.

Star - Who were your radio heroes, teachers, inspirations?
Jay A - Michael Saunders, Barry Mayo, Helen Little - one of the brightest minds in programming. Skip Murphy - one of the best morning guys in the country. Learned a lot from a lot of programmers. I have learned from everybody I have worked with.

Star - What made you decide you wanted to be in radio?
Jay A - I had always wanted to do this since I was like 7 or 8. I went through a radio station when I was in school as part of a field trip and I was hooked.

Star - What is your target demo for The Beat?
Jay A - 18-34.

Star - Music-wise, what does a typical hour sound like?
Jay A - Bow Wow, T-Pain. I try to balance between urban and hip hop. I don't get too heavy with ballads during middays, for example. I try to keep a balance overall.

Star - So what kind of promotions do you have to complement the music? Do you have trouble attracting major or chart-moving artists to your market?
Jay A - Not at all. We have artists wanting to come through here. We are a hot bed for artists to come through. Groups like Nappy Roots would come through here... hundreds of artists like that are now getting noticed and being signed by the majors.

Star - Do you think you program your Lexington, Kentucky, station any different than you would a Chicago or Dallas or any major market station?
Jay A - I have listened to major market stations. I love WGCI... Elroy and Jay (at Power 92) do things a little different from what Skip Cheatham does in Dallas. You have to play the hits and put the right people and right (other) music around it. You have to give people a reason to stay with you. Core artists are the same, but what you put around them will be different in different markets. That knowledge of what your listeners like comes from being an on-air personality and listening to them, as well as going out and seeing what they are vibing to.

Star - Do you have a program for new artists trying to break into the game? How do you balance playing the hits and introducing new independent talent?
Jay A - In my experience, doing local artists... well, let me say this, and unfortunately this is a harsh reality, why should I play an unproven record when my competition is banging all the hits. If a buzz is created at the clubs and the record pools where I can't ignore it, then I'll give an indie artist a shot. I'll seriously take a look at it if it's going to contribute to my station.

Star - Do you do joint promotions/projects with sister stations? How does that work - how is it decided who's the lead dog in those situations?
Jay A - There are six stations here. Usually the GM and sales take the lead and we sit down and decide - like if we have a trip to Jamaica to give away, it might spread across the cluster. We have meetings every week with the programmers from the other formats. It's good to be on the same page with everybody.

Star - How important is spending time and