Music mix

Former Joliet DJ plays them all at Nine FM

By Scott Deininger
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS

Eminem, Herbie Hancock, Elton John, Alanis Morisette, Cheap Trick and ACDC. To some, that would be quite an eclectic guest list for a party. To 99.9 WRZA-FM, that's just a few artists in 45 minutes of music.

Former Joliet WLLI-FM DJ Matt DuBiel gets to hang out with them — sort of — every weekday.

Nine FM, the station whose motto is "We Play Anything," is going loud and strong after being launched in June. The station is located on South Pulaski Road in Chicago while its radio tower is in Peotone.

In addition to 99.9, Nine FM recently has added 92.5 WDEK-FM out of DeKalb and 92.7 WKIE FM out of Arlington Heights.

Together, the three stations are trimulcast, all playing Nine FM, and function as a 75,000 watt powerhouse, covering three states and serving as the largest FM footprint in the Midwest.

Some uncertainty surrounded Nine FM's "We Play Anything" format. Would advertisers go for it? Would people listen to Boy George followed by Metallica and then Carly Simon?

"Research showed that people wanted more variety," said Sky Daniels, Nine FM's director of programming. "For a long time, stations stuck to one format, whether it was pop, adult contemporary, country western and so on. We wanted to take radio to what is was like back in the golden days of the '70s. Now, people 45 and up are listening to Nine FM and loving it. But also, their kids are listening and loving it just as much. Young listeners have never heard such a broad-based format before."

Play by play It's 10:30 a.m. one morning in the studio. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison is playing. Now it's 10:38 a.m. "Reeling In The Years" by Steely Dan is on.

"That's what our listeners love," said DuBiel, a 1994 graduate of Downers Grove North and a former Plainfield resident. "Our variety is the difference. Many people call the station just to say 'thank you.' You guys play the stuff I have in my record collection or my iPod."

Nine FM listeners can call the Nine Line, (708) 952-9999, with their thoughts and ideas. DuBiel listens to about 200 voicemail calls weekly and brings the listener feedback to their meetings.

"Your virtual commercial-free format is phenomenal," said Jack from Tinley Park on a call to the Nine Line. "If you were to ever solicit donations to keep the station limited commercial-wise, I'd be more than willing to support. Keep up the good work."

"I had never heard that before," said DuBiel. "That guy would pay to listen to our station. How great is that?"

10:46 a.m. "Oh!" by Dave Matthews Band.

WRZA-FM is headed by media entrepreneur Fred Eychaner and his Newsweb Corp. Harvey Wells is the vice president and general manager, bringing more than 30 years of radio experience to Nine FM. Wells most recently was general manager of 105.9 WCKG-FM, 820 WSCR-AM, 99.5 WUSN and 93.1 WXRT.

11 a.m. "Hungry Like The Wolf" by Duran Duran.

Daniels, the director of programming, also is the afternoon drive personality. He comes back to Chicago where he's most known for being on air at 97.9 WLUP-FM in the '80s.

11:23 a.m. "Everybody Wants You" by Billy Squire.

Johnny Mars mans the night shift with his 25-year career at Chicago's WXRT-FM alongside. Mars is known by many as the first alternative rock DJ in Chicago.

Mitch Michaels, a former WLUP and Q101 jock with more than 20 years of experience, does overnights and weekends.

11:51 a.m. "Oye Como Va" by Santana.

So how did the 28-year-old DuBiel, a former Steve Dahl and Q101 intern, land among legends of Chicago radio?

Noon. "A Long December" by Counting Crows.

"I'm a radio junkie," DuBiel said. "I read anything about radio I can. When I saw that Harvey and Sky were launching a new station, I sent them my work right away. I wanted to be a part of whatever they were working on."

12:12 p.m. "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John.

Along with being the on-air personality from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, DuBiel also serves as Nine FM's imaging and production director. He credits Joliet's former 96.7 Will Rock with his ability to wear many hats.

12:26 p.m. "Back in Black" by ACDC.

"I did a lot of things for Next Media (the company that owned Will Rock)," DuBiel said. "Whether I was on air, doing live remotes or production and imaging work, I was always busy. I learned a lot working with Will Rock, Star 93.5 and WJOL."

12:41 p.m. "Dancing Days" by Led Zeppelin.

Not only does Nine FM play anything and mean it, it also features nine commercial minutes an hour; its competition airs 15 to 20 commercial minutes in that same time.

12:53 p.m. "Beautiful Ways" by Pat McGee Band.

"We don't want out listeners or our advertisers to get stuck with too many commercials," DuBiel said. "If you're an advertiser and your commercial gets played fourth or fifth in a break, chances are good that the listener has either tuned out or changed channels. That's why Nine FM only has three commercials per break. People can stick around for three commercials, and the bills get paid, too. Everyone wins."

Another feature of Nine FM's trimulcast is each station provides "local casts," meaning news, traffic and live remotes can be created to serve the given region. Advertisers can take advantage of this and run ads on all three stations or cater to the specific areas surrounding Joliet, DeKalb and Arlington Heights.

1 p.m. "Amazed" by Lonestar.

Dubiel left Next Media in December of 2003, after three years, for Dubuque, Iowa, with his wife, Michelle, and then 6-month old son, Anthony. (They have since welcomed Natalie Rose to the family.) Once settled in Iowa, DuBiel landed a job as a music research consultant working from home. He recorded and reported what songs national radio stations played.

But he wanted to come home. DuBiel had worked for 10 years in Chicagoland radio, including overnights at 101.9 FM The Mix, and wanted back badly. He even turned down a gig with VH-1 Radio in New York City to come home.

1:11 p.m. "Feels Like The First Time" by Foreigner.

"When I heard his work, I had to have him," Daniels said of DuBiel. "I just wondered what the heck a guy with that talent was doing in Dubuque. He knows radio and how it works. His passion and energy were equal to mine. He's very creative and not afraid to take chances. So far, Matt's been invaluable to this station."

1:20 p.m. "Late In The Evening" by Paul Simon.

With the influx of Internet and satellite radio combined with syndicated stations nationwide, some say the personal touch has been lost in the business. Computers have taken over jobs that used to be had by working people. However, DuBiel was overwhelmed with the friendliness and excitement along with the accommodating attitude and high hopes of those at Nine FM.

1:27 p.m. "Got My Mind Set On You" by George Harrison

"They really wanted me here. That makes a huge difference versus just going to work," DuBiel said with a smile. "Harvey and Sky wanted me to be a part of something special. They moved my family and made it as easy a transition as possible. This company has phenomenal vision, and some of the biggest radio people in the country are in our corner. I'm just thrilled to be a part of it all. And I get to play all kinds of music. Nine FM is like WLS on acid."

More on Nine FM can soon be found via the station's Web site, www.ninechicago.com, or call the Nine Line at (708) 952-9999.

Scott Deininger is a stand-up comedian from Shorewood. His work can be found via his Web site, www.ShaveYourHead.com

01/16/05