TERRI RAY Rules Rock of the Airways

March 30, 2005

Terri Ray leans back in her chair at the studios of Double Rock KLT with her infectious smile, a smile that is not seen by her listeners but one that she conveys in her voice each day during her on air show. Ray has a lot to smile about after 22 years with the popular rock station; she remains as popular today with listeners as she did when she arrived in Kalkaska at the age of 23, fresh out of Specs Howard School of Broadcasting. She was a little taken aback when told that she won the Northern Express readers award for Best DJ Voice.
“They say Susan Melton (Classic Hits, The FOX), Jen Donnelly (The PEAK) and myself sound a lot alike so I must have picked up their votes,” said Ray. “This is really a reflection of the whole team here at KLT. Dean Berry has been so important to my success and I am grateful for Jack Jensen, NASCAR Steve, Howard Byrne and our promotions director Leah Sarki. I couldn’t ask to be a part of a better team than this one.”

RADIO DAYS
Her interest in radio started years ago when she moved to the Detroit area and listened to the legendary Karen Savelli and WRIF. She quickly signed up for a radio class at Waterford Kettering High School and worked as a jock at the school station until she graduated. After graduation she headed off for college before making her way to broadcasting school. While at Specs Howard, she landed an internship at SUDS FM, a country station.
“It was a real challenge because I didn’t really like country music and I certainly didn’t know anything about it,” said Ray. “The station wasn’t formatted either so I had to pick the music. I figured if I pulled from the ‘W’ pile I would end up with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings records and I would be safe.”
Nearing graduation, she was given a list of stations looking for a DJ and she sent her tapes to WKLT, a brand new rock station that was located in downtown Kalkaska. When Ray ventured north she had been a big city girl her whole life. Her father was a successful Baptist minister who built huge congregations in Los Angeles and Detroit, and was essentially the “warm up act” during evangelist Billy Graham’s famous tours in the 1960s and 1970s.
So it was culture shock at first.
“It was tough living in Kalkaska. I went back to Detroit every weekend,” said Ray. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the place now, but when I got here I kept thinking this is just a stepping stone to a bigger market.”

DON’T LOOK BACK
Ray never took that step. It wasn’t because the offers or opportunities were not there – they were. Her personality and on-air talents had the big boys knocking on her door. She listened but chose to stay.
“You might say it was sort of this being a big fish in a small pond thing,” said Ray. “I had heard horror stories about the big stations and their management styles. I had a great station manager in Reggie Box (Box’s life was cut short due to cancer) who was a real radio guy and had a passion for music. I know in my heart I did the right thing. Northern Michigan is a great place to live and I am not leaving.”
As with any job there have been challenges along the way. Terri Ray, Dean Berry and Reggie Box had formed a great team, and by the late 1980s had moved WKLT from essentially off the map to the top of the Arbitron Ratings (the radio industry ranking system). When Box passed away the station brought in a new general manager, and those were the challenging years.
“Reggie was a community guy. He went to every event with us and everyone loved him,” said Box. “While the ownership has always treated me well, it was a challenge when the new G.M. came in. He didn’t come to events, and he really wasn’t a community person. I just focused my energies on the listeners. Even during those tough years I never considered any other offers.”

MOVING ON
Ray is also excited about the station’s new G.M., Charlie Ferguson.
“He has only been here for eight months and has already made a difference,” said Ray. “He is like Reggie, an old school radio guy. He comes to all of our events and exudes enthusiasm to all that come in contact with him.”
As for changes, Ray sees technology as the biggest one in her 22 years.
“Remember, I started in the days when we had to cue up albums. At the old studio in Kalkaska the bathroom was at the opposite end of the building and you had to run downstairs and then back upstairs. So I would put ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on so I would have time to make it back,” laughs Ray. “Computerization has made things so much easier.”
When asked about criticism of the formatted system that radio stations use, Ray says it is an important tool and one that is misunderstood.
“If we didn’t have it, then Dean and I would be all over the board musically and there wouldn’t be a connectivity to the music,” said Ray. “The formatting system essentially delivers the listener what they want. So when they turn us on there is a consistency and flow to the music.”

NOTHING FREE
Another misconception about the world of radio is the free music.
“There isn’t anything free about it. We pay over $100,000 a year to play the music. It is a fee collected by ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and then distributed to the artists,” said Ray. “It is very expensive to run a radio station. That is why there is so much consolidation in this business and why there are fewer air personalities.”
So if Ray hadn’t chosen a career as a radio personality, what else might have she done?
“I would have been a veterinarian,” said Ray. “I love animals. I have three cats, a dog and a hamster.”
She is most proud of her commitment to the local music scene. There isn’t another radio station in the country that has committed as much energy to promoting local music than WKLT. In 1998 Ray and the station launched their Northern Michigan Rocks CD (featuring local artists) and this May, Volume V will be released.
“I had listeners always calling me, asking me to check out local musicians and I was blown away by the talent,” said Ray. “It just keeps getting better. It is my goal to get a band from here signed by a major label. Once one band is signed the industry will come back and look for others and I think we have plenty to offer.”

CLOSE CALLS
Ray points to some close calls like the Bihlman Brothers and Mojo and the Boogieman.
“Mojo was on our third CD with their ballad ‘I’d Never Be The Same Without You’ and that song continues to be the most requested song at the station,” said Ray. “It was so popular that Mojo’s CD sold out, as did ours. I know people who have used that song for their wedding song.”
Currently WKLT is in the middle of their Northern Michigan Rocks Showcase that features record label executives and some rock legends like Mark Farner as judges.
“We already have some interest from the labels with first round winners Blisstripp and Miriam Pico,” said Ray. “Blisstripp entered a few years ago and when they came back this time they were electrifying and I think there is interest there. The next week we heard from Miriam Pico of Interlochen, and the label rep from Atlantic said her voice was ‘the best I have ever heard, even better than Norah Jones.’ So I am hopeful this is the year we get someone signed.”
As for her own future Ray will only be 53 when she has 30 years in at the station. So does she think about retirement?
“All the time. I wonder what else I might do. I guess I could go into sales, though I am not very good with paperwork,” said Ray. “I love what I am doing and I still have a passion for it and the music out there right now. Sure I love the old school stuff like AC/DC and Aerosmith but I am into the new bands like Jett as well. So I guess I will do this until they don’t want me any longer.”

ONE AND ONLY
That doesn’t appear likely anytime soon. Ray remains one of the area’s most popular radio personalities. In a business where most “jocks” work at three to five stations or more in their career, Ray has remained at one. For those of us who have listened to her for the past 22 years, we have grown up with her and appreciate her loyalty to the community and her commitment to the local music scene. For those of us who live up north and love rock radio, there is a comforting feeling to know that as we grow older the smiling voice of Terri Ray will be on the airwaves for years to come. So, if you are hungry and you want your rock and roll served the way you like it, catch Terri Ray at 97.5 or 98.9 on the dial weekdays starting at noon with her Lunch at the Leetsville Café program.