We hope you saw Ken Hoffman’s article

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/hoffman/6199174.html

on Classic Cool a few weeks ago.  In an effort to take you “behind the scenes,” we present the series of questions that Hoffman submitted to Ronnie prior to writing the story that appeared in the Chron.

1. What does “Classic Cool” mean?

 ”Classic Cool” is timeless.  It’s a style that never ages, one that’s always
fresh, whether it’s Frank Sinatra or Michael Buble or Miles Davis.    

2. When does it air, from 4 p.m. to?

 Weekdays from 4pm until sign off.  650 AM is a “daytimer” that signs off at
sundown.  We’re on KKHH HD3 as well, if you happen to have an HD radio.  

 3. When/where did you start on the air in Houston?

 I started on KRRC AM 950 doing a Sunday night big band show when I was still in school.  In 1980, I got the call that really changed my life, when Paul
Berlin called me at the station to offer me a job at KQUE FM 102.9.  It
turns out he had been listening to my show driving home from his weekend
place in Conroe with his wife, Nezzie, on Sunday nights.  I was pretty lame
as a baby DJ, but Paul heard something, thankfully.

 4. Give me the deejay lineup at the height of KQUE’s popularity, and about
what year?

 Circa 1985-1995 

Mornings - Scott Arthur and Debra Brandt

Middays - Paul Berlin

Afternoons - Barry Kilgore and Cindy Kasparian

Nights - Ronnie Renfrow

Overnights - Mike Marshall / Webb Hunt

 5. When did you start thinking about getting on the air with Classic Cool?

 This format is the evolution of KQUE’s eclectic approach to the music.
There’s not a day I haven’t gotten up when it’s not the first thing I think
of in the morning.  The phrase “Classic Cool” seemed to be absolutely
perfect to describe what we’re after musically.

 6. Why isn’t this kind of music currently on the dial?

 Classic Cool is not available as a pre-packaged / plug in format, like so
much of what you hear on the radio today. There aren’t lists coming out of
New York to tell people how to program all over the country.  You’ve really
got to have an expertise and a passion for the music to get it done right.

 7. Give me your target demos?

 It’s a broad demo, Adults 25 +.  Part of the problem with Classic Cool music
not being available on the radio is that it has been viewed by most radio
management and programmers as a nostalgia / older demographic format.
That’s just not the case.  Guess what?  A 28 year old woman has Norah Jones, Michael Buble, etc. on her ipod, and a 35 year old couple with kids at home is going to see Harry Connick Jr. in concert when they can get a baby
sitter.  Not to mention that for the 40+ audience, it is a virtual wasteland
as far as music on the radio goes.  The artists that we’re playing appeal -
literally - to most everyone.  This is music that so many people love that
has been neglected by corporate radio.    

8. Will you play any new music?

Absolutely.  That’s makes us different from other vaguely similar formats
that do exist in other markets.  Unfortunately, the ones that are on the air
now sound dated and don’t play anything recorded after 1960. They aren’t
open to all the great new music that is out there.  

9. What sponsors have you lined up?

 We have a law firm, a couple of restaurants, a storm window / hurricane
protection company, and more to come.  From an advertiser’s viewpoint, the greatest thing about Classic Cool is that our listeners are the customers
that they want.  We have an incredibly loyal audience.

 10. Why do you still want to do this? Radio is pretty heartbreaking, no?

 A great question. Paul Berlin gave me the greatest advice I’ve ever
received:  every time a disc jockey turns on the mic, he should either
inform, entertain, or shut up.  All I’ve ever wanted to do is make the
listeners smile and turn it up!  That’s why my passion is to make sure that
this music stays on the radio here in Houston and all over the country, as
we syndicate the Classic Cool format.  

11. What is the capital of Bulgaria?

 Funny you should ask.  As a matter of fact, the capital of Bulgaria is being
moved in 2009, to “Coolsville.”  It’s in the southern part of the country.
We will be moving our primary studios there as soon as our staff members
work out some passport issues with their respective parole officers.

 12. Describe the music you will be playing. And name some artists?

 We will play classic jazz (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), blues (B.B. King,
Gatemouth Brown), the new crooners (Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr.), Latin jazz and bossa (Poncho Sanchez, Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobim), the Rat Pack (Frank, Dino, and Sammy), and the best chick singers out there (Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Norah Jones), and everything in between.  Anything that swings!  

13. Where will you be broadcasting the show from?

 From the CBS studios in Houston.  Though we also have our own studios for
producing the syndicated version of Classic Cool.  

14. Radio companies don’t air this music because they say they can’t make
money with it? What do you think?

 Maybe they haven’t made money, but that’s because they haven’t approached the format properly, from both the programming and the sales perspectives.  One significant issue is that they have not had a format that has given them that opportunity.  Upscale car dealerships, fine restaurants, concert promoters, home builders - they all want to reach the Classic Cool audience.

 15. Will the show be live or taped?

 Live.  This is “old school” radio, in the best sense of the term. 

16. Do you ever get tired of people asking why you’re not on the air?

 No.  I would have been tired if they hadn’t asked why I wasn’t on the air.
Besides, I’ve been doing a radio show in my car every day for 30 years,
whether I was behind the mic or not.  I’m the guy you saw talking to himself
cruising Loop 610 every day.

 17. What is it like to have broadcasting in your blood?

 Refer to above.  Fortunately, there is no cure.  I’m still trying to break
myself of the habit of sleeping with my headphones on.

 18. Was it hard to find a station to air your show?

Not really.  It all came together very quickly, and we’re a good fit for 650
AM.  Don’t forget that our terrestrial broadcasts are going to complement
classiccool.com, and vice versa.

 19. What is the future of Classic Cool?

 Obviously, we think that the future is limitless.  We are filling a void on
the radio dial and taking care of an audience that to date has been woefully
underserved.

 20. Will there be deejay patter between songs? Will you have news and
weather and traffic, etc.? Will you tell stories about the songs?

 Sure.  That’s what radio is all about.  Refer to Paul Berlin’s advice - I
always do.  People still want their weather and want to know how to get home in this brutal Houston traffic.  Listeners like to know that there’s a real
person on the other end of the radio.  When you put all that together with
music they can’t get anywhere else on the dial, that’s a winning combination
for our listeners.  We’re not there to talk about politics, sports,
problems, or tell them what to do with their money.  We just want them to
smile.