Viz and Cole DJ's with The Edge

Viz and Cole and The Edge Radio Show were a real find this year. Like a lot of people I listen to less radio than I used too but both hosts, Cleveland Ohio based are classic Radio Pro's with the rapid patter, quick wit and Edgy personality's that seem to missing from AM/FM radio in the Clear Channel Robot Radio Era.

I grew up on 70's FM and in San Diego that meant XTRA 91x in Tijuana and KGB, Classic stations that played real music and had real jocks.

Sadly while AM/FM radio has been neutered, Viz and Cole and Internet Radio, uncensored and unregulated have restored The Edge to Radio.

Albert, "Viz and Cole, thanks for agreeing to this unusual interview with the interviewers. You first came to our attention with the Brent Corrigan interview but you have been doing this show for some time. How did you get started?"

Viz, "Well I met Cole at Broadcasting school and we fast became good friends. At the time, I was involved with another GLBT owned and operated internet station. I was doing a weekly, live, total request show on the network every Saturday night.

Knowing that Cole was gay, I approached him to see if he would be interested in co hosting with me for a show or two. He did and the audience had a blast and thought it was the funniest show yet.

Cole was a natural and being the program director of the station I asked if he would be interested in doing something weekly. He thought it was a great idea so he got involved in another "edgy" type show that aired weekly on the station. In my mind, the show slowly became Cole's since he was doing a lot of the leg work on the show; prep and subject matter, which led to him eventually leave that show.

Around the same time I had a falling out with the management of that old station and decided to resign my post as the program director. I loved radio too much to give everything up so I ended up starting QNation.FM. As soon as word got out that I was resigning, several of the other jocks from the station decided to come with me. With everything in place and the new station up and running I decided to develop an anchor show that we could build the station listener base around and began to discuss the concept of Edge Radio. Cole and I had discussed working together since we had great chemistry on the air and the rest is history."

Cole, " I think Viz hit this one right on the head. He approached me in the parking lot after class one night and asked if I would want to sit in on his show and I responded with "Does the Pope smuggle young boys under his dress? (You know the answer is yes...)"

Albert, "The Edge Radio Show has extremely limited external promotion. How do you keep it going?"

Viz, "Word of mouth and doing events like Prides and live broadcasts. Cole and I work for Clear Channel Cleveland and had interned and done lot's of work with the promotion departments. We gained a bunch of knowledge and we use that to help us promote not only QNation.FM but the show as well."

Cole, " Sometimes its a lot of work. I agree, word of mouth is wonderful. We also are always trying to do something to push limits a bit to keep folks coming back."

Albert, "You do push some limits. Shows about fleshlights, astrology, and stereotypes come to my mind. The show is only one night a week but still that is a large time commitment for you. What are your goals? What do you hope this will evolve into?"

Viz, "Everything we do for the show right now, due to the limited advertising income, is covered out of my pocket. Cole and I do not get paid to do the show as of yet. We love radio and we eventually want to be paid for what we do and we are hoping to be discovered one day."

Cole, "The show sometimes does take a lot of time to keep together, more so for Viz then myself. I spend time on the phone and computer hunting down and talking to agents and the guests to set up interviews while Viz actually has the responsibility of keeping the network running.(I got the better end of the deal.)

Albert, "Evil Gene is a friend of ours and a regular guest on your show. How did you connect with him?"

Viz, "Actually I met Gene in 2002 as a webcammer. He is actually how I discovered the other Gay internet station. The station was run by webcammers and Gene had a gossip radio show on there which now airs on QNation.FM. Gene is one of the jocks that decided to come to the new station so our relationship goes back a few years."

Albert, "I have to ask. How did you land Brent Corrigan as a guest?"

Viz, "Well we owe this one to Evil Gene himself. Cole asked Gene during one of our shows, when he was doing his porn report, that we wanted him to hook us up with some porn stars. We happened to review one of Brent's movies and I suddenly had a crush. I jokingly asked Gene about him and he said he knew Brent. He said he would ask if Brent would like to be on the show. After about five months it became a reality and we booked him on the show."

Cole, "Yes, that we have Evil Gene to thank for. Evil Gene said he gave my contact info to Brent and I came home one day, checked my e mail and what do you know? There was an e mail from Brent and the subject line said "Lets talk." I thought it was a joke but it wasn't and now we're in touch on a pretty regular basis.

Albert, "You have had an eclectic assortment of guests. What would you say are your main criteria for selecting guests."

Viz, "I would say we choose guests by how interesting or entertaining we think they will be or if the audience would. We support a lot of GLBT musicians since we are a GLBT station and play their music on the station. We started out only promoting GLBT musicians but felt that we needed to have variety in the guests we book to keep it lively so now we book comedians, musicians, authors, porn stars, and anything we feel is informational or is geared to the GLBT community."

Cole, "They really should be gay or gay friendly and have some talent, be that music, writing or otherwise."

Albert, "What do you each do for a living? What are your professional backgrounds?"

Viz, "Well, since I couldn't make it as a porn star I went in a different direction. When I am not working part time for Clear Channel or doing Edge Radio, my real paying and living job is Accounting. It's not fun but it pays the bills. I have been doing accounting for 16 years. Holy cow I feel old now!"

Cole, "Well, I do a lot right now. I have a professional day job, I do the show, I promote concerts and I serve on the board of directors for the Greater Cleveland Lesbian, Gay Bi-Sexual, Transgender Community Center."

Albert, "Cole, I want to come back to that in a moment. What is the format of your regular programs?"

Viz, "The programs vary. We have mainly music shows. We have a show that showcase's GLBT musicians, 80's shows, talk shows, shows that play more sophisticated type music (classical, show tunes, etc) and even live dance shows from clubs where the DJ's spin live. We pretty much have something for everyone and always encourage new show ideas and hosts. In my mind, programming a GLBT station is tough because most are stereotypical and dance music 24/7. We see our station as being as unique as people. Just because we are a GLBT station doesn't mean it should be all dance and that is why we offer several types of different programs."

Albert, "Viz, does your regular program in any way reflect your 'Edge' tendencies?"

Viz, "I would say no. Our show is the only one of its kind on the station at the moment."

Albert, "Are you guys in relationships?"

Viz, "Yes. I have been with my partner Mark for almost 12 years now. We met in an internet chat room. I love him dearly and am surprised he has put up with me for this long."

Cole, "Yes I am."

Albert, "(laughing) Cole, I think you may be revealing too much about your personal life. Now, please tell me a little more about the LGBT Center."

Cole, "I am very proud to serve on the Board of Directors for the Greater Cleveland LGBT Community Center. My main focus there is to help raise funds to keep the center open but also to make decisions that will effect not only the Center but the LGBT community in the Greater Cleveland area. I am very proud to be an openly gay man and have had very few bad experiences because of it. There are a lot of folks who are less fortunate. They get beat, raped, emotionally abused, kicked out of their homes and a whole myriad of other bad things. The center provides a safe place for these people, a place to go to get help when and if its needed, as well as community resources that are gay friendly. There's a whole list of stuff that I'm up to but I'm not at liberty to discuss just yet. I'll let you know when I can though."

Albert, "Radio personalities seem to always be on the move. We don't won't to talk about where you want to go next so I will ask this. After lovely Cleveland, Ohio, where would you most like to retire in 20 years? Let me guess, Radio Mecca in Cincinnati, Ohio, WKRP!"

Viz, "No no. Not Cincinnati! That is the queen city and too many gays there! (laughing) I would love to move back to Phoenix or Tucson Arizona where Mark and I lived before we moved to Ohio. I miss it and have been thinking about it more and more lately. That would be the ideal place!"

Cole, "I hate Ohio and cant wait to get the hell out of it! I have every intention of leaving this state and moving to the dessert. I've told Viz he needs to move back to Arizona so I can rent a room in their house. (laughing) I think he thinks I'm kidding but I'm really not."

Albert, "As professionals in the Radio industry, what would you say is the best and worst thing about this business."

Viz, "The radio business is small and everyone knows everyone pretty much. The best thing about radio is that it is fun and you meet all sorts of interesting people. It also tends to be growing with the introduction of internet radio as well as the new HD radio. Growth is good because it provides more choices to the listener and more opportunities to find a job in the industry. Satellite radio is steady but people are realizing that there is the possibility for great programming without having to pay for it."

"I would have to say the worst thing about the business is that it does not pay well and jobs are limited. This is due to what we call the "Clear Channel" effect. Basically because it is a business and stations are owned by large corporations such as Clear Channel, CBS, Etc., they can run the stations lean and they do. This means that they can pay one jock in a city to be live in one market and "voice track" four other cities or markets. Voice Tracking is where the jock records his breaks and places them into the computer system and they are inserted into the programming. Essentially making the broadcast sound live."

"The end result is that you are paying one jock to do the job of five jocks or air shifts. This limits the number of jobs available and also the amount one gets paid. Basically instead of paying five jocks $20,000 a year you pay one jock $20,000 plus $4,000 extra for each station they voice track. Essentially saving about $60,000 in salaries a year. Keep in mind that a good on air personality can track a four hour shift in about 15 minutes. The radio you hear might not actually be live or even a local person. Keep that in mind when you listen. Maybe with the growth of radio on the internet and the development of HD radio, this will open up more opportunities in the industry."

Cole, "I agree with Viz, we get to meet a lot of really cool folks that we would never get to meet any other way. I think the only thing really bad about it is what Viz brought up with Voice tracking. I think when you voice track you just loose so much. How can some guy in a small boxy studio in lets say California, have any idea what the flavor of life is like in some city in Ohio? There's plenty of other crappy aspects to the industry don't get me wrong but lets put things into perspective. When you get paid to listen to music and talk into a microphone for a living, I think you deserve to deal with some shit some of the time."

Albert, "What will be the greatest challenge for the radio industry over the next few years?"

Viz, "I would have to say the greatest challenge for the radio industry is primarily dealing with FCC regulations and competing with Satellite radio. Stations now days place limits on great programming due to the fear of losing their license or paying fines. Some programming can be ten times better than it currently is. With this being said I believe that converting satellite radio listeners back to regular terrestrial radio through HD radio will help the industry. People go to satellite because they want more variety in programming and are willing to pay for it. As long as the big corporate radio stations fear the public they are serving, that fear will affect the final product."

Cole, "I think radio will need to re-invent itself a bit. There is satellite and High Def now. Hell, just cd's alone keep me from listening. (laughing) People have a lot of avenues for music that they never had before. Look at the internet for example. Why would you tune into some terrestrial station when you can get an internet station that plays only the type of music you like?"

Albert, "Cole, from our previous talks, I know you are chomping at the bit to get into the political spectrum. So now, what do you believe are the top priorities the United States as a country needs to focus on at this time."

Cole, "O.K. WOW where do I start... First and foremost, I think there needs to be a separation of church and state. That is what this country was founded on (or so they say) and it has never happened. I mean look at the Pledge of Allegiance for example. We reference God in it. I'm not saying we need to amend it. (Don't send me hate mail). I'm just saying I feel that if there were a true separation between the two, things would become much simpler. I know religion leads people in how they live their lives and the decisions they make and that's fine but damn it, lets keep it out of the political arena.

I also think that this country needs to really reevaluate just who we think we are. We seem to be traipsing around the world "making everything right" when we cant get our own shit together. Maybe I should run for office…"

Albert, "I would love to debate the separation of church and state with you but this is not the format. Besides, DeWayne is already going to punish me for the length. For both of you, what would your policy be regarding oil? Should we keep ours safe in the ground for our future and continue to buy up others oil or should we try to become independent as much as possible?"

Viz, "Hmmm. I have never really thought about it. I would say use the resources we have since they have discovered an abundance of oil in the United States. The problem is that the environmentalist groups don't want drilling done in this country. They want to protect the environment which prevents drilling. It's quite sad actually but what would you rather have, squirrels or lower gas prices? Unless we can invent an engine that runs on squirrels we are screwed Then again, PETA wouldn't like that either."

Cole, "I have mixed feelings on this one. I do think we should work at being more independent from other countries as far as oil is concerned. I also think that we need to be more aggressive with looking for other fuel options. There are a lot of things out there already to start to create change and start to clean up our planet but we just don't seem to be doing much. Its really very sad."

Albert, "If you would like to give out contact information, we will be happy to publish it.

Viz, "Feel free to contact me by email at,

vizradio@edgeradioshow.com

Or

programming@qnation.fm

More information on the show can be found at

www.EdgeRadioShow.com

Or

www.QNation.FM

Cole, "Well, if people want to reach me, they can reach me at

djcolestevens@gmail.com

Or the same EdgeRadioShow or Qnation,FM links Viz gave.

Albert, "It's been a challenge and a thrill guys. A real educational experience for me. Thanks so much! Catch you Wednesday's 8.P.M. E.S.T on QNationFM

Cole and Viz

Viz and Cole

Fun with the Fleshlight (hey its radio)

Cole is Sexy

Nice Shorts

Fan Friendly

Cole The Host with the Most or is that a Golden Mike Award in those shorts!
(Viz is sexy too he just won't post NAKED Pix!)