The worker
By Mikalee Dahle, Outpost contributor
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Yes, some actually want to live here |
He had loved radio most of his life. But at 25, he found himself in Sacramento selling car audio equipment at a company called MobileWorks and doing weekend air shifts on 93-Rock, KRXQ-FM.
"I wanted something more--something better," he says. "I was always keeping my options open, but the industry is incredibly tough to break into. I figured the best thing to do was to stay at 93-Rock until a better opportunity presented itself . . . at least I was in the business."
It didn't take much longer for opportunity to come knocking. While skiing in Lake Tahoe one afternoon, Smith did his routine flipping around the stations in the Reno market to see what was new. When he tuned to 104.5 FM, a country station programmed by a friend and former co-worker, he made a startling discovery.
"Instead of George Strait and Garth, I was hearing Def Leppard and Megadeth." He immediately called Rob Williams, his friend, to ask about the change and to make sure he was still employed. He discovered that not only did he still have a job, but he had been promoted from the program director to the operations manager.
"Rob asked me when I was sending in my audition tape," he recalls. "I was shocked."
That conversation took place Sunday. Smith sent his audition tape Monday. He interviewed in Reno on Tuesday, and that evening he was offered a full-time air shift on Reno's newest rock radio station, Rock 104.5, KDOT-FM. But Smith had other considerations before accepting the position.
"I was two months away from my wedding. My future wife was going to school full time at Sac State pursuing a master's degree in social work. I knew I had to consult her before making any rash moves."
But that was the beauty of Reno to Smith. He was able to accept the position with his fiancé's blessing, primarily because of the location. Reno is a mere 140 miles from Sacramento, which allowed him to travel on the weekends to help with wedding plans.
He initially thought of Reno as a "nice little town." In June 1995, he brought his new wife, Stephanie, home to their first apartment in northwest Reno. He says they were happy to move to Reno because of his promising job opportunity. But the city then began to grow on them.
"We've really come to love living here. There's really not a whole lot of crime, especially considering what I'm used to in the Sacramento and Stockton areas. The weather is great, and we love the proximity to bigger cities and Lake Tahoe. And, it seems like a very nice place to raise a family."
This is a consideration that has gained much more merit in recent months. In September, Smith and his wife learned they were expecting a child. In October, they learned they were expecting two.
"With twins on the way, we've decided that apartment living just isn't going to cut it . . . even while they're still infants," he says. "I don't want Stephanie dealing with climbing and descending stairs with two babies in tow. So, we've recently put a bid on a house."
Smith seems pleased with their choice: A 1,400-square-foot, cottage-style Victorian house in north Reno. And he seems pleased with the ease of the process.
"This whole thing has taken only a few months. There were quite a few homes to choose from, and we had good help from our real estate agent. We also discovered that the price of housing in this area is relatively affordable."
Making the transition from couple to family of four, Smith said, will be easier if he feels stable within the community. "Steph and I really like it here. I work for a good company that does what they can to help me out. We're a two-car family, and practically overnight we'll have the average 2.4 kids, fulfilling our part of the American dream. I can definitely see us staying here for a while."
copyright 11/15/97 Nevada Outpost
http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost
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