COEUR d'ALENE - Gone are the days when radio personalities like "North Idaho Joe" Paisley could stroll into the booth to deliver three hours of news and entertainment, made possible by an entourage of technicians and an assistant to make the coffee and the phone calls.

In the 21st century, radio just doesn't work the way it's depicted on reruns of "Frasier."

Paisley's work day begins early at the KXLY Broadcast Group's station in Coeur d'Alene. He arrives by 5:15 a.m. to begin show prep, look over current events and local sports, address programming issues and get the news ready for the important 6-9 a.m. morning drive-time slot.

As on-air talent and producer for both Rock 94.5 and KVNI every weekday, Paisley is required to be something of a Renaissance man, with understanding of - and insights into - news, music trends, sports, current events and their contexts.

He must be able to schedule and prep music for diverse audiences, have enough charm to convince guests to talk with him live, and possess the solid time-management skills required to book and conduct four to five interviews each day. He also must complement these talents with the technical abilities to make it all happen and the big-picture understanding of how to fill every minute of air time with compelling radio.

"You're not only expected to know what's happening in the news, but to be able to talk about all the events leading up to a particular event," says Paisley. "Then you have to understand your audience. There is a disadvantage for me, being 25, given my audience on KVNI, the oldies station, is 55-plus. So things that matter to me, my audience couldn't care less about sometimes. I have to be careful with that."

He goes off air at nine, takes an hour break, then DJs for four hours on Rock 94.5 - the modern rock station down the hall - switching gears to address a very different demographic. The rock station reaches more than 500,000 listeners.

"It never stops," says Paisley. "The days of strolling into a station and being nothing but on-air talent are over. You have to be a five-trick pony."

Paisley was able to establish himself with the diverse resume he built in the University of Idaho Journalism and Mass Media broadcast program. His road to on-air fame began with a percussion scholarship to the Lionel Hampton School of Music.

Paisley served as president of the student body at Wood River High School in Hailey, played drums in the high school pep band, marching band and several garage bands, and ultimately earned both academic and percussion scholarships to the University of Idaho.

He visited the university when his brother, Max Paisley ('05) attended.

"I absolutely loved it. I knew from my first trip to campus that I was going there," he says.

He was just a few semesters in when he realized he was not drawn to music education, but was interested in performance and theory. He investigated School of Journalism and Mass Media offerings and ultimately graduated with a major in broadcasting and a minor in music.

Paisley's interdisciplinary education offered the perfect combination of training for his diverse and demanding job. Talented, charming and driven, his radio gig seems pretty secure. But just in case he needs them, his drums are still in his basement.

Donna Emert is with the University of Idaho communications department.