Ex-Radio DJ’s Career Still In Spin

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Radio personality Trever Trent lost his on-air job last month because of cutbacks, but it didn’t take him long to find his next music industry gig: in the family’s jukebox business.

The former host at L.A. alternative station KYSR-FM (98.7) is now dedicating himself full time to bringing his father’s 42-year-old company, Jukeboxes Unlimited, into the digital age.

Trent said the North Hills company, with a new focus on e-commerce, was able to sell about 30 jukeboxes last year, up from a handful a few years earlier. Because the machines are now listed on the Internet, customers from places such as Russia and Japan are able to order a taste of Americana, a la “Happy Days.”

“I brought my dad into the modern world,” Trent said. “It’s opened up a whole other clientele.”

He began posting the jukeboxes for sale on the company’s website and eBay about five years ago when he moved back to Los Angeles to take his gig at KYSR. But his involvement in the family business was limited by the demands of his six-day-a-week schedule at the radio station. Now, he’s immersing himself in the business, including learning the finer points of restoring the machines from his father, Don Muller.

The father and son also rent out the jukeboxes for a couple of hundred dollars per weekend to people hosting events in the San Fernando Valley and around Los Angeles. That line of the business took a big hit with the recession, though Trent noted the machines are notably cheaper than live entertainment and sometimes easier to deal with than a deejay.

“A jukebox doesn’t get drunk and start hitting on your daughter,” he said, “or get paid more for staying after midnight.”

– Jonathan Polakoff

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