10 Questions with ... Jim McGuinn

NAME:Jim McGuinn TITLE:PD/On-Air Host STATION:Y-Rock On XPN MARKET:Philadelphia (#7) COMPANY:University of Pennsylvania BORN:Chicago, IL RAISED:Chicago, IL (ok, really Downers Grove, IL)

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

PD of WPLY/Philadelphia - 1997-2005; PD of WDRE/Philadelphia - 1995-1997; PD of KPNT/St. Louis - 1994-1995; PD of WEQX, Manchester/Albany - 1990-1994; and MD of WWRX/Providence - 1988-1990.

1. I can't believe it has been almost two years since WPLY flipped from Alternative. You have done an amazing job keeping Alternative music alive in Philly. Explain your partnership with Non-Comm WXPN?

A few x-Y100 staff and I started Y100rocks.com right when Y100 flipped. Our thought/goal was to keep the flame burning till someone jumped in to whisk us away to start up a new commercial Alternative station. Since we were programming for ourselves and music fans, we focused much more left of center than a typical Alternative station. We picked up reinforcements -- now our 'staff' of 1.75 (Josh Landow is FT as Operations Director, I am 1/2 time as Host/PD, and Joey O is 1/4 time as MD) is augmented by 20 DJs -- who are volunteers drawn from our ranks of listeners (and some familiar names like Marilyn Russell and Dan Fein).

We sold banner ads, turned an actual profit, and about a year into it, started talking with WXPN about working together. By that time we had launched over 1.3 million streams, offered up about 100,000 podcast downloads, etc. We talked, and wound up together, with the new name of Y-Rock On XPN (www.yrockonxpn.org), which encompasses the 24/7/365 streaming station, but also a show that I host every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night that is on both the stream AND WXPN, at 88.5FM returning Alt rock to the airwaves of Philadelphia. We also use WXPN infrastructure for studio space, accounting, web/IT, etc.

2. Why did WXPN want to do this partnership?

I think that if you asked Bruce Warren (PD) or Roger Lamay (GM) they would say that it's about growing the overall brand of WXPN, and offering up additional content to the listeners we both serve. WXPN is a very forward thinking station, where it REALLY is all about the music, and also about the community of listeners. Having my show on WXPN helps XPN reach a slightly younger demo, which (hopefully) turns new audience onto public radio and the public radio model of membership. I think they also wanted to do it because its fun -- and they saw opportunity to serve an audience that has been left behind by commercial radio in this market (and several others). I think that eventually this type of model -- Non-comm AAA/Alt hybrid - will make a lot of sense.

3. How big is the Y-Rock On XPN audience?

The audience on the stream has grown by more than 50% since we joined up with WXPN. I don't have exact numbers, but my estimate is that the weekly cume to the stream is about 30,000 -- which would make it comparable to a small market commercial station. We have done some research on who they are, and they are what you would expect, about 55% male, older than most commercial Alt stations (I think median age is around 27), and more active/affluent than typical commercial station listeners. They seem to fit that hole between what Y100 used to provide and what a AAA station like WXPN does.

Now, there's also my audience to the show on XPN, and we just saw the first Arbitron numbers and there was huge growth for XPN at night centered with 25-44s, which is slightly younger than XPN's typical 35-54 strength.

4. What would surprise people most about Y-Rock On XPN?

If they think we sound a lot like Y100 used to, they would be both right and wrong -- we try to bring the same vibe and style that Y100 had between the records, but musically we are much more adventurous - and nearly everyday I get an email saying "I wish Y100 had played music this good," but how could we have, we were heavily consulted and researched!

5. Tell us about the Y-Rock On XPN staff and the selection process on new music?

As I mentioned, Josh Landow and Joey O were both at Y100 (Josh was Promotions Dir. / weekender, Joey was weekender/fill-in Y-Not specialty show host). The rest of the staff varies -- some early 20-somethings fresh from college that might lean more towards punk, up to a late-40-something Venezuelan who does a Rock International show that tossed in Alterna rock from all over the globe. We have a few specialty shows like a punk show and an electronic show, and a retro nooner, but for most of the day it's a loose "format" that is programmed by the execs, with input at music meetings from everyone.

But unlike commercial radio, each jock's log is more of a guide, and they are encouraged to mix it up 20-25% to make it fit their passions. The idea is wind up with enough consistency that it hangs together with enough independence that you can grab a feel for each DJs show. It's somewhere between college and commercial -- or maybe it's the way the old progressive FMs felt back in the '70s?

6. How much new music are you playing? What is your ratio of currents and gold?

Our playlist has about 100 new songs, which get between 5-25 spins per week. We DO play some of the format's biggest artists (Beck, White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Incubus), but we aren't afraid to put Silversun Pickups or TV on the Radio or The Hold Steady into A rotation months before mainstream commercial Alt are even ready to dip their toes in. The current ratio is about 60/40 new to gold. If there's something big that still feels cool to us, we play it, say, Radiohead or Oasis or Nirvana, and at the same time, there's a LOT more depth to those kind of artists. We might have five Guided By Voices or Teenage Fanclub or Cat Power tracks active as well. I think we have about 1200 titles in the library -- compared to the 250 that Y100 used to have. Yet to a passionate music fan, we try to sound both familiar and fresh and challenging at the same time.

7. In addition to the 24/7 stream, explain the show you host three nights a week on WXPN?

My show is like the stream, but I usually program it on the fly. Often I end up playing stuff I never expected to hear -- that keeps it very spontaneous and fun, and I think that shows in the passion I'm getting via feedback (and now in the ratings). Turns out that you can take programming risks and build an audience for extremely curated content if you've got hosts that can pull it off. But don't tell anyone. Besides the music mix, I also do a LOT of interviews and sessions - it's almost like a World Cafe, Next Generation -- in that there is room for longer/deeper content with more of a variety of artists than we could ever have gotten away with on Y100. So far we've had interviews/sessions/takeovers with artists as big as Beck and as new as Viva Voce or Hot Chip.

8. What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

People love music.

9. What is your role at Drexel University?

I am an Associate Professor in the Music Industry program, and faculty advisor to the college station, WKDU. As a teacher, I have classes in History and Management of Radio, Marketing and Promotion in the Music Business, Rock and Roll Cinema, Future of Music, and I also work with Philadelphia's only student-run free format college station, WKDU. Recently I've become involved in starting up a digital label at Drexel called D3.

10. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I am having more fun than ever being on the air, playing creative, great music on Y-Rock. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to continue to grow here at WXPN and with Y-Rock. The Public Radio model and philosophy of working with the listeners to offer them more is so refreshing to be a part of and I am psyched to see where it all heads as we hurtle ourselves towards a wireless, web-based society.

What are you most passionate about?

My son Jameson. His first birthday was on January 24th. He rules! Loves music too, big surprise!