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10 Questions with ... Joe DeTomaso
September 10, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
This is my 16th year working in radio, all with the same cluster of stations. I started as a promotions intern, was hired on part time as a promotion tech and eventually hired full time in promotions. I was asked by the APD at the time if I would voice track a weekend shift on 95X, which lead to me doing overnights, then nights and eventually leaving promotions, becoming APD of 95x. I was then promoted to my current position, program director of 95x in 2012.
1. You've lived in Syracuse your entire life and have been at 95X for 12 years and PD for the past 7 years. What stands out the most from your early days at 95X?
Just being able to work for a station I grew up listening to and to see everything that went into it making the station what it is. From the on air talents, to promotions and all the events. I found it really exciting and I still do to this day!
2. What radio stations did you listen to in Syracuse growing up and what do you remember most?
I grew up listening to 95X. My father would listen to it and it just kind of stuck with me. 95X was one of my sources for new music discovery, which I loved growing up and still do to this day. I was a Stern fan too, which 95X carried.
3. Let's flash forward to 95X in 2019. Congrats on the growth of the station this year! What has led to the station's ratings growth and what are ratings highlights?
Thanks! It's been a combination of things. We really spend a lot of time on the music, making sure we're not only playing the right records, but that the mix of gold and currents is right. If you aren't playing what people want to hear, the rest really doesn't matter. The other piece is my air staff. Almost my entire staff is born and raised in Syracuse and the couple that aren't, are from other parts of NY. It doesn't get much more local than that! Flipping the station from active to alternative a few years ago really filled a big void in this market and the market has embraced it. There have been a lot of highlights over the last years for us. We're consistently a top 3 station Adults 25-54 and 18-34 along with #1 M25-54 and 18-34, but the highlight that sticks out the most for me is being one of the Top 10 Alternative stations across the Top 150 markets accordingly to Nielsen. To be in the Top 10 with powerhouse stations like KNDD and KPNT is exciting and something I'm really proud of.
4. Give us the 411 on the music and imaging on 95X.
When it comes to music, I keep a tight playlist and "play the hits" as they say. I review our library monthly to make sure we're playing the right records in the right categories and we spend a lot of time every week reviewing our currents and looking for things that maybe we missed or that are really starting to build locally. As for imaging, we try and have a good mix of local and topical content. We have sweepers and promos running that focus on things specific to Syracuse as well as a lot of music related imaging. We're only 3 years into being an Alternative station, so we still put a lot of focus on educating listeners about the music and driving home that we aren't the station we used to be.
5. What is most important to you when deciding what new music to play the station?
We look at a number of things when looking at new music. Sales, streaming, shazams, the charts and any other data I can get my hands on. I'm a numbers guy for sure, especially when it's local data. We also have a new music feature called The Drop and a specialty show that runs on Sunday nights called The Fringe that we use to gauge new music. With that said, streaming really has become the most important when looking at new music. I use BDS to get my numbers. You can get national and local data right from the chart, which is great. Once we started to put more focus on streaming and less on chart positions, we saw our ratings climb.
6. Tell us about the station's annual The 95X Big X Cuse and The 95X-Mas Pajama Jam.
I wanted to create a couple of signature events that would complement the format change, so we came up with Big X Cuse and Pajama Jam. This was year number 2 of Big X Cuse and we're getting ready for year number 3 of Pajama Jam. Big X Cuse is festival that combines music, great local food and local art. We bring in local artists to live paint while the music is going on, which provides for a cool concert experience. Pajama Jam is a big party that gives you an excuse to where your pajamas in public and not be shamed for it. Haha. When we came up with the concept, we weren't sure if people would actually wear pajamas, but they did. Last year, over half the crowd was in pajamas! We're going to add some fun contests to it this year. I'm planning to announce the show in the coming weeks.
7. How has 95X changed in the past year?
There haven't been any big changes this past year. The station continues to evolve and we're always looking for ways to improve and grow the station.
8. What is your favorite part of your job?
It's music discovery. My love of music started way back listening to my father's records and has stayed with me ever since. I've always loved discovering new music and now I get paid to do!
9. What's your take on the state of Alternative Radio?
I think our format is in a good spot, but I also think programmers need to be more open minded when it comes to the music. I get so tired of hearing "where are the guitars" or "we need more guitars". We don't NEED guitars; we just need to play what people want to hear. With all the other outlets for music out there such as Spotify and Pandora, the days of force feeding the listener what we like or think they should like is over. This is why I feel utilizing streaming data is so important. It gives us a look at what people who like alternative music are listening to. We also can't be afraid of playing records that are "pop" sounding or that we share with other formats. One of things I love about this format is all the different styles of music. We just need to embrace that more.
10. What is a typical workday like for you?
I usually get to the office around 8:15 and try to leave by 5:30, but it doesn't always work out that way. I start off by following up on emails, sending them out and prepping for the day and that's followed up by my air shift, meetings, air checks, music meetings etc. Some days are crazier than others, but there's never a shortage of things to be done!
Bonus Questions
How do you listen to music away from the station?
I'm a little old school and still listen to CDs when in the car. At home, I'll listen to records but I also stream a lot with the station app, Spotify and YouTube.
What are your favorite places to eat in the Syracuse area?
Oh man, there are a lot. We have a great local food scene. It really depends on what kind of food I'm in the mood for, but there's a little gastro pub called Riley's that I really like. New menu daily and everything is sourced locally and fresh. A couple of other great places are Darwin on Clinton, Kasai Ramen, Toss N' Fire Pizza and Angotti's. Angotti's is classic Italian, just like I grew up on.
Favorite food?
I love a lot of different things, but if I have to pick just one it's probably pizza. You can't go wrong with a great slice.
Favorite drink?
Non-alcoholic- Unsweetened Iced Tea. Alcohol- I love whiskey or a good gin and tonic. We have a great local craft beer scene too with my favorite being our beer, the 95X-TRA Pale Ale (Shameless plug).
Syracuse is the new Triple A affiliate of my New York Mets. I know you're a Yankee fan but what has been the impact on having a new minor league baseball franchise in town?
I am a Yankees fan, but I'm 100% on board with our Mets team. The franchise itself has been around a long time. We were a Blue Jays farm team when I was growing up and then the Washington Nationals, but the Mets make the most sense being a NY team. Attendance is way up and the city has really rallied around this team. Fingers crossed we make the playoffs!!
Rank your sports teams in order of passion.
I love SU football, but I'm also a big Yankees fan and Tampa Bay Bucs fan. Football is my favorite sport, so the top spot is probably a tie between SU football and Tampa Bay.
Favorite new band over the past year?
There's been a lot of new music I really liked this year, so it's hard to pick just one. I really like Matt Maeson and Dominic Fike, but I can't get enough of Hobo Johnson. He's been around for a bit, but he's new to radio.
Anything else you would like to add?
Just wanted to say thanks for asking me to do this. It was fun!
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