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10 Questions with ... Jenna Kesneck
September 7, 2021
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. One of the most important challenges we face as a format is how we own new music. We have the ability to tell the story behind the artist or the song and as an industry we can’t take that for granted. The next generation of radio listeners have the world at their fingertips with DSPs, Tik Tok & Reels, but I believe we have a seat at that table in new music ownership—it just takes a different kind of work.
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Sales Account Manager, Cox Media Group Tampa, FL (2011-2014)
Director of Marketing & Promotions, WSUN+WPOI/Tampa, FL (2014-2017)
APD/MD, WSUN+WPOI/Tampa, FL (2017-2019)
Director of Branding & Programming, WSUN/Tampa, FL + WXXJ/Jacksonville, FL (2019 // 2021-present)
1. How did you first become interested in radio?
I was living in NYC during high school and came across a YouTube video of My Chemical Romance & Taking Back Sunday performing together at 97X Next Big Thing 4. At that point, I hadn’t ever listened to X, but I became hooked from that moment on. Fast forward a few years, I was relentless in securing an internship at the station and would spend my spare time while home from college in the studio, volunteering at shows… anything to just be closer to the music and the brand that I admired.
2. It’s been over 10 years for you at Cox Media Group/Tampa. Tell us about your new role as Director Of Branding & Programming. for 97X and now WXXJ (X106.5)/Jacksonville.
Every day is different because the needs of each market vary. I think that was one of the most exciting parts of expanding my role within the alt format in CMG— I got the chance to learn from new teams and explore how to make the stations shine in different ways. The synergy between both brands was natural and allowed for us to hit the ground running to collaborate and think big for the future.
3. Give us the 411 on owning new music on each station.
One of the most important challenges we face as a format is how we own new music. We have the ability to tell the story behind the artist or the song and as an industry we can’t take that for granted. The next generation of radio listeners have the world at their fingertips with DSPs, Tik Tok & Reels, but I believe we have a seat at that table in new music ownership—it just takes a different kind of work.
4. How different is each brand?
There’s a great deal of thought and research put into both stations to define their respective musical lanes. Both brands are focused on strong currents, but the true differentiator lies within what strings them together. Where you’ll hear Papa Roach or a Story Of The Year on WXXJ, you’ll get a Boys Like Girls or a 3OH!3 on WSUN. Similar era, but one leans a slightly more rock and the other a little more pop.
5. How would you describe yourself as a programmer?
I started out in sales as an AE and as I transitioned into each new chapter of my career, from Promotions to Programming, I took the disciplines and lessons I learned there with me. It is possible to be sales focused and still have the best interest of the radio station at heart. The most amazing (and profitable) promotions & campaigns were created out of collaboration with our sales teams.
6. What did you learn about yourself as a programmer navigating the pandemic?
The pandemic forced us to rethink daily life as human beings and innovate out of necessity. Our team essentially rewrote the blueprint for the station together during a time where we could truly understand what all of our listeners were going through at that exact moment—which was powerful. Specialty programming, streaming concerts and Instagram Live interviews became a necessity for entertainment to escape reality while sheltering in place, but they also became powerful tools to stay relevant, to appointment set… to continue to bring our audience back to the radio as life began to go “back to normal.”
7. What is your favorite part of your job?
The people. I’ve been so lucky to work with some of my best friends over the years.
8. You mentioned when you were promoted a couple years ago, “It is truly an honor to lead the station I grew up listening to and where I began my radio career.” What was your biggest takeaway from growing up as a 97X listener?
97X has always been brand that was ubiquitous. The fact that I discovered the station through YouTube is a testament to the importance of being wherever the listeners are—whether on social media, YouTube, at a show. The most memorable brands build a web that leads listeners back to the magic and I am blessed to have experienced that firsthand.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
My family.
10. What would surprise people most about you?
I danced since I was 3 and moved to NYC at 15 years old to professionally train at the School of American Ballet.
Bonus Questions
First record ever purchased?
No Doubt- Tragic Kingdom
First concert?
NSYNC
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