10 Questions with ... Vince Richards

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Nothing brief about it. KSHE/St. Louis, WQLZ/Springfield, IL, WUFX & WEDG/ Buffalo, WLUM/Milwaukee, KKND/New Orleans, KQRC/Kansas City, and KTBZ, KKRW & KLOL/Houston, and KDGE, KDMX, KEGL, KFXR, KHKS & KZPS/Dallas.

1. Why is KDGE seeing ratings success with PPM?

The Edge is a great brand in the market. That's one of the first big steps toward success. Add very detailed attention to the execution of the game plan, a passionate dedicated air staff, and great resources from Clear Channel and that spells success for us in Dallas.

2. How has the PPM impacted the way you program KDGE?

It has changed a lot...not a little, but a lot. Moving from perceived listening to ACTUAL listening is the change in paradigm. Having been in Houston before moving to Dallas, I have been able to live with PPM for much longer than most OMs and PDs. In fact when I first arrived in Dallas, we were still a diary market. I felt like I took a trip back in a time machine because we had to wait an entire month before getting the book and even then you had absolutely no idea what to expect your numbers to look like. With PPM there are no surprises because you get the weeklies. In a nutshell, the game has changed in a big way. We went from playing baseball to playing football. Different equipment, different rules, and different playing field. We're still athletes, but now we are using different talents to execute.

3. How has the PPM changed the way you manage your air staff?

It's really a case of the jocks understanding their role and executing. I meet with the talent a few times a week. It might be formal or informal or it might be via e-mail depending on their location. The bottom line is keeping everyone focused and on target. Each daypart has a specific goal to accomplish and to understand the listeners' wants and needs.

4. What is biggest piece of advice you would like to share with other Alternative programmers about PPM?

I remember when I first started programming in PPM, I initiated a lot of programming tactics that I was really uncomfortable doing it. Mainly because it was new and it was out of my comfort level. Imagine being a starting pitcher and suddenly you're the starting quarterback. I'm still throwing a ball but it's a different shaped ball and to a different target. My best advice is to embrace change because everyday something new is coming our way. It's like changing a light bulb. You want to be the one changing it not the one crying about how much you miss the old bulb.

5. What is the strongest daypart on KDGE and what makes it so successful?

Middays and afternoon are usually Top 3 P18-34. All other dayparts land in the Top 5. So much goes into the equation. Competition is really strong in morning drive, particularly with Kidd Kraddick (KHKS) and Russ Martin (KEGL) in our cluster. There are more listeners as the day goes on. The music changes as does our on air approach depending on daypart. One size doesn't fit all.

6. How much are you balancing gut with research when making decisions on new music?

That's such a loaded question because it depends on the song. The biggest thing I deal with every week is being patient with songs I believe will cut through. How long do I give a song to cut through before it's time to punt? In many respects the listener learning curve is so much slower than I would like or that the charts will indicate. The bottom line is the listeners don't care about charts or when a song was released. What we perceive is a new song and the listeners' perception in many aspects is very different. The trick is to figure out the learning curve of your listeners and program from that perceptive. Plus, there's a big difference between a good song and a good RADIO song. I like a lot of songs that just aren't good RADIO songs. Distinguishing between the two can be tricky.

7. Why do you feel the format is having more success with pop-leaning alternative songs?

The pop-leaning alternative songs are more mass appeal and in many respects happier than the hard, angry leaning alternative songs. Times, although getting a bit better, are still tough for everyone. Economically, socially, and personally. People want to be happy and get away from all the constant doom and gloom that surrounds all our lives. It's not to say you can't have success being a harder leaning alternative station because there are some out there, but if you look at the charts, very few harder leaning songs break the top 10 or even the top 20 right now. Look at the success the Top 40's are having right now. A lot of their music is about partying, chasing the opposite sex, and having fun. There's not a lot of angry music in the Top 40 format. Plus, music is circular. Who knows what music will be popular this time next year.

8. How much music do you share with sister Active Rock KEGL and where do you draw the line?

Very little is shared in the current music category. We draw the line on sound, tempo, and artist. There is a little more sharing with the library material but not to where it blurs the lines of our strategic execution.

9. What has been your biggest challenge moving from Houston to Dallas?

Other than being in the same great state of Texas and 240 miles apart, the two cities have very few similarities. I can go on for an hour about the differences. From a working aspect, it was maximizing the strategic alignment of our cluster here in Dallas as opposed to Houston. For me personally, it's the weather. In Dallas we have all four seasons including winter, which I hate. When I moved from Houston to Dallas, I had to buy a winter coat because I never needed one in the eight years I was in Houston. It snowed 12 inches one night last winter here in Dallas. I felt like I was living in Buffalo again! Funny story... My two sons Nicholas and Jacob, ages 12 and 4, wanted to go out into the snow. So my wife, Teresa, gets their coats, hats and gloves on and they go out in the snow and five minutes later they come inside and say "mom I don't like snow...that stuff is COLD!!" The apple or in this case the apples don't fall from the tree!

10. What are you most passionate about?

I'm most passionate about my family. They are the ones who keep me grounded. To them, I'm just plain old dad or husband. We share and do a lot together. I enjoy every minute with them. After that comes work. I love what I do and genuinely look forward to coming into work every day. Not very many people can say that in or out of our business. Next come sports. That's my release. For many music is their release but it's more of a job for me, so sports allows me to escape the job and give me a sense of excitement.

What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid and what do you remember the most about the station?

Growing up in St Louis, I remember listening to KSHE and KWK battle out the rock wars. It's what made me interested in radio. I'd also listen to KSLQ (Top 40) and for Sports it was KMOX-A. But my favorite was KSHE. It was so progressive back in the day and had this sense of originality and uniqueness to it.