10 Questions with ... Tyler McClure

1. Brief history/synopsis?

Born and raised in Vernon NJ (up in the mountains - far from the Jersey Shore) I moved to Philly to pursue my passion for audio and music by studying Audio Production. I landed a solid internship at Milkboy The Studio where I continued to craft my skills from working with some of Philly's best engineers and producers. After graduating - I transitioned my audio skills to a career in radio as Imaging Producer for Reach Radio Network. After a few years of learning and hard work, I was promoted to Program Director for the network. I stepped up during a format change and helped rebuild the music library, re-branded the station and led promotional campaigns in the community to create awareness about the new changes. I currently manage all aspects of the ongoing program and wear many radio hats...pretty much like every one else in the industry. When I'm not at the station's HQ, I can be found out and about Philly discovering the best eats with my girlfriend or cruising my bike around town looking for artsy shorts with my polaroid camera. I have two awesome nephews and spend a lot of time with my family.

2. What was it that made you "catch the bug" for radio?

It's funny because I didn't necessarily go to broadcasting school. My education was more focused on the fundamentals of sound and the practical applications of audio production in ?elds like live events, studio recording and audio for video. I remember being 5 months out of college, not ?nding a job, and about to go into FT work with UPS when I received the call from Reach Radio about an open position. Even though I didn't learn radio in college, I had the knowledge and skills to produce, edit and mix audio professionally for the station. Plus I knew how to run the sound board and live remote equipment. So I was con?dent to take a step into radio land. I enjoyed the creativity of writing imaging liners and scripts for promotions. Then bringing them to life with music beds, sound effects, and voice is where I "caught the bug." It's a pretty cool experience to hear your ideas on air and how they transition between the songs and elements in the log.

3. Give us an overview of Reach Radio network.

Reach Radio started with 1 signal (89.1FM) back in 1994 in Wilmington DE and currently has grown to 15FMs. We cover all of Delaware, another FM that touches into the Philly market, the Jersey Shore from Ocean County To AC, and have a cluster in Buffalo NY plus a few more signals. We broadcast the same programming on all the FMs, an app and online stream. The station is non-pro?t and has been listener funded for over 22 years. It's a Christian AC station so the core values are to broadcast positive songs and encouraging messages to help build up the listener in their walk of faith. Its our biggest obstacle to be fully funded each year and asking for people's money during fundraisers can be tough. So we really need to make sure our format is own point and targeting the audience that can ?nancially support the station.

4. With the advent of "instant everything"..... How do you compete with what the potential listener has available to them?

Broadcast great programming, be easily accessible and stay relevant for the listener. Stay active and produce good content on every social media platform and be available to stream on every mobile and home device. Those are the basics, but I think we need to move further into the world of On Demand. That's why streaming music is popular and I think that's why Podcasts are about to explode. People want to listen to what they want on their own time. There's already stations recording audio and video of their DJ's shows for on demand access. And stations using streaming apps that allow you to break out of their running program. To create your own playlist, or listen to other recordings from the station. Technology is changing so fast and the traditional ways of listening to the radio are becoming extinct. Everything is moving to mobile and in the next 5 years or so, nobody will even have to drive their own cars. To stay current, we need to make everything available for the listener at anytime, build up our brands and personalities on different platforms and become more than a radio station that can be consumed by the listener through all aspects of their life.

5. What would you categorize as your greatest personal challenge in radio?

To get out of the radio bubble. I learned very quickly that the listeners don't hear our radio station the same way I do. So I want to understand our station from the listener's perspective. What do they want more of? What don't they like? As broadcasters we are in a unique position to in?uence the masses and I think it would be a waste to not make the best of that or get caught up in my own ego. It's pretty much impossible to listen to any station as a "normal listener" at this point. So to overcome that challenge I stay humble and take moments to speak with listeners at events or over the phone. I have been including more perceptual questions on our music surveys, and providing more ways to connect to the listener for feedback.

6. Who are 3 people that you look/have looked to as mentors/leaders?

My ?rst mentor, not that he knew it, was Dave Foxx. When I started in radio, I understood producing, mixing and editing audio. But I wanted to REALLY learn the intricacies on how to do it for radio. Somehow I found his name online and started watching all his production and imaging tutorials. I grew up listening to z100 - so to know he was THE GUY doing all that production was very appealing. I recently emailed him for feedback on my website and was pleasantly surprised that he was impressed with my work.

Dave Conour is another radio guy I look up to and has become a friend. He is the PD for Life 102.5FM in Madison Wisconsin. He's been a part of Reach Radio for a while and he really led the charge in mentoring and helping me through the transition of moving to Program Director and changing the format. I couldn't have done it without him. Dave will always give his best for you and has tremendous experience and knowledge in radio. Plus I've never worked with anyone who can send a voice over request back faster than him.

Frankie Morea, PAR VP of Programming & GM for Positive Hits PER, is another radio guy I look up to. He is strong mentor on a personal level and professional level. After the format and songs were set straight, Frankie stepped in and helped form a plan of action to build cume and create awareness in the community. He is willing to have the hard and necessary conversations with you to make you a better programmer and better person. He is super approachable and always willing to help.

7. What do you believe is the single greatest factor in building audience share/cume?

Delivering on expectations and following that up with a connection to the listener. Whether that's through the DJ, a song that's played, events in the community or through the listener engagement team. You become more than a radio station to them. You become their biggest fan, a part of their life. Most people never expect a radio station to respond, so when you do, it brings value and puts a voice or face to the name of your station. Plus social media has opened so many more doors and ways to interact with the listeners. Building that bridge is important.

8. Most successful station promotion ever?

Following the format change I launched a Church Of The Week promotion. We are a Christian station, so we air daily bible readings. I gathered research on every church in our listening areas, then offered their Pastor to pre-record the daily bible readings that would air 5 times a day for 1 full week on the air. They were able to promote their church and service times at the end of the recording. In exchange for their time on air - we visited their church the Sunday before the recordings played on the radio. We were granted stage time to explain the promotion to the church, a booth in the lobby, and the ability to hand out promotional ?iers to the congregation on their way out. The promo ?iers had a picture of the Pastor and the exact times he would be on the radio for the week. This encouraged the church congregation, made their Pastor a star, created awareness to our core demographic, and most importantly - GOT PEOPLE TO LISTEN. We also opened up the promo opportunity for Head Masters of Christian Schools and in exchange we arranged a visit to their school during an event or morning assembly to speak to the kids. And had a digital promo ?ier emailed to the parents of every child giving the times the Head Master would be on the radio for the week. We saw tremendous efforts come from this promotion in the next several fundraisers.

9. What's the last book you read?

The Magic Strings Of Frankie Presto. Frankie Presto is a ?ctional character who is the greatest guitarist to ever walk the earth through the musical landscape of the 20th Century. It's cool how they tie him in with the rockstars of that time. The Voice Of Music is the narrator and Frankie Presto is Music's most beloved disciple. Frankie Presto had a tough life as a war orphan and was raised by a blind music teacher. He was sent to America on the bottom of a boat and his only possession was a 6 string guitar. He has special talents and through his music, he can actually affect people's futures. The perspective of the Voice Of Music telling the story is very thought provoking and impactful. As a musician, I connected with the language of the book. And it reinforced the power of music and the affect it can have on people.

10. Radio 101....in 101 words or less, how would you guide/instruct/advise a radio programmer/air talent who wants to get better at their craft?

Follow your heart, try new things, and learn from other successful people. It's also important to not become romanced by the way "its always been." The listeners are the ones who decide what they consume and how they consume it. So ?gure out what they want and deliver that. Super serve your listeners any way you can. They make or break your station, so pay attention and listen to what they are saying.

1. You've got one last live break on air....and then the radio will go silent. What do you say?

Life doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be lived.

2. Do you have other professional interests?

I started by own production business called A Class Production. It started as an audio production business specializing in radio imaging, commercial production and audio editing for stations and podcasts. I recently expanded my services to match the other ?elds of audio that I have experience in. We now also provide audio for video, music production and live event sound services. From the studio to the stage, we do everything audio. You can check out my business and our services at www.aclassproduction.com