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10 Questions with ... Steve Williams
April 27, 2009
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NAME:Steve WilliamsTITLE:APD/Marketing & Promotions Dir.STATION:WVFJMARKET:AtlantaCOMPANY:Provident BroadcastingBORN:Birmingham, AL on July 27, 1965 (They tore down the hospital after I was born; I am trying not to take that personally.)RAISED:Savannah, GA
Brief Career Synopsis:
WEAS-A (Gospel 900)/Savannah, GA, WSGA-A/Savannah, Z102/Savannah, GA, I-95/Savannah, GA, PD for WBMQ/Savannah, GA, Nights at WKZL/Greensboro-Winston-Salem, APD/Nights at 95SX/Charleston, SC, Mornings at Z102/Tuscaloosa, Q101/Meridian, MS (Top 40), programming/mornings 100.5 The Fox/Saginaw, MI, Market Director of Marketing and Promotions for Clear Channel/Savannah, GA, and for Entercom/Greenville, SC, programmed Entercom 98.7 The Zone/Greensboro, PD/Marketing Dir./Mornings at The Sound & Mix 97.7/Myrtle Beach, SC, and WVFJ/Atlanta
1) What was your first job in the industry? Did you have any mentors early on?
My first radio job was at WEAS (Gospel 900) in a small plywood building in Savannah, GA in 1981. I ran the Sunday morning programs and got to play music and "jock" in between. I loved playing Amy Grant and the Imperials because it drove the old ladies who listened insane! "Stop playin' that rock 'n' roll!" I also had a super hero character called "Bible Man" that quoted scripture to save the day.
My first mentor was (and sometimes is) Mark Thompson from the "Mark & Brian Morning Show" in LA. We worked at a little AM station in Savannah together. He did mornings and I did overnights while I was in high school. Mark would have me call him to wake him up at 5:45 and then again at 5:55 for his 6:00 a.m. show. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met.
Steve Godofsky (Entercom Sr. Regional VP) was my mentor when I first started in marketing and promotions in Savannah. He is a gold mine of ideas and one of the best guys for which you could ever hope to work: always fair, honest and willing to listen and help.
2) You're on Sunday evenings, yes? Do you do anything special as prep?
I occasionally do Sunday evenings. Prep is so amazingly abundant! I look at ajc.com, artist websites, Play MPE for interview clips and Twitter. I love to share with listeners what artists are tweeting about.
3) What has been your favorite feature/spoof/promotion in the past year at your station?
I just love "J93.3 Valentine's for Kids." That is a promotion that grows exponentially every year. Seeing the foster kids and orphans when they get their Valentines bags is powerful, to see their faces when they are looking at all of those expressions of Christian love from people that they do not even know.
We did a pretty big video "Battle of the Praise Bands" with a local church and Six Flags Over Georgia and it was great! In the end, the winning band's church (Edenfield) received a $10,000 sound system. It was especially cool because the churches (and their mother churches in some cases) really became brand evangelists for the event and by extension, the radio station.
4) Who is your favorite on-air personality NOT at your station?
Wally on WAY-FM. I wish every station in CCM radio had a Wally or a whole staff of Wallys. I was a fan of his when he did afternoons on Radio Disney as "Zippy" of the "Just Plain Mark & Zippy Show." I think he has a gift for being entertaining and can be entertaining regardless of what format he is in. That is vital.
5) What does Christian radio need to do to break through to a mass audience on a more consistent basis?
Focus on doing excellent radio. Radio is not about the music. It's what happens when the music is not playing that defines a station. The music is like a campfire that we all gather around, a common interest, but if the conversation around the campfire is not interesting or entertaining, listeners (Christian or not) will go find another campfire. We need to be good enough for non-Christians to want to tune us in because of how much they enjoy listening. We compete with EVERY other radio station in the market, and that means that if we are not engaging listeners with a healthy mix of laughter, tears, warmth and concern, they will find another button on their radio that will.
Also, do not be afraid of the judgment of some Christian listeners. I think that fear holds back many radio stations from taking chances and growing. We of all people should not be afraid of making mistakes. Anything different will be resisted by a certain segment of your core listeners, especially in our format.
6) What are the greatest challenges in your position/job?
Our staff is much smaller than it was when I started, so we are all doing more now. That is just a sign of the times. The biggest challenge for me is remembering when something goes well and we knock a promotion out of the park, God gets the glory, not the radio station. Sometimes I catch myself trying to give our station the credit, but it ain't us. It's him.
7) And what are the greatest rewards in your position/job?
The greatest reward for me is hearing someone say that they just found out about the radio station. Or even better is overhearing someone talking to a friend about the station. I heard a woman at my daughter's birthday party (she did not know where I worked) telling a friend, "I just started listening to that 93.3 station. They play a lot of 'Christiany' music but they play some really good stuff too!" That was a fantastic reality check for me. I always want to be programming and targeting that woman and her friends. One selfish reward is getting to do what I love! It doesn't get any better than that!
8) If you were just starting in radio today, and you knew what you know now, would you continue forward?
Yes, I genuinely love this business. There are plenty of people who will say it's on the way out. It has been "on the way out" since the advent of television. The OM at Entercom/Greensboro (another mentor) used to always say, "Man, thank God for radio. Thank God! What would we all do without it?" That is how I feel. I love it. People who love it will continue to grow it. It is still the second most pervasive medium on the planet, and great local timely content is all it takes to keep it going.
9) If you could have any other job outside radio, what would it be?
Advertising and graphic design. I actually designed the logos for three stations while working at Entercom (including Magic 98.9/Greenville) and designed the logo for "The Sound" in Myrtle Beach.
10) What causes/organizations are close to your heart these days?
The American Heart Association is REALLY close to my heart. I am planning to run the Atlanta Heart Walk this year. But the cause that I am most passionate about is using the power of radio to help fulfill the Great Commission.
Bonus Questions
1) Do you read everything or nothing? Do you have any favorite magazines, books, newspapers?
I read Advertising Age, ajc.com and lots of non-fiction. My wife and daughter keep trying to convince me to read a novel. I guess I will take them up on that.
2) What music is in your CD player/on your iPod right now?
U2. I love the way they have been able to reach the world with songs about Christ and the Christian walk. They are truly excellent and truly Christian.
3) Cat or dog person?
Dog. I have a beagle. Want to learn patience? Get a beagle.
4) Describe your favorite meal.
I am really a beer and pizza guy. Being surrounded by friends around a table full of pepperoni pizza is the best!
5) What is your favorite quote?
"You have to bring some funk to get some. You just can't walk in a place and expect to get some funk. If you ain't bring no funk, then you can't get no funk. Another thing is, you can't fake the funk or your nose will grow." - Bootsy Collins
Or more recently: "Stop helping God across the street like a little old lady." - U2 from "No Line On The Horizon"
6) If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you and why?
A huge crate of Starbucks Sun-Dried Sidamo, a fly rod and my iPhone so I can "tweet." (Does this desert island have 3G?)
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