10 Questions with ... Bryan "B-Dub" Washington

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Earlier this month, Bryan "B-Dub" Washington was named APD/MD/afternoons for iHeartMedia KWBL (The Bull)/Denver, which launched in December. B-Dub comes to Denver with an impressive resume, having spent the last year as PD/afternoons for iHeart Country sister KBEB/Sacramento. Prior to that, Washington served as APD/MD/afternoons at KMLE/Phoenix for just over a year, following six years with KUPL/Portland, where he handled music and on-air responsibilities. In addition to his duties at the radio station, Washington hosts the nationally syndicated weekly show, "Buckwild Saturday Night," which he created. All Access talked to Washington about the new Denver gig, and perspective on the Country format gained from multi-market experiences.

1. B-Dub, thanks for taking the time for 10 questions, and congrats on the new job in Denver. This opportunity came just inside of a year since your arrival in Sacramento. What made KWBL so appealing to you?

A direct flight to Nashville - a direct flight to anywhere! No connection [flight] is a beautiful thing. It's interesting; Sacramento was a great opportunity to get inside of iHeart and learn the systems. What made KWBL appealing - besides being able to work day-to-day with [iHeartMedia SVPP/West Division and Denver region] JoJo [Turnbeaugh] - was to be a part of a brand new launch, which is something I've never done in my career. It's one thing to be able to come out swinging and playing offense and be able to shape the expectation of the listener from day one, rather than having to re-shape what you want that expectation to be. The launch is, obviously, very important for the company. It's a big market for any company, being in the Top 20. Being a part of a brand new station was very appealing. And, the answer that will make everyone jealous, I'm within driving distance of a "real talk" with Scot Michaels outside of anytime Kenny Chesney is on tour.

2. You spent the last year as PD at KBEB and will handle an APD/MD role again in Denver. The year in Sacramento in a leadership role must have been a great experience. Will you miss sitting in the PD chair?

I thought I would, but, a title is just a title. Day-to-day, with JoJo being the SVP/Programming for not only the cluster, but the Denver region, he needed a strong number two on The Bull that could fill his role on days that he's out of the market. So, staffing up with someone that has PD experience, I can fill that role and understand the whys of what we do and be able to continue the mission at hand when he's out of the market, and even dealing with stuff inside the market. So, in a way, I'll have very similar responsibilities. Yes, I'll have an "Assistant" in front of the title, but when I was in Portland, I was probably one of the most empowered APD/MDs to make decisions on a daily basis. What I learned being an on-air PD in a large market; it's impossible to be a great on-air talent and to be a great programmer, because of all the things that you have to do with that left brain side of the job of PD. So, this opportunity will allow me to harness my strengths of being great on the air, writing impactful imaging, and enhancing relationships in Nashville, while continuing to develop that "other side" of the job, all while learning from one of the best Country programmers in America.

3. The last few years have been a whirlwind, and you've logged time at some great stations; KUPL and KMLE were well-established brands when you arrived. What can you take from those two gigs that's helpful in launching a startup station, especially one aiming to compete with another legendary brand, KYGO?

I learned from two completely different styles of programmers in Portland and in Phoenix; [Alpha Media EVP/Content] Scott [Mahalick] is one of the most creative minds in our industry. To be able to tap into that psychological side of radio - that creative side - from Scott, I learned great copy writing [and] connecting with the emotional side of the listener. Those are intangibles. Not everyone is able to do that - it's not something that can easily be taught. It's something that comes with time and experience. Countering that, I learned organization and planning from [Entercom/Phoenix VP/Programming] Tim Richards. From Scott, I learned the end result. With Tim, I learned more about the process of getting to that end result. And, when you combine those two philosophies, and those two styles of programming, I feel like that helps you become bulletproof - being able to focus on the end result while detailing and documenting the process along the way. You can't build a beautiful house without a blueprint. I've also learned a lot in the short time I've worked with [iHeartMedia Sacramento SVPP] Curtiss Johnson, on approaches to coaching talent. Curtiss' approach is very empowering toward talent, and even Programmers that work with him. I think the biggest thing that's going to support at least my role in the competitive battle in Denver, is to play nice in the sandbox; be nice to people, go out there and be respectful of your competitor, but kick their butt between the speakers, and be bigger and better than they are. You can still do that and be nice to people! It's a small business; you can be a great competitor and go out and beat someone up and down the airwaves, put that all aside at a neutral show, and enjoy the moment...over a cold beverage, of course.

4. What can you share about how The Bull will set out to create its own lane in the market? Not only is KYGO there, but [KWOF] The Wolf is there, too.

First of all, KYGO is one of those resume-making sets of call letters; they're a formidable competitor and a heritage brand. KWOF is also a stick that shouldn't be underestimated. As far KWBL, I think one of the things that we'll be [focusing on] is personality. It's all about what's coming out of the speakers - it's gotta be a great product. Yes, the music is important, but again, it's that intangible factor. You can't replicate "The Bobby Bones Show;" there's nothing like it in the industry, and it's definitely one of those shows that, the more you listen, the more you get pulled into it. You have to give it time, and it's not a show - and, Bobby will say this himself - that you're gonna fall in love with day one. But, the more you listen, the more you feel like they're one of your friends. I've witnessed that firsthand as a programmer. I feel like I'm coming into Denver being a P1 of "The Bobby Bones Show" and really knowing how to make it - even though it's not physically in the building when the show's airing - a part of the fabric of the radio station. You can tell that there's a personal friendship with Bobby and just about every artist in the format. I think that's going be a big thing that separates The Bull from other stations in the market. Then, there's this guy in afternoon drive [that] is maybe okay.

5. What is crucial when launching a station in a mature Country market, and what's most important when overseeing a mature brand that's head-to-head with ANOTHER legendary brand like KMLE v. KNIX in Phoenix?

I would use the analogy, "You can't make a diamond overnight." It's time, it's a little bit of pressure. But, the biggest thing is time, staying the course, knowing what the mission is at hand, and proceeding day-in and day-out of this is what our goal here is to do. Obviously, that mission is one that has been established with what The Bull is achieving in the market place, so it's just staying the course. I would say that, in Portland, you've got KUPL and KWJJ that have been on the air basically within a few months of each other - they're both the same age. That brand battle has been very back and forth. You had KUPL and KWJJ, both heritage brands, KWJJ rebranded The Wolf, so they played offense. Then, when KUPL rebranded to "The Bull" in 2013, that transitioned to where it was a new station and a new brand, so we got to play offense a little bit. With KMLE and KNIX in Phoenix, KNIX has been on the air for 50 years, and KMLE has been on the air since the late 80s. So, you have two established brands... Are you playing offense vs. defense? I think you're playing defense while trying to create a good offense game plan, whereas with this situation in Denver, it's all about offense, because it's going to take a while to develop those P1s you need to even have anything to defend.

6. Another thing that probably helps you is having programmed and lived in multiple markets. Obviously, it's very early to talk about Denver Country fans, but did you find many nuances between Country listeners in Portland, Phoenix, and Sacramento?

There's definitely some uniqueness. Obviously, you've got the core superstars, and there are different musical tastes, I think, that vary market to market. At the end of the day, people are people. It's about being the best version of yourself. Phoenix was the most active market I've ever worked with, in terms of going from being a brand new jock on a station to being a well-recognized talent very quickly there. I think part of it had to do with "Buck Wild Saturday Night," which is still on at KMLE. It had been on for over a year before I got there, so I had a little bit of familiarity going to that market. Whereas with Sacramento, I had never been on in Sacramento before, so it was a different situation.

7. Where is the format musically right now, in your view? Are we in an up or down cycle? Does Country have a defined, signature sound, and do we need one? Is traditional Country making a slight resurgence?

It's market to market, because you see some markets where the Country station is leading the market and some where it's struggling. It all depends on the landscape of the market, and I think that's something that we need to look at as a format. I think overall, there's a lot of good music coming out in the next few months. But, here's the reason I think we've been in a down cycle the latter part of last year: You had Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood - and, I think maybe Jason Aldean towards the end of it - that did not have new music on the radio. There was no current single from Luke from "Fast" up until "Light It Up" came out, and from Blake until "I'll Name The Dogs." They went almost six months in between a peaking single. Luke, Blake, and Carrie are arguably the faces of the format right now, and we still don't have a single from [Carrie]. You're always gonna have the "saving Country music dot com" crowd that will never realize that Country music doesn't need saving - Country music evolves, Rock evolves, all kinds of music revolve to reflect what the influences are around it, and around the people writing the songs. I don't know that [Country music] is swinging back [towards Traditional-sounding], while there has been a resurgence of those sounds, again, the constant evolution of the music cycle; I think the format is at its strongest when you have a diverse sound, when it's not all the same. You go back when Florida Georgia Line first broke with "Cruise," and that's what really ignited the format to go really white hot for a long time. But, I think any format gets the sound-alikes, when people start writing songs that sound like that to kind of ride the coat tails off what's big in the moment. I think that's just human nature.

8. In the past five years or so, the most stable demo for Country, really, has been 18-34, with the rank among 25-54 dropping. Are millennials Country's new "money demo," and is Country music in a sustainable position with that generation?

The core of the format has always been that 25-34 year old female, at least since I've been in it. If you win that hyper target, you're going to be successful in all demos. I think that's the biggest thing; we can't please everybody - we're not tacos. You have to know your audience and know exactly who you're talking to. Then, it expands from there.

9. Aside from the music, you have a strong belief in the between-songs 'show biz" aspect of radio. Is Country radio good at this part? What can it do better to make itself a more consistent choice, when music consumers have so many more choices available now?

We could be a lot better at this as a format, and as an industry. I think you can be creative sounding - you can be larger-than-life sounding - and still have forward momentum up the ramp of a song. There's a way to accomplish both. You want it to sound fun! If you have to tell people you're fun - if you have to say it - you ain't it. It's that subconscious connection; it's gotta sound good. But, you also want to remain focused on the one thing: what your brand is all about. At the same time, [there are] those intangibles, and I don't think there are a lot of stations - in any format - that are mastering that right now. I think we've done it to ourselves, as an industry. The talent pool is very shallow right now, anyone that's posted a job opening in the last couple of years can tell you that. There [are] creative people all over this country; it's just that we haven't targeted those creatives to come into radio. We've gotta tap into that next generation. We have to teach; that's something we have to do if we want to tap into the next generation of radio superstars, and now media superstars, going forward.

10. You also have a weekend syndicated show that runs in a lot of markets called "Buckwild Saturday Night" that will continue with your move to Denver. Tell us about that show - is it similar to what Denver Country fans can expect on your afternoon show at The Bull?

We're in about 50 to 60 markets, and I'm proud of that, because we started from the ground up. We've gotten to that number without any corporate cram-downs or mandates. It has just been sold on the merit of the show. I'm proud of the fact that - with the exception of a format flip - we haven't lost one affiliate due to the quality of the show. Every affiliate that has signed on to the show has been on and stayed on, because I make it a point to really make that show as personal and make myself as accessible to every affiliate, where when they need something, I've got it to them within 24 hours. Every affiliate has my cell phone number and can text me anytime. It's full transparency. What separates "Buckwild" is that - to my knowledge - we're the only truly-live syndicated product on Saturday nights in the format. About 90% of the time, I'm in the studio as that's going over the air, and I think that makes a difference. What Bobby [Bones] does is absolutely amazing; he clearly doesn't get that much sleep, because there are when I'm listening thinking, "Wow, this is sounding great," and he'll share that he's in Los Angeles doing something work related, and you wouldn't even have known it. The schedule that he has, I don't know how anyone could keep up with that! [Denver listeners can expect that] energy wise, my afternoon show will be the same [as "Buckwild Saturday Night."] With Saturday night, it's more of a passive audience - people are getting ready to go out, or they're in their car, they're at a party. I guess they're in their car when I'm on in the afternoon, too, but it's a little bit of a difference. Their mindset is different - they're fried - so, get them home with their hit songs and personality up the ramps. Whereas Saturday, that's where I can craft more of the long form content, to where I can take what would be a 20 second break in afternoon drive, I can make that a minute to a minute and a half and kinda stop down a record for 20 to 30 seconds if it's worthy of it and break some "rules."