10 Questions with ... Ashley Wilson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

A proud graduate of Appalachian State University, Ashley Wilson began her radio career in an administrative role, but quickly gravitated toward music and programming. She spent eight years with Curtis Media Country WMMY/Boone, NC, then jumped feet-first into programming, landing a gig at Beasley Country WKML/Fayetteville, NC, first handling social media and nights for the station, eventually rising to MD/middays. In 2016, Wilson made a significant market leap, from Fayetteville (129) to Jacksonville (46), when she joined WGNE as APD/MD. Just over a year later, in December of 2017, Wilson took on PD stripes for WNOE/New Orleans, where she remains. We talked with Wilson about mentors, programming in both Jacksonville and New Orleans, the overall state of Country music, and where the format's target is headed. Wilson has a strong ear for music, and an understanding of how to use data to make crucial programming decisions.

1. Thank you for taking the time to answer "10 Questions," Ashley! Let's start with your start; how did you get into radio and where was your first job?

I went to school at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, which has a great college radio station, and I met Dan Vallie there, who is very well-known in the radio industry. While I was very passionate about music at the time, I credit Dan for really creating a passion in me for radio. While I was in Boone, I worked for eight years for Curtis Media Group, which owns WQDR/Raleigh. Eventually, I realized that if I was gonna make the jump, I better do it, if I want to go anywhere with my career. So, I went to work for Beasley WKML/Fayetteville, NC, for about three years. Deano Severance was a great Program Director and really wanted to take a chance on me. He valued the opinion of a female, and I think that was very wise of him to recognize that he needed female input. I quickly became the MD, and did mornings for a little while, and eventually decided I wanted to be a Program Director. My next move was APD at WGNE/Jacksonville, then this opportunity came up to be PD at WNOE/New Orleans. I was very excited to jump into this position, even though it was in unknown territory to me. I knew it would be a major responsibility, but after four years of working in rated markets, I felt like I was ready.

2. How did you segue into music and eventually programming? Was it out of interest in that side of it, or did you - like so many other people - end up there because you were one of the most conscientious members of the air staff?

Once I realized how much of our industry works and how many people in our industry are chart-watchers and don't really dig into the resources available to them, I knew I needed to be a decision-maker. It was very frustrating to realize that our business was governed by people who weren't really making educated decisions about the music. I feel like, a lot of times, it didn't truly represent our core demo or our consumer. So, I wanted to make an impact - not just on my station, but in our format, as a whole - by making better decisions that were more representative of our demographic. One of the things that bothers me the most about the Country format is - if you look at the core demo - it's over 50% female, then you look at the number of female versus male Program Directors. Nothing against the guys -- and, this isn't a female versus male thing -- but, there needs to be a better representation of our core demo when it comes to programming decisions. I think that if you're a male Program Director, you really need to tap a female perspective when you make your decisions.

3. Can you talk about challenges you've faced, being a female PD/manager in a business that has mostly males in that chair, and how did you overcome them?

I don't think I necessarily faced challenges because I am a female; I think that it's more about the level of experience. When you're coming into the business as a 20-something year old kid, it's kind of hard to garner the respect of your superiors, because they think they know better than you. So, you have to demonstrate that you're capable of making good decisions - that your decisions are well-thought out, and that you've taken advantage of all the resources available to you. Many radio people are very passionate about music, but we can't just play what we're passionate about. You can favor something, or give somebody a hand-up if it's something that you feel strongly about, but in the end it's about the end user. You've got to do what's best for your radio station and what people want to hear. I had to prove that I was able to make decisions based upon data versus passion. I haven't run into any barriers being a female; that has not been an issue for me.

4. So, what advice could you offer to any younger people coming up and hoping to advance into a programming/leadership role?

I would say that you need to latch on to people that have the same level of passion as you do. If you find yourself in a situation where you're in a passionless environment, or if you're working for someone who is just going through the motions every day, then you need to identify other people in the industry that you can reach out to. For me, personally, I didn't have a one-on-one relationship with these people, but I quickly identified very good decision-makers within my business and studied their product thoroughly. I've mentioned both of their names before, and I'll tell you again: [the late] Lisa McKay [of WQDR] and [WFUS/Tampa PD] Cindy Spicer. I have obsessed over what both have done, and I have done my best to replicate their product. You need to find those people within the industry. Find people that do their job very well and study them thoroughly.

5. Since you bring up Lisa and Cindy, would you consider those ladies as your mentors? If not, who would you name?

I would say that I admired them from afar. I recognized their success, and I decided that it was something I wanted for myself and my stations, as well. I used them as role models. Dan has also been an integral part of my career. He was more of a mentor for me. Any time I hit him up, he responds to me. He is really invested in - not just me - but any of his protégées and their careers. There would be more people who are passionate at the level I'm at if we had more people like Dan that were cultivating us. He's invested in the long-term success of radio. This is a guy that is gonna have a tremendous impact even when he's not around anymore, because he's really cultivated that passion in people. There aren't many people who decide, "I'm going to retire and go to this university in the middle of nowhere and train up a bunch of 18-year-olds to run radio stations."

6. You made the move to New Orleans last year from Jacksonville. Talk about the two markets for a second; what's similar (if anything) and how are they different?

The big difference is that Jacksonville has a larger metro than New Orleans does, and the Country audience is within the metro; it's not in New Orleans. So, there are a lot of challenges in New Orleans as far as catering to the listenership goes. I'm not talking about the music we play; I'm talking about being on the streets and doing events. In Jacksonville, you could do something in the city, and people would come out. You can't do things in the city in New Orleans and expect people to come out. Our people live outside of New Orleans metro, so you have to work a lot harder to have those one-on-one interactions with listeners versus Jacksonville, where mostly everybody is there in the metro. It's a very strong Country market, and we have a lot of Country listeners in New Orleans, but they're on the outskirts.

7. You told me recently that New Orleans is not a huge Country concert destination, which surprised me. Why is that?

This is a city that is full of events. The demand for attention is very high here. There are so many different ways for you to spend your money in this city, which could explain why we don't have that many Country concerts. But, I have found that if you put New Orleans on your list of cities to visit, the expectation - on behalf of the artist and their team - is that a lot of people will travel in to see it. "Bayou Country Superfest" is a major success in this market, but we have people from all over the country, and even outside of the U.S., coming to that show, because they're gonna spend their weekend in New Orleans and end it with a Country show. This year, it was George Strait. And, Luke Bryan, Justin Moore, and Keith Urban are all in the market in 2018. But, last week, I went from thinking we'll only have three Country shows in this market this year to realizing we're going to have multiple Country shows in the next nine to 12 months. I think the interest in New Orleans as a Country market is growing. New Orleans is a weird place, okay? What I have found is that a lot of these record and management companies don't understand how this city works; you have to think a little more creatively if you're gonna do a show in New Orleans, because people are here - they'll come to your show - but you can't expect people to just show up, unless you're Luke Bryan or Keith Urban. If you're an up and coming Country artist, or even a b-level artist and you decide to book a show in New Orleans, my advice to you is to call Ashley Wilson at the radio station and get her advice.

8. Let's talk about music in a general context. What trends are you seeing right now? What's working best, and are there any sounds that seem to be emerging that you thinking may become a force for Country radio?

First and foremost, I want to say I love the diversity of our format. I think that because our format has become so diverse, we're able to pull listeners from the Pop and AC stations that wouldn't have listened to Country five or ten years ago. You'll hear people complain about how "Pop" Country has become, but I see it as a benefit, not a detractor. I will say that programmers need to be extremely involved with their playlists and the balance of it, because we don't wanna lose our identity as a Country station. As far as where the format is moving, that's tough to say, because I see so much diversity in my market, as far as the consumption goes - it's really all over the place. I think there's room for everything. We've really grown the 18-34 demo by allowing our format to become more diverse, but we also need to maintain the older demographic by continuing to play what is real Country music. But, some of those 50-year-old women love Thomas Rhett! I think you still need to play a little bit of everything. You need to reward your listeners' interest and pay attention to what they're consuming in your market.

9. Another standard question lately: Do you see Country radio's core moving younger? Can we still rely on a wide, 25-54 demo for your sales team to reach revenue goals?

That's a good question, but if you look at my most recent book, the increase is in the 18-34 demo. That's the direction that my station is going in. But I still maintain a lot of gold, and 90s country, which I think the younger demo likes more than some radio people would like to believe. I want to maintain my heritage audience while still running a youthful sounding station. I would never turn my head to any part of listenership because they are all important to maintaining and growing our brand.

10. What's your favorite song or artist that radio is missing the boat on right now, in your opinion? GO!

I wanna say Ashley McBryde. The reason I say that is because this girl is a Rock star. She is honest, she doesn't put on a front, she's real, and I think our audience craves people that are just like them. When I listen to Ashley McBryde, I have an emotional connection with what she's singing about, because I believe her. This isn't just some song that was shot to her from some publishing house - this girl is singing from her heart. The Country audience wants more of that real-life truthfulness - that brutal honesty. There is definitely more room for art on Country radio, and she's got it.