10 Questions with ... Christa Williams

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Christa Williams is a longtime industry vet with a diverse background that includes radio promotions, magazine publication, online country music content creation, radio special production, and more. Williams is also the wife of radio and records pro Paul Williams, who has partnered with his wife on multiple projects throughout the years. Recently, Christa Williams stepped up to the plate to help combat the problems caused by the ongoing questions surrounding a lack of females on Country radio airwaves with the creation of her online streaming station, She. The all-female Country streaming channel is playing everything from Patsy Cline to Carrie Underwood and Trisha Yearwood to Maggie Rose. With legends, current superstars, up-and-comers, and unsigned artists all living in perfect female harmony on She, Williams sat down with All Access to discuss the origins of the station, what she hopes the future holds for She, and why she felt she was the right person to take on this challenge.

1. Christa, thank you for taking time to answer "10 Questions" for All Access! You have so much going on in your life right now with the launch of She, but let's take a step back for a moment. How did you first get in to radio, and what career path did you follow to get to a place where you are running Country Content and launching a streaming station?

In college, I interned at a radio station in Atlantic City. I don't remember the call letters, and I was only there for a brief period of time, but I was the shark. You know, like their mascot was a shark, and I would show up and be the one who got in the shark costume and walked around the mall or wherever the remote was that day. One of my girlfriends, Susan, had worked as Z100 in New York over the Summer, and when she came back, she called me. Susan said, "You know, I have a friend who is working at The Eagle in Philly, right? Do you want to work for him?" Of course, I said yes! I went to work for The Eagle in Philadelphia and was on the promotion team there. I met [my husband, Reviver Entertainment Group VP/Marketing] Paul [Williams] there. Honestly, after that, I was on the promotion staff and the only people there were Paul and Dave, who had hired me. I knew they weren't going anywhere, so I'd have to find something else to do. I knew I couldn't be a promo person for the rest of my life, so I exited the radio world at that point. I went to work at Philadelphia Magazine, I worked in insurance, and then when I had kids, I decided to be a stay-at-home mom. I was always on the fringes of radio, because of Paul. He worked at Universal Studios when we were in Florida, and he worked with radio stations. Then, when we were in Dallas, I was in radio as the radio spouse while Paul was Program Director. When my son went to school, Paul and I started our website, Country Content. That has blossomed in to a really cool little niche thing that we do. We offer takeovers, liners, content, and 60s and 30s. All of that kind of stuff.

2. How did the concept for She come about, and why was it important to you?

Paul and I were having a conversation one day, and I was like, "You know, this whole 'Women In Radio' thing...somebody in radio should really do something about it." We had been chewing on it for a while, and we had been talking about it, and finally decided that we could probably find a way to make it happen and make it something larger than just a one-hour segment or something like that.

3. Was She designed to be a part of your Country Content site, or was it always going to be a stand-alone product?

It was always something completely different and on its own. Paul and I teamed up and talked about it, and it was never going to be part of Country Content. We really felt this was relevant and real, and once we figured out that we could bring it to fruition and that it was doable, we knew we had to do it. Country Content is still Country Content, but She is very much her own thing. She is strong and proud, and it was always going to be She all by herself.

4. What makes She special? How does the platform differ from a terrestrial radio station playlist?

We wanted to create a platform where Abby Anderson can play next to Carrie Underwood. There are so many ridiculously talented women out there that don't get a chance on mainstream radio. That's really where it all came from. Every PD will tell you that there is only so much room on their playlist. There are the A artists, the B artists, and the C artists; if there is no room right now for a B artist, then guess what? There's definitely no room for an artist that nobody knows. So, we wanted to help with that. The movement that's currently happening with the light being shined on women and this issue and how hard it is for them to move forward and get things done made She make sense. Someone needed to do it, and why not me? Me. I'm a woman, living in the suburbs of Nashville. I'm a mom of two kids. She can do it...yes, She can!

5. You've only recently launched She, but knowing you, there are already big plans for things coming down the road with this station. You mentioned to me that you hope to begin incorporating female jocks - She-Jays - soon, as well, correct?

In our dreams, we see She-Fest, She-Palooza...we see all of that, and if we can make that happen, it will be fantastic. We have She-Jays coming! For anyone who is, what you might call, "On The Beach," it's a way for females in particular to guest host or She-Jay or do whatever they can to keep their toes in the water. And, maybe they can use it as a place to show potential employers that they are still very much in it and working and doing great radio. I want it to be a place that holds every woman up - no just artist, but jocks and PDs and everyone. I think it'll be an entire She universe.

6. So, this station is about more than just female artists, right? You're hoping to create an environment for female air talent and programmers to blossom as well, is that correct?

I know that there are opportunities out there for everyone, and I don't believe that anyone is intentionally out there saying, "Oh, I'm definitely going to hire guys over girls." I like to think that's not happening. But, I think it's hard for women everywhere, in any industry. Honestly, it's difficult everywhere; it's not just radio, and it's not just records, it's women everywhere. If we could make it better for women everywhere - or anywhere - I'm all for it. Women make the world go 'round. I think behind every strong person is a female that is supporting them and lifting them up. And, hopefully behind some of these women are strong men saying, "You go, girl!" I don't think it should be men versus women. I'd like to think that we can and should raise everyone up. We should be able to shine a light on someone of any gender and say, "Hey, you're doing a great job." I hate that this is what it is and where we are, but I hope that She becomes something that helps shine that light and bring some equal time and equal opportunities. I wanted a spot where women can come and shine like they are supposed to. I wanted somewhere that women could feel free to be as strong as they want to be. We will be She, but with a little bit of attitude. We'll be strong, and we will fight our way to the top. It always feels like a fight, and I wish it weren't that way, but it is. If you'd have told me a year ago that I'd be creating a radio station, I'd have told you that you were crazy. "That's not me!" It's one of those things that was just something I felt like I had to do, and the timing was right. Everyone is talking about it in radio, but nobody is doing anything. So, why not me?

7. With She, you are banking on the power of female music, and you believe strongly in women's abilities across the board. Do you think women are still under-valued in many careers - not just radio and records - and if so, what do you want people to know about a woman's ability to handle the pressures of multi-tasking?

If we could take over the world with She, we would. But, I don't want the guys to be angry, either. Men are a huge part of the musical landscape, and I know that there are a lot of young, up-and-coming male artists that aren't getting time or attention from mainstream radio, either. Maybe I should start a He, too! I know there are some amazing men out there fighting the same fight that the women are out there fighting. I know that. But, I still think it is harder for women to fight that fight right now, because I still think there are a lot of people who look at me and say, "Oh, you're just a mom." Or, "You're just Paul's wife." And, I'm okay with being those things! But, I also want you to know that I am "She," and hear me roar! Women are specially created; we can be great wives and mothers while also being really great at a career or in leadership. We can multi-task, and we can do it all really well all at the same time. I can cook dinner and help with homework and be on a conference call all at the same time. I'm hoping that She catches on and makes people take notice. I hope someone somewhere thinks, "Wow, that's a really great idea!" Whether it's terrestrial radio or XM, or if it's an HD channel or just my streaming channel...I just want to get She out there. We're here playing Dixie Chicks or stuff we haven't heard in forever on terrestrial radio.

8. You've mentioned wanting this to be a warm and welcoming place for all women, but how are you finding music to play? Are you digging through archives, working from what's being sent by major labels, finding new artists online, or a mix of all of the above? How do you schedule your music - is it similar to working with a terrestrial station's logs?

All of the above! The power of social media is really amazing. Once we said out loud that She was a thing, we had friends calling saying they knew women living in Nashville trying to make it in the industry. Paul and I have music meetings, and we will sit and listen to anything we are sent. How do I know what passes my test? There's no quantifiable anything - I just feel it, and if we like it, we play it. We also wanted to play legendary artists like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, because those legendary artists might be "new" to someone who is just discovering Country music via some younger, newcomer artists. So, maybe they don't know the older music, and we can mix that in to help them discover something they didn't know about before. We've got Lorrie Morgan and Linda Ronstadt and Anne Murray and Pam Tillis. We wanted to have classic and legendary artists next to the big-name mainstream artists like Miranda [Lambert], Carrie [Underwood], Maren Morris, and Kacey Musgraves. But, then we also wanted to be able to play new artists or unsigned artists or Americana artists and have someone like Erin Enderlin played next to someone with a marquee name. I equate it to being similar to the Jack format - we're going to play what we want to play. I don't want to exclude anyone in the Country format. We do have categories like a terrestrial station. If you looked at a log, you'd see a Gold category, and Currents versus Recurrents. In that sense, both of our backgrounds are in radio, so that is the way we know how to put our fingers on what we are playing. We'll have songs in rotation, too. The things we have in Power will be similar to the things you're hearing in Power on terrestrial stations. We want to balance the old with the new, and the known with the unknown. Some of the classics will be so new to people that they might not even realize they existed. No one that I know of in terrestrial radio is playing Patsy Cline, outside of maybe a true Classic Country station.

9. You've also tapped veteran radio programmer and voice over artist Sue Wilson as the imaging voice for She. How did you develop the station's personality, and what do you hope listeners hear when they tune in to She?

We just want it to a soft place for women to fall that also helps women feel strong and mighty. In the beginning, we just wanted She to have imaging that mentioned the word "She." We threw out those song titles as our sweepers and used them in our imaging for the first couple of weeks. Then, once we added Sue [Wilson], it took a different turn. Sue did the imaging, and we started adding some production to it. Our imaging is very much based around "She is..." statements. "She is a super hero." We want it to be strong, and we want it to have some grit and oomph. There's so much about this station that is strong, and we don't want it to sound fluffy; it needs an attitude and some sass. This station is a Country station with attitude, that just happens to be playing all-female music. And, you know what? There are so many female artists out there with attitude, and it's fantastic! Sometimes their attitude and personality can get lost if they go through the system in order to become "radio friendly." I hate that. Let's just have great music that reflects that artist's attitude and personality. There is so much great music out there, and I want to make sure that we are holding each other up and giving each other a space to shine.

10. She is currently being carried on the TuneIn app and online, but you've stated you would make the format available for terrestrial stations, as well. Do you hope that this becomes a syndicated programming initiative, a new kind of format, or something all together different from either of those options?

In the future, and in the dream, yes, we would love to see where it goes. If someone approaches us and wants She for overnights or nights, we'll figure it out. It's going to be something we want to make happen, but it will be something we have to figure out. We won't be specifically programming for a station - it will still be She. It will always be She, and it will be She-branded. But, we want to make sure it's available to anyone who want to use it or hear it or play it. In the future, the possibilities are endless, we hope!

Bonus question! You're playing some of the best music from multiple generations of well-known - and up-and-coming - female Country artist on She. But, if you were to pick, who would you say is your personal all-time favorite female Country artist?

In my mind, you just can't beat Patsy Cline. I have so many memories of listening to her music with my dad, and it sometimes makes me emotional. Her voice is so distinctive, and I just love her music. I think she would have to be one of my all-time favorites, for sure.