10 Questions with ... Bruce Logan

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Logan completed five years as VP/Programming at Entercom/CBS Radio Houston in December. In that position, he oversaw Country KILT and Adult Hits KKHH. He previously was VP/Programming for iHeartRadio in the Carolinas from 1996-2013, with oversight of Country stations WSSL and WESC Greenville, SC; WTQR Greensboro, NC; and WKKT Charlotte, NC; as well as working as National Brand Country Coordinator for iHeartRadio.

1. What initially drew you to radio as a career, and is that initial appeal still there for you?

I have literally only done one day of manual labor in my entire life. I helped a family friend seal a blacktop parking lot. It was horrible. At the end of that day I swore I would never "work another day in my life." And thanks to radio, I haven't.

It's been said if you do something you love, it isn't work, and I have found that to be true. Radio combines my loves of music, coaching extremely talented people, and not sweating into a sustainable and thrilling career.

2. You recently appeared on "The Hidden Demo" panel at Country Radio Seminar, which focused on getting younger listeners to tune in to radio. In your view, what two or three things can radio be doing (that it isn't doing a good job with currently) to appeal to those younger demos?

Outreach! We have all become so focused on our target demos that we aren't recruiting the next set of people who will be in the demo. Combine this targeted focus with shrinking resources and you just run out of time/energy/money before you can do the old school things of being everywhere "the people" are.

3. What did you learn from Hurricane Harvey about what radio can do and be for a community like Houston?

Houston floods. It just does. So the city is used to it. But in a matter of a couple of hours it went from the typical "streets are flooded" to "this has become a dangerous event." The storm stalled over the city and it rained, and rained, and rained. Market Pres. Sarah Frazier and I, as well as the other PDs in the cluster, decided to put together one simulcast on all of our properties. We called on all available personalities and assembled a really great lineup of talent and went wall-to-wall coverage.

When you are announcing an immediate evacuation of an area because a levy just broke, and there are thousands of gallons of water about to flood a neighborhood, you realize that we could be saving lives. To this day we still run into people who say we were their only voice in the darkness and we helped them protect their family and belongings.

Going wall-to-wall on five radio stations was a gutsy and expensive decision. I salute Sarah Frazier for making that commitment to the community. It was the right thing to do. I'm so proud of our entire team for being ready willing and able to step outside their comfort zone and really make a difference in people's lives.

4. While you've worked in lots of formats, what has been the best part of specializing in Country throughout your career?

Country truly is unlike any other format. The relationship with the audience is very deep. They welcome your station into their homes and it becomes a member of their family.

And, of course, the relationship with the artists is unlike any other format. In what other format will you get a call from a superstar act asking how their song is researching or taking you to task for not playing their new single enough? The flip side has also been the many nice calls when I exited KILT-FM from artists encouraging me and just checking to make sure I was OK.

The Country format is a family, and I am proud to be one of the dysfunctional members.

5. What is your ideal next gig? Do you plan on sticking with radio? What else in the industry interests you?

My ideal next gig is going to be something that excites me. I've worked in the largest markets. I've worked in small markets. (Shout out to WMPI/Scottsburg, IN!) I've held national programming duties at the largest companies in broadcasting.

I know I'm happiest when I feel like I'm making a difference at the stations/company I worked with, helping other talented people achieve their goals and reach new heights in their careers. That's what I want to do again: Work somewhere where I feel like I have a voice in making things happen.

I am open to all kinds of jobs in the industry. I've had conversations in and out of the format. I've talked to other businesses in the same general orbit of radio but not necessarily broadcasting. I'm in no hurry. But when I do take a job you can bet it's something I am super excited about, because I don't just want "another job in radio." I want THE right job that is going to fulfill me in more areas than just a huge set of call letters and/or a paycheck.

6. What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay motivated while you search for that next great gig? And how are you occupying your time, other than looking for a job?

Maintaining a positive mental attitude is so important. I'm fortunate that my other half of almost 20 years keeps me pretty grounded. He's great at knowing when I'm having a down moment, or when I need to get out of the house and burn some energy.

I've been doing things I always said I didn't have time to do. I love to cook, so that's been fun. Because I love to cook and eat, I've been trying to go to the gym more.

We've also been traveling quite a bit. We have a spa vacation scheduled soon. I am an avid University of Kentucky basketball fan, and I've used this break to actually use my season tickets instead of giving them to friends or selling them.

Binge watching Netflix has been awesome! I wish I could get paid for that, because I'm really good at it. "The Ted Bundy Tapes," "YOU," "Sex Education," as well as the Fyre Festival and Quincy Jones documentaries have been recent favorites.

7. Some people get discouraged by - or enlightened by - the business when they actually step out of it for a while. Tell us your observations from the outside. Any new insights gleaned from a few months of listening to radio as a listener rather than as a programmer?

I feel like I've been on a radio detox. Aside from the listening projects I've been asked to complete for various markets, I have totally tuned out. I have spent my listening time with non-terrestrial outlets.

The oddest thing has been unfamiliar music. When I listen to outside markets, I often hear new songs and think to myself, "Who is that," only to check and realize it's a new song from a familiar artist that's already inside the top 30. When I get back in, I'm going to make sure we are doing a good job identifying new music so the casual listener isn't left behind.

8. What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings? Any advice for fellow job seekers?

Work your contacts! Stay connected with people. You can't just sit on the couch and wait for the phone to ring.

Recently, a really great job became available. On the Saturday before it was officially announced, I'd received four phone calls from friends who wanted me to know about it.

It's true you really do find out who your friends are at times like these. Those friendships will not be forgotten.

9. What's the craziest/boldest/coolest thing you've ever done to get a job?

I once offered to work for free! The great Buddy Scott was in charge of hiring for the vacant PD position at WSSL/Greenville in 1995. I really wanted the job. He told me I wasn't qualified, so I offered to work for free just to get my foot in the door until he could hire someone. He politely told me to go away.

A year later, the person he hired for that position didn't work out and he called to ask if I'd be interested in talking about it. I accepted the job and it truly was THE job that launched my career. It also afforded me the opportunity to repeatedly tell Buddy he had been wrong before and he wasted a year of his time with that other PD. Buddy and I had lots of great laughs about it.

10. Tell us Five Fun Facts about Bruce Logan.

• I love all kinds of music! Elton John, Matchbox 20, P!nk, Robbie Williams, Queen, Prince, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars are my favorite non-country artists.
• I may have a touch of "healthy OCD." I can't stand clutter or things that are out of order.
• I love to cook, and I'm not bad at it. I often get requests from friends to come over for "Bruce Spaghetti."
• I crashed Keith Urban's stage on a dare. Then he wouldn't let me leave, even as his security was coming after me.
• I've been programming radio stations at the highest possible level for 25+ years, and my mom is still wondering what my "back-up plan" is.