10 Questions with ... RJ Curtis

1. AI voice jocks and ChatGPT have become huge topics of conversation in our industry lately and then, wham-o, here comes CRS with a panel on that very topic! How are you able to be that nimble when most conferences lock in their panel topics months in advance?

Over the years we've learned that a lot can happen between the original planning for our agenda in June, and CRS, which in this case, is nine months later. At the rate technology is evolving and the business is changing, that's an eternity. So we always keep a "hot topic" placeholder on the agenda grid as we continue planning.

Our agenda chair and co-chair -- Joey Tack and Brent Michaels -- have done a great job of communicating with each other all year, as well as our Director of Agenda Content, Sheree Latham.

The AI story has been percolating for a while, but seems to be reaching critical mass right now. We knew it couldn't wait 'til CRS '24, and we also realize CRS is the first large industry gathering of the year and we have a responsibility to bring that discussion to CRS attendees as soon as possible.

It was a bit of a scramble with last-minute calls and many discussions on how to create an opportunity for all attendees to feel informed and able to participate, and I'm proud that we were able to pull this off.

2. What was behind the decision to re-brand the first day's "Streaming Summit" into the "Digital Music Summit" this year, and how has that programming day evolved beyond the name change?

This was initiated by a conversation Tim Foisset and I had after CRS last year, when Tim succeeded Annie Ortmeier as agenda lead for the Monday tract for CRS '23. We both felt that, long-term, a focus on streaming was too narrow and did not give that day an opportunity to grow. We felt re-branding as "Digital Music Summit" suggested a broader curriculum, and I think Tim, along with Emily Cohen from Amazon and Beville Dunkerley, have achieved that objective.

I should add that we also pivoted towards the AI topic on Monday (3/13), with inclusion of that subject on the 3 p.m. [session,] "Web3, NFTs, AI, and the Metaverse: Beyond The Hype." I sat in on the pre-CRS panel call, and I think this will be a fascinating session.

3. CRS' focus on mental health is so admirable, especially in this time where it is finally starting to be addressed and de-stigmatized more. You have three different sessions focused on wellness and mental health, and a partnership with Music Health Alliance where they can show off the important work they do and let radio people know it's available to them. In the past you have offered free Cleveland Clinic health screenings and free hearing tests, a remarkable service. Long setup to this question, but what has been the thought process behind expanding CRS beyond the educational and fun aspects into actual wellness? (Life/life vs. work life)

We've spent the past five years addressing the mental health piece, and I'm proud of this. My predecessor, Bill Mayne, originally booked Miles Adcox from Onsite as a speaker, and he was an instant classic for CRS attendees. We brought Miles back in 2020, and this year he returns with a custom talk for CRS called "Human School."

We've all read and heard about higher levels of anxiety -- not just in the broadcast and music industry, but everywhere else, too, especially since 2020 -- and this has been exacerbated with so many reductions in force, and layoffs in our industry. We have a few serious conditions challenging our industry professionals right now. The remaining staff at radio is being asked to take on more responsibility than ever before, and their mental health is suffering. Some have had benefits reduced or eliminated, and this compromises their health care needs. Others are in financial peril. That's why, between Miles' talk, the "High Functioning Anxiety" session, and our two resource exhibitors: Music Health Alliance and Broadcasters Foundation Of America, we hope to give attendees some help.

A lot of people in radio have no idea Music Health Alliance is equipped and ready to provide support beyond just the music industry. And most aren't even aware the Broadcasters Foundation of America -- which provides financial support for those who qualify -- even exists. We feel a responsibility to educate our industry so they can thrive not just professionally, but also personally.

4. There are several short-form, 25-minute Ted Talk-like sessions on the agenda this year. Why add these? Are people's attention spans getting shorter, or was it a matter of having topics to cover that didn't require a full panel of speakers. (Or both?)

A bit of both. We do see attention spans getting shorter, and we have tried to design sessions that give attendees a 30-minute burst of concise, actionable information. Some sessions can be covered efficiently in 30 minutes. And shorter sessions allow us to cover more topics over three days. That's always been the frustration with building an agenda plan: so many good ideas are presented by our agenda committee, and previously, there wasn't enough time in the day to do it. I think we'll see more of this in the future.

5. You and your staff have been working without an office these last several months, yet didn't miss a beat. How has the experience been of managing a work from home (WFH) team in the ramp-up to a major event? And is this working out, or are there plans to find office space again in the future?

Eliminating an office has been kind of a grand experiment for us, and it's working very well. We've basically been a WFH dynamic since March of 2020 -- the only person who came in every day was me. My team does exceptionally well with this structure.

We're an experienced crew when it comes to CRS. Chasity Crouch has more than 20 CRS events under her belt. So does Sheree Latham. Ashley Bourque and Brooke Sanders are going on 10 years. We've studied the benefits and downsides of WFH and, for us, it's all been positive. We're actually more focused and efficient. Travel time is not a thing anymore, and we can call or Zoom at any time.

We meet as a group at least once a week, and because we're a close-knit group, when we see each other in person, there's a sense of reunion and joy, which creates a totally positive, upbeat atmosphere during our in-person meetings. I think the year we planned a virtual CRS in 2021 was a training ground for this, and I don't see us ever going back to an office.

6. One of the questions we get asked the most is why CRS is a month later than usual this year, and why it's on a Monday-Wednesday schedule. Will it revert to its more typical February schedule going forward, and can you reveal the 2024 dates?

It's a simple matter of logistics with the Omni Nashville Hotel. Our typical February dates weren't available in 2023, nor was a Wednesday-Friday cycle. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming in '24 and '25. In fact, save the date! CRS '24 will be Wednesday, February 28th through Friday, March 1st (2024 is a leap year).

Another added challenge for 2023: March 13-15 is in the middle of spring break for many school systems locally. That made booking "Acoustic Alley" hard, yet we're still offering a very strong roster of songwriters.

7. How many CRS' is this year's for you personally, as an attendee? And can you share a couple of your best memories from the event? Maybe one funny story and one impactful one?

My first CRS was 1985, so this makes my 38th, which I can't believe I'm even saying, to be honest. There are so many memories. In 1990, Garth Brooks played an unforgettable luncheon and debuted "Friends In Low Places." His live performance was mind-blowing. It was an epiphany for programmers and game changing for our entire format.

The 1994 New Faces Show, with Tim McGraw singing "Don't Take The Girl," was unforgettable and probably the biggest crowd reaction I've ever seen at New Faces, and it made his career.

Randy Owen's challenge to Country radio in 1989, imploring them to use their audience loyalty to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. That launched the "Country Cares" radiothon program, which has since raised more than $800 million.

The 2001 Bridge Bar incident -- need I say more? And, in 2002, Blake Shelton's New Faces video intro, which lampooned that incident. That video triggered a decade-long run of some creative videos at New Faces that raised the bar for all artists playing the show.

8. This is your fifth CRS as an organizer, including one really great virtual one. What have you learned about the job in those five years that you wish you knew going in?

I've learned a lot about the hotel and hospitality business, and it's fascinating. I had event planning experience from my time in radio, and I had no idea it would be so important in preparing me for this event as well as it did. But those were concert events. At CRS, we prepare three concert events a day, and that's the tip of the CRS iceberg.

Planning execution of a three-day agenda has been an education, and activating dozens of unique sponsorship packages was too. There a million pieces to this puzzle. Every single one is important, and they are all connected to one another.

I had no idea how much I would absolutely love this job and all the minutia that goes with it. It's satisfying to show up at CRS and know I was involved with, and had a hand in, the decision-making process for every single thing that happens at CRS.

But more than anything else, I've learned -- and fully embrace, by the way -- the tremendous responsibility we have to give our industry a powerful, impactful event where they can learn, discover new music, network, party and come together as a format. When that all works, there is no greater feeling, and we try as hard as we can to deliver that experience for our attendees.

9. Garth Brooks is keynoting again this year. He seems to have a special relationship with CRS. Can you share some of your favorite Garth-related CRS memories/anecdotes? And why do you believe he's always so supportive of CRS?

Garth has shown up at CRS since 1989, and goes out of his way to support us. From that luncheon in 1990, to making time when his career was exploding, he's shown up. Highlights for me have been the Bridgestone acoustic show in 2019, the small club show at Layla's on Lower Broadway a couple years earlier, and a morning Q&A session about 15 years ago when he surprised everyone by opening the curtain and playing a live, full band show. Incredible. He is a special artist, and a special person.

10. The New Faces show has seen so many future superstars on its stage. Do you have a personal favorite memory (or two) of seeing someone emerge on that stage and knowing in that moment that they were going to be huge?

I mentioned the Tim McGraw show in '94. And remember, also on the show that night were Faith Hill and Toby Keith. So memorable. Luke Combs in 2018. Of course Taylor Swift, who had really outgrown New Faces by the time she played it in '08, but wanted to play the show so badly. Eric Church and Miranda Lambert in 2007. The Chicks in '98 and, of course, Brooks & Dunn in 1992, and Keith Urban and Brad Paisley in 2000.

What is your typical post-CRS routine? Do you take a few days off and sleep? Go on a 500-mile bike ride? Curl up in the fetal position and mentally count the days until you have to do it all again?

We take a few days off but, honestly, we get together as a staff within a few days and debrief ourselves when the event is still fresh, in advance of a board debrief shortly after.

For me personally, once I get home the day after CRS, I get on my bike and get outside within minutes. This is alone time after being among everybody else in our business for a few days. The feeling of being outside on a quiet country back road is very therapeutic. I process a lot of things on the bike in general, but especially during those moments. For the next few days, I need a lot of solitude and quiet time, away from emails and texts as much as I can. But then I get excited about the next year and it's back to planning again.

Tell us three fun facts about RJ Curtis.

1. I've had a pet snake (ball python) named Julius for 33 years that we got when my three sons were still boys. Please don't judge.
2. I was a champion fencer in middle school.
3. Eight tattoos.