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10 Questions with ... Matt Cooper
May 12, 2023
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
In addition to his APD and afternoon hosting duties at SummitMedia Country WQNU (Q103.1) Louisville, KY, where he signed a three-year extension earlier this year, Matt Cooper also hosts afternoons on Hot AC sister stations WPYA (Mix 97.3) Birmingham, AL and WURV (103.3 Your Variety) Richmond, VA. With WQNU since 2020, he previously worked at Country WUBE Cincinnati, Hot AC WTMX Chicago, Top 40 WXSS and Hot AC WMYX Milwaukee, and Top 40 WZOK and Classic Rock WKGL Rockford, IL.
1. Describe your first radio job. How did it all start for you?
My first job/internship was at the old WYKT (105.5 The Kat) in Joliet/Kankakee, IL, small towns just south of Chicago where I grew up. I was brought in to cut up the morning show audio on Adobe, answer phones, and help produce a Sunday night Blues show. It certainly was an experience. I was only 21 at the time, and had no idea what I was doing. All I wanted to do was work in radio! To this day I can't say [say] thank you enough to Steve Touhy, Mike Tomano and Mike Saracini. These three guys really showed me the ropes, and I wouldn't be where I'm at in my career without them. I listened to everything they told me and learned so much.
2. How did you end up in your current position, and what are some of the bigger things you've accomplished at/with the station?
I think I ended up in Louisville by luck, LOL! I had just been let go in Cincinnati and not sure at all what was next. I started talking to Justin Case, Operations Manager for Summit/Wichita, and he got me set up with an interview with Beverlee [Brannigan], who was part of corporate at the time. A few positions were open in the company, and they recommended me to [OM] Cagle here at WQNU Louisville. The afternoon position/Assistant Program Director job just happened to be open. Not only did it sound like a good fit, but it was very close to where I was living in Cincinnati. Cagle brought me in and here I am!
It's been great! Not only do I love working at this station, but love this city. I'm responsible for the music logs and afternoons. Love working with everyone in our building. We have a great team! Cagle is great to work with!
I recently added afternoon shifts at WPYA/Birmingham and WURV/Richmond. It's been so fun being back in Hot AC. The majority of my career in radio has been in Top 40 and Country. I'm very grateful for this opportunity to be on these three stations. Twenty years later and I'm still living my childhood dream to be on the radio.
I'm very lucky to be under some great leadership in programming. I've learned so much from Cagle, Randy Chase, John Olsen, Dave Symonds, and now Tom Hanrahan.
3. Besides your station responsibilities, do you have any side hustles? Podcasts? Community and/or charity work?
For the last four years, I have been part of the Northern Kentucky/Louisville Walk to Defeat ALS. I've also worked with the Tunnel 2 Towers Foundation 5K race, and ran it for the first time last year. I'm hoping to do some more this summer with some other charities.
I'm also a ring announcer for wrestling/boxing. I've scaled back on that as I've gotten a little older. I have been asked about my availability this summer, and am excited to hopefully be part of some of the cooler events.
4. The biggest challenge for the radio industry right now is attracting a younger audience. How do we engage and create loyalty among Gen Z?
This is a good question, because we can go to so many different avenues. I feel like we really hammer social media a ton, but I'm going another route: music.
How are they consuming music? I don't know the answer, but I'm discovering in my conversations with them [that] they are discovering new music so fast through TikTok and other platforms like Spotify. Artists are constantly posting on Instagram, IG stories, and all socials about new music, or clips of new music. They can discover that so fast. And not just Gen Z. I'm 42, and every Friday I go right to my Spotify to listen for new music, or watch different IG stories during the week for music. I'm a huge heavy metal music fan, and discover new music each week on these platforms.
I talk to listeners all the time about music, and I always hear about new artists that we just added as much as I do about the core artists like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.
So, where is the balance in radio? Me personally, I'm all about getting that new music out. If you're a "New Country" station like we are in Louisville, then we need to be in front of new music. And I think we do a good job, and our company does a good job of that overall.
5. What are your thoughts on AI for radio and how it will impact the industry?
I really don't know the right answer to this right now. I still have to read more/research more and see where this goes. Will it impact radio? Good possibility! Will it impact other careers outside of radio? Good possibility. It's a wait and see situation, which depends largely on how it's used.
6. What are your thoughts on Country artists crossing over to Pop? How do we maintain ownership of our artists? Is it possible?
I think it's great! Artists like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, and I'll say Taylor Swift are as big as they get right now. The more people who know these artists and the great music they put out the better. You'll get some that dislike Country in Pop, and many in the Country world that dislike Pop. So, you'll just have to find that balance.
Think about all the people, though, that have so many different playlists on Spotify and Amazon in different genres. These artists are so big that, at the end of the day, the average music fan will more than likely listen to a song by them and not care what genre it is.
7. If you could have a partner on the air to do your show with you, anyone in the world? Who would it be and why?
Very tough to answer. I love a podcast called "83 Weeks." It's a wrestling podcast with Eric Bischoff. I think he has some of the best storytelling! It's not all just about wrestling. Listening to his show inspired me to talk about my personal life like he does. I feel so engaged every time I listen to this show, and always think, "Man it would be cool to host a show with him."
8. What is your dream on-air lineup for a show for your dream station?
I grew up listening to Howard Stern, so I would start with him. I still listen to him every week. I'm a huge fan of Jonathan Hood, a sports talk show host in Chicago. He's so good, funny, and relatable. HaZe works in St. Louis, and [is] one of the best jocks I have ever heard. I was very lucky to work with him in Milwaukee. I worked with Jesse Tack in Cincinnati, and he's really good. I also worked with Amanda Valentine in Cincinnati, and she's incredible with her fitness podcast that
I listen to. Jordan Rivers, our Production Director in Louisville, would be my Production Director. I can go with so many more people, but will start with them. LOL, I've worked with so many talented people.
9. What separates you, your show, and your station from your competition?
I can tell you with me I'm a complete open book. Nothing that goes on in my personal life is off the table. I always write notes in my phone about everyday life and certain things that happen to me. If I think the audience can relate to it, I'll talk about it. I can't tell you how many times somebody has come up to me to show me pictures of their cat because I am talking about our cat, or how many times I hear "Go Sox," because I'm a huge White Sox fan and always talk or post about going to games. We are all different people, but I think I can relate to anyone as good as any personality.
I do think our station is great with keeping up to date with new Country music, like I was talking about earlier. We are also great in the community, and usually all over town. I'm very proud of that. I think our app sounds great, and gives listeners reasons to come back and listen to it with our content and giveaways. Our Promotions Director, Maria, is so good with keeping our website up to date and helping with social posts.
I'll be honest, I don't pay much attention to the competition. I'm so focused on myself and our brand. I do my best to keep up with all platforms the best I can. Listeners have so many options to consume content with and outside of radio. My job is to continue to get better and continue to help make our station stand out on all platforms. I think I've done a good job, but still have a long way to go to be better.
10. What are your career aspirations? Dream job?
I still want to be an Operations Manager/Brand Manager someday. That would be the end game for me. If not, sports? I listen to a ton of sports radio/sports podcasts in my free time. I would also like to start my own podcast. I'm open to all of these. Either way, I'm very happy on where I'm at.
Bonus Questions
What do you think will be the song of the summer for Country radio? Have we heard it yet?
I'm going to go out of the box and say Conner Smith, "Creek Will Rise." I love this song. I can totally see Country music fans hanging outside this summer blasting that song. I also like Frank Ray, "Somebody Else's Whiskey." I'd go with either one of these songs.
Is there a new artist out there that is not on the radar that is blowing you away right now? Someone you think will make it big one day?
Keep an eye on Conner Sweet. I remember hearing "Times Like These" on my Spotify playlist a few years ago and couldn't stop listening to that song. He has some good music and a great voice. I'm interested to see where his career goes next.
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