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10 Questions with ... Ed Salamon
March 2, 2009
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NAME:Ed SalamonTITLE:Executive DirectorCOMPANY:Country Radio BroadcastersBORN:PittsburghRAISED:Pittsburgh
Please outline your career so far:
I started in radio at KDKA radio in my hometown of Pittsburgh doing publicity, promotion and sales research and became Music Director. Bill Catino and Frank DiLeo were among my first local promotion reps. I was hired as Program Director of Pittsburgh's Country station, WEEP and Country radio has been a part of my career ever since. A couple years later I was hired as Program Director of WHN, New York and was soon promoted to National Program Director of parent company Storer Radio. At one point I was acting General Manager of 10-Q in LA, where I hired Charlie Tuna and Jack Armstrong as well as Mike McVay as my PD. The Real Don Steele and MG Kelly were also on 10-Q's staff. No wonder we were able to finally beat KHJ in the Top 40 battle. I hired Charlie Cook to be acting PD of WHN while I was away. When Mutual Broadcasting bought WHN, I began producing network specials for them. In 1981 I formed the original United Stations with Dick Clark and others. United Stations bought the RKO Radio Network and merged with Transtar to form Unistar. CBS's Mel Karmazin bought Unistar and Westwood One and combined them, and I became President/Programming of Westwood One. In 2002, when my contract was up with Westwood One, I joined Country Radio Broadcasters (for which I had been a Agenda Committee and Board volunteer starting in 1976) as Executive Director. I was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2006.
1) As people read this, CRS will be just getting underway- how do you feel about this year's seminar? What kinds of panels, keynotes, music etc. are you most excited about?
This year, the CRB Board and Agenda Committee have made a substantial investment in the future of our industry by financing research about Country radio listeners and music consumers, as well as with Keynote Speaker Seth Godin. By engaging this Marketing guru to focus his talents on the Country radio and music businesses, CRS intends to provide strategy that will give Country an advantage.
CRB is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit educational organization.
2) What are some of the things that an average attendee takes home with them- and I know that may differ if someone is a radio programmer, an Account Executive, Publicist, or maybe a song plugger, but in general - what kinds of valuable things will they take away from CRS?
Every attendee leaves with greater knowledge and relationships.
Because of CRS, those in Country radio and in the Country music industry are more knowledgeable and have stronger relationships than their peers in other formats.
3) As Executive Director of the CRS, what is your role?
I am responsible for facilitating the vision of the CRB Board and I try to contribute to that vision. I was blessed with a long career in which Country radio was always central and so I appreciate the opportunity to help grow the format.
4) The CRS has been in business for 40-years, will it be around for another 40? How will it continue to evolve?
Radio historian Art Vuolo tells me that CRS has already been around longer than any other radio convention that ever existed. Hopefully, we will be smart enough to evolve as needed and at the same time to maintain the elements that have made us successful. I'm planning to attend the 80th.
5) What was the first year that you attended CRS? Do you remember some of those good ole parties at the airport, and what was it like back in those early days?
The first CRS I attended was CRS-5 at the Airport Hilton in 1974. There were less than 300 attendees and no parties. If anyone tried to go to the bar during sessions, they would be herded back into the meeting room. I was new to Country and invited to give a presentation about call out research, to which I attributed my success at WEEP in Pittsburgh, at that time the highest rated Country station in a top ten market. Jay Diamond of WKYQ in Paducah stood up and said "Son, if you don't know how to program by ear, you have no business in Country radio."
6) The CRS is organized by the CRB (Country Radio Broadcasters), and then there's an Agenda Committee- how does all of this work to put on an event like this?
Both the CRB Board of Directors and the CRS Agenda Committee contribute ideas for the presentations and use their connections to secure the very best presenters to fulfill their ideas. The Board also deals with greater issues such as policies and budgets. All Agenda Committee and Board members are volunteers and serve at their own expense. CRB depends on them.
7) About 10 years ago the CRS moved downtown from it's long-time home at the Opryland Hotel- do you see this event staying downtown? Why was that move made initially?
When we moved to Opryland in 1982, CRS had become too big for the Hyatt (now the Sheraton). During the time we were at Opryland that venue grew dramatically in size and holding CRS there became more problematic, especially for artist participation, as we shared the space with other conventions.
8) For many years people have given this seminar high marks- many GMs from multi-format clusters consider this the best of all seminars. What do you think sets CRS apart from other seminars?
Thank you for the compliment. CRS continues to fulfill its' original mission of "growth through sharing." Attendees return with knowledge and skills that they put to work on the Monday following CRS. This not only benefits their own careers, but their companies as well. The format specific information presented at CRS provides those in Country radio with an advantage over other formats.
9) In the last few years there's been a noticeable move to attract people from the Nashville music community to CRS - offering such things as day passes etc. Has that been successful so far?
For many years, about half of CRS attendees have been from radio and the other half from the music industry. This balance seems to work well and as a result, I think you'll find that the Country music industry has a better understanding of radio than other formats, and visa versa. There is a culture between Country radio and the music community that just doesn't exist elsewhere and many in both businesses credit the CRB and CRS for that.
10) It's no secret that a lot of companies won't even pay for their Program Directors to come to CRS anymore, let alone MD's or Promo Directors and other staff. How will you address that to get these people back- can you convince some of these companies that this is our seminar and we all need to work to keep this together?
I appreciate the many radio stations that send their staff members to CRS. However, when I began coming to CRS, most attendees were paying their own way and taking vacation time to attend. I still think that is smart. To be successful in radio, you have to continue to learn. Our business changes at a faster and faster rate. I believe attending CRS is the best way to get vital continuing education for anyone who doesn't want to be left behind.
Bonus Questions
1) Is it true there's a drink named after you at the Bridge Bar?
If there is, it would be a caffeine-free Diet Pepsi.
2) It says in your bio that you hired Jon Stewart from the Daily Show when you were at Westwood One- is that true? It would seem like he owes you- can't you get him down here to give the CRS Keynote?
Actually, that was one of my more creative talent deals. When I couldn't get Jon directly, I made a deal with Comedy Central to repurpose his material from their show. Jon doesn't owe me, nor does David Letterman, Jay Leno, Martha Stewart or any of the other talent whose shows I was responsible for at WW1.
That said, Dick Clark keynoted when we were partners in United Stations and Charles Osgood keynoted when he reported to me at WW1.
3) Why is there no Disco Party this year? I really enjoyed watching you dancing up a storm in that white leisure suit.
For accuracy's sake, it is a BLUE polyester leisure suit. I wore it every year to the disco party because it was very expensive back in the 70s when I bought it to wear at my first CRS, and I am still trying to amortize the cost.
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