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10 Questions with ... Brian Demay
May 19, 2008
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NAME:Brian DemayTITLE:PDSTATIONS:WTSS Star 102.5MARKET:BuffaloCOMPANY:EntercomBORN:Royal Oak, MichiganRAISED:RAISED: Northern Michigan (on the sandy beaches of Lake Huron).
Please outline your radio career so far:
2006 - Present WTSS PD/Webmaster/Afternoons
2002 - 2006 OM WBQB/WFVA, Fredericksburg/Greater DC Area
2000 - 2002 Cluster OM Clear Channel/Charlottesville, VA
1996 - 2000 PD/PM Drive WUMX/Charlottesville, VA
1990 - 1996 OM/AM Drive WCLR/WZLR/WPTW Dayton, OH
1988 - 1990 PD WMBN & WWPZ-A/Traverse City/Petoskey, MI
1982 - 1988 WDBI/Tawas City, MI - WMMI-A/Mt. Pleasant - WCHP AM & FM1) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
I visited my local radio station on a school trip and didn't want to leave. I was fascinated by the whole idea of it. The first chance I got, I worked for free covering a local election when I was 16, and then fell into a part-time overnight gig. That turned into full time by the time I graduated college.
2) What is your favorite part of the job?
I can't think of any other career that lets me listen to music, talk to people, go to fantastic shows, meet great musicians, and get paid for it.
3) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?
Buffalo is a fantastic radio market right on Lake Erie just minutes from Niagara Falls. The architecture here is second in the nation to only New York City and Chicago. From Frank Lloyd Wright to Fredrick Law Olmstead, it's here! We also have world class wineries, a vibrant arts community, great professional sports teams, and it takes less than 20 minutes to get anywhere you want to go with hardly any traffic. (In the DC area, where I came from, it takes 20 minutes to go one block!) Buffalo gets a bad rap from people who have never been here, but take it from me: the people who live in Buffalo stay in Buffalo. It's a great place to raise a family.
4) What is your biggest challenge working at this station?
Star 102.5 has done so well in our core demographic, that our competitors are actively trying to copy our ideas. It's a real battle on the street when the other stations are offering the world to get a client of ours away from us. Thankfully, our results speak for themselves.
5) Describe your weekly music meeting ... a) what is the process when you listen to new music? b) approximately how important by percentage is gut, research, sales, video play, and chart position when determining the status of a record?
The first thing we do is to listen to the songs we like. Star is more conservative with our adds than a lot of Hot AC's, so just because we like something doesn't mean we add it that week. But we get a pile of songs that we all agree on, and then we look at callout, to see how many titles need to be retired. From there we pick based on a combination of chart position, downloads, and research.
6) Tell us what music we would find on your iPod right now and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?
I started listening to "Little Voice" by Sara Bareilles last summer, and I really haven't stopped since. She's the real deal: a great writer, deeply personal lyrics, strong vocals, and some very funky piano playing. There isn't a track on that CD that I don't like, and for me, that's extremely rare.
7) Do you have any music scheduling tricks you've learned that you wish to share?
If you want to get a truly accurate projection of turnover rotation in the non-windows version of Selector, which includes gold recycling, here's how to do it:
- F7 to freshen
- Pick "from (date) at 6am" (or whenever your morning show starts)
- Tab down and choose "Block"
- Tab back up and choose "To (same date) at 11:59pm" (or whenever recycling starts)
It's important to make it only one day in the date range, and "block." If you're not doing this already, you'll be surprised how different this analysis is vs. the default Selector analysis. Set up your music rotations accordingly, and your listeners will thank you.
8) If you are wearing more hats this year than last, what area is suffering and how are you handling that?
With such an emphasis on digital, I find that I'm working on our Web Site and listener database an awful lot every day. That regrettably leaves me less time to coach my on-air talent. I still do regular airchecks, but not as often as I'd like. There are tapes on my desk that I really need to get to...
9) How much leeway do you give your jocks to talk between records?
There's a lot of freedom to be a personality here. I am lucky to work with a stable of talent that thinks like programmers, so the on-air discipline exhibited here is remarkable. A good radio person can tell you their life story in two minutes. If it takes you longer, you need to hone your craft.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
"Music - Marketing - Mornings." If the music isn't right, you won't win, no matter how good your talent is. If you don't have a sound marketing plan, you won't win. If your morning show isn't right, you won't win. It seems so simple, but a lot of stations still don't get that.
Bonus Questions
1) For someone vacationing in your market, what one thing would you say they "must see"?
Besides the Falls, you've got to get Buffalo wings at the Anchor Bar, and just walk around the downtown area and see The lake, City Hall, Shea's Performing Arts Center. It's an eye-opening experience how much history is here.
2) What do you do when you feel a song is not right for your station, but the initial reaction from the audience is very positive?
We play it! This happened recently, when "Sorry" by Buckcherry tested extremely well, even though my gut initially said it wasn't going to work. Never underestimate the power of a song in which a man apologizes to a woman.
3) Most interesting hire you've ever made?
At one of my stations very early on, I hired a local stand-up comic to be a morning co-host. On paper, it was inspired. In reality, it was just terrible. There's a huge difference between someone thinking they can do radio, and actually being good at it. Good radio people can often transition to a career in TV, and sometimes even comedy. With some notable exceptions, you don't see TV people becoming great radio personalities.
4) What do you do in your spare time?
Now that it's warm enough, I try to run with the dog every night (I'm a Jack Russell Terrier fan) visit vineyards with my wife, and chase my kids around the house the rest of the time.
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