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10 Questions with ... Jim Lawson
July 12, 2021
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- On air at: WDEK/Dekalb, IL; WAZY/Lafayette, IN, WRXR/Chicago; WNUA/Chicago; WBBM-F (B96)/Chicago; WLUM (HOT102)/Milwaukee.
- APD/MD: KALC/Alice 105.9/Denver, KIMN (Mix 100)/Denver
- Program director: WVIC/Lansing, MI; KALC/Denver, KFMD/Denver, KOSI/Denver.
- I also spent 11 years as VP/Programming-Hispanic radio for Clear Channel/iHeart and then SVP/Programming for Colorado; Denver, Colorado Springs & Ft. Collins for iHeart.
- Joined KOSI 101.1 in January of 2018
1. How would you describe your first radio gig?
Low pay and I did everything asked of me, no matter what it was. I was on-air, worked fill-in for any shift, ran the public affairs shows, set up remotes, worked in the research department, changed light bulbs…seriously. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
2. What led you to a career in radio?
My high school and college had real over the air radio stations and complete academic programs taught by former radio people from Chicago radio and that’s when I caught the bug. My first on air gigs were in the Chicago suburbs at various stations and then I was able to parlay that into gigs at Chicago stations in various positions.
3. You’re closing in on an impressive 30 years in The Mile High City. What is it about the market that you love the most?
It’s hard to pin down “one” thing, but the lifestyle is probably at the top. It’s a very active and outdoor lifestyle all year long. The weather is amazing and you have the best of city life and the mountain life all year.
4. What did you learn about yourself as a programmer navigating the pandemic?
To be flexible and to pivot and change direction fast. The programming department never left the station during the pandemic, but we had to adjust to different ways of operating. For example, any two person shows had to be in different studios. Our engineering department was great in setting this up for all our stations. We also set up many cluster charity programs like food drives for the food bank, “Take Out Tuesday” for local restaurants, “Help Wanted Wednesday” for those looking for work, “Feel Good Friday” for our listeners, with only positive feel good content all day and “Prom At Home” with all of our sister Bonneville stations nationwide. In many ways programming during the pandemic was more challenging than before it.
5. No two AC stations are close to being the same these days. What are your thoughts on how current songs fit into the picture at KOSI?
KOSI has been on a multi-year evolution, like many AC’s. In AC, currents are used to keep the station relevant. It can be a Catch-22 though, as AC listeners crave familiar music. The key is what are those songs, and when do you add them? Luckily, Bonneville makes sure we have many tools at our disposal to figure out the lifecycle of songs that come to AC as well as where we fit in the market and the listeners mind each year. As most AC programmers know, that changes quickly, so you have to be able to adjust.
6. The station is consistently the cume leader in town. How do you keep them there once they get there?
Outside of the P1’s to AC, it’s a consensus format. The downside to that is the higher the cume, the lower the TSL. For us, keeping them is all about talent content and creating a powerful brand that not only provides the variety in music but the content that entertains and informs them and endears the listener to the talent. It also helps that we never stop marketing in some way, even during the pandemic. I’ve programmed many formats and AC is actually the toughest one. There are many coalitions of listeners and often they don’t agree. An AC PD friend of mine called me when I joined KOSI and said “Welcome to the toughest format. It’s the one other PD’s hate but the listeners love.”
7. “Local local local” has always been radio’s mantra and you’re known for being uber-involved with many charitable causes. How do you keep your station visible and involved in the community? Have you been getting back out there yet?
What is nice is that I am finally with a company where my personal values are aligned with the company’s. Bonneville is truly all about influencing the community for good and that is our first priority and then it’s profit. We do all we can to be involved in as many charitable causes as possible and to use the power of our brand for the good of the community. It’s not always about events though. We have many programs that may just be on-air and digital such as Strengthening Families, Just Serve, Teen Talk, and Suicide prevention.
8. What were your favorite stations growing up as a kid? Jock(s)?
I grew up in the Chicago area and was lucky to listen to so many great stations. WLS, WCFL, WLUP, WMET, and then later Z95, B96, Q101, WGCI and WCKG. I would say Larry Lujack, Tommy Edwards and Jeff Davis at WLS were my favorite jocks. Jeff Davis was the “mentor” at our high school radio station and taught us a lot. I’m still connected with him today. In addition, I was lucky enough to meet and spend time with John Gehron at the Conclave a couple of years ago and he had some great stories about his time programming WLS. The talent, the battles with WCFL and much more. He has a brilliant programming mind.
9. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
I’ve had many, but Buddy Scott when he was PD at B96 was the first person who called me when I sent him an air check and said I wasn’t ready for Chicago, but if I was willing he would take the time to critique me and get me ready. Dave Shakes molded me into my own personality as a talent and then noticed my interest in programming. He taught me a lot about it when I worked for him and then was the key reference for me in getting my first PD gig. Gregg Cassidy, who I worked for in Milwaukee was hired to put Alice 105.9 on the air in Denver and tapped me to be his APD/MD. I learned so much from him about creating “fun and irreverence” on the air so the listener would endear themselves to the brand. That was a great time because our owner at the time, Frank Wood, just said here is the name of the station…now go create a unique brand for Denver.
10. With your venue of choice at your disposal and an unlimited budget, which 3-5 acts would you pull together for a KOSI welcome back station event?
Well, of course I would choose the world famous Red Rocks Amphitheater. I would chose acts from each decade of music we play and mix up the genres.
80s – Bon Jovi; 90s – A Backstreet Boys/N’Sync reunion, 2000s – P!nk and from Today; Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran
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