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Best of 10 Questions... Hot/Mod/AC
December 14, 2021
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As part of our year-end special coverage, we look back at 2021 with the best answers to some of our best questions.
Ken Auge
PD/AM Drive
KSTZ (Star 102.9/Des Moines 1/19/21
In addition to programming Star, you also sit in the lead chair on the morning show. How do you balance your day with all of those responsibilities?It is certainly a big responsibility. I forced myself to get much better at organization and to make time for things other than the to-do list. You have to make time for the big picture. Honestly though, isn’t pretty much everyone living with more responsibilities? I can’t think of anyone that isn’t doing more than one thing.
Erin O’Malley
Middays
WWBX (Mix 104.1)/Boston 3/15/21
What’s something that you’ll take away from the pandemic that’s made you a better performer?It reinforced that what we do matters. I’ve always loved, and been so grateful for my career, but I felt the gravity of lifting spirits while watching people lose their jobs, and even beloved family members. It validated the importance of sharing heartwarming stories about things that tie us all together, even when we’re apart.
Jim Kelly
APD/MD/Afternoons
WRAL (Mix 101.5)/Raleigh 4/19/21
This is not the AC radio of ten years ago, or even 5 years ago. As the station’s music director, when it comes to putting a “current” on the station, what is the criteria these days?I feel like it is a moving target. Right now, we are being very cautious with adds due to the feeling of “we want familiar music” from our listeners. We don’t do weekly callout and only do a library test a couple of times a year. You hope you find some hidden gems in the library test that are up and coming that can sit on the back burner till you need to freshen things up. Beyond that, it is really a gut call. Over the years, you learn what will and will not work on the station and how far you can push the boundaries.
Mat Mitchell
PD
KSTP-F (KS95)/Minneapolis-St. Paul 5/3/21
Over the years the station has consistently been at or close to the top of the ratings. How is a programmer still able to put her or his stamp on a radio station in 2021?I think your brand has to have a “soul.” Understand the needs of your community, engage your biggest fans and never lose focus on creating new fans. Be resourceful and celebrate what your brand team does very well. If you were to remove the music from your brand, ask yourself what you really have? I’m not surprised to see the Spoken Word formats and podcast/on-demand audio thrive during the pandemic. People are social creatures and crave companionship, and I think programmers have an abundant amount of opportunity to reintroduce their brand, be unique, and solidify a bond as we continue progression through the pandemic.
Jim Lawson
PD
KOSI/Denver 7/12/21
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.”
Shellie Hart
Middays
KWRM (Warm 106.9)/Seattle 10/11/21
This week marks 9 years for you at WARM 106.9. Congrats! What do you still love about being able to go into the studio every day and make the magic happen?Radio is not a career for me, it’s a ‘calling’. It will ALWAYS be a part of who I am. As long as we have ‘local’ personalities, radio will have an edge.
Programmers are always looking for ‘content,’ when really listeners are looking for ‘companionship’ with people they can connect and engage with…and that’s where the ‘content’ comes from, that’s the magic.
Terry Foxx
PD
WLNK (The Mix 107.9)/Charlotte 10/18/21
You’ve had programming successes in multiple formats. What’s your take on the state of Hot AC in 2021?If I can be honest, I hear a lot of chatter, good and bad, about how Top 40 has infiltrated Hot AC. If you look at the charts, it can be justified. My philosophy is entirely different—I don’t worry about those things. I program my station to play the hits. It’s that simple. Hot AC is somewhat of a lifestyle that, to me, can’t be just defined by the music. Radio One has given me strategic research to identify and execute our market position here in Charlotte. Lastly, for me, if you know who your target audience is, you go for it. You stay in that lane.
Nikki Vivas
MD/Morning Co-Host
KZPT (99.7 The Point)/Kansas City 10/25/21
What’s it like for you to crack the mic every morning in your hometown?Honestly, it’s surreal. I remember being that kid on the school bus listening to my favorite morning show and now, I have my own morning show! I’ll never take for granted the fact I was able to start my career here in KC! What a blessing!
Melissa Chase
PD/Afternoons
KHMX (Mix 96.5)/Houston 11/22/21
In 1990, Guy Zapoleon basically invented the Hot AC format while at KHMX. What role, if any, does the station’s heritage play in the way that you program the station 31 years later?Guy Zapoleon is a master of music programming and his music cycle theory should be studied by every programmer. It is honestly a dream being able to guide the ship of KHMX, one of the most legendary music stations in radio history. I really try to stay true to Guy’s belief that we should be playing “all the hits” and not be just a “pure pop” station. Yes – we center on artists who fit that sound like Adele, Ed Sheeran and Olivia Rodrigo…but as he suggests, we have to let the format breathe a little too – or we’d be missing artists like Kid Laroi, Lil Nas X and Walker Hayes who have crossed over from Alternative, Hip Hop and Country.
Jayn
APD/MD/Afternoons
KLLC (Alice@ 97.3) San Francisco 12/6/21
What do you still love about being on the air every afternoon?You know that feeling of going to get a drink with that one best friend of yours who you love everything about? Who you want to call every five minutes to discuss every new story or to just talk about how much you love a certain song or meme? That’s how I feel every day from 3 – 7pm…hanging out and talking with my best friend. Sidenote; I only ever talk on the air to “you” - not “you guys.” It’s always just you and me.
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