10 Questions with ... Heather DeLuca

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

• WYXR (Star 104.5)/Philly, PA - Producer "Between The Sheets" - 1997-1999,
• WYXR (Star 104.5)/Philly, PA - Assoc. Producer "Nancy Glass Morning Show" - 1999-2000,
• WKOE (106.3 The Shore)/Atlantic City - Night Host - 2000-2002
• WAYV/Atlantic City - Midday Host - 2002-2009
• WSJO (SoJO 104.9)/Atlantic City - APD/MD/Middays - 2009-present

1) What Got You Interested In Radio?

Music through and through...plus all I did was talk. I was always getting put in the corner in school for chatting. So I had to put my flare for the GAB, GAB, GAB to use...what else was I gonna do? LOL!

2) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?

When you're a jock in the Atlantic City market, you have such the unique opportunity to step into people's daily lives, and it's such a close-knit area that you really do get to KNOW them, watch their kids grow up, and become part of their family in a way, and vice versa. We can relate to our audience so closely because we're often shopping where they shop, and hanging where their hanging...it's a cool dynamic.

3) Is Arbitron's Personal People Meter (PPM) currently available in your market, or in a neighboring market? What are your thoughts on this new ratings technology?

The Atlantic City market is not currently being monitored through PPM technology which is unfortunate for a station like SoJO that spans several counties and also shows up in neighboring markets. I think PPM would show a better range of the strength of this station. I think the listeners who take part in PPM find the actual meter itself quite cumbersome. If it were me, I'd love the privilege to wear a PPM but I'm a radio geek. It's just one more gadget in a world of cell phones and iPods someone has to be responsible for keeping with them 24/7, so I question PPM's true power?

4) How do you position the station musically?

We walk the line between Top 40 and Hot AC so this is important for a station like SoJO given the market competition. Plus, music is changing and artists and songs that once could have never been considered Hot AC, are transitioning, so the station follows that lead.

5) What is the biggest misconception about your station?

I would say it's more of an underestimation rather than a misconception. SoJO is the only Atlantic City station that can carry listeners from their home/workplace in the upper most region of South Jersey straight down to the beaches and beyond.

6) How would you describe the music and imaging on your station?

"Friendly yet exciting, edgy yet congenial."

7) What research tools do you use to program your station?

Gut instinct, iTunes, requests, Billboard, whatever's going to give SoJO the best gauge for what our listeners want.

8) How is the relationship between programmer and record label changing? For better or worse?

I think because there's been such a blurring of lines between Top 40 and Hot AC, artists that may have been a slam dunk for an add in the past are finding it harder to find a home. The Gaga's and Black Eyed Peas of the world have become mainstream, and so I think the conversation between labels and programmer's become more of a dance...but I think it's a healthy dance because it usually means we're both passionate about the music we're discussing.

9) 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?

I'm constantly checking song progress...daily. Without the benefit of a consultant I have to be really thorough about which songs make the cut for adds on a weekly basis. Again, I'm using charts, downloads, gut, anything that speaks to me in saying "hey that song deserves a bump or more attention." I think mostly ya' just feel it.

10) What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?

Tapping into the short attention spans of listeners and becoming part of their mobile/social networking.

1) What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?

I'd say rock star, but I can't sing. My friends would find irony in the fact that I'd be in some area of Psychology...again the chatty issue.

2) What other stations and markets do you like to monitor?

WPLJ/New York, WPST/Trenton, WBMX/Boston, and WIOQ Philly among others.

3) Who do you consider your radio mentors?

My mentors include Christopher Knight, Bob Patrick, Paul Kelly, and Eric Johnson. I've been super lucky to have these amazing influences and to shadow some of the hardest working, humble, and talented guys in the Philly/AC markets.

4) Do you have any music scheduling tricks you've learned that you wish to share?

I like viewing each couple of songs as an example of what our station has to offer...to constantly keep a nice, say...five song balance of what SoJO is all about and the variety we provide our listeners.

5) Besides your own, what format would you like to program and why?

I'd like to try an Oldies format. I'm such a sucker for the classics!