10 Questions with ... Brett Holcomb

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I began my career at 91.5 WDBK Blackwood, NJ in 1997 as a DJ and then became Program Director. In 2000, I worked at WRTI-FM as a sports/news reporter, and did overnights playing jazz. Also in 2000, I started at SportsRadio 610 WIP-AM (now SportsRadio 94 WIP FM) as an intern and then got hired as a producer, remote producer, and, eventually, onsite producer for Wing Bowl and Executive Producer for the Philadelphia Eagles pregame show. I had a mix show on Sirius channel the Beat (now BPM), with Steve “Mr. Mig” Migliore. In 2005 I was hired as the Operations Manager/Program Director for Z88.9 WBZC in Pemberton, which I flipped the format from a Triple A format to Top 40/Dance Hybrid. In 2014 I was hired by Zero 2 Fifty, an EDM independent promotions company as Director of Radio Promotions. Also in 2014, I was hired by the University of Florida to oversee the Multimedia Properties installation of their new automation systems. Eventually in 2015 I was offered the position of Operation Manager at WRUF-AM/FM.

1. Okay, the usual first question: What made you decide to go into radio in the first place? Why radio?

I am a diehard Philadelphia sports fan and could not get enough sports in my life. While in college (I made college a career), I would read 4 newspapers a day, to keep up with everything going on. It was during that time, I discovered Sports Talk Radio, specifically SportsRadio 610 WIP. I was hooked and got my friends hooked. The more I listened, the more I kept telling myself: I could do this. I mean, what could be better than talking sports for 4 hours a day, making pretty good money, talking to professional athletes, and going to games for free? Sign me up!

Why radio? At the time, there were no real local sports TV stations, and I loved hearing the passion of the hosts and fans on the air.

2. Your former radio station, WBZC in Pemberton, New Jersey, has gone all-online; what are your thoughts on that move? Does being on the broadcast dial mean anything to college-age would-be radio people anymore? What, if anything, will students at RCBC lose in this move?

Honestly, I am not happy. The station has been staple in the community for years, however, it never got the recognition it deserved from the college. Having the FM signal helps the students that are going through the program, with their resumes and opens more opportunities to partner with various entities in the community.

Does being on the broadcast dial mean anything to college-age would-be radio people anymore? Absolutely. When we put GHQ FM (University of Florida WUFT-HD3) on the FM translator, the students that were training were so excited. Anyone can do a podcast or something online, but not everyone gets the opportunity to say they were on the air. I view streaming as just another platform.

What will students at RCBC lose in this move? Again, I think it will hurt their resumes, but more importantly, the students have the feeling of how cool it is to be on the airwaves.

3. You've worked in both sports and music radio, but let's focus on the sports side here: Having worked at WIP and now at ESPN Gainesville, what to your ear are the hallmarks of a good sports radio station? Is it better when caller-driven or interview-driven? How much non-sports banter is the right mix?

Passion. This, by far, is the most critical. Tapping into the emotions of the listeners keeps them craving for more. A great example in Philly is any week the Eagles played the Cowboys. It was one of the easiest weeks for our hosts, but it was the best. The station would feed on Eagles fans' hatred of the Cowboys, which turned into thousands showing up for the pregame show outside the stadium.

Is it better when caller-driven or interview-driven? Caller-driven, without question. It’s nice to sprinkle in some interviews to get some insight, but hearing from the fans makes things pop. Yeah, there are always some bad calls, but turning then in to banter between hosts and/or callers is priceless.

How much non-sports banter is the right mix? It depends on the season you are in. Since our demo is primarily men 25-54, my former PD Tom Bigby’s philosophy was that the station was more about guy talk. We were a sports station, but we were encouraged to talk about what guys talk about. Two great examples were WIP’s Glen Macnow’s Movie Club for Men, where he would give the listeners a guy movie to watch and then next week, they would talk about it. The other was Mike Missanelli’s Field of 64, where he would use different topics like food, movies, models, and music groups, then let the callers pick who would win each bracket. The only time that it was bad, is when it got too political.

4. Speaking of balance, you're at a station that's not only in a big college football town, but it's owned by the college. So, how much Gator football talk is there on the local shows -- how hard is it, if it is hard, to talk on the local shows about anything else? Or is Gator football the year-round Only Topic That Works?

Gator football is the bread and butter of the station. In season for basketball or baseball we do get calls talking those sports, but football is a year-round topic. It’s the one similarity to Philadelphia.

When we rebranded the station a couple years ago to go on the FM translator, we created a topic priority list, with Gator football at the top. College football fans are really into recruiting, so that becomes a big topic around signing days. Our hosts do talk NFL, MLB, NBA, and some NHL, since we are a Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate. In Florida, hockey has a fan base that is building.

5. Who have been your inspirations, influences, and mentors in the business?

There are so many that helped me along the way.

I am a huge Howard Stern fan, and he, in my opinion is genius. I have always tried to mold my interview style to his. Everyone asks the same questions, but his interviews made you know who he is interviewing. I don’t know how many times he would interview a celebrity that I was not fond of, but after interview was done I had a different perspective of them.

The other influences and mentors were my former hosts when I was a rookie. Glen Macnow, Anthony Gargano, Jody MacDonald, Mike Missanelli, Howard Eskin, and the late Steve Fredericks.

6. How do your stations use social media? How important are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat in your operation? And who handles that stuff for the stations?

Social media is so important, it’s an extension of our brand and keeps our listeners interacting with the station all the time. We just purchased a video camera, specifically for Facebook Live. This will give our audience an inside look at to what goes on in the studio. Our management team decided, when we built our new studio, that it had to be multimedia friendly. It’s crazy how many monitors we have on the walls in the studio.

We primarily use Facebook and Twitter. We are using Instagram a little. It is important to have an active social media. It helps sell the station, but more importantly keeps our listeners engaged. We have received national attention from some our tweets. This past fall, we tweeted a reenactment of the final play from the Florida-Tennessee football game that someone created using the old Tecmo Bowl football video game, which went viral. ESPN, along with Yahoo! Sports, did articles on the tweet. We also partnered with Futuri to build our current mobile apps, for all our commercial properties. Their “Post” platform has been a fantastic tool for us, that allows us to post interviews directly to our website and social media accounts.

Who handles that stuff for the stations? Right now, it’s a collective of staff members and students. We built a social media desk in our studio, that students help our hosts with our social media accounts. This semester, we are increasing our capabilities.

7. Of what are you most proud?

I always love hearing from listeners, what the station I was programming at the time, means to them and when people that I went to school with come up to me and are jealous of where I worked. The thing I am most proud of is watching my former students go on to big things. Seeing them as beat writers, TV personalities and programmers always puts a smile on my face. When I was younger, I didn’t want to be a teacher, like my father. Fortunately, his influence rubbed off on me.

8. 'Fess up: What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

The most embarrassing is in my youth when I didn’t know any better, I was a Cowboys fan. I have to blame Mike Benn and Chris Barnes for that, when I was in elementary school. Let’s try to keep this quiet.

9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________.

...Dunkin Donuts Coffee! I don’t know anyone in this business that could do this without it

10. What's the most important lesson you've learned in your career?

Network! Getting your name out there is the most important thing you can do. Introducing yourself to the movers and shakers in this business is how you are going to grow. It’s not just asking for a friend request on Facebook, but it’s getting to know them, them getting to know you and talking shop. You never know when that contact you made could make an impact on your life.