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10 Questions with ... John Stolnis
November 26, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Worked at a tiny Delaware County station, WPWA, during college running the board for sporting events and local talk programs, first full-time job was with Beasley Broadcasting's NewsTalker WWDB-FM/AM in Philadelphia. Worked as a producer at WIP after the format flip at WWDB, as well as WEEU in Reading, PA as a news anchor, talk show host and producer, and as a disc jockey for Hot AC stations Mix 95.7 and 96.5 The Point. Was hired by Westwood One in Washington, DC in 2004 as the producer of the Jim Bohannon Show and news editor for NBC News Radio. Since coming to Westwood One, I've produced talk shows hosted by former Senator Fred Thompson and movie industry producer Doug Urbanski before moving over to news operations, first with NBC News Radio and then later the newly-created Westwood One News as an Executive Editor. Was promoted to News Manager of Westwood One News last spring.
1. Let's start with how and why you got into radio in the first place. You were a communications major; what led you to that discipline? Why radio?
When I was in high school, I thought I would be a sports writer. However, I started volunteering at the Elizabethtown College radio station (my alma mater) and fell in love with radio. It felt natural, and I enjoyed doing play-by-play for our college basketball and baseball teams, hosting music shows and going on the air and doing a bunch of nonsense. After that, the path was set, and so far, so good!
2. You've risen up the ranks to oversee a network radio news operation; in an age of increased competition from other media (and especially social media), how important is network radio news in 2019? What can you provide affiliates that they need to keep up with competitors?
Well, radio reaches more Americans than any other mass media, and network radio news is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle, as local stations become more reliant on national networks to provide their listeners with important information. Westwood One News Radio does that in a unique way. Being a non-branded network has really worked for us, because it establishes the local station as the brand. We've won a number of prestigious awards this year for our coverage, including from the New York International Radio Festival, Sigma Delta Chi journalism awards, National Headliner Awards, The Golden Mike Award four years running for Best News Reporting, and Deadline Club awards as well. As a result of the outstanding work done by our anchors, correspondents, and newsroom staff, we have over 900 affiliates across the country for whom we provide unique, customized content for local stations. We also make our correspondents available to them for regular live reports and interviews on the scene of breaking news stories, which gives all our stations a national reach. It's a very successful format that focuses on making the local affiliate the star, and we're excited about the future.
3. You've got a sort of dual career, with radio news on one hand and being a writer and podcaster on sports on the other. In particular, you've been covering the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles for years. First, how do you find the time to do all of that? Do you sleep?
Well, sleep is certainly elusive, but I'm blessed with a lower than normal threshold for rest, I think. My body tells me when I need to take a step back, and the important thing is, I listen! One of the other things that "helps" is that I have a long commute, usually about two hours each way. I take a commuter train and get a lot of my writing and podcast planning done during those times, although I certainly would prefer a shorter commute. When I'm off the clock, I probably spend more of my free time thinking about those two sports teams (which have gone out of their way to hurt all Philly sports fans this year) than I should, but with that kind of time to think and plan, it all seems to get done. Somehow!
4. Part of your sports coverage is being a podcast host. What's your outlook on podcasting -- has it reached mainstream status, will it be competition or complimentary (or both) for radio, is there room for more? What, personally, do you get from doing podcasts?
I think podcasting is mainstream, and the fact that radio networks are turning to podcasts as part of their overall strategy on audio shouldn't be lost on anyone. There are, of course, different ways of packaging podcasts, whether it's repurposing radio shows/segments that have already aired or coming up with original content, but it's clear there is a hunger for podcasts in the market. It's also clear that there are probably too many podcasts out there, and you have to search around to find the good stuff. But there will always be room for more; it's just going to be harder for people to find a niche that hasn't been tapped into yet. When I started doing my Phillies podcast Hittin' Season, it was during the 2015 season when no one was podcasting about the Phils, so I got in on the ground floor and established a brand, and that's helped me keep my head well above water since the arrival of many other Phillies podcasts.
The reason I started doing podcasts is because I had things to say and no outlet to say them. I knew my radio skills would allow me to do a good podcast, but initially, I just did it for fun. Thankfully, SB Nation has created a whole network of podcasts that has allowed us to monetize it, which is still the biggest stumbling block for most podcasters. Figuring out how to make money out of something in which you invest so much time and energy is really hard, and virtually impossible unless you're part of a larger network.
5. Gotta do this: with the 2019-2020 off season underway, and the Phillies coming off of a disappointing (to say the least) season and with a new manager, new hitting coach, same GM, and a lot of holes that free agency may or may not fill, are you optimistic about them in 2020, granting that we don't at this stage know what trades and signings are coming? Do you think they'll do what it takes to keep up with Washington and Atlanta (and, potentially, the Mets)?
I am a little more optimistic about 2020 now that Joe Girardi is in the fold. There's now someone who's been there and done that, and he's from an organization that knows what type of analytics to use and how. That's something the Phillies were missing last year. They had all this data coming in but didn't know which stuff to use and how to communicate it to the players. Also, the team will likely add some much needed starting pitching, probably another bat or two, and they should have some better injury luck this year. As to whether they can catch Washington and/or Atlanta, they actually had a winning record against the Braves last year, and Washington could lose two of its biggest stars, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg, in free agency. We'll know a lot more in a few months, but at the moment, I'm slightly optimistic.
6. You've produced a bunch of syndicated talk shows; what, in your estimation, makes for a good talk show? And a good talk host?
For me, a good talk show host should be two things: entertaining and intellectually honest. Obviously, you can't hold listeners if you're not entertaining. Being passionate and colorful and giving listeners something to think about or an opinion they've never heard before is a special skill that not everyone has. That's always No. 1. Be entertaining! But I also think a host should be intellectually honest, no matter what side of the political spectrum they are on. The best talk show hosts I've worked with were able to persuade and argue their side with well thought out facts. I also personally like it when a talk show host surprises me with their opinion. I like it when a host I think is going to say one thing about an issue comes at it from a completely different perspective. I find those types of hosts interesting and they hold my attention for longer.
7. Who have been your influences, mentors, and/or inspirations in the business?
Former radio and TV executive Chad Wilkinson is someone I consider a mentor. He hired me out of college at WWDB and recommended me for my job at Westwood One when he was the producer of the Lars Larson Show. I'll always be grateful to him for championing me as much as he has. I've worked for my bosses, Bart Tessler and Kevin DeLany, for 15 years, and they have been phenomenal and taught me a lot about how to be a professional in this business. They're also great with people, which is huge. As far as on-air influences, I grew up listening to WIP in Philadelphia, and so many of those hosts have influenced me along the way as far as what I think makes for interesting radio. We also have so many outstanding reporters and news anchors here at Westwood One whose work I marvel at on a daily basis as well. Just way too many to name!
8. Of what are you most proud?
I'm most proud of the people I've been able to mentor. In my position here, I've been the person who primarily trains new editors and, in some cases, I've been the one to introduce them to news radio. To watch some of our editors and newsroom managers develop their skills and become outstanding journalists and radio professionals has been incredibly rewarding. I'm also proud of the product we produce here at Westwood One News. We really do outstanding work here on a daily basis, and we've also fostered a newsroom where people work together and help each other out for the sake of the "team." It's really remarkable, and if I've played even a small role in helping to foster that kind of an environment, then I suppose I'm proud of that too.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without __________.
...prayer. My primary job in life is to be a Godly husband to my wife Amy and father to my three young boys, and I need wisdom that is beyond my own in order to do that. But I also need that wisdom to be manifest in my work life, along with healthy doses of empathy, conviction, and a desire to care about others. Being a good employee and boss is as much knowing the radio business and being a good journalist as knowing how to interact with all different kinds of people. I feel that if you're humble, hard-working and talented, you'll be a person that excels at your job and someone that other people want to work hard for.
10. What's the most important advice you've gotten in your career so far?
If you do what you love, it won't feel like work. That's not always true, of course, but most of the time, if you can enjoy going to work everyday and if at the end of the day you feel you've made a real contribution to the team, then you're doing things right and work won't feel like a grind.
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