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Colby Colb
June 25, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. There are some Throwback stations out there that are having some success, but long-term consistent success is still the Holy Grail for the format. A potential Jack brand (with a much cooler name) that encompasses classic Urban music is possible. There are other layers to that lasagna besides the music to make the format successful
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In music, there are artists who seem to come out of the blue and achieve massive success, and then there are artists who spend years building their popularity over the course of a number of releases and constant touring. Colby Colb's radio career is more like the latter route, rising from on-air talent to single-station programmer, to cluster OM, to his current post as VP/Programming for Radio One. And he has succeeded in each step of the way. Here, Colb describes what he has learned through the years and how he's using that experience to succeed in the current radio environment.
Your career path seems practically straightforward, from MD at Power 99 to PD at WPHI/Philadelphia, to OM in Cleveland, to VP/Programming. Was that your goal from the beginning?
That became the goal but initially I never envisioned myself being PD. I only decided to become a PD after the first time I got fired in radio. I felt in that moment, I had too much to offer but I wasn't in charge of making decisions that could be beneficial to the brand. I felt like I needed to be the leader, so if I make a decision that doesn't go well, it'll be all on me, but if I come up with a concept, a vision that I implement, I'm more in control of my fate. The only way to do that is be a PD. An on-air talent doesn't control that. I didn't control my own destiny at my first two stops in radio, someone else did, which is why I decided to be the PD at WPHI in Philly. After a few years in that role, for the next stage of my career, I wanted to oversee a cluster of stations, so I became an OM in Cleveland. Then I became VP/Programming, where I get to oversee a lot of radio stations and become part of the creative process in multiple markets.
After overseeing the programming of a cluster of stations in one market, did you change your strategies when overseeing the entire group's stations?
The mistake some people make in radio is to go total cookie cutter for everything so each market sounds the same. It's wrong to do one-size-fits-all. You have to understand the station's legacy and the local footprint it has built. You have to understand the things that make the city tick to ensure the station reflects that vibe. When I first get into a market, I drive around and listen to all the stations to figure out the best ways to get a feel for the city and the kind of stations we are competing against. Every city is different, as is every region in the country. I've spent the bulk of my career on the East Coast, then spent four years in the Midwest - and discovered a big difference. Now I oversee stations all over country. There is a checklist I go through: Does the station meet the criteria for that city? Does it have the right talent on the air? Does is have the right talent who speak the right language and reflect the vibe or the culture of that particular city? You only get those answers after spending time and cultivating the heart of each market.
Are you equally hands-on for all of your stations, or do you spend more time with those that aren't doing as well?
I never look at it like that. I first take a look at what each station's priorities are. Certain stations have a higher priority than other stations; it's not always solely based on ratings. If I'm working with a station that's struggling in its market, I work with the PD to come up with a checklist of things to do to maximize that brand's success. In many instances, in the course of a week I may spend a lot of time, strategizing with the PD. How much time I spend on a particular station or market depends on what the game plan is and how far along they are along in the process. Then I will make time to listen over several weeks to hear how things are going and send notes back to the PD and GM.
Do you look at Urban as a niche format like Rock or Alternative, or as a separate, mass-appeal format like Country?
I see mainstream Urban right now as a general-market format. You look at the national charts and the biggest streaming songs are Urban artists, which is reflected by how well the mainstream format is doing everywhere. Urban may have a niche core audience, but general-market audiences have an intense appetite for the music. It's evident at our events, which are Urban at roots but appeal to mass audiences. Cardi B, Drake, DJ Khaled, etc. all started at the Urban Mainstream format and now when they release music, it's usually a multi-format release. The Urban format is a much bigger platform now than it has ever been. There's so much happening in the Urban space that is driven by social media. Many artists are doing significant things outside of the music, which also helps make the format even bigger.
The current train of thought has the Doldrums phase hurting Top 40s because of the proliferation of extreme Hip-Hop hits and relative lack of pop hits. Has that benefited Urban radio?
Yes, for sure, mainly due to streaming. Hip-hop music has always been a universal genre and the consistent streaming data proves the insatiable appetite that people have for the music. You look at the streaming charts, and seven of the top 10 songs at this moment are by Urban artists. If you've been tracking streaming over the last few years, you'll a notice a trend where a lot of the consumers who love this music are not necessarily core Urban format listeners. Streaming reaches a wide swath of people who love of the music and artists.
How else has streaming impacted your job?
There are two ways to look at it. I'm glad we have access to data that tells us what people are streaming - and now having specific data for each market gives the best picture of what people want to hear. It has also been helpful in catching potential hits early; you see something building and can jump on it quickly with data to back you up. We now have multiple data sources to help us decide our playlist which keeps us consistently focused musically.
Does streaming burn your hits faster?
Yeah, the music is burning faster because it's being exposed on so many different platforms, but that doesn't change the mentality of playing the biggest hits as often as possible.
What's your take on the Throwback format ... a passing fancy, or can it turn into an Urban version of a Jack format?
There's an opportunity for it to succeed long term, but it has to be right music mix and have the right feel for the market it's in. There are some Throwback stations out there that are having some success, but long-term consistent success is still the Holy Grail for the format. A potential Jack brand (with a much cooler name) that encompasses classic Urban music is possible. There are other layers to that lasagna besides the music to make the format successful
What's your view of syndication and voicetracking ... the more, the merrier?
We have a syndication arm of the company that puts out great syndicated product for many of our stations - and they're utilized not just by our stations, but other groups' stations use our product, too. We do some voicetracking but try not to take a cookie-cutter approach. We have talent who voicetrack a couple different markets, but they really customize their shows for the stations they are on. It's not just voices in between songs; in some instances we set up request line access in other markets so a talent can include listeners.
You seem to be a big believer in podcasting. How much of that is repurposed, and how much should you invest in original programming?
I do a "Backstory" podcast, where I tell the history of artists by using segments of past interviews I did with them, thus creating a time stamp in their career. In addition to repurposing classic content, I also do current interviews with artists. Radio is the original podcaster; we've been doing this way before podcasting became a thing by taking our content and repurposing it online
From a radio perspective, we can use podcasting to grow the brands online and social media. Instead of rushing through an on-air interview, your talent can make a podcast out of it so those with a specific interest in the subject matter can have access to it. Many who are exposed to this content may not listen to the station, so it's a way to recycle audience back to your brand. Of course, this is additional content for the brand to pitch to advertisers. A station podcast is not just another version of a radio program; it can be an extension to what we're doing with all this great talent on our stations. They can do some pretty cool things that aren't exposed on-air; podcasts are a cool way to offer a different side to our personalities that may not necessarily be revealed on the air. Then we use our airwaves, their shows, to drive listening to their podcasts.
Have you found out the best ways to optimize revenue from podcasting, or is that still a work in progress?
There are a lot of ways to monetize it. Obviously, I'm not going to give out anything proprietary in our efforts. It's another major place for clients to connect to listeners on an organized, organic and authentic level - and as we move down the line, there will be more opportunities for clients be part of podcasts to get their specific messages across.
You mentioned in past interviews your trepidation of an imminent "concert bubble." How would that impact your stations and radio in general?
Actually, I said there may be a "music festival bubble" down the line. There are so many festivals out there right now; they are competing with each other and are paying top dollar for the artists. Many artists are doing their own festivals; at some point there could be a bubble burst.
There's always going to be three tiers of artists -- the beginners ... the ones who are kind of established, who have a couple hit songs under their belt ... and the big stars who want top dollar; it's hard to compete and get the latter. Radio station concerts offer great exposure to the artists on their way up. If you're savvy enough as a programmer, you want to develop relationships with these artists early on, connect with them so they can be part of the fabric of the station -- especially if they do become huge successes. That's why we focus on developing artist relationships and connecting with the beginners and middle-tier artists.
These artist performances don't only have to be for our big station concerts. In several markets, we do smaller concert events for artists who are just starting to peak -- and we pack them out. It's a great experience for the artist and the station. We create quality content out of it, which we then use as a viable pitch to attract not only other artists, but for clients willing to sponsor these events.
You also oversee non-Urban stations. Do you use what's successful on the Urban stations on those stations as well?
We have Top 40 brands and a Regional-Mexican format. I'm always learning from our stations regardless of format, and a lot of the things learned are shared across formats. The Regional Mexican station initially reminded me of early radio when I started ... certain things such as how the clocks are set up, and how we changed the pace from what Urban radio sounded like 25 years ago. We hired a good, dynamic PD with a lot of ideas and concepts, who has done a phenomenal job with the station. She's generating revenue from NTR events built around the station and its presence in the community. We've taken some of her ideas and brought them to our other stations.
How do you look at the future? Do you still have three or five-year goals, or is it more important to keep a closer eye on the day-to-day?
I have other passions that I push myself to stay engaged in. One of those passions is screenwriting. I always wanted to make movies, to take a story idea and eventually see it on the big screen. I've always dreamed of going to a theatre and seeing my name on the credits as the writer. That passion also helps me on creative side with radio. I love the creative part of this business, even though I now have a lot more administrative work than ever before.
To answer the other part of your question, I don't necessarily set those kind of three or five-year goals. I just want to engage in my passions, and as long as I have that creative spark, I'll be fine.
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