10 Questions with ... Mud

1) What was your first job in radio and your early influences and mentors?

When I was in elementary school, I would travel with my Mom about an hour in the morning to drop my sister off at work. My Mom would then take me to school. I can remember hearing 77 WABC everyday for an hour on that morning commute. "The Morning Mayor," Harry Harrison would say "Good Morning Mom, have your second cup of coffee" I would say ... "Wow ... he's talking to my Mom and playing all these great songs." So, I learned a bunch about music and morning delivery on that hourly ride ... serious TSL!

As a teenager growing up in the New York metropolitan area, I would listen to the legendary WNEW and say to myself, "Hey, I can do that ... play rock & roll and entertain people!" Plus, in the back of my mind, I remembered those morning car rides and WABC.

I moved to Florida to attend The University of Miami, where I was exposed to the great radio station, WSHE - "She's Only Rock & Roll." I was obsessed with the station, their personalities and once again I thought, "Hey, I can do that!" On summer break from the U, I returned home to New York and heard that WNEW and Meg Griffin would be at The Bottom Line. So, I drove into the city to meet Meg and the staff. We started to talk about music and radio, Meg said to me, "You have a nice voice, have you considered doing radio?" That was it. I returned to the U in the fall and while earning a BBA at the University of Miami, I started doing shifts on the College station. Here's the cliché: The rest is history!

After graduation, I got my first job on Country WIXL/Newton, NJ. After my first shift, I was asked to take over mornings on the sister station, Oldies WNNJ, all for $160 a week!

2) Congratulations on your new position as the PD of WCMF in Rochester. Before we talk about this new position, you recently worked for WBGG (Big 105.9)/Miami and before that, quite a few years as PD for the iHeartmedia Classic Rocker in Nashville (WNRQ, 105.9 The Rock). Can you give us the key highlights of your experience in Nashville?

Nashville was an amazing experience where my career at Clear Channel/iHeart Media really took off. Nashville is known for its Country music, however,Nashvillians love their Classic Rock! The local radio landscape is filled with Country, Sports, Top 40, Urban, Talk and a ton of Rock competitors. The highlight for me was that during my 10-year tenure, WNRQ consistently ranked as a top station in Music City. Other highlights included orchestrating amazing lifestyle-oriented promotions to support the brand and always exceeding our social media goals. For example: We worked with sales to secure a storm shelter (important in Tornado Alley!), we gave away "The Classic Rock" (a diamond) in our Classic Rock Awards promotion, we also did several Harley Davidson promotions where listeners won Harleys and secured many concert flyaways. Every one of these promotions utilized a social media campaign blitz that helped us sell the promotion sizzle. I have to thank the amazing team in Nashville that I was privileged to work with. Without that position, I would never have programmed WBGG/Miami and have the opportunity to manage Entercom's legendary WCMF! I have to thank our VP/ Programming Bob Barnett, VP/GM Susan Munn, Regional President Michael Doyle and Bill Jacobs from Jacobs Media for bringing me on board with Entercom!

3) Now let's talk about WCMF, a legendary Rock station. You've only been in the programming seat for a few months. Give us your take on the health of WCMF. What are its strengths and challenges as you move forward in the PD chair?

Legendary for sure! WCMF is the second-oldest Rock station in America! We'll be 50 years old in two years! In fact, our mid-ay personality Kane-0 is a 37 year veteran on WCMF.

WCMF is in very solid shape! I am elated by the station's continuous success in all key demos. Young, old, male, female, this is the station to listen to in Rochester. WCMF is a lifestyle radio brand for our audience. We're the home of The Buffalo Bills, The Buffalo Sabres and we just launched a beer brand, The WCMF Bitch Voice IPA. We have a tremendous morning show, "The Break Room," consisting of Pat Duffy, Tom Mule and Kimmy Berntson Kane-O in middays, Mud in the Afternoon and The Mens Room at night. It's a winning formula -- solid personalities, sports, beer and a huge variety of Classic Rock exposing all the genres of the format. As with any Classic Rock brand, the challenge is keeping a lifestyle-oriented station fresh, exciting and the destination for listeners.

4) Being the "new guy" in the programming chair, how has this programming transition been working out so far with you and the staff?

This has been an easy transition as I am privileged to be working with talented vets within a strong corporate culture. The fantastic people on my staff and in the cluster all play well together and have embraced me, my knowledge, and experience, as I have embraced all of them. We're doing radio like World Champions play ball and it shows!

5) Is there a strong appetite for Classic Rock in Rochester and who would be your main competition?

Yes! Classic Rock is King. People grew up with WCMF and they pass it on to their children. Everyone knows WCMF and what we are all about. I always get a kick out of listeners asking if we remember some promo or programming feature that we orchestrated from back in the '70s ... Now, that's heritage!

We have several Classic Hit competitors, a harder Rock brand and a Classic Rock competitor. WCMF always comes out on top!

6) You've had a successful run programming Classic Rock. What's your take on the Classic Rock format as a whole?

Classic Rock is a part of everyone's life. The audience all grew up with Classic Rock and their children grew up with that soundtrack as well. Wherever you go, Classic Rock is on in the background. We all know the music, love the songs and feel comfortable with the tunes and their lyrics. Like "Comfort Food," it's a comfort format. Classic Rock music will live on forever!

7) One of the programming challenges of the Classic Rock format has always been how to keep the station sounding fresh and relevant while it's playing Rock music that's sometimes 30 or 40 years old. Your thoughts?

A great Classic Rock station should sound fresh every time a listener tunes in. This is accomplished by playing the greatest music ever recorded and making sure you touch each genre and era. Besides the "gut" music decisions, research is very important. It is vital to change your rotation around and enhance programming by utilizing music features and special weekends.

The Classic Rock personalities need to deliver great content that's clear and concise every time they speak. Local topical relates also go a long way. Imagery campaigns need to be quick, creative, fresh and exciting. Promos need to be lifestyle oriented to target a Classic Rocker's needs and desires. This is all part of the listener experience!

8) How interactive is WCMF with its audience via your website or social media like Facebook and Twitter?

Radio stations must be 100% focused on all avenues of social media. Successful stations/brands must continuously find new ways to engage the audience. This is vital for the success of WCMF. It's not an option, it's mandatory. Fortunately, my staff is extremely involved in social media. They know that's a major part of their job. The entire team is constantly posting and updating content. Pictures, original content, videos, audio, polls, questions, and blogs are all part of the WCMF social media playbook. Every time you look at any of our social media avenues, you will see fresh and engaging content for our audience.

9) Where and when did the nickname "Mud" originate?

The first morning I began my professional career in Newton, NJ, I made a pot of coffee and I like it strong! When the other employees went to grab a cup, they went crazy, asking "Who made this coffee? It's like mud. Oh ... That new guy, MUD!" That's my Mud story and I'm sticking to it.

10) Finally, I know that you're originally from the New York City area and a HUGE NY Mets fan. What's the split between Mets and Yankees fans in Rochester?

This is Yankee town ... Yankee shirts, hats, license plates, stickers, Yankee talk. I'm not use to that because I have always lived where there are more Mets fans. Occasionally, I see Mets swag around town but not often. However, The Mets recently purchased the Triple- A team in Syracuse, NY. So I expect to see more Mets stuff. Let's Go Mets ... Next year is the year (as long as they're healthy)!