10 Questions with ... 'Elwood' Bjorn

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

I grew up between the Chicago and Rockford radio markets; my young days were spent listening to Top 40 on WDEK and 97 ZOK, calling in requests with my friends. Later, it was a lot of rock on WXRX in Rockford and Rock 103.5 and The Loop (R.I.P.) in Chicago. I got turned on to Steve Dahl and Garry Meier just in time to hear their final show together, but that led me to other WLUP personalities like Kevin Matthews and Jonathon Brandmeier. Johnny B was a huge influence, and it's great to see his recent induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Something about his energy, sense of humor, and the way he interacted with people was infectious.

My first radio gig was at WPGU - Champaign-Urbana's Modern Rock, 107.1 The Planet - while I was attending the University of Illinois. I'm incredibly lucky to have worked at such a unique station. Not a typical "college radio station" run by the university for classes and college credit, instead it was a commercial radio station operated almost entirely by college students. Programming, promotions, imaging, engineering, news, sports, sales ... over 100 people on staff ... all students attending U of I, working for the joy of it and the chance to learn every aspect of the business. And for free CDs. Even though a lot of them have since left radio for gigs as firefighters, lawyers and police dispatchers, some of the most creative people I've ever met in radio were at WPGU.

2) How long have you been the Brand Manager for WAPL and Razor and what makes these stations so unique?

This month I'll hit 17 years with Woodward Radio Group, and this October will be my six-year anniversary as Brand Manager for WAPL and Razor.

The biggest thing that makes our stations unique is the culture of the workplace. Woodward Communications is an employee-owned ESOP company, which means every individual who works here has a direct financial stake in the success of what we do. That carries over into our overall teamwork and the desire to help across all departments. It's still sometimes messy, but we're all in it to support each other.

3) You have the dual role as Brand Manager for both stations and you do an afternoon show on WAPL. How do you balance your time so all these roles are effective?

It's a struggle sometimes, but I couldn't do it without my amazing staff. My WAPL Road Show co-host John Jordan is the creative force behind our show. He brings in a ton of material; we go through it together to choose the best content, and I do my best to keep the show tight behind the board. Our Promotions Director, Roxanne Steele, is an organizational machine, making sure every detail runs as it should. Razor afternoon host Cutter handles MD duties for both stations. And last year we hired Kaytie away from WQLZ/Springfield, IL to host Razor middays and be our Digital Coordinator, giving the digital side of our brands a massive boost that we couldn't have achieved without her skills. It's the same with my Imaging Director Ross, heritage morning show duo Rick & Len, and a kick-ass sales team. It ultimately comes down to setting a vision for what WAPL and Razor should be as brands for our audience and advertisers and letting each team member use their role to work toward that vision.

4) What's your take on current Active Rock music and the format as whole?

Rock has become more niche than mainstream. We're way past the days when every rock band had a crossover hit from Def Leppard to Guns n' Roses to Metallica to Nickelback. Today, outside of the rare "Sound of Silence," it doesn't happen for Rock anymore. The fans are still there; you can see that from the explosion of multi-day rock festivals across the country. But the ability of the rock audience to dive deep into their favorite sub-genres online can challenge our ability to create a Rock radio station that still appeals to a broad audience.

A few things I'd suggest to other programmers dealing with these challenges:

• Know your market. Each market is unique from every other market in existence, and if you can tap into what makes your area special, you will win.
• Strive to know your whole audience, not just your P1s. The super-fans are our lifeblood and usually the loudest and fastest to voice their opinions if they don't like something they hear. But if you cater to them exclusively, you run the risk that for every one P1 you make happy by going heavier or deeper, you've turned away two more casual listeners (and the cume that comes with them) who want comfort and familiarity.
• Strive to understand your advertisers' needs. Who are they targeting and what do they want from those customers? Radio has dozens of ways to meet those goals, and you can work with your sales team to create campaigns that achieve real client results, are still entertaining for the audience, and bring in long-term revenue.

5) Razor has long had a reputation as a "tastemaker" station, especially when it comes to new rock and metal. How do you balance that so it doesn't adversely affect the station's cume and TSL ... especially during the day?

Finding the right balance is always on my mind for Razor. Balancing the desires of P1s without alienating the cume. Balancing the new with the familiar. Balancing the heavy with the mainstream with the more alt-leaning or experimental. It comes down to a combination of gut feeling and listening to the input from the rest of the on-air team.

Specialty programming also lets us cater to the outer edges of the audience. Our nightly Midnight Mosh Pit is the place for heavier metal, our Old School Lunch dives deep into the '90s and early bands of the format, and Razor Underground on Sunday nights explores new music from independent artists nationwide.

6) As for WAPL music, how much current product from Classic Rock artists, do you play and how different is the Rock genres and eras of music you play on APL compared to Razor?

Currents are at a minimum on WAPL, maybe two to four tops at any given time, and only from established WAPL artists. The new Guns n' Roses, "Shadow of Your Love," is a perfect example.

Razor started out 18 years ago as a way to flank WAPL's competition who were attacking from the younger end. As a result, we have very minimal overlap - essentially the five core grunge bands and Metallica. No Ozzy or GnR on Razor. No Shinedown or Godsmack on WAPL. The distinction is clear and works well for us in this market.

7) Congrats on the recent announcement of Razor expanding its coverage with a second frequency. How did this all come about?

Following many years of discussion (and passion from one sales rep, Jason Tokarczyk, in particular) the right opportunity came along to acquire this second frequency. There's been a lot of work put in from our VP/Strategic Planning & Business Development, Bob Woodward, as well as our current and former GMs Kelly Radandt and Greg Bell. After plenty of negotiation, it finally came together, and we raced to make all the changes to our logo, imaging, and digital assets while we teased with 1,047 hours of commercial-free cutting-edge rock leading to the launch on June 12th. I'm thrilled from a branding standpoint that the frequencies of 94.7 and 104.7 work so well together.

8) How much of a difference in coverage and potential listeners will this be for Razor?

We're in a unique situation with two partially overlapping markets in Appleton-Oshkosh and Green Bay. While WAPL is licensed to Appleton, its 100,000-watt signal easily covers both markets. Razor has always primarily focused on the Green Bay market, but has continued to show ratings growth in Appleton-Oshkosh in recent years despite our signal only reaching a portion of that market. With the addition of the 104.7 frequency, we'll cover the southern end of Appleton-Oshkosh and should see our cume explode in that market this fall.

9) What kind of response have you received from listeners on the new frequency at 104.7?

It's still really early, but so far, the response has been incredibly positive. We've heard for a long time from individuals outside our listening area that they wanted Razor but couldn't get it. Now that we've expanded our footprint, it will be especially exciting to see the reaction at Rock USA this month now that you can actually get Razor on the grounds of that festival in Oshkosh.

10) Finally, I know that Ryan is your real first name. Where and how did Elwood come about?

I went by my real name when at WPGU, Ryan Bjorn (pronounced Bee-yorn). I was encouraged to keep my real name there because I'd started a segment called "Ryan Bjorn's House of Porn." It was heavily influenced by "Buzz's Porn Emporium" on the Jonathon Brandmeier Show where I'd make up a bunch of adult film titles based on real movies like "Close Encounters with a Firm Hind."

But when I got to my next gig, my last name was a sticking point with the boss. It's tough to remember, let alone spell if you're hoping a listener will write it down in a ratings diary. So, I went to my favorite movie, The Blues Brothers, and became Elwood. It stuck, and now I pretty much only answer to Ryan if I'm talking with my family.