10 Questions with ... Marty Bender

1. Can you give us an overview of your radio career up to now?

WWWM/Cleveland, WSKS/Cincinnati, WFBQ/Indianapolis, WRIF/Detroit, VP/Programming for Premiere Radio Networks, WSHE/Chicago, WOFX/Cincinnati. I was also on the air at KROQ and KNAC. That was while I lived in Los Angeles where I also worked at Cashbox Magazine and was the catalogue rock and jazz buyer at Tower Records on Sunset. There were other record stores along the way as well, including being the Promotion and Advertising Director for Peaches Records. (That got me pointed toward a life-long passion to always create ‘double-take’ TV commercials, billboards, print ads etc.).

2. Before we talk about your new consultancy, you were the Exec. Producer of the syndicated “Bob & Tom Show” while OM/PD of its flagship iHeartMedia Classic Rock WFBQ (Q95)/Indianapolis. I’m sure you have tons of stories…do tell?

WFBQ was a thirteen-Marconi Award run, and we were never not number one. That headline is pretty much the story to beat all the stories I could tell. It was unprecedented and tough to adequately recap any of it here in a few sentences.

3. Congrats on your new Worst Consultant Ever consultancy. I have to ask…why are YOU the Worst Consultant Ever?

Well because the domain name was available on Go Daddy for $2.99.

4. Why did you decide to form this consultancy and how did the formation come about?

A few years back, I started to get some calls and even job offers from companies in the creative and/or non-terrestrial area of the media. I’m a play-the-cards-your-dealt kinda guy so I fulfilled my role as PD until the end of my recent contract. Then after a few clicks on the state website---I formed an LLC and it sorta just started to happen. While I’m pretty good at radio stuff, my educational background is in disciplined and effective writing. At every big radio company I’ve ever worked for, I really wanted to be a bigger asset by conceiving and writing spots to generate revenue that comes from great commercial content.

5. What are some of the services you’ll provide to clients, besides an always “under construction’ website?

Well, I’ve only been at this for a couple weeks now so I really can’t say. (Selling myself has never been one of my strengths) Initially it’s been a lot of “Hey can you think about…” or “We need you come up with a new…” type of requests. It’s basically being in a macroscopic vantage point for microscopic needs. So far, it’s ranged from small market client spec spots to a national video project that will be out soon. There’s also the regular PD stuff as well---just discussed now with new faces on Zoom. And sometimes it’s just needing an idea. It’s important to remember that every now and then, a breakthrough is just one tilted idea away.

6. Congrats on your big announcement as the consultant to “The Bob & Tom Show.” What will you be doing with the show?

This would be a good time to clarify and elaborate on something. While I will be involved with the show on and off the air, I will also be available to any of the 100+ affiliates for anything they need help with or perspective on. This can only work if requests are done with full knowledge of those in upper management. Everyone must be OK with having any outside input and conversations. And it’s well understood I will not be working with any other stations in a Bob and Tom market.

7. Since you’re had a long history of working with Rock stations, let’s talk about the Rock format…both Active and Classic. What’s your take on Rock radio in general and what are some of the areas you can help a station or media outlet improve?

I’m always leery of these types of questions because the answers are often bathed in rationalization that the glass is half full. I will say that it’s time to recognize that most music consumers are now in an era of “playlists” and not specific format “lists of what’s played.” Except for chart position, the Rock and Active lists are very similar. The Classic Hits stations that lean mostly Classic Rock are the ones that are mostly winning. And the best Rock-based hit songs are being written and constructed for Country acts. So, the smart way to look at all this is by an objective analysis of what’s already being exposed in each specific market. Then take into consideration any and all company cluster strategies. Finally locate a realistic target and play them a steady dose of safe and surprise.  

8. Your website claims that you ‘conceived the Classic Rock format and curated the very first station.’ You also linked Wikipedia as a source. What’s the scoop?

I’m glad you asked that because the history of this may even be a didactic positioning lesson. WWWM (M105) in Cleveland was a very good AOR station. Its first foray was as a “continuous music” station. That worked until the bills had to be paid. As a normal AOR, it always struggled to gain enough traction against WMMS. This was a two-book diary market, and the winner would always be the station with the most marketing, muscle and moxie. That was WWMS. It was then explained to us that we had to come up with a way to differentiate ourselves. As WMMS didn’t play a lot of real hard rock, we became “Cleveland’s Roll and Roll Rebels.” That was short-lived, and it was time to try another idea. WMMS at the time was an amazing brand that really exposed lots of new/unique/great music via their awesome, iconic personalities. As Music Director, it then became obvious to me that the hole in the market was to simply play the biggest, most well-known artists and the songs from the albums that everybody already owned and loved. It wasn’t long before our great staff got together and discussed a move toward playing just the classic rock that Cleveland already knew---and was passionate about. There was no playbook for this, no station already doing it. We organically just became “Cleveland’s Classic Rock” back around 1980 or so. It was my first realization that it is easier to fill a hole than dig one.

9. Let’s switch gears to the music. Whether you are working with an Active or Classic Rock station, as a consultant, what are the keys to helping your client maximize an effective music presentation?

Nothing beats an occasional research peak at what people want to hear. Ask people what they want and do that…Ask people what they don’t want and then don’t do that. That being said, the budget for knowledge isn’t always there. One way to maximize your present music presentation is simply to maximize the music. And you do that by being much less interruptive. In PPM markets, it really is OK to segue songs. No :60 promos. In fact, take that :30 down to a :15 or even a :10. Always write and produce clear, concise and creative imaging, promos and spots. Yes, I said spots. The other big elephant in the broadcast hour is weak commercial copy and concepts. Most often, the worst writers in the building are writing the commercials.

10. Finally, what do you like to do for fun and relaxation when you’re not in “radio work” mode?

I read…a lot. Any non-fiction in any form: At least two or three newspapers a day along with the trades and whatever else hits my screens. I still listen to every new song in all the formats. (Not so much Urban and Christian). And I continue to study and dig way deeper into the Classic Rock catalogues and history that now spans about fifty years. That may not sound like ‘fun’ but it all makes me smarter---and being smarter is actually fun for me.