10 Questions with ... Scott Stevens

NAME:Scott Stevens TITLE:OM/PD/Mornings STATIONS:WKZB "The Buzz" MARKET:Meridian, MS COMPANY:The Radio People BORN:New Jersey RAISED:New Jersey

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

The Radio People (WKZB, WJXM, WMLV, WMMZ, WALT) -- Feb. 2003 to Present, OM/PD
Cumulus (KLSZ, KOMS, KBBQ, KAYR) -- 1998 to 2003, PD/OM
WZRQ/Asheville, NC -- 1997 to 1998, PD/PM Drive
KECO/Elk City, OK -- 1996 to 1997, PD/PM Drive
KSAM/Huntsville, TX -- 1995 to 1996, Evening Host
WDSD/Dover, DE -- 1992 to1995, AM Sidekick/Prod. Dir.

1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?

My first radio experience was at a college radio station while earning my BA in Communications at Wesley College in Dover, DE. This showed me that I didn't have a clue about radio, so I pursued my first job as an overnight board op for WDSD, which at the time was 94.7. It was your typical "babysitting" job for After Midnight, which led to a morning show sidekick gig. Being able to work as a morning show sidekick was truly a unique experience. You really got see how radio could be theatre of the mind. There were several times where my wife would call me and say, "They didn't just do that, did they?" A lot of what I learned in radio was passed along to me by the morning show host I sidekicked for, Sky Phillips. He still influences me today.

2) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?

In a heartbeat! It's no secret that being in radio takes a very special kind of person -- one who is willing to work long hours, holidays, deal with last-minute production and make very little money doing it. But there is that passion for radio that drives you. Every time you get a caller who says, "I love your station," it reminds you why you're in the business.

3) What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?

When I first got started part-time in radio, I was working at a restaurant. I would have to say that with free food and unlimited coffee, the restaurant business probably would have been my backup plan.

4) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

Don't get into radio for the money! If you want to learn new things, work your way up through positions, improve yourself as a person/manager, have the satisfaction of pleasing listeners and having a staff that you can inspire, then get into radio. Don't do it to become rich quick.

5) What is the best advice you would give to young programmers/promotion people?

I had a GM once who told me no matter how busy your day is, no matter how many fires you are working on putting out, be sure to take at least a half-hour out of your day to read and improve yourself! If you do not give yourself an opportunity to grow, how will you be able to give your employees the tools to grow? Also, while we are in the business of communication, I have heard of too many situations where the internal communication is non-existent. How can we be masters of communication when we stink at it with our own employees? Finally, LISTEN. Some of the best ideas come from your staff. Take the time to listen to what they have to say.

6) How have the recent FCC regulations impacted the way you program your music and the station's dialogue on the air? What are your feelings about these recent changes?

Well, things certainly have gotten stricter. We have an Urban, Blues and Rock station. It used to be you could play songs the way that they were. Now, everything is edited to be more radio-friendly and less offensive. Does it hurt Gwen Stefani when her "Holla Back Girl" plays and doesn't say "Sh@t"? Does it hurt Puddle of Mudd when "She Hates Me" plays and doesn't say "Fu@kin"? No. People know the music and enjoy the songs just the same. When it comes to the on-air delivery, my feeling is if you don't have anything to say that is of importance to the listener, then don't say it! If we had stations that capitalized on shock jocks and being over the edge and offensive, I would be a little more affected by the changes. As it stands, we have not had the problem of questionable on-air comments or jocks, so it is business as usual of informing and entertaining.

7) If you could add any one full-time position to your budget with no questions asked, what would it be?

Bartender! Actually, that is a tough question. A lot of stations today are facing the situation of being severely understaffed. We have quite a few employees who are filling in on several other areas. However, I would say if there was one position I could add with no questions, it would have to be a full-time Promotions Director. Once again, we are in an industry that is forcing employees to wear many hats, but having someone whose sole purpose is creating emotional promotions that build TSL and/or cume and generates revenue for the company would be wonderful.

8) How do you keep tabs on the competition? When your competition attacks you on the air, how do you react?

I make it a point to monitor the other stations in the market throughout the day and evening. I also visit their websites and see what they are promoting on the Internet. If a station attempts to attack me on-air, I say "Thank You." I worked at a station that was giving out T-shirts at a fair. The competition said they will pay $100 for one of our T-shirts and specifically said our station name. It was the best $100 we NEVER spent! For someone to attack us draws the question in the listener, "I wonder what they're talking about; let me listen to the station and find out." The way I see it, an attack is one of the greatest forms of flattery.

9) What approach do you take after a soft book?

I take a cautious approach. Make a "from the hip" judgment and you may make a wrong change. Everything needs to be looked at, even if you had an unusually good book. If, after looking at everything, there is an obvious downward trend, then it's time to look at other alternatives. We are in a market that has a low diary return. There may be 10 diaries returned, 5 of which came from Country listening households and 5 from a high Black density area. Does that mean there are no listeners tuning into Rock, AC or News/Talk? No, but those are the cards you're dealt.

10) How do you interact with your sales staff?

It is a daily, ongoing process. It is no secret that there is an ongoing battle between sales and programming. Programming needing time to cut commercials, and sales coming in with the proverbial "it was a last-minute buy" client. I've heard of stations putting together a promotion and sales selling something different (write-ons, last-minute copy changes, jocks being on too many commercials, etc.). I try and work as a buffer between sales and programming. There has to be constant communication on both parts (programming and sales). New salespeople come in and have questions about the formats, so I spend time with them answering their questions and getting them more familiar with the formats.

What do you do in your spare time?

What's that? What time I have I enjoy with my family. Between soccer games and swimming, there is not a lot of time left. However, there is one thing that has become a standard relaxing event, drinking coffee at Joe Muggs. It's located inside a Books-a-Million store, and you can just sit and relax for hours drinking coffee.