10 Questions with ... Mark Adams

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I'm originally from Wisconsin, though my first radio job was in Arkansas. That's also where I attended high school and began college. I went onto nights at Top 40 KOY-F/Phoenix. I moved on to become the APD/MD/night jock for Rhythmic Top 40 KKXX/Bakersfield, and later held the same positions for Rhythmic Top 40 XHTZ/San Diego. My first programming job was in 1994 at Rhythmic Top 40 KBOS/Fresno, where I later added duties for Sports-Talk KCBL-A. I then programmed Modern AC WPNT/Milwaukee, Top 40 KZQZ/San Francisco, and left the Bay to become the VP/Programming for Rose City Radio/Portland, OR. That included both Rhythmic Top 40 KXJM and News-Talk KXL-A. After eight years in Portland, I joined CBS Radio/Houston where I ultimately spent six years as the VP/Programming. Including News-Talk Top 40 KKHH, Country KILT, HAC KHMX and Spanish Contemporary KLOL. As I wanted to move back west, in late 2013 I left Houston to become the VP Programing for iHeartMedia in Portland, OR. That cluster includes Top 40 KKRZ, Rhythmic Top 40 KXJM, Classic Hits KTLH, Classic Rock KFWB, AC KKCW, News-Talk KEX and Sports-Talk KPOJ. In late 2014, I transferred in-company to become the PD for KIOI and KYLD/San Francisco. During my time here in the Bay I've also added Top 40 Brand Coordinator duties; where I work with John Ivey and the rest of our national Top 40 team. Most recently, I added programming duties for the re-launch of KUBE/Seattle.

1. Like most 21st century broadcasters, you've got your hands full. iHeart has entrusted you with stations in two of the company's biggest, most crucial markets -- San Francisco and Seattle. Let's begin in Seattle where after a two-year absence the company has reignited the legendary KUBE call letters and music position. What's that been like from the inside and how has the response from the listeners been?

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. We were seeing, hearing and feeling the reactions almost immediately. Our social media exploded out of the gate, and the excited listener audio we collected was immediately produced for air, and today remains a part of our imaging strategy. Similarly, local media embraced the brand's return. In the first several days we received positive coverage both online and over the air from local television and print. In addition, we heard from a number of iconic Seattle partners (including both The Seattle Seahawks and The Seattle Mariners) that were looking to either re-establish past relationships they had with KUBE, or work to create new partnerships. KUBE has always been a well-known and beloved brand in Seattle with strong community ties; its absence was clearly felt. With the multi-year resurgence of Hip-Hop, which has become the most listened to music in the country and was almost totally unrepresented on Seattle radio, the timing for the station's return couldn't have been better. While it's still early going, the ratings have been positive. We've created significant disruption Adults 18-34; we actually popped #1 Women 18-34 in the last week. The station's also performing strongly with both adults and women 18-49 and 25-54. It's just the beginning of a long journey, but it's a great way to start. Both the Seattle and KUBE teams deserve most of that credit, including Rich Moore, Tim Herbster, KUBE APD/MD afternoon-drive personality Eric Rosado, Shay Diddy, Bootleg Kev, DJ Phase, DJ Supa Sam, a number of KYLD and KMEL mix show team members including DJ Jeanine Da Feen, DJ Patrix, Lexx Jonez, and Big Von. Along with a whole raft of talented iHeart Seattle and KUBE employees that have been working non-stop since the station's launch to build out the new station.

2. As you mentioned, you'd worked in Portland; did you get to visit Seattle back in the day and are you spending much time in that market?

The first time around (2000-2008), not as often as you might think. While the two cities are only a three-hour drive or a short flight apart, wherever I happen to be working and living is where I end up spending the vast majority of my time. Though I often networked with the programming team there at the time; including the terrific Julie Pilat (former KUBE APD/MD) whom I'm still connected with and is now at Apple Music. Back then, both KXJM/Portland and KUBE/Seattle were considered key Rhythmic Top 40s that broke a lot of music, and I know everyone at both stations worked hard to successfully represent Rhythmic and Hip-Hop for their respective markets and for the Pacific Northwest. Today, I'm back and forth between San Francisco and Seattle every few weeks.

3. Both San Francisco and Seattle are heavily radioed markets, with pretty much all of the key players owning properties. How do you make it all work in such a fiercely competitive environment?

While it's true that both markets, particularly San Francisco, are overly complicated, I don't know that my approach is vastly different than it might be for anyone. It's important to have as thorough an understanding as possible on the why and how all of the various radio stations and other competitive services are targeting and impacting their various audiences -- including what images and brand positions are owned by whom. What are all of the various strengths and weaknesses of other stations encompassing everything from the music to the personalities; which in turn helps identify your own opportunities? What are the market-specific demographic and ethnic considerations and how do they play various roles in designing an approach? What positions can you own? How do you effectively brand them? What unique brand propositions can you offer? What are your unique points of positive differentiation? Really, it's just about trying to take all of those factors into account and design a winning competitive strategy for your brand along with accompanying and supportive tactics. It's an ongoing process; it's never "set it and forget it."

4. Are there any similarities at all in the two markets?

There's a number of commonalties. Both cities are home to some of the biggest names in technology and both have been prominent in the digital boom. In the Bay Area we have Uber, Lyft, Oracle, Dropbox, Twitter, and dozens more in and around the city and Silicon Valley. In Seattle, there's Microsoft, Amazon, Getty Images, Redfin, and Zillo, just to name a few. That kind of digital and tech-based economy also presents a number of added complications for our respective sales, marketing, and programming efforts. Both cities are home to a large number of name brand, Fortune 500 companies. The Bay Area and Seattle both have dynamic local economies which attracts new residents from all over the country. In turn, both cities struggle with skyrocketing housing and living costs. Related, each market has longtime residents with passionate local identities that are often in conflict with the gentrification that accompanies booming growth. That further underscores the necessity that programming in either market is, as much as possible, a truly locally focused enterprise. Both cities are beautiful, with easy access to the ocean and the mountains. They're both sports towns. They both have thriving local music scenes. Both are great cities if you love quality dining. One significant difference, and warning, this is a spoiler: It rains a lot more in Seattle.

5. Describe the support you get from above you and also at the individual stations.

For San Francisco, I can't heap enough praise on Travis Loughran. He's the APD/MD for both KIOI and KYLD. We're a team and I often feel that the great results we generally see on our stations comes from that collaborative relationship. That extends to the other programmers here as well. San Francisco SVPP and KMEL PD Don Parker, PD for KOSF and KISQ Ricci Filiar, and PD of KKSF-A Corey Callewaert. In Seattle, I work closely in concert with KUBE APD/MD Eric Rosado, as well as SVPP/Pacific Northwest region Tim Herbster, Seattle SVPP Rich Moore, and KBKS APD/MD Zach Wellsandt. I also rely upon the support and feedback of both Andrew Jeffries (EVP/Western Region) and John Ivey (KIIS PD and President of Top 40 Programming) whom are both based in LA. I realize that's a lot of alphabet soup, but our positions today are so complex that the support and input from every sharp person you can assemble on a team is invaluable.

6. In San Francisco, the Hot AC space seems particularly complicated. What have you done to carve out your own lane in that world?

Yes, there's a lot of stations in the AC/HAC space here. In addition to KIOI (HAC), in town there's KLLC (HAC), KOIT (AC), KEZR/San Jose (HAC), plus our sister station KISQ/San Francisco, significant shared listening from the two major Top 40 stations in the market (KYLD and KMVQ) as well as with a host of tertiary brands. With all of that competitive traffic, it's extraordinarily challenging. Star 101.3's music position is more recurrent and gold-based, framed with an upbeat and fun imaging scheme and presentation, and anchored by our morning show, Marcus & Sandy. Over the past several years they've become a consistently successful, top performing morning show for the station and are a great complement to our overall programming strategy. Without going into too much proprietary detail, I can share the answer to this question actually tied back into what you asked a few moments ago, i.e.: how do you make it work in a fiercely competitive environment? We spend a lot of time analyzing the market, our competitors, and the available audiences, trying to understand all of the threats and opportunities, and have designed Star with all of those factors in mind. While we inevitably end up sharing a lot of the current music with a number of other radio stations, I feel that Star has its own sound and personality that help it stand somewhat apart from its various competitors.

7. How big a role is social media playing for the stations these days?

In a word, integral. There's almost nothing I could say that could sufficiently underscore the importance. Particularly for more contemporary brands, having a robust social media presence is a key component to all of our programming strategies. You have to be where the audience is.

8. What one truth has held constant throughout your career?

Do the best you can to surround yourself with great people, and you'll set yourself up for great results. That's an over-utilized cliché, but as is the case with many of them, it possesses a solid foundation of truth.

9. You've had a lengthy career at this point -- at some legendary radio stations in some of the greatest cities in the country -- what advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Do everything you can to network with other programmers and industry professionals. I give that advice all of the time, including a number of people I'm actively mentoring or who have just asked for advice. While there's no substitute for actual experience, a close second is the active pursuit of knowledge. That's not advice just for people who are starting out; that's something I try to do myself as much as possible. By taking the time to network with my peers, even if it's nothing more than chopping it up a bit about music or some kind of issue one of us may be having at a station, I invariably learn something that can help me in my job. I love talking shop, and as there's always more than one way to approach any challenge, hearing how others are addressing the same or hearing their input and advice is a great help. Quickly pivoting back to those starting out for a moment, I think all of us who have been fortunate enough to have had some success in radio should be trying to pay it forward. Aside from it just being the right thing to do, it's critical for the future of our industry. We need more, great on-air talent. We need influencers. We need great programming people. Everyone needs a shot, somewhere. Those opportunities often come from networking and then looking for ways to help. I wouldn't be where I am today without the help and support from a long list of people I've worked with, or even just spoken to, over the years.

10. What is it about our industry that makes you want to keep doing it for a living?

I've always had a seemingly boundless level of passion and interest in trying to create a great sounding radio station. Long before I even had the professional vocabulary or practical work experience to intelligently explain what I was thinking, I just felt a lot of it. I had a strong intuitive grasp of when something sounded right or wrong; and it was often borne out. I was manic about the next great talk break, the next dynamic and creative imaging element or promo, and the songs that immediately made your head turn. I'm still like that. I'm the dork who cranks up the radio to hear the imaging transitions. I love new music staging slamming into a hot record. I like working with and coaching talent and helping morning shows improve. I love fun and creative promos. I'm also endlessly fascinated and challenged by how we're evolving and adapting as an industry to deal with ever greater competitive complications, shifting audience expectations, and new technologies. I'm excited about the fight; and will keep trying new things until we win it. My work and life separation have never been great, largely owing to how much passion I have for what we all do and how much I still enjoy doing it.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

True story: I attended U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville when I was around 12 or 13. I really wanted to be an astronaut. You can imagine my dismay in learning that both higher mathematics as well as a career in the U.S. Air Force would likely be prerequisites. So much for that. Then, I wanted to be an English Literature professor. Not realizing at the time that may have very well doomed me into becoming a full-time barista. Luckily, I stumbled into a radio career. In the process, sparing both our space program and lovers of fine coffee.