10 Questions with ... Sean Strife

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I got started in radio at my campus station at the University of Florida in 2004. After college, I spent 5 years in sales and marketing, but the radio bug bit me and I found my way back as a promo tech for iHeart in West Palm Beach. In 2013 I moved to Los Angeles where I got a gig as a board op at KIIS-FM and it changed my life. I got to see how a world class radio station operates from the inside from the best people in the business. I left KIIS to get my PD stripes at iHeart’s Top 40 KOSY-FM in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. From there I made a stop at WZEE-FM in Madison, WI and today I am nearing two years as APD/MD at WKQI-FM, Detroit’s #1 Hit Music Station, Channel 955!

How would you describe your first radio gig?

A dream come true. Didn’t matter that it was Midnight to 6a on Friday and Saturday nights. I was walking campus in Gainesville, FL and saw a sign for WRUF-FM Rock 104 at the College of Journalism. After searching for the studio, I waited for the On-Air light to go dark, walked in and asked the midday host, Yeosh, how I could work there. He introduced me to the station manager, Harry Guscott, who then quizzed me on some rock knowledge, asking me to name three Green Day albums, a few Linkin Park songs, who played guitar for Metallica, etc. I guess I passed because he asked if I wanted to handle overnights on the weekend. So I broke my teeth on the mic as Sean D and eventually worked every daypart on that station outside of mornings, but really loved my time as the night host when the callers were the most unhinged.

What led you to a career in radio?

Honestly I think the radio landscape in South Florida unintentionally primed me to work in the medium. I was always tuned in. I grew up listening to several well-known local morning shows; Bobby & Footy, Paul & Young Ron, Kevin, Virginia & Jason, The Morning Buzz in all of its incarnations on WPBZ when it was an Alt station. My father listened to Howard Stern a lot. I think when I found my campus station in college, everything just clicked and I knew what I needed to be doing.

You’re closing in on 2 years in the Motor City. What has surprised you the most about the area since you arrived there?

Detroit gets a bad rap. It’s a beautiful city. And like all large cities it has its problem areas, but the media tends to ignore the revitalization that has been taking place over the last several years. The downtown area is thriving with new shops and restaurants opening all the time and the Detroit RiverWalk was just named the best riverfront in the country by USA Today. There’s a lot to love! Detroit-style pizza is the best in the country and I will die on that hill. Also, I was surprised to learn there is no “South Detroit” no matter what that Journey song would like you to believe. That’s Canada.

You currently rock middays. What are some of the benchmarks that you’ve developed over the years?

My most popular benchmark right now is the one I spent the least time thinking about. Every weekday at 11:45AM I find the location of the gas station with the cheapest gas and report back to our listeners. It doesn’t even have a clever radio name… it’s just The Cheapest Gas In Detroit and my phone and text lines blow up with people telling me where they just filled up and save a few cents per gallon. I’ve been doing this for almost two years and at the moment it’s never been hotter.

I also really enjoyed a game I played with listeners called “Coachella or No-Chella” where callers would have to guess whether a band I named was actually on the lineup or one I just made up, for a chance to win tickets--the possibilities for fake names are endless.

Who would be a “dream guest” to have on your show? Who has been your favorite guest to date?

Dream Guest would be Ariana Grande. She and I are both from Boca Raton, FL and I like to tell listeners that it basically makes us best friends. Would love to chop it up with her and ask some real locals-only type questions about South Florida, like who makes the best sub sandwich (spoiler: its Publix).

My favorite interview has been Alessia Cara just because she was so completely down to earth. Got to chat with her before a show in Madison and she was super casual, relatable and friendly and had some wonderful advice for my three-year-old daughter. She gives off an energy like you’ve been friends for a long time.

You have a seat at the table with one of the industry’s greats, Tony Travatto. What’s it like for you to go into battle with him every day?

Tony has a sign in his office that says, “Even when you are winning, fight like you are losing” and I think that very accurately reflects his competitive spirit. Even though he oversees 160+ radio stations in his SVP role, he is constantly focused on WKQI and finding ways to win. He’s taught me so much about strategy, research and the importance of being timely, local and personal. He’s brilliant and I’m fortunate to be his co-pilot.

But don’t let the big corporate role fool you, that man has a sick mind and has written some of the most twisted imaging I’ve ever heard.

“Local local local” has always been radio’s mantra. How do you keep yourself visible and involved in the community?

On air, we make sure we are talking to listeners at least 3 times per hour. Our audience wants to hear themselves and people that sound like them on the radio. It’s what sets us apart from streaming services, the human connection. I try never to miss an inbound phone call in the studio.

Live events have been non-existent for most of the two years I’ve been here. Now that they are returning, I don’t like to miss opportunities. I’ll jump at any takeover at a high school game or remote broadcast for a chance to connect with our audience. But the things that are most important are when you can let the community know that you legitimately care about them.

Last November, Oxford High School here in Michigan, and just a short drive from our offices, suffered a terrible shooting that took the lives of 4 students and wounded 7 others. Our legendary morning show host Mojo came back to the station at 3p to field calls from a grieving community for hours and we did a special broadcast from Oxford to let that community know we stood with them.

Most recently, we gave out thousands of dollars of free gas to listeners who lined up down the street as we filled up tanks. We spoke to people who had just lost jobs, who didn’t know how they’d pay for dinner and gas on the same day, and folks that said they had never once filled their tank all the way up.

I think if you want to be local local local, you need to listen listen listen.

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

“Always assume the mic is hot.”

What was your favorite station(s) to listen to when you were a kid? Jock(s)?

Definitely West Palm Beach’s 103.1 The Buzz. It was an Alt station programmed by the amazing John O’Connell, and they held and annual all-day festival concert called the Buzz Bake Sale, originally promoted in 1996 as “13 Bands for 13 Bucks” and was headlined by the Butthole Surfers. Over time it grew to host bands like Muse, Papa Roach, Paramore, Staind, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Panic! At the Disco. It was a can’t-miss event for South Florida youth and almost a rite of passage.

The Morning Buzz, with Mark Summers, Dahmer and Genny Lane, was the first morning show I ever felt “got” me as a teenager and didn’t feel like my parent’s morning show. They were disturbed and irreverent and did bits we wouldn’t get away with today. On my bus ride home, I would make the driver flip the station on so I could hear Ross Mahoney, who in a weird twist of fate, I got to work with at my street team event with iHeart back in 2012.

Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?

This one isn’t fair, I’ve had too many and I’m bound to forget someone. Ethan Briner was our Promotions Director in West Palm Beach and if something wasn’t fun, it wasn’t worth doing. He led by example and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.

I was surrounded by icons in Los Angeles. Beata Murphy at KIIS-FM exemplifies what it means to be a great leader and John Ivey gave me incredible opportunities like working with Ryan Seacrest and a shot at my first PD gig. He believes in me.

Clarence Barnes is an industry vet who has helped me navigate countless career questions and always makes time for a phone call.

In Madison, Katie Kruz taught me the importance of putting family first and was really the first to seriously coach me on-air and teach me how to think like a programmer.

Currently, I am blessed to be working with Tony Travatto on a daily basis and I think I’ve truly grown the most thanks to his guidance.

I do have to say that without my wife Karyn supporting this dream of mine that has taken us through five states (so far!) I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this.

With the Little Ceasars Arena at your disposal and an unlimited budget, which 3-5 acts would you pull together for a station bash?

An unlimited budget? Well since it’s the Motor City, I’d really want to put on for The D. We’d have to get Eminem and Big Sean, of course. Lizzo is from Detroit and she puts on a hell of a show, so we’d have to book her. Finally I’d get some rock acts to round it out. Jack White is a Detroit native so count him in. And Anthony Kiedis isn’t exactly from Detroit but Grand Rapids is close enough so let’s just book RHCP and call it a night!