10 Questions with ... Sharon Dastur

NAME:Sharon Dastur POSITION:PD STATION:WHTZ Z100 MARKET:New York OWNER:Clear Channel

1) One word describes Z100's Summer book: WOW! 2.7 million cume! What are the main factors that drove the numbers?

It's a combination of several things all happening at the same time. One of the biggest factors is that the music cycle has really been strong for us this year (and continues to be). It's allowed us to keep a great balance and play a true variety of hits. The other factor is Elvis Duran & The Z Morning Zoo. They've really been on fire, and continue to deliver really compelling, exciting, funny and entertaining programming.

2) In addition to the demos that you'd expect Z100 to perform well in, you did very well with some upper demos as well. Is this due to favorable music, a great morning show, great promotions, great marketing or all of the above?

All of the above! As I mentioned before, the available music product has allowed us to be so mass appeal. The same mass appeal goes for Elvis Duran and the Z Morning Zoo. They not only appeal to moms, dads, brothers, and sisters, but to grandma and grandpa, too.

3) I've noticed a lot of Z100 billboards on many of the major highways around the area. What other types of marketing did you use?

Now that we're in People Meter mode, a lot of the old marketing strategies may not be as effective as they were in the diary world. With People Meter, it's all about creating more occasions and finding ways to do that.

4) Filling Cubby's shoes in afternoon drive certainly wasn't easy, but it looks like JJ was more than up for the task...

It was one of the hardest positions we've ever had to fill. Cubby really made such a mark in afternoons in New York, and our audience bonded and connected to him. After going through hundreds of airchecks, we were so lucky to have found JJ from KHKS in Dallas. He has really stepped up, and in the last book he was #1 12+ and #1 18-34 in afternoons.

5) It seems like many New York morning shows get a lot more ink than the Z Morning Zoo -- and not always for good reasons -- but Elvis Duran and company are the #1 FM morning show, and they've been winning consistently for a long time. What are the key ingredients that make this show great?

First and foremost, Elvis Duran is brilliant and really understands what it takes to connect with the audience. He's got a great team who all contribute different elements to the show. Listeners can relate and feel a connection to one or more of them. Danielle Monaro is the tough girl from the Bronx, but is also the young mom and wife. John Bell has been with the show since the station started and brings words of wisdom and experience to the room. And the newest member, Carolina Bermudez, brings the fun, trendy, flirty single girl perspective to the room.

6) You replay a key morning show feature - the Phone Tap - on Romeo's night show. Seems like a great way to recycle some cume. Have you seen benefits?

Ever since we started doing daily Phone Taps, it quickly became the biggest feature on the station. We thought it only made sense to extend the brand to the night show.

7) The PPM panel is now up and running in New York. How do you think the new ratings methodology will impact Z?

Right now, PPM is still a little bit of the unknown. We should be seeing some early data in the next few weeks. With our cume currently at 2.7 million, many are saying we could see our cume double and be closer to 5-6 million in PPM.

8) You're heavily promoting the Z-Zone section of Z100.com, and with over 30,000 registered users, it looks like listeners dig it. What's the number-one thing that listeners look for on your site?

It's all about keeping the listeners engaged and making it a destination for them to come back to daily. The jocks all do an amazing job of finding really compelling content (pictures, videos, blogging), and then naturally weaving it into their show. Also, with the Z Zone chat room, listeners feel a more personal connection to the jocks and artists because they are getting to communicate directly with them.

9) Lots of jocks would love to work at Z100. Any tips as to how to impress you? What qualities do you look for in applicants? What turns you off?

Someone who sounds natural, relatable to an 18-34 female, and gets how to keep the audience engaged. I still get a lot of airchecks with people trying too hard to sound like a "DJ" instead of just using their natural voice.

10) How do you grow the station even more from here?

The station has to continue to grow with our audience and new technologies (Z Zone social network, Z100 Mobile club). Z100 Mobile offers various listener benefits, such as when a listener texts in a request, they'll get an alert back with the exact time the song will play next. Or, we create text-only contests that people in the mobile club are only aware of.

What artists would we be surprised to find on your iPod?

Van Halen and Barbra Streisand.