10 Questions with ... Bethany Kent "PromoChick"

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Graduated from Emerson College in 2006 with a degree in Marketing Communications. Interned for Marthe Reynolds at Def Jam as well as Fuse TV and of course WWKX/Hot 106. I did a brief stint in New York City doing freelance TV Production for Fuse TV and Vh1 before taking a full time gig as Promotions Director here at WWKX which I've been in since 2007.

1. What's the first thing you do when you walk into the station?

Turn on my computer, and pull up the Hot 106 Facebook and Twitter pages.

2. How much has a Twitter and a Facebook changed your job?

I feel like I spend so much time on Twitter and Facebook that I can't seem to figure out why I was so busy before they existed. I still feel just as busy and still do a million other things but now I'm constantly on our Twitter and Facebook pages. I love the instant connection with the listeners. To me, it's the best research there is.

3. The Hot 106 air staff is very active individual with social media sites. Did it take long to get them going consistently or did they dive right in?

Pretty much all of our staff members dove right into Social Media mostly because it's something we're all doing anyway. I think that's what has separated us in the Providence market from other stations. Where it is being forced for other (usually older) personalities, for us we would be tweeting about the crazy lady we see at the grocery store anyway. Plus, our PD Dan Hunt really leads by example. He's the TwitPic master.

4. Any particular apps and/or software that you use specifically for your role as Promotions and Marketing Director?

You know, we do use HootSuite a little but I'm not a huge fan of scheduling out posts for Facebook or Twitter. I think it's worth taking the time to do it right and post it live. It's almost like voice tracking... it just comes across better if you do it live.

5. When you looking for help in the Promotions and Marketing Department, what are you looking for in potential street teamers and/or assistants?

I mostly look for Street Teamers who are hungry to work their way up in the industry because I know they'll work the hardest and get the most out of the job.

6. I assume that like most people in this business, you've had your professional ups and downs. What would be some of the career highlights?

Career highlights for me are a few of the events we've brought to Providence. In 2008 we brought back our arena concert Hot Night with a sold out Lil' Wayne headlining the show. I went to Hot Night concerts as a kid so to be able to bring that back for a younger generation was really special. Another is bringing the Funkmaster Flex Car Show to Providence. Dan and I seem to talk about things at first as jokes, then as "what if we could really do that?" and then we somehow make it happen. That was the case with Flex. We've developed a great relationship with him and his camp, they're great people.

7. Hot 106 hits a lot of promotional home runs. What do you think the latest has been?

Hmmm... yesterday we did a Listener Lunch with J. Cole. I think most stations do Listener Lunches and it's thrown together in the conference room at the radio station with 10 people (no shots fired! LOL). We had a really cool event at a local venue called The Met with about 60 winners. We did a Q&A hosted by our new morning show and then J. Cole actually played us some rough edits of new songs off his album. The listeners were thrilled and I went back to the office to see all their tweets about how intimate it was. That was cool.

8. Your job keeps you pretty swamped. What do you like to do to take a break from it?

Break? What break? I can take a break? Just kidding... My parents still live near the beach in Southern Rhode Island so I usually head down there or go visit friends in New York City.

9. Think back to being about 12 years old. Did you think you'd be the Promotions and Marketing Director at a radio station?

At 12 years old I thought I had a real solid chance of being part of Puff Daddy & The Family someday (I was a Ma$e superfan like any good white girl from the suburbs was) but never thought I'd work in radio. I'm very lucky to do what I do.

10. What percentage of Hot clients do you think really get what being involved in a station promotion does for them?

There are definitely clients who get it and those that do are really loyal to us. Dunkin' Donuts is a good example of a client who really gets it, especially the Social Media. They've been sponsoring our promotions like "Tweet & Greets" for a few years now. I think because Hot 106 super serves Early Adapters that a lot of decision makers are older and don't get it. Not sure on an exact percentage, that's why I work in radio, so I don't have to do difficult math. ;)

If the entire Hot 106 staff was on Survivor-Block Island National Wildlife Refuge...who would win and why?

Our morning show host Deanna Cruz for sure. She's a marathon runner and a hard headed Portuguese girl. She'd give us all a run for our money.