10 Questions with ... Sky Daniels

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

• Radio V.1: Have Smokestack, Will Broadcast! WKDD/Akron; WYDD/Pittsburgh; WWWW/Detroit; WLUP/Chicago.
• Radio V.2.: KFOG/San Francisco; KMET/LA; KISW/Seattle.
• Label V.1. Sony Music; PolyGram Label Group.
• Media and Consumer Marketing: R&R; Best Buy Corp.
• Label V.2: RED/Sony; Fontana/Universal.
• Radio Re-born: 88.5 FM/Los Angeles

1. How did you become interested in radio?

My cousin worked with Alan Freed. He owned a powder blue pop-top T-Bird. He gave me stacks of hot wax. I knew I had to do this at age five.

2. How did the gig at KCSN first come together for you?

I was in the hospital for a while. As they say, when you are in a hospital bed hooked to machines, what becomes important to you? I knew I wanted to go back to my true love. Fortunately, a couple of (rare) opportunities opened in L.A. area when I got out of hospital. I sensed this, while a total uphill battle, would allow me to help build a dynamic station.

3. After a long slog, you have finally pulled the second signal, KSBR, into the 88.5 FM fold. Can you give us some insight as to what it took to make that happen?

Five years ago I approached Terry Wedel, the former KSBR GM, and, with great deference, asked if he would be interested in discussing a shared programming agreement. To my surprise, he immediately said yes. He was aware of the two signals wreaking havoc on each other and was a fan of the format we had launched. Unfortunately, Terry had to retire at the end of that year. That put the project on hold.

We would then go through three more regime changes at Saddleback, which protracted formalizing the agreement. This was a big deal for them, and for CSUN, so there would be no hasty decisions.

There were times when the staff here felt I was deluded in thinking the deal would get done. I found patience I didn't know I had. Were we to try to acquire translators to make this kind of coverage area increase, you would be looking at about $5-10 million, minimum. We got the engineering aspects done for about $170K.

4. Tell us what Saddleback College in Mission Viejo's KSBR brings to the mix.

KSBR's coverage area is in an extremely attractive demographic area for a Triple A format. We did a format study with Edison Media that revealed that 48 % of the upscale, professional 35-64s in L.A./O.C. market felt radio "didn't speak to them like it used to." I saw real opportunity for this format. KSBR has a brand-new facility, which includes a complete TV station. Under the direction of Co-GM Jim Rondeau, we plan on using that facility to build tremendous video content.

5. With the large signal reach you now have, how are you marketing what is basically two stations blended into one?

We market the single frequency network as 88.5 FM. We did our first significant marketing campaign in November. Outdoor, bus signage (South Orange County does not permit billboards), online marketing. We used the tag line "You Deserve Better Radio" -- which was a response to the Edison Media findings. We were fortunate that the biggest superstars in the world lent the support and images to us. The Beatles. U2. Radiohead. Neil Young. Sheryl Crow. Alabama Shakes. Even Nic Harcourt!

6. You have a live studio at The Village At Westfield Topanga. Tell us how you utilize that facility.

Nic Harcourt broadcasts his morning show live from that facility daily. On the weekend we broadcast live middays. The property gets about 100,000-plus in foot-traffic each week. We are grateful to SVP/Global Development Larry Green and Westfield CEO Bill Hecht for their belief in 88.5 FM's programming.

7. Tell us about your weekday air staff.

Nic Harcourt does mornings. Nic has a special noncomm legacy in L.A. Garrison West joins us in middays from KSBR. I do PM drive, and artist interviews. Talia Schlanger hosts World Café early evening, and AJ, another KSBR host, handles late-night. Jim Nelson rules overnights.

8. You have also shaken up your weekend schedule with some great specialty shows. Tell us about that.

We try to cover relevant idioms that are aligned with our overall programming philosophy. Americana is served by Kat Griffin and by a show produced by The Bluegrass Situation. Pat Baker hosts Tangled Roots -- a penultimate 'progressive' radio show. We have both a Beatles and Dylan show, hosted by Les Perry and Lisa Finnie, respectively. Acoustic Café with Rob Reinhart. ETown. The Latin Alternative. The '80s Experience w/ KSBR's JJ. Harry Shearer's Le Show. Kevin Bronson with the best local show in L.A. Buzz Bands. Ann The Raven, a local blues legend. Robert Hilburn, the dean of music critics with Rock N Roll Times.

9. You have brought over some folks from The Sound after its demise. Do you think you have a good chance of attracting some of that audience?

Mimi Chen, who used to work at KCSN, does "Love, Peace, and Sundays." When The Sound was ending its run, we did a Salute To The Sound social media campaign. Over 300,000 people responded favorably. Anecdotally, we have seen enormous favorable response from their disenfranchised listeners. Remember, The Sound began as an aggressive Triple A. They built 800,000 in cume with that format. THOSE listeners are just discovering that we exist!

10. What's next for The New 88.5 FM?

A second round of marketing in the Spring. As we saw earlier in L.A., it only takes four P1 meters to go from 32nd to first in the market, so maybe we can become geniuses. We can't control Nielsen Audio outcomes, but we can develop great, passionate engagement with our listeners. We are going to be announcing a new partnership in that regard very soon. Meanwhile, we hired Pat Osburn, who was market manager for Entercom/San Diego, as our Dir./Underwriting. Pat also developed the sales strategies for KPRI/San Diego. Bonnie Marquez joins us as Dir./Promotions, Events, and Engagement. Bonnie previously was GoldenVoice's marketing guru.

Last non-industry job:

Played fiddle for Lewis & Clark expedition

First record ever purchased:

"Do You Love Me" by The Contours

First concert:

James Gang/Sly & The Family Stone

Favorite band of all-time:

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?

I work 18 hours a day, seven days a week (seriously). I squeeze in an Ohio State and Cleveland Browns game with my kids on the weekend.