10 Questions with ... Sam Weaver

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I'm the Urban/R&B Editor/Columnist at All Access and owner of a radio talent coach/strategic advisor business (Radiocoach.biz) for terrestrial/Internet radio personalities- programmers and for those in other audio platforms such as podcasts and YouTube. I also advise independent music artists & managements on various projects.

I have been in the business for years as a programmer and air personality. My format background includes Top 40/Mainstream, Urban, Country, Sports, Talk and Rock. I have worked in Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco, Dallas, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Memphis, Greensboro, and Kansas City. My list of 12 stations programmed includes WDIA/Memphis, the oldest Black-operated property, and KPRS-KPRT/Kansas City, the oldest Black owned-and-operated stations.

Besides numerous programming awards, other career highlights include teaching in the Broadcast Department at Columbia College in Chicago, on the Board of Directors for the Living Legends Foundation LLC, former member of the American Arbitration Association, comedy writer for the late Jerry Boulding's Highlights radio show, and hosting Westwood One's Superstars of R&B Concert Series.

1) How do you feel about the non-compete clause possibly going away?

I'm glad the FTC is proposing getting rid of this because it literally has never been practical as far as I'm concerned. A non-compete agreement legally binds an ex-employee from working elsewhere in a market for a specific amount of time after their employment is over. To begin with, most air talent have never been lucky enough to work for a company that offers contracts. I always understood stations trying to keep their big-time ratings getting talent from walking across the street to a competitor. The theory

being that their fans would immediately follow them to their new dial position and place of employment. It's kind of one of those, work for me and don't even think about leaving for anywhere else in this town. Well, the whole side of town thing has expanded with voice tracking and other audio platforms. The best way around a non-compete I ever heard was when Tom Joyner decided to split his time daily between Dallas and Chicago. I thought that was a brilliant way around the non-compete within a market place. Yes, I know, there is a right of free will, no one has ever forced someone to sign a contract with the non-compete clause included. I never heard of a talent refusing to sign a contract because there's a non-compete clause in it. And that's because people like to work, pay bills, and eat. Again, I'm just glad it's been considered for elimination. Investopedia does a great job of explaining non competes.

2) Do you think Nielsen will make any adjustments to PPM measurement?

The thing with PPM is pretty insane. Any older format, AC, classic rock, R&B, News, whatever, the PPM measure works in their favor. If you're young and his radio station, Top 40 Urban, Hip-hop, or Top 40 Rhythmic you're pretty much dead in the water unless you a catch super household or individual who you can get a lot of metered exposure from.

Yes, listening with younger demos has changed. They have included other audio sources in their lifestyle to enjoy their music, there's no doubt about it.

However, the exposure that is being done is not being captured and it's all based on lifestyle, listening habits for many of the younger demos. AirPods, earbuds, and headphones. The meters can't pick up exposure with these types of earwear. Notice I used the word exposure, because the wearable meters provided by Nielsen pick up the inaudible encoded transmitted by station. So, the exposure to the terrestrial signals is not being picked up by those who might listen on an app.

For example, I recently had some work done at my house and an AT&T field person came out. I noticed his AirPods and I asked him if he listened to terrestrial radio. He said he doesn't. Then I asked if he ever had exposure during the day to terrestrial radio. He said yes and then he told me he listened to Steve Harvey at the shop, but when out on a call he listened to him on his AirPods off an app.

And don't get me started on music research over the last year saying how people are listening more to older music. The statement alone is contradictory to streaming numbers from audio and video sources. Yes, Nielsen has tried to give a more accurate account of younger listening, but the method for adjusting the numbers is based on gathering qualitative info from the previous year's panelists. Then applying some mathematical equation, it's not working. It is a woefully inadequate system and consistently hands out questionable results for many younger formatted stations from around the country to prove it.

3) How's the business of music doing?

The music game has become more about the metrics of music consumption. It's still about casting a wide net when it comes to marketing and reaching the masses in both the majority and the minority. It's never "everybody does" or "nobody does." Both radio and the music industry need bodies to be successful in a society based on capitalism. And let's not forget all the people in other ism's around the world buying music too.

4) What's the biggest change you've seen since you first got into the business?

Technology and people's attitudes in dealing with it. I'll give you an example, back in the 90s we were waiting for the next music trend. What we got instead was new delivery systems for music and information. The attitude about the best ways to utilize technologies is always interesting. On one hand companies de-emphasize the human element, and on the other hand, companies look for that one air personality or influencer they can utilize throughout their media empire. Things also changed a lot faster than they used to. New software programs, more improvements for smart phones, more music services, the metaverse, Crypto Currency, and pretty much more of a lot of things. But the one thing that never changes, too many people still use the dismissive statements "everybody is doing" and "nobody is doing." Regardless of the century, too many are still stuck on categorize by two's, Black Hats versus White Hats, Democrats versus Republicans, Tall or short, and my favorite, heads or tails.

5) What's one of your funnier moments on the radio?

This little boy kept calling on the request lines and requesting this one song. I thought he was saying, "I wanna hear My Dick." On the fourth time he called, I told him that I thought his mom and dad would not approve of his request. But he kept pleading with me. So, I thought if I played along, I'd catch him in his little perverted game, and I asked him to sing it to me. Once he started, I recognized the melody and realized that he wasn't asking for a song called "My Dick." He had been requesting the song "It's Magic" by Pilot. "Oh ho ho It's Magic." Yeah, that was a funny moment.

6) And the best advice you've ever been given?

No matter how hard you're being pushed for an answer, don't' give one until you have thoroughly thought about what your answer should be. Even if it causes you to miss a deadline. I've found that advice has served me well. I've never minded the metaphorical lash for tardiness because to me it's about what you say.

7) What's Your Approach to figuring something out?

Take a look at something from every aspect. And stick to the actual issue without reading anything else into it. Fortunately, I can compartmentalize. It helps when I'm zeroing in on variables for solutions.

8) How do you see the future of on air personalities?

There's always room for personality. On air personalities are important to the entire process for terrestrial radio, and the other audio platforms that they are now branching off into. And too many people get confused when it comes to personalities having personality. How many times have we met someone for the first time, and we just got a good feeling. It might've been the cashier at the grocery store and they didn't say much, but what they did say made you laugh or smile. That's personality. And that's the same thing that I explain to my clients that I coach. It's about finding that way to make the words that come out of your mouth spark something inside the other person. It's the spin to what you say, not how much you say.

9) Would it be a stretch to say you're unconventional?

A lot of people would probably agree with that statement. I transfer information from every part of my life and from all things I'm exposed to. Within my radio career that's how I managed to survive and consistently reinvent myself. When you think about it, we all have a multitude of stuff all around us. It's up to us to take all that stuff, make sense of it, and repurpose it for whatever area of our lives we need to. It's about taking it and simplifying so it makes sense with what you are trying to accomplish. There are centuries of ideas to revamp and utilize.

10) How is your future looking?

Ha ha, I'll find out when you do. I'm in the process of repurposing my current radio talent coach website. I'll debut a new one which will still feature my talent coaching services. In addition, it will also highlight the other areas that have organically come into play as accessories to my coaching. As soon as the new site is ready, I'll launch it. This year, I'm also planning on doing more speaking engagements at colleges and universities. In addition, you can look for me to moderate more panels in person and virtually.