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10 Questions with ... Cliff Coleman
June 6, 2006
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NAME:Cliff ColemanTITLE:AfternoonsSTATIONS:WGPR, WDIV-TVMARKET:DetroitBORN:September, 1955, DetroitRAISED:Detroit City
Please outline your radio career so far:
I started as a teen reporter for Cass Tech High back in 1972 at "Super Soul" WCHB in Inkster. I kept getting behind a microphone in college, ended up hired -- almost simultaneously -- at a PBS station as an engineer and at what was then Detroit's Jazz Radio, WJZZ. That stint lasted for 15 years. Since then I've worked at each Detroit television station except one, spent 5 years with WKQI, an AC station, and 3 years ago came on for afternoons at WGPR.
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
I recall a girlfriend commenting on my voice over the phone, so when we'd get together, she thought it was cool when I serenaded her with those great ol' school ballads and mimicked the local DJ's we heard on the radio. I met Jay Butler at a remote broadcast they did at our elementary school and later met Wade "Butterball Jr." Briggs at a remote he did from a local record shop. Hearing some of their stories and seeing the fun they were having let me think it might be something to get into, you know, when I grew up.
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
I was studying performing arts in high school, learning some of the acting and stage craft and part of the curriculum had us doing interpretive reading.
We auditioned for WCHB's Soul Teen Reporter internship and the guys let me hang around after-hours. That became an on-air trainee position and I just kept on going.
3) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?
The spontaneity has changed, the music has changed and the method has changed so much, I'd have to say no. It's not exactly one of those "swimmin' pool ... movie stars" six-figure kind of gigs.
4) Where do you see yourself and the industry five years from now? How do you feel about the PPM eventually replacing the diary?
I envision being involved with something related to broadcasting, jazz promotion, or even both. It's a question that can really dog you when you've done it a long time.
I think the PPM will finally provide a more accurate skew of an audience's listening habits. Programmers won't be prompted to reinforce call letters and frequency as much, and there's a chance the technology will level the playing field between conglomerates and smaller players with a quality product. It might just allow for more of a demand for creativity, rather than formulas.
5) How do you feel about being made to wait on a record you hear until the research validates it? Elaborate.
Right now radio works differently than music and art. The emphasis is toward sales and a particular song or artist making an impact. I don't know about you, but I feel good about liking what I like. I'm uneasy with this old compulsive vibe of having to buy what everybody else likes. It's unfortunate that listeners often won't know if they like a record or not until after they buy it, because of this research strategy for a mass audience because it only constrains artistic expression.
6) What is going to happen to the training of tomorrow's talent and programmers if the current trend continues? How do you feel about syndication and voice-tracking?
I've often said that managers won't really be happy until they can figure out a way to get employees to pay them for the privilege of having a job. When we look at the willingness to employ software instead of people and programmers actually creating a demand for a style of music, instead of being in touch with their public, they're not going to learn what today's veterans know. It's like the geeks are taking over!
7) What adjustments have you had to make in your new position?
There's no way I could honestly say that playing records and carts is better than what we do these days. Some adjustments haven't exactly been forward ones, however, I've been fortunate to have been exposed to a technical environment where having big whirring toys creates potential to cross a new threshold for AP's in executing a show.
8) Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?
To use an old cliché, "there's always room for improvement." I'd like to tune up on being more improvised or extempore on air, and step up the pace with production technology.
9) How do you feel the current payola investigation is going to affect both industries?
When the program director or DJ takes money under the table, it's payola. When the general manager gets a check from a special interest, it's "alternative revenue." Let's hope that the results of this probe will end up with folks not feeling the need to get all cloak & dagger about getting paid.
10) Are urban programmers going to be slower in adding and playing new music?
If radio doesn't play it, the mass public won't hear it. If programmers become slower, it could result in people hearing songs they already know about and own. Radio could end up becoming a medium of redundancy and urban programmers literally held hostage by consulting methods and strategies. You don't want that.
My concern is for the listeners to have expanded survival potential through aural entertainment which radio provides. Since it's free, you just take what's given, hoping stations have your best interests at heart.
That reframes the question to ask: Is "radio-focused" research the only thing that determines what generates ratings in radio? Why can't station managers seek out programmers with background in music or degrees in sociology?
Bonus Questions
As you look back over your career ... any regrets? Missed opportunities?
Did I zig when I shoulda zagged? Oh yeah, more than I care to reflect about.
You've just got to learn what the important things are to focus on when working at a radio station, or anywhere else. You've also got to learn to not swing at bad pitches and be precise about swingin' at the good ones.
Above all you should be focused on the present situation while keeping your mind on your future and whether this "ship" can get you where you're trying to go.
What's been your biggest disappointment in Radio today?
I look through the trades and see pictures of people with tattoos, but I don't see them holding instruments. I listen to a station play a song that contains a bleep every 20 seconds and I ask myself, "What kind of research says this song makes it, but a talented girl with a guitar doesn't?" How did we get to a point in radio where you don't need anybody singing or playing an instrument to have a hit? I'd say the notion of art in music has waned considerably and that's my biggest disappointment in Radio today.
Secondly, my pet peeve is that compensation (the pay) hasn't caught up with the technology. We're really doing more for less.
How did you get your present job?
The program director was a former co-worker who knew I wouldn't let her down or be a drag on things once I got there.
What is your biggest challenge working at this station?
I wonder if this station is really committed to winning, and whether they know what the priorities are in doing that. Communicating and conveying the motivation to win as a team is a big challenge. When everybody wins, everybody wins! It's that simple.
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