-
10 Questions with ... Chris Carter
February 3, 2009
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
NAME:Chris CarterTITLE:Program DirectorSTATION:WIOL The New Mix 95-7 & WEAM AM 1580 The ZoneMARKET:Columbus, GACOMPANY:Davis BroadcastingBORN:Feb. 28, 1977 Muncie, INRAISED:Indiana
Please outline your career path.
I got my first taste of radio at my high school, Muncie Southside, doing play-by-play for our basketball team on the community school's station. I attended Indiana University in Bloomington, and then jumped into the grinder of radio full-time.
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
My first job, where I kind of got paid, was at WLBC in Muncie, IN. I got to work on the hometown station for three years, doing overnights in a "haunted" building before moving on. As for early influences I would include a few folks who either I worked with or was able to speak with and get great advice -- Tom Hammond (for helping get my foot in the door twice), Marty Bender in Indianapolis for giving me some advice and enough words of encouragement to ride it out, Rick Duncan for dealing with a curious kid always looking over his shoulder, TJ Michaels for teaching me some great lessons, Jerry King's sage-like advice and for Phil "Dash Man" Dashler and STEVE "Brownie" Brown for being two guys who I listened to saying "Wow, I want to do what they do!"
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it"?
About a year into my first gig I decided this was what I wanted to do forever. Honestly, the defining moment was losing my first gig. Excuse me, I was "downsized" by our new owners. Being the defiant prick I can be, I said to myself I would show them they got rid of the wrong guy. Over 10 years later...
3) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now what you didn't then, would you still do it?
I would. I think the only change would be I would have been smarter in my approach to a few things that I didn't take as seriously as I should have early on.
4) Where do you see yourself and the industry five years from now?
Hopefully, five years from now the industry and I are both in a much better place. I was a speaker at my high school graduation and in my speech I said to my fellow graduates, "Remember your past, embrace your dreams but make now the most important time of your life."
That was fine then, but now we should be building for tomorrow instead of living for the moment. I hear a lot of people talk about how we should be more "forward thinking," but all too often those people never follow their own advice. Programmers, owners, consultants ... keep us relevant!
5) How you feel about being asked to wait on a record you hear until the research validates it?
I'm okay with waiting, most of the time. You never hurt your product with what you don't play. And then there are those times when you know it just needs to go right in and put it on the air next.
6) How do you feel about syndication? Does it have a significant effect on the number of hours that you have control over the music that you play?
Syndication is a great tool, but should be used responsibly. For the most part I don't feel the syndication dictates playlist -- when you use it correctly.
7) Because of callout research are today's AC and Hot AC programmers going to be slower in adding and playing new music? What is the maximum number of spins a record in power rotation could be expected to receive in a given week on your station(s)?
Taking your time is never a bad thing when it comes to your product. I do think that your market dictates how you handle your adds, and rotations more than research. The first programming lesson I ever received was four words long: "Just play the hits."
8) Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?
You know, it might be that we are our own worst critics, but I still feel I'm not as strong of an air talent as I could be regardless of the multiple hats I wear around the station.
9) How do you account for and what effect do you feel the continuing ratings dominance your stations are going to have on the Columbus, GA. market? Do you feel there are going to be new challengers from other formats?.
Well here at Davis Broadcasting we have been blessed with some very talented individuals. And we might have even more luck considering the number of people who know the value of not just being tight on the air, but they know we need to dominate the streets to win as well.
10) As you look back over your career ... any regrets? Missed opportunities?
I think any opportunities I missed are a result of my own immaturity early on. As serious as I was about broadcasting, I just never realized what I wanted to be when I grew up. But as for regrets ... nah. I'm a firm believer that I needed those mistakes, missed opportunities and failures to grow just not as a programmer but as a person.
Bonus Questions
What would people who think they know Chris Carter be surprised to know about you?
As big of a pain in the ass as I can be, I'm really a pushover. Ask my son. I think the only time I've told that child no was when he got a hold of my clippers.
What's your favorite reading material?
I read anything I can get my hands on. I just got, as a gift, a novel on CD since I drive so much, and I gotta say it's a good change of pace when you want to disconnect from work to have that book ready in the changer.
How do you feel about Arbitron's PPM eventually replacing the diary?
It's not happening soon enough. I realize there are still plenty of faults to fix, but the diary needs to go away.
Do you feel that stations should be more careful not to blindly copy formats but tailor them specifically to the age and racial make-up of their own markets?
Your market should dictate your product. You can build the foundation from a carefully constructed blueprint, but the personality of the station should reflect your market.
How important is consistent marketing to a station's overall success?
1 gazillion percent necessary. No matter the market size, format or last ratings, you need to market on as many levels and as many ways as possible. Billboards, TV, newspaper, MySpace, Facebook, e-mail clubs, bumper stickers (does anyone still use those), T-shirts, partnering with other local venues to get your logo and message in front of people ... absolutely, whatever it takes!
-
-