2-3-2012
Tom Davis is one of radio's real innovators. Davis wasn't cut out to walk around a big city office in a slick-looking suit. After selling his Springfield radio stations in 2003, he gave the 9-to-5 corporate life a go and quickly decided it was for the birds. Two years later, he was back in the radio ownership business, picking up two stations in Williamsburg, VA, that nobody else wanted. Davis says the stations had no billing and barely any equipment. That was fine with him, because he was about to change all that.
Recently Davis picked up five stations in Wilmington, and he's on the prowl for more. His approach to succeeding as an owner is quite different, and it requires a completely different mindset. But it's an approach many owners and managers may want to think about. Why? In 2010, when radio was happy with a 6 percent revenue increase, Davis' business was plus 34 percent. In 2011, when the industry was barely flat, Davis was smiling about his 12 percent jump.
Davis is one of radio's new innovators. And a key to his success is his hard-charging attitude, focused on changing the newspaper business, and he uses his radio stations to accomplish that. "We don't hire DJ's who want to give the time and temperature," he says. "We hire backpack journalists." Davis says that to succeed, "You have to be talking about what's going on in your own town. You want people to care about your radio station, talk about potholes." Williamsburg has a population of 150,000. WY Daily, which is a Davis creation, has 78,000 unique readers. This video explains what Davis has created.
We suggest you watch the video and listen to our interview with Davis HERE.
You can reach out to Tom Davis HERE.
(2/3/2012 11:38:26 AM)
Very impressive Tom. Is there a local TV station or newspaper in your area that you are sharing news with?
(2/3/2012 7:48:32 AM)
Back to the basics of hiring jocks who can entertain and inform with local relevance. Mega-corporations, take note. Davis has it right!
- Jen White, White House Media(2/3/2012 7:40:33 AM)
I agree with Jock in that there was a time when the Personalities were performing in their local markets; had lives in their local markets and had the air-time and the green light to comment on them.
Meanwhile, I suspect that Tom was referencing improvements over maybe a little more than nuthin'.
Even so....
(2/3/2012 5:25:23 AM)
Congratulations Tom. That is awesome that you have re-discoverd what broadcasters used to know before the consolodation of our industry starting boring the pants off of the audience. I would like to point out the way certain facts can be manipulated to make a story seem more impressive though...in this story you tell us how his statins had no billing, and he bumped it up 35% while everyone else is happy with 6%...35% of nothing may be quite a bit less than 5% of a lot...just sayin.
(2/3/2012 12:31:22 AM)
Waytago, Tom!
While "local" is being stressed - and for good reasons, he also makes the point about having people on the air who can actually string a couple of cogent sentences together - back to back. One right after the other, even.
With my own interests in mind, I can only wonder what might happen to the enterprise were the Talent imbued with even greater skills.
I like this guy and offer wholehearted congratulations to an entrepreneur who is not even thinking out of the box. He has designed a whole new model.
Wow!
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