Tasha Armstead (pictured) is a Senior Account Executive for Entercom San Francisco. And she?s one of the future leaders of radio we highlight in a recent issue of Radio Ink magazine. Armstead is one of 20 people nominated by her peers and chosen by the Radio Ink editorial committee. When you read her answers to our questions for this issue, you?ll quickly understand why. RI: What makes you passionate about the radio industry?My passion was ignited while attending Clark Atlanta University where I studied broadcasting. The school really prepared me for the industry. As a child, I have always had a passion for music, great content, and community involvement, which is why I choose this field of work.Also, my cousin Kevin Brown, who was the program director at KBLX when it was owned by Inner City Broadcasting, encouraged me to pursue a long-term career in the broadcasting industry. He opened the first door for me and helped jump start my career. What really drives me is not just the great income you can make in sales (that?s very important), but what our commitment is to entertain, inform, and educate the communities we serve. I enjoy what our products provide and I enjoy helping small and large companies grow their business through our marketing efforts. I also enjoy the great relationships that I have developed throughout my career. RI: What are your goals both personally and to make the industry better?My goal is to better the recruitment efforts of minorities into our business. There is still a huge disparity in the front office and back office, and I personally would like to see young, educated minorities consider making long-term careers in our industry, particularly in the capacity of management. I?d like to be a role model to our youth and encourage them to pursue opportunities in the field of broadcasting. RI: Why do you think you've been successful to this point in your career?I think I have been successful to this point mainly because I haven?t given up! I was clear on what I wanted to achieve out of my profession and I have worked hard and diligently to make sure I continued to grow both professionally and personally. I have also made sure I networked in the right circles. As well as maintained high integrity, good work ethics, and performance. RI: What would you improve in radio if you were promoted to a much higher position of leadership tomorrow?If I was promoted to a much higher position of leadership, I would immediately change two things.1) I would work tirelessly to diversify the talent in all departments. With a diverse body of talent, you have fresh ideas and perspectives, which is an essential ingredient to a company's long-term success.2) Make the industry more competitive in the digital and social media space. Having a teenage son, I realize that our youth (which is our future) is engaging more with the social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Kick, Snapchat, AskFm, Tumblr, Facebook, etc). Social media has gone mainstream, it?s become a major factor in how people relate to the real world, how they find and apply for jobs, pursue educational opportunities, learn, build businesses, entertain, and much more. As an industry we need to get more involved in this space. We need to spend a serious amount of time contemplating and ideating the future of broadcasting, mobile and social media platforms, and how they tie together. We need to come up with our own plan of disruption so that we as an industry are not at the behest of nascent technologies. This will assist the industry in coming up with creative solutions for our customers. What advice would you give to someone just getting started in the business?This is the industry that you can fall in love with your job and make a great living doing it! Of course, there are high expectations, goals to meet, and pressure to perform, accountability, but at the same time you can balance that with having a great time and enjoying going to work every day. I would say to young person:1. Work smart, work hard!2. Have familiarity of the sales platforms and strong product knowledge!3. Stay ever vigilant and resilient!4. Listen more than you speak!5. Never stop learning!6. Have passion for your product and your job!7. Be familiar with business acumen!8. Have impeccable follow-up skills!9. Always be prepared! 10. Develop long-term relationships and a very strong network!
Most importantly?.Have fun doing it!
Congratulate Tasha on representing the radio industry so professionally tarmstead@entercom.com
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