The Best Program Directors in America
by Editor-in-Chief Ed Ryan
Those of you aspiring to be successful program directors, brand managers, or successful multi-taskers, you're about to go to school. Some of you will get a glimpse of how your competition may be eating your lunch. But for most, this is an opportunity to see how hard work, a love for our industry, commitment to community, and good business skills result in unquestionable success. Every year, Radio Ink identifies and interviews those individuals possessing the smartest programming brain-matter on the planet. We rank these highly skilled professionals in one tightly wrapped list and provide you with an opportunity to see how they made it to the top. You may or may not recognize the guy in this picture, he was voted the number-one program director in America. He works for CBS and he lives in Boston. You're about to meet him and the 19 other programmers who made our list from New York City (market #1) to Boston (market #10)...
1) Mike Thomas
WBZ-FM & WZLX/Boston
CBS Radio
mike.thomas@cbsradio.com
Twitter: @mikethomasmt8
Year in Radio: 31/20 as a PD
?I?m very fortunate to work with some extremely talented people, some of the best in the business,? says Mike Thomas. ?They help make what I do every day so much easier. I work for a company that is very programming-conscious. Together we?ve had a lot of victories the past several years. I?m very happy that they think of me as one of the best and took the time to nominate me.?
He goes on, ?Pay attention to details! The little things matter, and shouldn?t be overlooked. We all have a lot going on and multiple plates in the air at all times. If you start to miss some of the details, eventually it?s going to cause you to mess up the bigger things. It?s like walking into a sports bar to watch a big game. If I walk in and they have an infomercial on the TV, I walk out. They are not paying attention to details if they don?t even know what games to have on. You?re a sports bar, people go there to watch sports! Also, never stop being creative. The daily grind of this business can suck the creativity out of you. Never forget how important that is to the sound of your radio station.
?Be entertaining! We are in the entertainment industry! If I turn on one of my stations and I?m not entertained, I?m not doing my job. A good radio station is one that you turn on and you feel like, ?Boy, what did I miss?? You want to make the listeners feel like if they don?t listen, they are missing out. Also, talk about the right topics for your audience, and do it in a creative way. Anybody can talk about what happened on Fallon last night. How are you going to talk about it and relate to your audience about it in a different way? Be innovative. ?Finally, it?s about passion. If you are passionate about what you do, if you are competitive, that?s going to come through in the way your radio station sounds. Radio stations take on the personality of the PD. If you?re boring, your station is probably boring. If you?re fun, your station is probably fun. It?s just radio ? don?t take things so seriously.?
2) Sharon Dastur
WHTZ/New York
Clear Channel
sharondastur@clearchannel.com
Twitter: @zsharond
Years in Radio: 21/10 as a PD
About being successful in 2014, Dastur says the basics still hold true: ?It?s understanding the life and lifestyle of your listener. With more and more distractions competing for their time, knowing what?s important to them, and catering the programming to those things, makes a difference. Today?s program director is doing more than ever, programming music and content off-air, on-air, online, and every other way to reach the listener.?
3) Chris Conley
WLTW/New York
Clear Channel
4) Tim Scheld
WCBS-AM/New York
CBS Radio
tscheld@cbs.com
Years in Radio: 34/10 as a PD
?No PD is successful without a brand that matters and a motivated staff that believes in that brand,? Scheld observes. ?I think it?s also critical to have a welldefined mission. In our case it is to be the best, most reliable local news resource in New York and to bring our best effort every day. My job is to set the tone and provide the resources to allow it to happen. It?s also important to work on strategies to maximize listening, grow audience, and market the brand in all kinds of ways, including nontraditional. Being fluent in PPM is essential. A focus on digital streaming and social media is also a must. Finally, no programmer is successful without a partnership with the sales team. At CBS-AM, our sales managers are the best in the business, and we couldn?t do what we do without them.
?The key to being successful in any business is to deliver a quality product and to do it on a consistent basis. Radio news is no different. Over the past five decades, listeners have come to expect a certain standard from WCBS 880. We need to maintain that standard, do it every day, and find ways to expose that brand to new consumers. The formula for success is simple: Provide our listeners with a news product that they can trust and that delivers value. The information we provide also needs to be timely, interesting, and compelling. It?s important to have news professionals who can communicate, but just as important is the content. If we tell good stories, people will listen, and if we do that on a consistent basis, they?ll keep coming back.?
5) Skip Dillard
WBLS & WLIB/New York
Emmis Communications
sdillard@emmisny.com
Years in Radio: 26/21 as a PD
Today?s PD has to think like an entrepreneur, according to Dillard ? ?understanding an art that includes working with passionate people to create pre-packaged content, live content, and post-packaged content to be spread across various platforms.? He says, ?You must be involved in the process of creating revenue opportunities with content you?ve worked to create. Winning in our format requires keeping up with African-American adults, who are more likely to be digitally savvy than their general-market counterparts. Our listeners are always on the go, and very picky about who they choose to share their time with. You have to be out among them, involved in community organizations and initiatives, and engaged with their needs and shifting musical preferences.?
6) Mark Chernoff
WFAN/New York
CBS Radio
mchernoff@wfan.com
Years in Radio: 39/37 as a PD
?In 2014, a successful PD has figured out ways to grow ratings and revenue,? Chernoff points out. ?Management measures success on both! Nontraditional revenue is a hot button. The PD needs to take an active part in working with the sales team to create new revenue streams. Selling spots is not enough. Figure out what kinds of station events can become signature events. Make sure the events you do are what?s right for your format. Think about what will increase ratings and also increase revenue. Understand social media and how best to incorporate it on the radio station. This is in addition to the basics ? working with your talent, understanding the competition, playing the right music or talking about the hottest topics, understanding PPM, and of course making use of the latest social media.?
About FAN?s format in particular, Chernoff says, ?In the Sports format, you want to make sure your hosts are knowledgeable and understand their audience ? and of course are entertaining. I always try to listen to the radio station on two levels ? as the PD, but also as a listener. Drive around in the car. Do you want to keep listening as your host goes at it with a caller or blabs about a topic, or are you cringing and wanting to put something else on? I can?t say there?s a textbook way to win. Be as passionate about sports as your talent is ?and they?d better be passionate! ? and again, make sure you have the basics down pat so you can build on them.?
7) Bill Weston
WMMR/Philadelphia
Greater Media
bweston@greatermediaphiladelphia.com
Twitter: @wmmrpd
Years in Radio: 35/29 as a PD
?Hire the right people,? Weston advises. ?Point them in the right direction, and let them do their jobs. Do this while keeping your eyes on current trends to reflect consumer wants and needs. Use as many supporting digital distribution platforms as prudent while maintaining the trust and respect of the listener-station relationship.?
8) Chuck Knight
WBEB/Philadelphia
Jerry Lee Radio
Years in Radio: 25
?Love what you do,? says Knight. "Bring that passion to the radio station every day. Work hard. Be the rudder for your station. Don?t get too high during the highs, too low during the lows. Ask questions of your listeners. Respect their answers. Develop a plan to give them what they want. Pay attention to detail. Value and work with talented people. Hear the station in your mind. Coach specifics. Give your people your time. Do regular aircheck sessions. Have monthly airstaff meetings. Give your team confidence. Dream. Have fun. Be honest.?
9) Andy Bloom
CBS Radio/
Philadelphia
andy.bloom@cbsradio.com
?The job of program director is more complex than ever before,? notes Bloom. ?Program directors have always had their fingers in everything, but those prospering today are expert multi-taskers. The primary focus remains on making good radio come out of the speakers, but in 2014, the technological challenges facing the industry are more complex than ever and have to be accounted for in every decision. ?Programmers must also invest the necessary time to understand and follow new regulatory and legal issues. Additionally, any programmer who doesn?t understand the importance of their role in sales, and how powerful they can be helping the station achieve its revenue goals in addition to its ratings goals, doesn?t see the big picture. Also, a great support staff is critical, which I?m blessed to have at WIP and WPHT.?
Bloom also points to the importance of ?having, finding, and motivating great talent, then having those personalities become great storytellers and opinion leaders.? He goes on, ?Radio and television are less and less about providing information. People get the information they want pushed to them instantly on their cell phones. What they need is strong opinions and great storytellers who can help them understand what and why. Personalities who can tell them how they should feel about it or reaffirm what they already believe.
?The Sports format is men?s equivalent of soap operas for women. WIP plays into the drama and finds the storyline that the audience cares about. WPHT goes beyond the headlines and helps frame the stories in a way that enables listeners to understand how to process the news. This is done on both stations, with compelling and interesting personalities.?
10) Lee Hammer
KNBR/San Francisco
Cumulus Media
lee.hammer@cumulus.com
Years in Radio: 34
?Successful PDs need to realize that radio as we knew it when we first got into the business has changed, and is evolving every day,? Hammer points out. ?We need to accept and embrace the ways in which our audience is now consuming our product. Whether it?s over the air, online, or via a mobile device, it?s vital to remember it?s our talent, our resources and our brand that listeners are searching out.
?It?s actually a positive that our audience is able to access a podcast or get text messages from the station ? it?s a one- on-one engagement with the listener we never had access to before, and we need to build on it, because it is the future. What we need to do moving forward is be creative in how we monetize our brand over these various delivery platforms. We also need to do better in our social media interactions. It?s free marketing to our targeted listeners or fans, so why would we not want to capitalize on it? We need to use it to drive people from their mobile devices back to the radio and set up appointment listening.?
11) Laurie Cantillo
WTOP/Washington, DC
Hubbard Radio
lcantillo@wtop.com
Twitter: @lcantillowtop
Years in Radio: 33/17 as a PD
?I love my work, and it shows,? says Cantillo. ?I?m blessed with high energy, and my passion and ?can-do? attitude are infectious. While I push hard, I don?t ask people to do what I?m not willing or able to do myself. I?m innately curious, and I embrace technology. I believe the best time to evolve is when you?re on top, not when you?re in a nose dive saying, ?Pull up, pull up!?
?It?s never been more important to pay attention to social and technological trends and adapt accordingly. Change is happening at warp speed, and we have to keep up. Embrace change and question old ways of doing things. Ask yourself, ?If I were building this from scratch, how would I do it differently?? Be curious about everything. Resist the urge to hide behind e-mail all day, and spend time with people. When there?s conflict, don?t hit ?send,? have a conversation.?
12) Mary Ellen Kachinske
WTMX/Chicago
Hubbard Radio
mkachinske@wtmx.com
Years in Radio: 30/20 as a PD
?Our brands have to continually keep pace with the changing needs of our listeners? lives,? Kachinske notes. ?For today?s PD, preparation is key. We must be more of a creator and collaborator than ever, helping to find fresh new ideas to foster customer loyalty and interest. With so many entertainment choices, a radio team has to be willing to innovate and evolve the brand, keeping in step with the spirit of the marketplace. It?s not a time to play it safe.
?It?s important to keep your pulse on the emerging musical trends, but also not be too far ahead of the curve. Add to the mix vibrant personalities that can ?tell you the world over a song intro,? and top it off with creative promotions that tap in to the emotions of your core. If you are not fortunate enough to have marketing money, forge relationships in your community to help maximize your exposure.?
13) Johnny Chiang
Cox Media Group/Houston
johnny.chiang@coxinc.com
Twitter: @jchiang68
Years in Radio: 15
Chiang says being a great PD today involves ?understanding that great programming doesn?t just entail what comes out of the speakers anymore. It?s much more than picking the right songs and writing clever liner copy these days. It?s everything! You have to embrace and be great at digital, social, nontraditional marketing, etc.?
14) Jeff Catlin
KTCK-AM & FM & KESN-FM/
Dallas
Cumulus Media
Years in Radio: 22/14 as a PD
?The ability to adapt, change, and of course multi-task!? Those are some things Catlin believes a good PD needs today. ?It?s still about great content, great talent, and entertainment value for listeners. But good programmers understand the evolving way in which consumers demand our content, the ways they use it, and how we need to keep pace with changing media overall. Not only do we have to understand it, we have to able to apply it to our station and the ratings, and explain it to air talent in a way that makes sense to them and how it relates specifically to the way they craft their show on a daily basis, so they continue to get the best results.?
15) Mike Brophey
WKLB/Boston
Greater Media
mbrophey@wklb.com
Years in Radio: 40/20 as a PD
Brophey says radio has to be a passion. ?I can remember in the fall of 1972, hearing about the campus radio station in college, and I remember being instantly intrigued,? he says. ?That intrigue quickly turned into a dedicated focus, and that has never left in all these years. I still love the business, the talent, the engineering, and the creative revenue generating plans. Look at the new platforms that allow us to create and spread our entertainment around the world. We have to be aware of and tap in to that kind of power.
?Still, we have to leave time for creativity, people skills, strategizing, etc. Ours is really a multifaceted occupation requiring experience, open minds, and good old-fashioned sweat sometimes. We have to network, observe, and lead and, most importantly, have a lot of fun with the process. That translates into excitement, which is contagious. Sometimes, I literally run to my office when I get an idea. I still get excited about what we do every day."
16) Arturo Sosa
WPAT & WSKQ/New York
Spanish Broadcasting System
asosa@sbsnewyork.com
Twitter: @arturitomega
Years in Radio: 17/16 months as a PD
?What I feel it takes to be a successful program director in 2014 is to know the importance of digital and the direction it is taking,? says Sosa. ?Be passionate, have great communication with your on-air personalities, and know the essential tools needed to win. Interact with your market and communities; without our listeners, we do not succeed. Create a fusion within the music, trends, and lifestyle within the market, and the quality and sounds that go on the air. And last but not least, there?s the quality of music we provide for our listeners. Make sure to cater to their needs.?
17) Pete Spriggs
WSB-AM & FM/Atlanta
Cox Media Group, Atlanta
18) Jeff Kapugi
WUSN/Chicago
CBS Radio
jeff@cbsradio.com
Twitter: @jeffkapugi
Years in Radio: 34/20 as a PD
To be a successful PD in 2014, you have to be a multitasker, but you also have to understand it is about what is coming out of the speakers, along with what happens on the websites and how to help monetize them,? says Kapugi. ?That has not really changed in the last few years, but our goal is to not only grow ratings, but growing revenue is key. Make sure everyone knows the goal. If you don?t, we are all rowing, but maybe not in the same direction. Define what a win is, and create achievable goals along the way to the big one. Treat people the way you?d expect to be treated ? with respect.?
19) Shelly Easton
WXTU/Philadelphia
Beasley Broadcast Group
shelly.easton@wxtu.com
Twitter: @shellyeaston
Years in Radio: 26/19 as a PD
?First of all,? says Easton, ?I feel extremely honored. We are truly a team here at XTU. So recognition for me is a pat on the back for everyone. I work in a very supportive environment, both locally and on a corporate level. Being successful as a PD in 2014 is more than being a good boss; a successful PD strives to be a great leader and then to lead by example. A successful PD fosters an environment that encourages creativity, because you?re only as good as your team. Forgetting that is the first step toward failure.
?I enjoy programming more as an architect, not just an implementer. That takes a little courage some days, with a dash of insanity ? so be brave. Every day it?s searching for new ideas and platforms where we can meet our audience and serve our community on multiple levels. A successful PD needs to find that spot where great radio
can happen and be profitable.?
20) Jose Ricardo ?Gonzo? Otero
WNUA & WNUA-HD2/Chicago
Clear Channel
gonzo@clearchannel.com
Twitter: @ricardoelgonzo
Years in Radio: 16/5 as a PD
"Being successful goes beyond knowing what songs to play or hiring the best talent, according to Otero. ?It?s about setting clear goals for your projects and developing a mission with a solid vision,? he says. ?Respect, defend, promote, and highlight your values and brand identity. Be willing to work hard enough. It?s about focus and determination ? the rest is up to you. Understand there is no way to do radio alone. This is a teamwork activity, where you need to make sure that all members of that squad believe in the strategy and are committed and passionate. There shouldn?t be a handoff between the team and the PD when it comes to execution. They need to follow the plan and implement tactics that are aligned to the main objective. Know your budgets, know your strengths and weaknesses, and always be aware of the competition. Good luck exists,but is usually driven by showing up and working hard.
?Always fulfill people?s expectations about your brand; let them find your attributes and benefits. Whenever they tune in, visit your website, or start a streaming session, they need to ?get it? at any given 15-minute period. Have consistency with the elements defining your story. We have our own way to present the Regional Mexican format, unique and unparalleled; we have our way to talk about sports. We are always looking to enhance our audience?s consumption experience and thus differentiate from our competitors. We build consumer-focused brands. Understand when to play defense and offense in your marketplace, identifying needs and opportunities.?
