To support the launch of the new Barrett Media, we’ve created a special series titled “20 Brands In 20 Days.” Highlighting successful stations across the country in various formats by conducting conversations with their brand leaders. Up next is Cumulus Media’s Brooks O’Brian. Brooks is PD of Country WFMS Indianapolis. The station we are highlighting today.
Jeff Lynn: Describe the radio station in your own words.
Brooks O’Brian: It is a fun, upbeat station that is very invested in the community and its format.
We’re super active with all the Country concerts and things like that. So, it’s the heart of the Country format.
JL: You have a local morning show talk a little bit about them?
BO: Right before I got here, it was Jim, Deb, and Kevin. Jim was a 35-year-old radio station. He retired just maybe two months before I got here.
Deb and Kevin were 20-year veterans of the show. They are still on it. Now it’s Deb, Kevin, and Matt.
Matt was doing afternoons for us here, and he joined the morning show. He brings a little bit more youthfulness and a different point of view to the show, which is now called “Indy’s Morning Show with Deb, Kevin, and Matt.” And by Indy’s Morning Show, we always say we mean all of central Indiana.
And it’s just super community involved. All the jocks on the morning show are very involved in the community.
Right now, we’re just doing a Clear-The-List promotion for teachers for school supplies. We’re also giving away free backpacks on Monday. We’ve got a whole bunch of backpacks stuffed with things for the students, so parents can drive through, grab a backpack, and head on.
We recently created a signature donut for the Morning Show. We got together with one of our clients, had listeners vote on the different kinds of donuts, and whittled it down to one donut.
Then, the bakery made that donut and put it on their menu. They have three locations around the area. So, they put it on their menu for a month, and we raised money for St. Jude. We ended up raising $1,500.
I just kind of call them a fun escape every morning. They’re upbeat, fun, funny, and active on the phones. Quite honestly, the show relies heavily on listener interaction.
We get a lot of phone calls, and we have a text line, so we get a lot of texts, too. We’re also super active on social media, so all of those play a part in the show every morning.
JL: What about the rest of the station from a community involvement standpoint?
BO: We have three different ongoing, year-round programs. These names may change down the line here, but these were the inherited names.
Hometown Heroes is where we highlight veterans. We set up a meeting with a particular veteran, bring a cool award for them, learn some information about them, and just thank them for their service.
Just a good way to recognize and thank them. And we obviously video it and put it all on socials and talk about it on the air and do all of that. That’s an ongoing one.
Friends and Neighbors is another one. In that one, we just get out into all the different communities. We visit things like fish fries and blood drives and make on-site appearances at many of them.
We just visited first responders, thanked them for all their hard work, and gave them tickets to the Indy 500 race. We also visit offices with heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine’s Day, ice cream, and Popsicle drops through the summer months. Those are just a few of the different May We Thank You events that we do.
We do the St. Jude Radiothon every year for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
JL: Social media, what’s the most important is it still Facebook?
BO: I put them in this order. Facebook is the main one. Instagram is secondary.
We have exposure on many other things, but those are the main ones. We also do podcasting through YouTube channels and such, but that’s where we focus most of our efforts.
I think it’s super important. It’s really a free marketing tool, right? And it’s a great way to connect with listeners.
There tend to be a lot fewer listeners on phones, but they’re much more apt to chime in on Facebook and Instagram in the car.
JL: What kind of role is gold-based music playing for you now?
BO: We did put on some 90s. I just do it every other hour because 90s Country is testing really well right now. Otherwise, we’re around 60% recurrent gold.
And that all fluctuates depending on what kind of new music is coming out and that sort of thing.
JL: I’ve been listening to a radio station in a big, well-known market. I’m not going to mention them. I found, and I went back and tracked it yesterday, that they went four hours and had some change between female artists. There was a Little Lainey, there was no Carly, and there was one Carrie. What are you seeing with female artists?
BO: We just had a discussion about this, and you’re right. Fewer females are getting played. I shouldn’t say there aren’t as many females out there because there are. There are plenty on record labels, right? There just isn’t a lot of connecting yet.
Some of that is the fault of not getting the airplay, and some of that is the music, too, I suppose. But it’s a little bit tough right now.
There are some good ones that are getting awards. They’re a little left of center and maybe not straight on mainstream Country, but they’re out there.
JL: Here’s something I found on your website. I’ll say it this way: Luke Bryan, Dirty Dancing?
BO: It’s a very funny story. I’m more than happy to tell you, as embarrassing as it may be for me. It was Country Radio Seminar a couple of years ago, and when I got into the room, the only seat left was right next to the band.
I sat down in it, and literally, the last text I got was somebody saying, where are you? And I said, I’m in the Luke Bryan suite, but I’m going back to my room afterward. I’m exhausted. I fell asleep while they were playing right next to me. Someone pointed it out to Luke Bryan.
So, of course, he came over and dirty-danced his way up to me to wake me up.
JL: Is there anything else I haven’t covered, or do you want to tell me about the station or you or anything?
BO: We just got nominated for Country Station of the Year for a Marconi. It just came out before you called. It’s a great team here. I’m so happy to be here.
It’s just that I inherited a great team of people who really want to work and be in the community. Quite honestly, that’s what a radio station is supposed to be.
Listen to WFMS here. Find them on Facebook and Instagram. Connect with Brooks here.
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
