If you’ve been in the industry for any measurable amount of time, you were likely influenced by the many legendary programmers that created some of the biggest, most impressive, and successful stations in the nation. So many come to mind I couldn’t possibly name them all. Who influenced me when I was coming up? Kent Burkart, Lee Abrams, John Gehron, Nick (Bazoo) Ferrera, Bobby Rich, Rick Sklar, Rick Cummings, Mike McVay, Gary Berkowitz, Mike Joseph, Gerry DeFrancesco, Jay Cook, and Greg Strassell to name a few. The one singular programmer, however, who influenced me more than any other and who would, through the 80s and 90s, become a true mentor to me was the incredibly talented, Kentucky-born Steve Rivers.
Steve was a true genius, and while he was extremely soft-spoken, listening to him was like the old Radio and TV commercial, “When EF Hutton talks – people listen.” When I was at Broadcast Architecture and after launching Pinnacle Media Worldwide, Steve would sit in a research meeting quietly listening and saying little until all others had offered their input. He often spoke at a whisper level, and we would all lean in to hear what the master had to contribute. He was thoughtful, kind, and willing to help others who shared his passion for the magic of great radio.
Steve helped build some of the greatest stations in the nation. He was on air at 96X in Miami in the mid-70s doing nights as Dirty Steve Rivers. He went on to Philly at WIFI 92 – now WXTU. Steve programmed KMEL San Francisco in the mid-80s and then landed in Los Angeles, where I met him for the first time in 1987. I was in San Diego at KSDO-FM and he was programming KIIS-FM. He would, of course, take the station to heights unseen before. From there, his desire to build greatness from nothing landed him in Boston at WZOU, where the station skyrocketed, threatening the king of the hill, WXKS, KISS 108 Boston. I still remember the research project that we did for Pyramid Broadcasting in which it was clear that the music on WZOU was performing better with KISS P1 listeners than their own station. The question was asked, “Well, who is responsible for that?” We answered, “Steve Rivers is PD over there!” The next statement came from Pyramid CEO owner Richie Balsbaugh, “Get him! I want him at KISS!” The rest, as they say, is history.
Steve and I became very close over the years. One day, while in my office at Broadcast Architecture, Tom Poleman, one of the most influential and renowned programmers serving today as President of National Programming Platforms for iHeart, called me. He was the PD at KRBE in Houston, and he was so excited that the company was buying KRBE and that he would be working for Steve Rivers. He wanted the inside scoop. It wasn’t long before Steve saw the talent of Tom and brought him to Z100 in NYC. Again – the rest is history. Quick aside: the dumbest bet I ever made was with Tom Poleman in 1998 when the Yankees took on my San Diego Padres. I was pretty sure the Yankees would win, so Tom said, “I’ll bet you $100 so that the Yankees will not only win but sweep the Padres!” I figured no way that’ll happen. Once again – the rest is history! By the way, Tom never accepted the money! That goes to the heart and character of yet another great radio legend!
I remember when Steve was CPO for AMFM Inc., and I left Broadcast Architecture for a 2-year PD stint at KIOI in San Francisco. He and I would talk, and I would question him about music rotations and whether we should turn over powers every 80 or 90 minutes and he would say, “Bob, Bob! Just make magic come out of the speakers. This isn’t rocket science. You know what great radio sounds like – you grew up in NYC!” To me, that was the typical simplistic genius that could only come from my friend Steve Rivers.
When I left San Francisco to open my own research company at Pinnacle, Steve was Chief Programming Officer for CBS & Infinity. He was a big fan of the dial technology we used, and he hired PMW to do a good deal of the music research for CBS – which accounted for a very substantial amount of business for us. It wasn’t a favor either. If he believed in what you did, he always had your back!
When Steve and I got together, we always enjoyed vodka martinis and a couple of cigars. After he moved to Seattle to program KBKS KISS 106, I did some research for him along with some other CBS stations. It wasn’t long after that Steve passed away much too early after several strokes in 2012. I still miss him greatly! He was a powerhouse. He was a passionate, amazingly talented programmer and air talent. It really wasn’t complicated at all. More than anyone I have known, Steve Rivers knew how to make magic come out of the speakers every day!
Bob Lawrence writes weekly columns on radio leadership and business. He most recently served as market manager for MacDonald Broadcasting in Saginaw, Michigan. Throughout his career, Bob has held virtually every position in the business over his 40+ year career, from being on-air in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco to programming legendary stations including KHTR St. Louis, KITS Hot Hits and KIOI (K101) San Francisco to serving as the head of all programming for Saga Communications and working for the Radio Advertising Bureau. Before landing his current role, Bob helped lead Seven Mountains Media’s cluster in Parkersburg, WV/Marietta, OH. He can be reached by email at BGLawrence@me.com.
Bob also honed his research skills over ten years as Senior VP of Operations at Broadcast Architecture, eventually launching his own research company and serving as President/CEO of Pinnacle Media Worldwide for 15 years. Bob spent five years as VP of Programming for Saga Communications before joining New South Radio in Jackson, Mississippi as GM/Market Manager. Prior to joining Seven Mountains Media, Bob served as General Manager for the Radio Advertising Bureau, overseeing its “National Radio Talent System”.
