Terrie Carr is Program Director and on-air host at Beasley Media’s Rocker WDHA, The Rock of New Jersey.
Carr landed on Barrett Media’s list for both the Top 20 Rock Program Directors and the Top 20 Rock Shows, as voted by her peers. Something that she said was shocking and gratifying.
“I was shocked and so excited because I saw everybody else who was on that list, and it made me so happy. Just to see all of the people I’ve known for so long, some are personal friends, some are colleagues that I work with at Beasley, and just to see that list of amazing people, I was really happy to be on both lists. It’s crazy,” said Carr.
“And to be on the show’s list was great because “Full Metal Jackie” is on that list, and Jackie Kajzer used to be one of my part-timers many years ago. So, I’ve watched her career grow. So that also made me really proud and happy to see that.”
Carr’s staff was excited to see her receive recognition.
“My staff is always so supportive. They were texting me; it was Monday, MLK Day. I have the greatest staff on the planet. I always say it’s people first. We are nothing at that radio station without our staff. My staff will walk through fire for that radio station.”
“They love it. WDHA is part of who they are. Everyone on staff with us has grown up listening to the station. They were so excited. Everybody was texting me, saying, oh my God, how cool is this? How cool is this?
Carr’s leadership style helps create an all-for-one family-type atmosphere.
“It’s always people first for me. I always say I’m not different than them. I’m not above them. I’m not a boss to them. I never ask them to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself. And I think passion always wins.”
“We’re nothing without the people behind us. I try to make every day have some aspect of why they got into the business. Our business has faced so many challenges lately.”
“Every single day, I constantly try to remind them a little bit of why we loved radio and why we wanted to do it. I think we have to carry a little bit with us through our daily days. Otherwise, the challenges can become overwhelming, especially if you’re a part-time staff. But we’re a family. We’re a team. There’s no one person who’s more important.”
What challenges does Carr see as the most significant facing the industry?
“We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. Radio is such an undervalued asset. We had some of our best moments during the COVID pandemic. We have to communicate with our listeners and with our advertising community. I think that we’ve thrown that away for many years now. The importance of communicating with our advertising community and being our localized entity.”
“I think a lot of the things that we are facing now have been obviously self-inflicted—shrinking staff, shrinking people in the building. And I think the investment in people is the only thing that will save the industry, and that’s gonna sustain the industry.
“Everybody understands that there are different pathways. There are digital pathways. There’s so many ways to consume media these days.”
And what is the advantage of listening to the radio over streaming services?
“We’re a new music station, current based rock station. There’s a different enthusiasm hearing a Wolfgang Van Halen record on WDHA than there is just streaming it. You know? And we just can’t forget that. We’re all taxed with doing a million jobs. Wearing a thousand hats. But we’ve got to roll it back. And we’ve got to roll back to basics. You’ve gotta have a human connection with the people that you are talking to every day.”
Carr’s enthusiasm extends to what can only be called a Sales Manager’s dream PD.
“I never want people to be shy about coming up with something that they think is a great idea. We’re a grassroots radio station. And I try to monetize everything from the WDHA parking lot to concerts to our own beer. There are ways that we have gotten the brand out there and also made money off of it. I always tell everybody to think of yourself as a business person, think of yourself as an agency. What can you do to bring clients to your show?”
Wait a minute. Did she say to sponsor the station’s parking lot? That deserves an explanation.
“After COVID and things were starting to open up I had bands that wanted to come out to the station. So I’m thinking, oh God, you know, getting everybody in a room together, doors closed. We used to do that and invite some listeners in.”
“I thought, you know what? We have this beautiful, amazing parking lot. So, I said to one of my label people, what if I put your band in the parking lot? We’ll set it up really cool. We’ll have them play right in front of the door. There’s a beautiful overhang there, and I’ll contest it. This way, we’ve got an onsite element. We’ve got an on-air element, and we’ve got an online element.”
“It became one of the biggest things that we do. We have thousands of people who enter online. We have people calling all day for parking lot party passes.”
“We brought in a tailgate company, Tapped Event Services. They do all our local football games here, Jets, Giants, Eagles. So, they bring the big tailgate out. I have a local beer distributor, Diamond Spring Brewing. They came up with a parking lot party beer. And we bring in pretty big-name acts. They get a four-song acoustic set. They get to meet the band.”
Carr’s enthusiasm for the business comes through loud and clear when talking to her. So, I asked for the best piece of career advice she ever received.
“I had some really, really great mentors over time. But I think probably something I never forgot is my first management job. Someone told me to always, always let my staff know that I’ll walk through fire for them. Because if that’s the case, they’ll walk through fire for you.”
“I think having everyone’s back has always been a really important part if they’re a part of your team. For me as a manager, that I always wanted to convey to people. I don’t think if you have strife, you’re ever going to really be successful. And I just remember, if you walk through fire for them, they’ll always walk through fire for you.”.
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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.
