Outside of changes to its morning drive show, the weekday prime programming lineup on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, Mich. led by program director Jimmy Powers has remained fairly consistent for more than a decade. Representing an outlier from the standard deviation, hosts have achieved protracted stretches of success through a dedication towards the craft and a supporting cast with enviable depth and proficiency. Commensurate with this auspicious configuration is Powers, who has served as a leader at the outlet for more than 15 years. All while Detroit has seen much rebuilding with their local teams over the years, The Ticket has consistently ranked among the top radio entitles in the marketplace.
While it is debatable which markets rank as the best sports markets in the country, Powers believes Detroit is easily within the top three, if not the best overall. With a sprawling metropolis of fandom exhibited by its population, Powers has adhered to serving the audience and valuing their loyalty while also understanding that listeners wish to hear unfettered and authentic commentary. At the same time, Powers identifies talent who are able to bring knowledge that spans beyond merely sports, recognizing that 97.1 The Ticket is a source of entertainment as well.
“We morph in mass appeal, everyday topics – we call them ‘evergreen topics’ – that appeal to everyone, and all our talent can handle more than just sports if that makes sense,” Powers explained. “All of them could handle that extremely well because they’re more than just die-hard sports fans.”
Powers knows that ratings success is indicative of the marketplace and may not always factor in the traction created or news divulged that makes an impact. Content consumption and station revenue are often barometers to calculate prosperity, but in reality, the complete equation for such is not standardized and somewhat subjective. With an assortment of 46 executives and managers from top audio companies offering their opinions in the voting process for the recent Barrett Media Top 20 series, Powers is honored to have been named the top major-market program director in the country.
“I’m very humbled to be considered to do it because, again, I think there’s amazing PDs across the board that are worthy of the No. 1 position, so to be that guy, obviously, it’s an honor,” Powers said. “I look at it as a team effort though because without the lineup and the guys and the staff that I have, it’s a moot point, so I look at it as a team win.”
Even though Powers has appeared on the list before, it marks the first time in a decade of eligibility that he garnered the first-place finish. Nonetheless, he articulated that having all three primary dayparts finish within the upper echelon of the list contributed to his being recognized and that he views it as a win for everyone.
Powers considers himself to be a laidback manager, and although he can be fiery at times, he has trust in the staff and discerns alignment towards an objective.
“Everybody’s professional here, so you just kind of give them what they need and let them go with it, and I kind of fine tune and add things here and there to kind of steer and keep them on track from a day-to-day standpoint content wise,” Powers said. “Just like anybody else, they’ll get bored with something, so timing is everything to kind of get them back on track from a listener standpoint and just a programmer.”
The job has evolved to a point where program directors need to recognize the digital landscape and make sure that the station is meeting the audience across various distribution touchpoints. Having a keen understanding of different platforms and the process of navigating compelling, engaging audio content through an intricate network of tributaries is essential to the role.
“It isn’t [just] at 97.1 over the radio anymore – it’s through our app, could be YouTube, it could be Twitch – all different ways of consumption,” Powers said. “You’ve got to be aware of that, and keeping an eye on just the social media aspect of promotion and upcoming things. Anything that you can really think of how people may come into your radio station, you got to kind of service that as well.”
While many radio hosts are active on social media, afternoon drive host Mike Valenti, operates devoid of these outlets. Powers explained that Valenti made the decision as its overtones have become more vulgar and devolved into an ostensible cesspool, but the station still promotes his show through its official accounts. Valenti, who is the longest-tenured host at the station, has been working with Rico Beard, a former host on Detroit Sports 105.1, as his partner for the last five years. The duo has continued to provide a credible and entertaining show for the audience, oftentimes finishing at or near the top of ratings books.
“Mike’s probably one of the best, if not the best from my opinion, in the country [with] what he does from a sports talk show standpoint,” Powers said. “He’s highly opinionated, very, very intelligent, and he delivers. He’s a unicorn in the sense that he’s only 44 years old – he can be 80 years old at times and he can be 20 years at times – meaning his Rolodex of knowledge and just the breadth of it, he can pull things from a low-end demographic and a high-end demographic.”
Doug Karsch and Scott ‘Gator’ Anderson have been paired together in the middays for the last 19 years, demonstrating palpable chemistry and accord. There is an advantage of this salubrious partnership, but it also naturally presents a risk of the program losing its luster. The dichotomy between the backgrounds of both hosts, along with contributions from producer Khang Huynh, has permitted the show to remain fresh while keeping everyone on their toes.
“We still were a top one or two station in the market during the pandemic when zero sports were going on because of how we built this thing to be more than just 100% sports, so with that comes challenges with the midday show [of] how to keep it from becoming stale,” Powers said. “They approach each show of, ‘Okay, what’s out there today that’ll be entertainment-based?,’ and they do a tremendous job of doing that every day.”
Powers has overseen several alterations to the morning drive show over the years, one of which occurred after the death of Jamie Samuelsen following a prolonged battle with colon cancer. Samuelsen was a beloved figure in the marketplace, and the station subsequently renamed its studio in his honor. Jon Jansen, a former NFL offensive lineman, was added onto the show to join Mike Stone and Heather Park. Just over three years later, Stone officially stepped away from full-time duties at the station, although he remains a part-time contributor. The station added Jim Costa to the open position, a former intern who had received on-air repetitions in Grand Rapids, and he has excelled in the role.
“When you include the stream, we were second in mornings in the fall book all in for Adults 25-54, and they were No. 1 in men, so it didn’t lose a beat,” Powers said. “Jim’s great – he’s extremely talented, really good No. 1 position on the show and a great broadcaster – so as great as Stoney was, Jim picked it up without losing any momentum at all.”
Following a stint programming Sports Radio 1460 The Fan in Columbus, Powers moved to Detroit and has been the program director of 97.1 The Ticket ever since. Despite collaborating with many industry professionals in his career, he contends to have never met anyone as passionate as Debbie Kenyon, the market manager of Audacy Detroit.
“We just know that, ‘Hey, people get fat and happy,’ [but] we don’t think like that, and it starts with Debbie because she’s just such a great motivator and works her tail off and she loves the industry, and that makes it great for us as well,” Powers said. “We butt heads at times, but the end goal is the same [of] we all want to get better and do the best we can, and hopefully it works for the cluster as well, but it all starts with Debbie.”
While Powers is excited about the future of Detroit’s sports teams, he knows that the hosting lineup will not be pulling any punches in its discourse. The Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings all utilize 97.1 The Ticket as their flagship radio station for live game broadcasts, and the station also airs broadcasts of Michigan Wolverines football and basketball games. These valuable media rights partnerships can elicit interest and access but potentially threaten autonomy in the process. Powers notes his job is a juggling act of sorts from time to time when monitoring the pendulum effect between some fluctuating extremes.
“The fans [will] call in and rip us a new one if we’re just trying to take it easy on lack of moves, lack of success,” Powers outlined. “It’s a juggling act of partnership and valuing the partnership with the teams and understanding they’re going through a bad time, but you have to put on a different hat and approach it to where, ‘Okay, how can we be fair and honest?,’ and kind of not champion the cause of needing to make a move, but, ‘What are we going to do to get better?’”
The station strives to finish with stellar ratings and revenue after every quarter, reaching a benchmark for success while pushing the boundaries. As it pertains to studio programming, Powers often realizes that various memorable moments are derived outside of the sports angle, and hearing these listener testimonials can be a proxy for success as a qualitative metric. The staff also works on their seldom deficiencies, diligently participating in air-check sessions and seeking to strike a chord with the listeners.
“We forget that we’re actually kind of an escape for a lot of people that have a job they don’t like or going through a tough time in life,” Powers said. “If we can put a smile on their face and make their day better, I kind of measure that with the ratings as well because I think sometimes, being what we do, we forget there’s people out there that rely on us.”
In the end though, Powers recognizes that he is fortunate to be working in the sports media field and is humbled by being considered among the elite in his occupation. The station has won two NAB Marconi Awards over his time with the station and made significant advances in its ability to reach consumers in and around the locale through digital innovation. Powers does not impugn the success of the station, but he aspires to challenge everyone to continue progressing, himself included, to maintain its standing as a preeminent sports talk radio outlet.
“Obviously, I hope we’re the best station in the marketplace,” Powers said “Personally, I love the recognition, the honor of being on top of the Barrett sports list. That’s the cherry on top, but if I take care of business here and we do what we’re supposed to, that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
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Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
