Eric Wellman is PD of Q104.3, New York’s Classic Rock station and Brand Manager for Classic Rock iHeart. He has been with the station for 25 years. During that time, he has managed to knock out most of his direct competitors.
Basically, the station is “The” stand-alone Classic Rocker, actually, Rocker in general, in the New York/New Jersey area.
His history in the business includes a list of A-players who helped him get to where he is today. The journey began in January of 1988 in college radio with a two-hour block, programming Classic Rock on WDCR AM.
It morphed into PM Drive and Program Director of 99 Rock, WFRD. One of the few commercial college radio stations in America and one of the only ones that was both student-run and extracurricular.
Two years later, in 1991, he was running WBFL, B107, in Bellows Falls, VT. He was PD, PM Drive, Production Director and anything else needed. It was an AOR station whose main claim to fame was that Joe Perry briefly attended high school in the area.
“Steven Tyler’s sister still lived across the river in Charlestown, NH, a fact we learned when she woke him up at 7 a.m. and put him on the air with our morning man,” explains Wellman. “We were also a beta test station for a brand-new technology that would later become known as voice tracking. Utilizing the B.E. Core 2000 audio switcher, 3 NSM 100-disc CD jukeboxes. With a TM Century gold disc library and an Audiovault system with 24 gigs of memory. It held a total of 11 hours of audio!”
“In 1994, I was hired by Bob Buchmann and Jeff Levine to come to WBAB on Long Island as the Program Coordinator. I was elevated to Operations Manager in 1996 when Jeff Levine left. And eventually PD briefly when Bob left to take over WAXQ, Q104.3.”
“He brought me to Q104.3 as APD in early 2000. When he left in 2008, I was made Program Director. I’ve been doing that ever since. A few years later, I added the title of Brand Manager for Classic Rock for iHeartRadio as well.
“It’s hard to think of the greater metropolitan New York area as a community,” admits Wellman, “But we try to walk the line of being both that major market authority and being very, very granular, down to the streets and neighborhoods.”
“With half our audience in New Jersey and Long Island, it’s very important to be as local as we can be. We are your friends who happen to live/work in Manhattan, come hang out at your neighborhood bar and shout out your kid’s graduation.”
“The station that got you through the horrific 9/11 attack, Superstorm Sandy, the massive blackout etc., with trusted information and a friend/therapist. We connect this gigantic network of small towns and neighborhoods and generations of Classic Rock listeners.”
The station has two main passion projects: The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports first responders and veterans in honor of Stephen, who ran through the battery tunnel on 9/11 to help save people in the towers. And God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that brings medically tailored meals to people who are too sick to feed themselves (and their families, too, if needed), all free of charge.
“We do multiple events throughout the year for both, including teams of Q listeners led by our morning co-host Shelli Sonstein, who just completed the tower climb up the World Trade Center,” says Wellman.
“And the Tunnel to Towers walk/run in the fall, which traces the route that Stephen took that day. We have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the foundation.”
“God’s Love We Deliver” is the recipient of our annual Christmas Concert with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, who generously donate from every show they do.”
“We are also a founding partner of the Love Rocks NYC benefit concert, which happens in March at the Beacon Theater with a star-studded lineup that has included everyone from Keith Richards to Joe Walsh. Robert Plant to Dave Grohl and tons more with a house band that is Hall of Fame. That show has raised tens of millions to help God’s Love and their mission.”
“And our annual 104 Grand in the Sand promotion is currently underway. We give listeners a chance to win a ‘golden shovel’ on air to join us on the Jersey Shore and literally dig up one of 104 mini treasure chests.”
“They correspond to amazing prizes like concert tickets, trips to resorts in the Caribbean, Las Vegas and Ozzy’s last show in England, and even a brand new Jeep! As you might guess, it’s over $104,000 worth of prizes.”
“The event itself is a huge party, and it stops traffic on the boardwalk with people who come to watch! It’s been so successful that we’ve spun off a winter version called Dough in the Snow, which we do at the Mountain Creek ski area in February. Cold but fun!”
“Our transmitter is on the Empire State Building,” Wellman admits in awe. “When that stops giving you a tingle, you should quit! It’s a challenge every day in the most competitive market in the country.”
“We have to stitch together what is really three different markets. Jersey, the five boroughs and Long Island (plus upstate and SE Connecticut) into one cohesive brand. It’s a lot of ground to cover!”
When I asked Wellman about the challenge of sharing such a large gold library with so many other formats, his answer had me in stitches. “Luckily, we outlasted our market-wide competition,” he says. “There isn’t anyone left that we share more than 25% with.”
“We stay fresh by continuously living in the present moment with our artists while respecting the past. We constantly ask our audience what they want to hear, and then we listen to them! When they get tired of something, you’ll know it. We are always searching for the next artist to add to our repertoire. Who will get pissed off when they find out they’re Classic Rock. (I’m looking at you Linkin Park….)!”
Wellman says he’s also looking for the next generation of great DJs and programmers. “That’s what’s missing from the industry right now. We have squeezed out so many entry-level positions. I don’t know where you would go to learn the ropes now.”
Wellman admits it’s the job he has always wanted, and despite the challenges, it’s still the only one he can imagine doing.
“I’m extremely lucky to have the faith of those I work for. Tom Poleman, Thea Mitchem, Steve DeLusant, Bernie Weiss and many more. And the most amazing air staff I could ever imagine,” he says. “Three literal Hall-of-Famers in Jim Kerr, Shelli Sonstein and Carol Miller. And the rest that should be. Maria Milito, Ken Dashow, Gerry Martire, Ian O’Malley, Jonathan Clarke, Marc Coppola, Ralph Tortora and Trevor Marden.”
“Rick Gangi, who is my creative services director (image production in English), is my consigliere and an all-around psychopath. He’s been with me the entire 25 years and is really the secret weapon to keeping this place sounding its best. His collaborations with our voice guy, Brian Christopher, make me laugh out loud constantly. It is a team. It is a family. It is amazing.”
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Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talent, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. She is also a Voice Actor and Voice Over Talent as well as a Freelance Writer for International Broadcast Outlets. Find her at @MCMediaOnline or www.mcmediaonline.com.
