Jill Strada is Executive Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia. She is based in Atlanta, where her cluster oversight includes Hip Hop 96.1 The Beat, which is featured today in our ’20 Brands In 20 Days’ series.
Atlanta is arguably the Hip Hop center of the United States, so curating the station comes with a lot of eyes, ears and responsibilities.
When I spoke with Strada, the world had just learned the verdict in the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial. I asked if and how the station would react.
“We’re all over it. We have Angela Yee in middays, and she does a great job covering all things Hip Hop and the culture. This is a big story. And that’s how we’re covering it. People love to sound off on things like this. It’s a moment in the culture right now.”
When I approached Strada about being part of this series, I asked her to choose which station in the cluster to feature. While she told me that all were her “babies” and it was a tough choice, she picked 96.1 The Beat for a specific reason.
“The reason I chose the station is I’m so proud of the success its had since I started back in September.
“Where we were to where we are. I’m really excited about the progress and the trajectory. The station is a Hip Hop radio station in Atlanta, which is the most competitive market in the Hip Hop space, period.”
Seeing engagement with the younger generation is exciting for Strada.
“What excites me about it is that the younger generation is interested. For a while there, they were saying radio is dead. Which means the younger generation is not going to embrace radio.”
“When you and I were going through the, Oh, wow, streaming is new and it’s exciting, I got my Spotify account. We’re music people too, so we did all that. But this generation, Gen Z and younger, this is just the norm to them.”
“All the streaming platforms and radio. It’s all part of their selection. When they want music, media, or any other type of content that they want to consume, radio is a big factor in it. And we’re seeing that on The Beat, and I’m really excited about that as well.”
For The Beat, being authentic is mission-critical. The station is anchored by “The Breakfast Club” and Charlamagne Tha God in mornings. So, how do you make it local? She credits Charlamagne and his team for being in the market.
“They’re great at being here locally. DJ Envy, especially. He’s done his car show here. And when we have our big tent pole event, Jingle Ball. We’re the only iHeart market that has an urban-leaning Jingle Ball. It’s exclusive in this space.”
“They will come in and they’ll localize that way by being in the market. We have opportunities for them from just the collaborative perspective with our own local team.”
What goes into the musical curation of The Beat?
“Vladimir Scott is our Program Director, and we have a great team with Doc Wynter. They work together really well and have a great relationship when it comes to anything and all things music.”
The classics or Throwbacks are not a big part of the mix.
“It’s not a big part of the station as far as we lean current. But you have to always pay homage to the classics that make Hip Hop, Hip Hop. The recurrents and gold are part of the fabric.”
Are on-the-ground and on-the-street activations important for The Beat?
“Absolutely. I believe that we’re here to serve the community and any market I go to. It could be giving back to them. It could be whatever is needed in this community. We need to be there to serve that.”
“I think our team does a really good job. They are tied to the community authentically. And again, it goes back to that understanding and that they mean it. They’re not just there to show up and do a couple of hours because they were told to do it.”
“A lot of our team members are creating events or give backs, We’re gearing up for back-to-school. We do something there that’s dear to their heart. And we, as a brand, will support those events and opportunities.”
What are the challenges facing the brand?
“The competitive nature of this market. I think that’s one of the biggest things that I focus on. The blinders are on, and we’re making sure we’re doing everything that we need to do and doing the right thing.”
“Doing right by the community, playing the best music, just any of the experiences that we’re providing on air, on the streets, online. They all have to be top-notch. And always challenging ourselves to the next level. I think that Hip Hop radio in general is very healthy here in Atlanta.”
“We’re all supportive and very supportive of one another. I’m just really proud of the team. So I just cannot not say that because, like you said, when you said pick a station, I’m like, oh, they’re all my babies.”
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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.
