101.1 WCBS-FM New York morning host Race Taylor is a longtime familiar voice in New York radio. Race spent nearly two decades at 95.5 PLJ and was there for the finale in 2019.
More recently, Taylor was holding down middays at CBS-FM before making the move to mornings last month.
“I am so excited for the opportunity and thrilled that I have the support of John Foxx and the team here at Audacy. I had thought many times throughout the course of my career, from Cincinnati to Dallas, to New York and PLJ, to New York and here. Given how many times I was called on to fill in for a morning show, maybe there would be an opportunity one day to put my name on the shingle. Slap it on the door and we see what happens.”
“And finally, and I just mean that in the best of ways, it has become a reality. It was never on a vision board or anything along those lines. I think anything beyond WHMI and Howell (Michigan) has all been more than I ever imagined.”
How has transitioning from a contemporary format at PLJ to a gold-based format at CBS-F impacted Taylor?
“The common theme for all of it is a focus on the music and an engagement with the audience. It was so exciting to be above Madison Square Garden during that time. I’m trying to think of all the shows that were in town that had musical guests. Letterman was here, and Conan was in New York. Regis was here. It just seemed like there was an open slot for any artist who came to town to do an interview. Our management team, Tom and Scott, could schedule an interview.”
“With anybody we played. Burgeoning artists like Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, or any of these artists were the core of the PLJ playlist. Just by our zip code, we were an easy visit.”
“We had that instant connection with the artist that we could then share with the listener that was not only in an interview but also in some really intimate and exclusive performance opportunities. That was one of the things that made that radio station very special.”
Race said that at the time, stations were tied to artists.
“It was a time when specific stations owned specific artists. Now a song is released, and all of a sudden, good for the artist, that song is everywhere. It seemed like a lot of the artists that we played were exclusive to our format and part of our identity. And it was so fulfilling to be a part of their career development and watch it happen at arm’s length.”
And now many of those artists live in the gold-based world of CBS-FM.
“I think that is very much true, and also one of the biggest challenges for the format. As we look at Classic Hits going forward, it’s that time marches on. And when you see a song like Smooth from Rob Thomas and Santana from 1999. The reality is that the song is 25 years old and deserves a place on the gold-based format. For a lot of people, that’s a wake-up call because 1999 was just 10 minutes ago, right?”
How does Classic Hits continue to stay fresh?
“Jesse Addy and John Foxx, with the help of our team here, have looked very diligently at answering that question and the many avenues that we could go. I see some stations and other markets leaning a little more into the Hip Hop and R&B heritage, where, for our position here in New York, it might not be the same as theirs.”
“I believe it is still market to market and we’re finding that a song from Train or a song from Kelly Clarkson or an early track from Britney, when perfectly placed in our music log, it fits. It works, and I think it has to be done if you want to continue to live in the advertising world that they’re focusing on from 25 to 54.”
I reminded Taylor of a profile I had recently done with Brian Figula, Director of Programming Operations at Bonneville San Francisco, as it related to Taylor’s reputation for helping lift up others in the industry, and a particular example that Figula remembered.
“I was deeply touched by that story. I believe he mentioned that there was a part of that story that I wasn’t aware of. And you bringing that to light makes me think that I’m just trying to pass the torch. And bring some light to the people who have shown that same courtesy to me.”
“Whether it was Jimmy Steal, my first PD in Cincinnati, who really became a mentor. To Scott Shannon and Tom Cuddy at PLJ. And then Jim Ryan and the team here have all been very nurturing along the way.”
“When it comes to content, when it comes to listener focus, when it comes to sharpening an interview. Those are all skills that you need to sharpen through experience.”
“Having myself had a background in music education and the public school system, when I hear from people who are willing to learn and look at me as a position that maybe I could teach them something, I think, for the benefit of the future of radio, it’s in all of our best interests to try to be that person who can say, you know, you’re on the right path, here’s what you can do to be better.”
In the mentoring vein, what are a couple of tips Taylor can offer to young talent?
“The difficult thing is that a lot of the places that used to be our training ground, those areas don’t exist anymore. But on the flip side of that, everything that we used to learn, we can now literally do on our cell phones.”
“If you want to be a jock with Garage Band, some intros and a USB microphone, you can start practicing that every day. What I’m finding through a lot of my conversations with the mentors in my career is they’re also looking for people who are superstar talent who are from outside of the world of radio, and they’re bringing them in to teach them the things that they need.”
“I would take every opportunity through podcasting or getting on a microphone at your local high school football game, or being the podcast that analyzes all of that. There are more avenues and channels to put your voice, your message or your craft out there now than ever before.”
“I would take every opportunity to do that. And then get that audio in front of the people who make the decisions. And know that at some point in time, someone is going to find the value in what you do. Or see the diamond in the rough and help you craft that.”
I couldn’t not ask for a little “Inside Baseball” and ask Taylor for a Scott Shannon story.
“I have so many because he was such and remains an epic personality both on and off the air. We still text and talked recently. It was one of my first weeks at the radio station, and his wife had been in to visit the office. His office was stacked with CDs, merch, gold records, putters, golf balls, and practice putting things.”
“He called down the hall, and he said Race, get in here. I need to show you something. I thought for sure it was going to be an impromptu air check session. Because when I first arrived in New York, the Yankees were in the World Series. Y2K was happening, and there was so much going on. I thought it was going to be an educational moment with a cassette tape.”
“I walk in the door and he says, ‘What size are your shoes?’ I tell him the size of my shoes. And he says these won’t fit me. And he throws me a pair of Doc Martens that someone had sent him, which happened to be my size. And to prove that I’m just maybe two more gifts away from an episode of Hoarders. I still have those shoes.”
“They are well worn in from lawn mowing and roof fixing and everything else. But it was one of the last things you would ever expect to happen when Scott calls you into the office.”
With radio and voice acting and all that Race has accomplished and continues to do, he acknowledges that he couldn’t have done it alone.
“I want to make sure that I thank my wife, Patty Hargis Bendena, who is the unsung hero of everything that happens in our house. She’s a traffic reporter on 1010WINS. What she has done for our family and for me behind the scenes is really immeasurable. But it takes a village. I’ll get a little emotional talking about it. But in a business that seems to shrink, all of the people who’ve given me an opportunity along the way and still this far down the line, opened a new door for me.”
“It means more than I ever imagined.”
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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.
