Running a news/talk radio brand can be difficult work. At Cumulus Dallas, Bruce Collins is running two, as he heads up both WBAP and KLIF 570.
Throw in the fact that, in 2024, WBAP added a full-fledged FM signal in the Metroplex when it took over the 93.3 FM signal, you could say that Collins stays busy.
“You have to develop a schedule and pay attention to one and do it for a certain amount of time, and then pay the other one the same attention,” Collins says of managing both brands. “And I’ve got some good backup guys that helped me watch it. When I’m over on one station, somebody will be the ears and eyes for me over. It works quite nicely, actually.”
It isn’t the first time he’s led stations simultaneously. Before joining Cumulus Dallas, Bruce Collins led 101 KXL, Freedom 970, and 750 The Game in Portland, while also leading network operations for syndicated hosts John Canzano and Lars Larson.
He joked that only having two stations in Dallas “was nothing to handle” compared to his old days at Alpha Media.
Trying to balance the best interests of both stations can be a tightrope walk. For instance, last month, a show shuffle of nationally syndicated programs took place between the two brands. Vince Coglianese moved from WBAP to KLIF 570 in middays, while Markley, van Camp & Robbins moved over to WBAP.
While Collins admits that ratings and revenue are the driving factors behind almost every decision when leading two separate brands, he says the shift went deeper than that.
“It was just a better fit for Vince over on KLIF, because he’s much more conservative,” Collins shared. “At WBAP, the thing that I did upon my arrival, I started moving it in a more lifestyle, whatever the hits of the day type talk. We haven’t abandoned politics. We’ll get into the politics. What we try to do is find a connection to our listeners and how it affects them. That’s the important thing. The listener, the customer, and how it affects them. And that’s what you have to concentrate on: how much we continue to serve the political aspect of our audience whenever it warrants.
“The other programming, we continue to try and be more general, mass appeal,” Collins continued. “And it works. I mean, it definitely worked. I saw this in one of the most progressive cities in America, and we were able to take that one to number one, and it stayed there for a real long time, and afforded me this opportunity, which I’m very grateful and blessed for.”
With WBAP on the FM band, the station has been able to attract a younger audience than it’s previous median as an AM-only brand. Collins said he’s seen “a lot of compliments from people, not only in the industry, but here in Dallas-Fort Worth, too” about the move.
Discovery remains an important aspect for the potential audience.
“More and more people are discovering that we’re new on the FM band. That will come with time,” Collins said. “Cumulus is being very patient in letting us get to where we need to be. I’ve got a great market manager in Dan Bennett, who truly believes in us and what we’re doing.”
“We knew that this process was going to be a marathon and not a sprint, and my managers all know that, and upper management of Cumulus know this. It’s a process, and we continue to make progress in it,” Collins later added.
He added that WBAP continues to draw in listeners from a variety of ways, and the presentation of WBAP has helped in that discovery.
“It’s not just from the news/talk world. There’s people discovering us from the music world too, that will go through the band,” he shared. “We’re real lively, and the pace is fast-paced, and it’s been a top 40 delivery as far as the news stories and the talk topics. It’s just real exciting radio.
“The news aspect of it is wonderful, being able to have a news team like I’ve got, and the experience,” he continued. “And then being able to also count on the talk shows to do a great job each and every day. It’s very entertaining. You forget that radio is entertainment more than anything else. It’s informative and aspects of entertainment.”
Collins said that both KLIF 570 and WBAP continue to make inroads with those in the 25-54 demographic. He added that the average listener to the stations is 59, which makes them “youngest news/talk station in town.”
“That’s awesome,” he concluded.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
