Even if you’re not a basketball fan, you had to be aware of March Madness and the spectacular games from both the men’s and women’s teams going down to the Final Four. Braylon Mullins’ incredible 3-point shot to give the University of Connecticut the victory over Duke on Sunday was the exclamation point on the Elite Eight weekend of men’s games.
If you watched any of these March Madness contests, you had to admire the teamwork. Even in the post-game press conferences, there was no grandstanding — it was all about the team. Before Braylon Mullins made the winning basket, he passed the ball to another player. Alex Karaban, who had far more experience, passed it back to Mullins as he was open for the shot. And the kid is a freshman. He was not the leading shooter on the team, but someone who, at that moment, was in the best position to help the team. It was not uncommon throughout these games to hear a player talk about one more unselfish pass to a teammate who had a better shot.
The old saying “teamwork makes the dream work” was certainly true on the March Madness court this weekend. Hopefully, it is also true at your station. Just like building a great basketball team starts with recruiting the right players from high schools and the transfer portal, building a successful radio station begins with hiring people who fit your station’s culture.
When you hire great people who fit your culture, those people can advance in your organization, which also helps team building. There were two promotions this week that underscore that point. Debbie Kenyon joined the CBS team in Detroit 25 years ago and rose to become Market Manager. Her team building was rewarded with a promotion to Regional President of Audacy.
Trevor Marden was recruited from his position with Scott Shannon at CBS-FM and hired by iHeart in 2019. His work there led to the producer job at Jim Kerr’s morning show. This week, Trevor — the consummate team player — was promoted to co-host.
Both Debbie and Trevor always operated with the attitude of creating maximum success for their team. Debbie’s stations always outperformed her competitors. She was the biggest advocate of her star programmer Tim Roberts, and was the first to highlight his wins. Trevor stepped up during COVID and made sure the show went on every day for Jim Kerr. He did whatever was needed for the team. They were two outstanding promotions.
Every radio station I know of has a smaller staff than it did six years ago. Everyone needs to step up their game for the team. Over the years, I’ve collected a few items that work. Some are simply common sense, but here they are.
There is no place on the team for someone who says, “It’s not my job.” There’s no job in a radio station beneath any of us. Chances are, with economics being what they are, you’re not about to have an abundance of assistants any time soon.
We all make mistakes. If you have any part in one, take responsibility. Saying “I screwed up — that could have been done better” not only takes the pressure off your teammates, but ends the worst part of any problem: finding out who was at fault.
When you find an error from a member of the team, go directly to them instead of going to management or ignoring it — and do it in a non-threatening manner. A simple “hey, I happened to notice your facts were incorrect” on something like a social media post enables a quick fix.
Give recognition to someone who deserves it. There is nothing more powerful in a team meeting than shouting out an achievement by one of your co-workers. Maybe even buy them a coffee, a drink, or lunch to celebrate their victory.
When talking about accomplishments, always explain the successes with “we,” not “I.” It might have been your idea, or you may have done the majority of the work, but nobody will ever think less of you for sharing credit.
Share content with other shows that you think they may be interested in. Not everyone can read every publication or get the same social media feeds. When you see something unique, share it — even if you’re going to use it on your show.
If you watch the Final Four games this weekend, stay a couple of extra minutes for the post-game interviews. Odds are that the March Madness winners will always talk more about the team’s accomplishments than what they did individually. These kids have learned well from their coaches.
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Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM. His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media’s Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.
