He’s getting better every day and is eternally grateful for the love and support. WCCO Brand Manager Brad Lane spoke with Barrett Media a few short weeks after his brush with death.
“I’ve heard from people I don’t even know in the industry who saw something, probably in Barrett or at least through the grapevine,” Lane said. “I’m doing pretty good, all things considered. I’m a pretty fit guy: mid-50s, no history of anything to alarm me or to give a warning sign. So, this was jarring to go through. But I’m feeling pretty good.”
Lane is back to work for a few hours each day and working from home, but he did declare this heart attack “teaches you a valuable lesson in terms of taking even better care of yourself than you think you are, and that includes resting when you need to. So I’m taking it easy, and I have no choice but to ramp up slowly.”
While all his colleagues are joyful at his return, the team is also looking out for Lane’s well-being. The love he is receiving during his recovery is a reflection of the love and joy he’s given to people since joining the industry in 1988.
“I got into this business because I loved performing and entertaining. I knew what I wanted to do by the time I was five years old. Now, I didn’t know what shape it would take exactly, but I knew I wanted to be in radio.”
Lane has worked in various roles at several stations across the country, but he affirmed, “Titles are kind of meaningless to a certain extent. They basically are only something that gets you in the door or gives you a little bit of credibility to start a conversation, but then after that, it’s what kind of creativity do you have? What kind of credibility do you have? How do you deal with human beings?”
He later added, “I just love the interaction that I have with my host, with our fans and whatnot, and so I would say the creativity part is what really drove me to get not only into the business but to stay in it. It’s the part that will never leave me.”
With Brad Lane, there is no shortage of creativity, which includes how new technology can and should enter the media. “We have to use Artificial Intelligence. We have no choice. It’s just a question of how.”
Lane emphatically declared, “Will AI ever replace the personalities that are on the air? As emphatically as I can say it, hell no. That’s the beauty of what we do. You’ve got human beings who are flawed, who tell stories and are screw-ups on the air but can become must-listen radio. We have to utilize AI in a way that makes us better.”
This includes tinkering with teases and image production for social media. “AI is not the instrument behind all of the creativity. It just gives you more options with which to do that.” He said, “I think we have to be smart about how we use it and not lose the human touch and the human element — and those touch points of what we’re thinking and why we’re using it.”
Lane added, “AI is only as strong as the person that’s asking it the question or getting it to do the things that you want it to do.”
As for social media, Lane has flipped his thinking and strategy on it. “I used to think that we could put things on social media that would tease and then drive traffic to our platforms, to the radio station.”
Today, his social media strategy is simple: “I’ve taken the tack more — let’s do things on those particular platforms that engage and entertain fans where they are, rather than asking them to do something that they wouldn’t normally do anyway, which is come to our radio station.”
It’s all a part of the ever-evolving art, which is good branding. “Does WCCO have a certain brand in this market and to the industry at large?” Lane rhetorically asked and answered, “Yes, but that doesn’t mean it has to stay static. It can’t stay static. We have to remain relevant, and we have to continue progressing, evolving, and changing with the times.”
“While I appreciate the fact that many of these legacy platforms like WCCO certainly have a pedigree that we’ve utilized for 101 years now, if we’re not evolving, that makes my job even more challenging to continue.” Lane added, “One of my old bosses challenged his teams with two words: surprise and delight. We like to do that every day with our shows. We have to touch an emotion, and that’s when you build a connection with fans who listen.”
That connection extends far beyond the radio waves. Lane said, “I will tell you this just in closing — I heard from somebody I’ve never met at SiriusXM Radio. He sent me a note a few days after my heart attack. He said, ‘Hello, Brad, before you start scratching your head, saying ‘Where do I know this guy from?’ — we’ve never met. But I read the story about you in a magazine this morning, and it touched me.'”
Lane paraphrased the email, saying, “He goes on to give me such wonderful kudos. You’re the guy who survived, you’re an inspiration, and all that. I’ve never met him, probably never will. And yet my story touched him, and his taking the time to write to me touched me. So it’s that kind of thing that buoys my spirit.”
“Everybody who has reached out — it has been so touching,” Lane concluded. “I am just eternally grateful for all of the kind messages. It really buoyed my soul and made me think that what we do does matter.”
Brad Lane landed at number 15 on Barrett Media’s Top Major Market News/Talk Radio Program Directors. It is clear why. His innovation, creativity, and passion are evident in conversation.
But he admits, “To a certain extent, any regard or accolades that I get is a reflection of what this station does.”
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Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes features and columns for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
