To support the launch of the new Barrett Media, we’ve created a special series titled “20 Brands In 20 Days”. We are highlighting successful stations across the country in various formats by conducting conversations with their brand leaders. First up is Bonneville’s AC 96.5 KOIT, San Francisco.
KOIT is a ratings behemoth in the Bay Area. Brian Figula is the station’s Director of Programming and Operations, guiding the station since September 2013. Brian explains the strategy, and his keys to long-term brand success in today’s conversation.
Jeff Lynn: You have dominated the San Francisco ratings for years, not just at Christmas; what is the secret sauce?
Brian Figula: The secret sauce is being great at the fundamentals. Without giving you the KFC Colonel ingredients, the overall theme is being great at the fundamentals. That is the right answer. That’s what we are great at.
JL: With credit to Bob Lawrence for stealing his expression, what is KOIT’s “addictive experience?”
BF: Every time you turn on the radio station you’re going to be lifted up and you’re going to feel good. That goes not just for the music but the content. The things between the songs are going to be uplifting and positive. They’re going to be informative and unique.
For example, 7/11 day. We’re not touching it. A lot of stations will mention 7/11 day, that’s low hanging fruit to us. We want to look at content that goes above and beyond, something they can have as a takeaway. When they go to work, they are going to be in the kitchen talking to a co-worker, saying I heard this thing today on KOIT. Something that they wouldn’t have heard anywhere else.
JL: San Francisco is a melting pot city. What opportunities and challenges does that present?
BF: Programming a station in San Francisco is complex due to the complexity of the ethnic composition. When the population of Asians is over 20 percent, Hispanic is around 25 percent, and think about the fact that the African American population is only about five to six percent here. In most cases, you are trying to build brands that will bring everybody together. What has been so special about the success of KOIT is that it has always been a blend and always brought people together. With great music, great content, events, and never putting stuff out there that is going to offend and push one group, male or female aside.
JL: PPM vs. Diary. Can you still impact ratings and listening, especially in a market as large as San Francisco, by being out and in the market with the listeners?
BF: The answer is yes. I think the Coleman Insight Pyramid is still valid today. Where community is still past of the recipe. Successful brands, the biggest brands today, have a great presence in their local communities. Not just KOIT but all of our brands throughout Bonneville are heavily involved in all the communities that we serve. An example is (Top 40) 99.7 NOW, KMVQ does weekly high school takeovers where they actually go to high schools and they’re engaging in the future listeners of radio.
JL: How do you get talent to understand that being out in the community is still essential and keep them motivated?
BF: We say that to talent, but also, we should be telling that to our future APDs and our current APDs who want to be PDs. We need to be telling them that they should be doing that internally. At some point they are going to need the people around them to do things. Air talent needs to invest in the community and the APDs, and the behind-the-scenes people need to continue to build relationships within their company. At some point, when they get to be PDs, they are going to need to motivate people to do things.
JL: I’ve always been impressed when talking to Bonneville OMs and PDs that you are charged by ownership for taking your brands and doing good things with them.
BF: The Bonneville purpose is day one, when we walk in, the mission statement is to build up, connect, inform, and celebrate families and communities. We are all in alignment with that, and with that, every day, we create magic on air and off air. We want to do good with our employees and community, and every day, we do that. A lot of stations do stuff in the community, and that doesn’t work anymore. You have to find the sweet spot. What really are the needs in your community? The way to do that is to ask them, ask your listeners. What are the needs in your community? The one thing that comes back to us here every year is the food crisis. So, we do things throughout the year that are part of our “Feed The Bay” initiative. We do events, volunteering and collecting non-perishable food items, cash donations, charity events, and helping food pantries and food backs.
JL: Last question, and this, as a former radio guy, concerns me. There aren’t as many opportunities to get a start in the business these days. Where does the next generation of air talent come from? Where does the next Ryan or Howard come from?
BF: It is a challenge, but I am optimistic because in our company we are finding those people. It’s not coming the traditional way where people are beating down our door for an internship. When you build an exciting brand, great things happen. Think back on your career. What got us interested, and what got some of our co-workers interested?
Mine was my mom. She used to win stuff on the radio all the time and I remember going to the radio station to pick up the prizes and going wow this is really awesome. So, it started with my mom being fully engaging with the radio station. Those people are still out there. We’ve got to take advantage of the passion and make sure that leaders invest properly into the people who are passionate about media and set them up for success. If you build an exciting brand, then I think a lot of good things will continue to happen.
To listen to KOIT, click here. The station is also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Readers interested in connecting with Brian Figula, can do so by email by clicking here.
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.
