The past few weeks have been great for avid football fans. When you watch Fernando Mendoza give up his body to score a touchdown, or read of Josh Allen crying at his locker after a playoff loss, you know how driven these athletes are.
In the countless interviews with coaches and players after these games, the word “team” is so often repeated. Quarterbacks thanking their defense, running backs saluting their offensive line, and players of the game saying it’s a team effort. When you look around your building, can you honestly say you’re a team?
I was struck on Friday night when I saw a post from an Atlanta morning show, Kevin and Taylor at WSTR. They posted that they would be on the air Sunday night during the anticipated ice storm in Atlanta. Their programmer, Emily Bolden, told me that since they were staying in a hotel to make sure they could be on Monday morning, they volunteered to go into the station, talk to listeners, and do a live show. No bonus, no overtime, just an extra shift for the station, for the “team.”
On Monday morning, going up and down the radio dial, there were many stories of talent sleeping in the radio station so they could be on the air for their listeners. Yes, there were a few absent as well. I wonder if they were too entitled to feel discomfort, or if they simply felt they were not part of a team.
CJ Robinson is a team player who is on his way to success. He is brand manager of WOMX in Orlando and hosts the CJ and Jenn morning show with Jennifer Lopez. He also does afternoons on WMXJ in Miami (because he really wanted to) and appears on the company’s Channel Q. I got to know CJ while coaching his morning show and was immediately impressed by his work ethic.
While doing everything a brand manager has to do, he navigated multiple live broadcasts and a radiothon during the holidays. When I congratulated him on his fundraising efforts, he immediately credited the team, just like Drake Maye after his playoff win.
Chris Oliviero doesn’t get enough press for his team leadership. I was fortunate enough to work with Chris for many years at CBS and then Audacy. The yearly budget process was always about Chris trying to find a way to take care of the lowest-paid people on the team. Yes, the highly compensated on-air quarterback was special (he was a real quarterback — I’m talking about Boomer Esiason). Chris knew he needed a team around all his “quarterbacks” so they could shine.
I always prided myself on being the first in the office and the last to leave. When I would run into Chris as I was heading out and he was coming back to the office after a sales dinner, I realized I had met my match. It’s like the stories about Tom Brady beating everyone into the practice facility to study film. When the team leader will do whatever it takes for the team to win, everyone is inspired. There’s a reason Chris went from intern to chief business officer.
Are you a Chris Oliviero or a CJ Robinson? If you’re in upper management, is there one in your organization? Traditional media needs to excel now more than ever, and we need great leaders to take us into the future. We need to encourage and inspire those on the way up. Leaders build teams with hard work and dedication. There’s a reason Mike Vrabel’s Patriots won 10 more regular-season games this year and are on their way to the Super Bowl. Yes, he credited the team in his victory speech.
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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.
