SiriusXM Executive Producer of Sports, Bleacher Report Radio and NBA Radio Director of Programming Dan Zampillo is joining Red Zebra Broadcasting as Dir./Programming for ESPN 980 in Washington DC.
So happy to be joining @ESPNRadio980 I feel honored and humbled to program such a great station.
Zampillo fills the PD slot that was vacated by Chuck Sapienza who exited the radio station in the wake of the controversy surrounding the cancellation (and later reinstatement) of the station’s new “Man Cave” morning show.
Zampillo’s radio background includes stints as PD of 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit and APD at WGN in Chicago.
Credit to All Access who originally published this article
Ladies and gentleman we have the tightest grouping of radio sports talk gabbers in the six-plus years of the three-station competition for listeners in Dallas-Fort Worth.
In the hallowed ratings demographic of men between the ages of 25 and 54, sports talk’s target audience, the March ratings book showed it was SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket at 3.0, 105.3FM The Fan at 2.8 and KESN 103.3 FM at 2.6.
Among all stations in the market, the Ticket ranked tied for 12th in men 25-54, The Fan was 14th and KESN, aka ESPN, was 16th.
Let’s compare March 2015 to March 2014. The Ticket dominated the men 25-54 ratings in sports talk a year ago. It was the Ticket 6.9, Fan 3.1, ESPN 2.9.
If you believe all listeners matter and hence prefer a more egalitarian approach, the stations ratings were just as tight. It was the Ticket (1.5), Fan (1.4) and ESPN (1.3).
For the record, the March book was from Feb. 26 to March 25. Among the big topics of sports conversation were DeMarco Murray’s departure to the Philadelphia Eagles, Greg Hardy joining the Cowboys, Yu Darvish’s injury, the Rangers season prospects and the early rounds of the NCAA tournament.
The most competitive block of the day came during 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. afternoon drive. The Fan’s Ben & Skin scored a 3.1, followed by The Ticket’s Hardline at 3.0 and ESPN’s Afternoon Show, anchored by an hour of assorted programming at 6 p.m., at 2.9.
How’s this? Ben & Skin (3.1) was No. 1 in the sports talk universe at 3 p.m.; The Afternoon Show (3.7) was No. 1 at 4 p.m.; The Hardline was No. 1 the final two hours (4.0, 3.8).
The lowest rated show on any of the three stations was Colin Cowherd’s two morning hours of ranting on ESPN. The national show out of Bristol, Conn., scored a 1.5 share at 9 a.m. and a 0.7 at 10 a.m.
On the flip side, the only other national show on the daily schedule, ESPN’s Mike & Mike, turned in the two top-rated hours of the day at the station – 5.4 at 7 a.m. and 4.3 at 8 a.m.
As usual, the Ticket’s Musers turned in the highest rated hour at 8 a.m., scoring an 8.3.
Credit to the Dallas News who originally published this article
If you follow the sports media industry, you’re likely aware of the drama involving Britt McHenry of ESPN. To make a long story short, Britt had an incident a few weeks ago when her car was towed. As a result of the situation, she said a number of things to a clerk at Advance Towing that I’m sure she wishes she shouldn’t have. Here’s the video if you haven’t seen it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv-O9ZhKX1M
When I heard about the story it saddened me because I think Britt does excellent work for ESPN. I’ve seen these types of incidents happen before and end up crippling people’s careers. I’m not one to pile on nor play judge and jury, because I wasn’t there, and I don’t know all of the other factors that occurred off camera. However, it bothers me to see someone with talent, and a great platform, lose it over a bad decision.
When I worked in St. Louis from 2006 to 2011 I saw this occur a number of times. I witnessed Kevin Slaten damage his reputation by getting into issues with fans, coaches and other media colleagues. He even went as far as putting pitching coach Dave Duncan on the air without his permission, a decision which cost him his job at 590 The Fan, KFNS. An example of those issues can be found here.
I watched Jack Clark put himself in a vulnerable spot when he accused Albert Pujols of being a steroid user despite having no proof to validate his claims. As a result of attacking Pujols’ character on the radio, Pujols’ camp threatened legal action. Shortly afterwards, CBS Sports 920 parted ways with Clark less than one week into his employment.
I also observed an incident where my own guy, D’Marco Farr, became the center of controversy at a Super Bowl party when it was captured by TMZ’s cameras. This one bothered me a great deal because to the viewer watching at home, they saw D’Marco as a mean spirited jerk who thought he could say and do whatever he wished. If you knew anything about the man, you’d know that he was a first class human being who always tried to do the right thing and treat people well. This particular episode was a set up. D’Marco’s mistake was that he took the bait.
The next day in St. Louis, local TV stations piled on and one website ran a poll question asking “Has your opinion of D’Marco Farr changed as a result of this incident“? I spoke to my boss about the situation, and filled him in on some of the facts surrounding the story (some which weren’t reported), and was then asked by the local newspaper for a comment.
I remember sharing a hotel room with D’Marco during this trip and we talked about it and he felt terrible that he lost his cool. He was determined to make up for it and learn from it. It was important to him that people in the St. Louis community knew this wasn’t who he was, and without even having to push it, he took to the airwaves the next day to apologize and address it.
I stood up for him when the incident happened because I knew that he was a good person with good values, and he was a talented guy who everyone at the radio station liked. He was great with our clients, a respected teammate and valued member of the community. I felt he would earn back the community’s trust and respect by conducting himself the way he had 99% of the time prior to that moment.
For the sharks in the water though, they wanted more blood. Could I have satisfied their appetite and thrown him out the door? Sure. But is that always the best decision to make? I didn’t think so then, and I’m glad I didn’t cave in to public pressure. If I had, it would have been the wrong move.
The last time I checked, we’re not all perfect. We make mistakes, and with social media as dominant as it is today, every single decision of ours is under a microscope. Companies react to bad publicity a lot faster than they ever have, and a great 10-15 year career can be forgotten in an instant if you’re not smart.
It doesn’t matter who threw the first punch, what someone said when you’re out in public, or if someone was antagonizing you on Twitter. If you respond poorly, it’s Media Person X of Company Y who responded. Whether that’s fair or not, that’s how it is!
If a regular person working for an insurance company acts out poorly, it doesn’t make news. But you are the news because of your public persona. With your position comes a different set of rules. You’re expected to take the high road, and recognize the danger signs when they appear before you.
One bad decision can harm your personal brand, and your employer. If a company loses sponsors, viewers/listeners, and ultimately dollars, good luck getting them to stand by you. This doesn’t mean you can’t disagree with someone, or respond to a negative comment on your social media page, but understand that the world is watching, and sometimes even recording. The material you choose to post in a public space doesn’t get deleted as fast as you think.
We may want to see the good in everyone, but some people have agendas. You’ve got to catch yourself before you do something that permanently ruins your career. An easy way to avoid these situations is to do great work and conduct yourself in a classy manner. That rarely leads to negative headlines.
I don’t know ESPN’s views of Britt McHenry’s work and whether or not she’s a good teammate and person. I’ve had a few limited interactions with her and always found her to be classy. Based on that knowledge, I’m going to assume that she simply had a bad moment. Hopefully for her sake this doesn’t define her career and she learns from it.
If there’s anything to take away from these situations if you’re a broadcaster or public figure, it’s to remember that you are the brand at all times! It says so on your business card, website and social media page. Don’t lose sight of that. One poor decision on your part could be the one that defines your career and prevents you from working in the industry. Don’t make the mistake of letting that happen!
CBS Radio Pittsburgh announced today that KDKA-AM Program Director Jim Graci has been assigned to also serve as Program Director for KDKA-FM, Sports Radio 93-7 The Fan. His appointment is effective on Monday, May 4.
Graci takes on the role previously held by Ryan Maguire who is transferring to a similar role at CBS Radio’s Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in Miami.
Additionally, PJ Kumanchik, News Director and Executive Producer at KDKA-AM, will also serve as Executive Producer at Sports Radio 93-7 The Fan.
Senior Vice President and CBS RADIO Pittsburgh Market Manager Michael Young said, “Jim and PJ are a strong and very competent managerial team. They have performed very well in developing and executing the programming vision of KDKA-AM. With much synergy already existing between KDKA-AM & KDKA-FM, I believe their expanding programming roles at Sports Radio 93-7 The Fan are a natural progression, and will benefit our various audiences.”
Graci, who has been the Program Director at KDKA-AM since 2012, is a veteran radio executive with over four decades of experience. In additional to his Pittsburgh programming work, Graci spent time in other major markets, including Dallas, Atlanta, and Seattle.
Kumanchik has been a dedicated and loyal KDKA-AM staff member since 1989. He began his career as a producer, and has served in various programming and management roles for more than 25 years. Kumanchik will continue to report to Graci for both radio stations.
560 WQAM in Miami has found their next Program Director. Ryan Maguire is taking his talents to South Beach to program the radio station effective May 4th according to his Facebook page.
Maguire has been working for CBS Radio in Pittsburgh as the PD for Sports Radio 93.7 The Fan. Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, he also spent time programming 610 Sports in Kansas City, WSSP in Milwaukee and WKTA in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This is WQAM’s first major move since the radio station was acquired by CBS Radio from Beasley Broadcasting.
The March ratings have come out in San Francisco and for the first time in the station’s history, 95.7 The Game has climbed into the top 3. The station finished the month with a 4.4 rating M-F 6a-7p in the desired demographic of Men 25-54. Market leader KNBR remained ahead in 2nd place with a 5.2.
In July 2011 when we built 95.7 The Game we talked about becoming a top 5 rated station with Men 25-54….today that day has arrived! So proud of our team who finished Top 3 in March highlighted by Guy Haberman & John Middlekauff who finished #1 in their daypart. Two of our other prime shows were less than .2 away from the top spot in the market! A HUGE day for our team!
This is the tightest the sports radio battle has been to date in San Francisco. Sports talk radio as a whole has grown in the market, climbing from a 6.9 market share in August 2011 to 9.6 in March 2015!
For the winter book (Jan-Mar) The Game finished 6th overall with a 4.0. It was the highest performance the station has recorded for a quarter since launching in August 2011. KNBR finished the quarter in 2nd place with a 5.6.
One key item of note, The Game won for the first time head to head during the 10a-12p time slot. The Haberman & Middlekauff show ranked #1 beating KNBR during those two hours.
Below is the breakdown for Men 25-54 for all dayparts in March.
WFAN remained firmly in control of the local sports talk radio market during the winter ratings book released Monday and covering the period from Jan. 1 through March 25.
All three of the station’s signature programs — morning, midday and afternoon — finished second to music stations among men ages 25 to 54, and all three were well ahead of the competition at ESPN New York.
Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton averaged 7.8 percent of the audience from 6 to 10 a.m. in the key demographic, more than doubling “Mike and Mike” on ESPN at 3.3.
Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts averaged 6.5 percent from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. compared with ESPN’s 2.1.
Mike Francesa averaged a 6.9 share from 1 to 6:30 p.m., nearly doubling ESPN’s 3.5. ESPN was hurt in that time slot by a lackluster ratings book for Mike Lupica between 1 and 3 p.m.
From 1 to 3, WFAN more than tripled ESPN’s share, 7.0 to 2.3. From 3 to 6:30 p.m., when Michael Kay goes head-to-head against Francesa, the gap was 6.9 to 4.2. During that time slot, Francesa was No. 1 overall.
Kay was asked by a follower on Twitter Monday whether he is considering ending his run at ESPN in September, when his contract apparently expires.
“We are talking,” he wrote back. “I have to eventually make a quality-of-life decision. Going to be a tough call either way.”
Credit to Newsday who originally published this article
I’m a firm believer that anyone who works in the sports radio business is an employee of the listener. They decide whether or not to consume our material, support our advertisers and interact with us and it’s our job to serve them the best content possible and keep them interested. While we all head to an office each day and have someone we report to, our performance is decided by the listeners in each of our respective markets.
The hardest part of creating content is trying to juggle what we passionately care most about, what each listener wants and what the research in our market tells us the majority of people care about. While it’s great to be liked and use our best efforts to please every individual who listens to us, I believe the majority of people in your market will listen to you (even if they dislike you) if you present content with the broadest appeal. If a host delivers strong opinions and solid information on the subjects that matter most, they’ll earn the audience’s time.
This is supposed to matter because if you play the game correctly it should lead to ratings and as everyone knows, ratings dictate whether or not you and your brand are successful and what rates a client will pay to continue investing in your product. Only there’s one small problem to this equation – how do you really know if what you’re doing is right or not?
I’ve been operating stations for 9 years since PPM became the new standard for audience measurement. During those 9 years I’ve programmed in 3 different markets. One was on the East Coast, one in the Midwest and one on the West Coast. During all 3 stops, I’ve never once met or seen a listener with a PPM meter. I’ve not received an email, tweet, facebook message or text into the company’s database from them and as far as I’m concerned, they’re ghosts. Do I believe they exist? Yes. However I don’t lose sleep at night worrying about where they are, who they are or how I’m going to satisfy 20 people who don’t provide me with feedback on how I can make their content experience more enjoyable on the radio station.
I love the radio business as much as anyone but you’d think that for the millions of dollars that numerous broadcasting companies, agencies and advertisers spend, that there would be stronger accountability and performance with audience measurement. It’s ludicrous that we can see the exact number of texts, tweets and facebook messages to our brands, the exact number of downloads our apps get, the number of streaming sessions and length of each person’s listen, yet we can’t show know how many people listen to our radio stations. Instead, less than 1,000 people form the opinions of what millions in a market listen to. And I’m saying this while in the midst of one of my best ratings runs ever.
While it’s easy to be skeptical towards radio’s measurement system, I’m equally amazed at how so many people in radio will look at TV ratings as being a true reflection of the marketplace. A newsflash for my radio friends, TV has the same challenges with sample size, poor participation and inconsistency. It can be very frustrating to folks in the media business who’s performance and next contract is decided by such a small number of people but rather than complain about it, you can help yourself by playing the game the right way.
First, it’s important to recognize how PPM works when it comes to having ratings success. This means managing your content inside of a clock. If you need 5 minutes of listening time (it doesn’t need to be consecutive) inside of a quarter hour, don’t screw yourself up by breaking late or wasting time with minutia. The hour doesn’t extend and offer you extra minutes and the audience won’t sit through 2-3 minutes of meaningless crap. Dive head first into the content with a focused game plan and make the material mean something.
Second, do some homework on what your market cares about. Too many hosts have the mindset of “If I care, they’ll care“. That may work sometimes, but if you’re playing a game of percentages I believe you’re going to win a lot more by playing to the audience’s needs than your own. Ask yourself this, if you went to see a famous comedian and couldn’t wait to hear them perform the jokes and stories you were familiar with, how would you feel if they didn’t deliver their most popular material? Would you stay? Even if you did, you’d likely remember it as a poor experience. If the audience tells you they want steak, give it to them. If you continue serving fish, don’t be surprised if you’re dealing with unhappy customers.
When I worked in St. Louis, a number of our shows were doing a lot of hockey interviews and when I told my crew that it was hurting us they didn’t want to hear it. Some guys loved the sport and the local team (The Blues) and they’d push back by telling me how the Blues had better support than other cities for hockey talk and with us operating on FM it would work out well. I disagreed and decided to do some homework to see if my feeling was correct.
In our next staff meeting, I listed 20 different content items on the left side of a sheet of paper. 10 of them were hockey interviews we did on the station that month and the other 10 were open segments and interviews we conducted during the same month on the Cardinals, Rams and popular national stories. I then put 20 numbers on the right side of the paper and went around the room to see if the group could match up which ratings numbers lined up with each content piece. As it turned out, the 10 lowest rated content items were the hockey interviews.
After I showed them how the audience listening went down when we executed those content choices, they understood and went forward focusing on presenting subjects with broader appeal. Consequently we wound up surging in the ratings. That didn’t mean we never put another hockey guest on the air again. Instead we used better judgment of when it made sense to do so and we didn’t focus 50% of our content on it.
The habits and interests of your audience are critical for you to know and often it’s not hard to figure out. Especially today when you can use social media to further help you. If you look at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and see how many fans exist on each team’s page and then look at how much engagement takes place on each of their posts, that’s a good start. Then you can look at what the radio ratings in the market are for each team and do the same with TV. If you have a relationship with local newspapers or websites or if you have columnists working at your station, you can also find out which stories generate the most clicks. That type of research helps you in deciding which content to showcase.
In St. Louis for example, the Cardinals are the kings of the content circle. Their flagship station during the day delivers News Talk programming and the other sports stations in the market operate on very poor signals so when we launched 101 ESPN in January 2009 it was easy to see that the team’s fans were underserved during the day. By hiring people who the audience knew and trusted and by giving them a platform where they could be heard and offering the right content, we were able to build a dominant sports station.
It wasn’t rocket science. I simply used the information available to me and recognized that while we couldn’t deliver the games to people due to not having the team’s rights, we could still be the market’s leader for Cardinals coverage throughout the day. By relaying that message to our audience through effective imaging and by getting the talent on board to make it part of their daily focus, we won a lot. In the movie “Field of Dreams“, James Earl Jones says “If you build it, they will come” and it works in radio too except I like to say “If you present the right content, they will listen to it“.
One article I enjoyed was published by the NY Times this past October. It was built around the MLB Playoffs and the neighborly feel that existed due to the involvement of teams who were rivals or inside the same market. By using Facebook data, the article showed which teams had the bigger pull in their regions and where the shift in fan bases occurred in each market. If you were programming or hosting a show in any of these markets in October and used this information to help you in deciding your branding and content execution, smart move.
While PPM is not perfect, there are times where it works really well. Case in point, regular weekly guests, big games and other important events such as an introductory press conference usually show a change in listening patterns. For example, in January I carried Jim Tomsula’s press conference when he was named the new Head Coach for the 49ers. The presser ran 30-minutes long and was incredibly bizarre and considering that the 49ers had parted ways with popular Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, fans were not happy. The presser that day was carried by my station and my competitor (the home of the 49ers) and during the 30-minute time that we each carried it, we delivered a 6.5 and were 2nd in the market with Men 25-54 and my competitor produced a 4.8 and were 4th.
The presser delivered for both stations which showed that the content mattered to the audience. But why did we perform higher? Well, we are on FM and my competitor is not so maybe that could have been a factor and while that’s certainly possible, I have a different theory. In the San Francisco market, my brand is seen as the station that covers both teams and isn’t afraid to take teams to task when it’s warranted. My competitor meanwhile is the heritage sports station and play by play home for a number of local teams and they present a very positive presentation when discussing local teams. That formula works well when teams are winning but in this case, people were mad at the 49ers and wanted to know the other side of the story. That is why I believe they came to us to hear it.
I saw the same thing take place in early March during Day 1 and 2 of NFL Free Agency. At my current radio station we were #1 overall with Men 25-54 both days delivering a 6.7 and 6.3 and our streaming sessions were up 250% over both days. Because we present ourselves as a strong football destination and employ people who have a passion for the sport, we performed well when big NFL news was taking place.
My competitor in the marketplace was 5th during these 2 days which is understandable because they present themselves strongly as a Giants baseball station. If the news for these 2 days was centered around the Giants or Major League Baseball, the positions would’ve likely been reversed. None the less, when big NFL news is happening you should see increased listening to sports radio stations and PPM captured it during both days.
If you’re a programmer or talent, be smart about your content choices and remember who you work for – the audience! Don’t worry about what the meters are doing, worry about what you’re presenting. A metered listener still has two ears to listen, a brain to form an opinion and a finger to push a button to listen to a particular radio station. If you’re a good talent delivering a good show and presenting the content that matters to the majority of the audience, they’ll find you. Just don’t expect to find them. Ghosts and PPM meters are usually undetectable.
95.7 The GAME, The Bay Area’s New Sound for Sports, today announced the addition of six distinguished personalities to their programming roster. Notable local contributors include: former Oakland Athletics Outfielder with 11 years of Major League Baseball experience and current MLB Network Analyst; Eric Byrnes, veteran sports talk radio personality currently hosting afternoon drive at Sportsradio 94WIP in Philadelphia and weekly contributor to ESPN’s “Olbermann” TV show; Tony Bruno and informed Bay Area baseball writer Mychael Urban who also hosts Inside The Bigs on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on 95.7 The GAME.
“Bay Area listeners are well aware of the track records of Eric Byrnes, Tony Bruno and Mychael Urban and we are thrilled to have them contributing to our radio station.” said Program Director, Jason Barrett. “All 3 of them have strong opinions, are well informed and highly entertaining making their appearances on our shows a must-listen”.
Also contributing to 95.7 The Game’s national baseball coverage is senior baseball writer for ESPN.com and ESPN Scouts, Inc; Keith Law, celebrated columnist of ESPN: The Magazine, ESPN.com and analyst for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight; Buster Olney and former General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and analyst for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight; Jim Bowden. 2-time World Series Champion with the Boston Red Sox and 10-year Major League Baseball veteran Kevin Youkilis also joins 95.7 The GAME.
“From a national standpoint, the credibility that Jim Bowden, Buster Olney, Kevin Youkilis and Keith Law bring to the table is second to none.” Jason Barrett continued. “They are deeply connected inside baseball circles and bring a wealth of knowledge about the game from the field to the front office.”
A complete breakdown of days and times these contributors can be heard is listed below.
2015 Baseball Coverage includes:
Contributor
Show
Day/Time
Jim Bowden
ESPN Baseball Tonight Analyst & former GM of the Cincinnati Reds & Washington Nationals
The Damon Bruce Show
Mondays at 3:30pm
The Baseball Hour w/ Byrnes & YoukilisEric Byrnes = 11-year MLB OF, Former Oakland Athletic & current MLB Network AnalystKevin Youkilis= 2x World Series Champion, 10-year MLB 3rd Baseman (8+ years with the Red Sox)
The Afternoon Delight w/ John Lund & Greg Papa
Tuesdays at 2pm
Tony Bruno
Renowned sports talk radio host, currently hosting afternoons for WIP in Philly, host of the Tony Bruno Show Podcast & a weekly contributor to ESPN’s “Olbermann” TV show
The Damon Bruce Show
Tuesdays at 5:05pm
Keith Law
Former Scout & Front Office Executive, Baseball writer for ESPN.com
If you’ve ever watched the show “Shark Tank” or “The Voice“, you’ve watched people present themselves in front of the coaches or sharks, hoping to get them excited about what they do. If they perform well, multiple people on the show could be vying for their services and within a matter of seconds, they’re forced to make a decision on who they wish to partner with. If they make the right choice, it could pay huge dividends. If they choose poorly, they’re back to square one and kicking themselves for not reading the room differently.
Well it’s no different in our business. One of the toughest decisions we face is the decision to accept or reject an opportunity of employment. If you’re in a manager’s shoes, you also have to decide whether or not someone is a good or bad fit for your brand. On a personal level, people want to make a good living so they can take care of their families and they want to be surrounded by people who they respect and like working with. They want to perform for a company with a good track record and be seen as a valuable member of the organization but too often during the process, they allow personal friendships and large sums of money to cloud their decisions. They stop doing their homework on the people and companies they may work for because a few good pieces of feedback and a high salary number that meets or exceeds expectation, is enough to turn a blind eye to some potential warning signs.
Equally in danger is the employer. They’re the ones having to decide whether or not you’re worthy of leading the organization, being the face of the brand or an individual worth attaching a client’s message to. They have to be sure that an employee is a reflection of what their company represents and they’re the ones on the hook for large sums of money. They also have to endure battles and have their ducks in a row when explaining the brand’s results and personnel choices. If they don’t pan out or fail to meet expectation, they then have to address those same subjects internally and externally and figure out solutions to get things fixed.
I’ve learned over the past 9 years of programming that the process for hiring someone is much harder than anything you might imagine. I’ve hired people who walked in the door with baggage and I’ve been rewarded strongly for it and I’ve hired people who appeared to be clean as a whistle, yet ended up being dirty. That said, one thing I take pride in and consider extremely important is doing my homework on anyone I hire. I may not end up being right all the time but it won’t be for a lack of due diligence. In numerous cases I’ve spent months evaluating someone before pulling the trigger on hiring them and usually when I’ve operated that way I’ve made smart choices.
In my opinion, this is a big part of every manager’s job. Not being privy to what every building and company does, I’m not sure if every programmer, personality or radio executive values this the same. Often personalities get blinded by the lure of a bigger time slot and paycheck which feeds their ego and makes them feel more important. General Managers, Sales Managers and Corporate Executives will sometimes look at a person’s track record of ratings, market size and industry reputation and move forward with that person quickly out of fear of losing them rather than dig through the weeds to find out what that person’s background is like.
One of my favorite situations during my career took place in April 2011. I was brought into San Francisco by Entercom to discuss the PD position for what is now known as 95.7 The Game. The discussions and meetings I had been involved in up to that point had been fantastic and I was excited by the possibility of competing in market #4. I knew the company’s reputation and commitment towards doing local sports talk throughout the county was strong and I felt the offer to join them in San Francisco would be to my liking.
On Friday night, my girlfriend Stephanie and I headed to a Sharks playoff game with my former General Manager Dwight Walker and on Saturday we were given time to scout the area and make sure it was a good personal fit. I was blown away by the market and knew I wanted to live and work here for the next 4 years. I also was excited about the possibility of working for Dwight and I sensed he felt the same way about having me lead his operation.
Then on Sunday morning, Stephanie and I joined Dwight for breakfast to put the finishing touches on a deal which would bring me to San Francisco. Before we could get to the end of the process though, my girlfriend asked if she could ask a question. I was sitting there thinking “don’t screw this up for me Steph” and after Dwight gave her the nod to ask away, she asked him “why do you want to hire Jason“? It was a simple question but yet very important because it would tell me a lot about what Dwight really knew about me and the way I work.
To his credit, he responded by talking about my passion, leadership qualities, track record and values and I could tell he had done a good job of reading me. However, he wasn’t aware of how I operated on a daily basis. My girlfriend then asked “Are you prepared to receive a 6 paragraph email at 2am telling you what needs to be fixed with the radio station to make it perform better? Can you handle it when people in other departments start complaining to you because he has a vision and won’t let them get in the way of it, especially if it relates to the on-air product? What will you do when you hear him passionately getting into it with an on-air personality because he expects stronger preparation and better performance out of them“?
I sat there both stunned and impressed because she knew what my style was like and how much I put into my work and she wanted him to be sure he knew what he was getting into. To Dwight’s credit, he handled it perfectly and said “I guess I’ll have to read more, ask him to keep it down a little from time to time and I’m not interested in hiring someone who can win popularity contests, I want someone who can lead us to the top and stop at nothing to get there. If Jason comes here he will have my full support to do what we need to do to win“.
To his credit, he lived up to every part of that during our time working together! Because we both did our homework on one another and felt comfortable with what we were each getting, the radio station was built and put in a position to succeed. Anyone who worked inside those walls during the time Dwight and I worked together knew that he and I were on the same page and the expectations were to work hard, continue to grow and not stop until we were a success.
Often when people interview for a job, we react to what they did previously and it’s easy to get caught up in how good they look on paper. We’ll point to their track record and say “He was in the top 3 in market X, sold a ton of endorsements and his style is perfect for this place“. While success in other places is important, it doesn’t always mean it will translate to another market.
For example, I under performed and socially did not connect in St. Louis during my first 2 years there. I spent a ton of time feeling like a fish out of water and was counting the days until I could exit 590 The Fan KFNS and go someplace else. I walked into a situation where my employer was struggling, the morale inside the building was low and I wasn’t completely locked in the way I needed to be. It was a difficult situation for all involved. Here I was, as an East Coast guy living for the first time in the Midwest, going through a divorce and being separated from my son, and all I wanted to do was have enough success to get the heck out of here. I was emotionally drained and unsure if my east coast style was a good fit in St. Louis.
Then one of the best things and turning points of my career happened. I reached an agreement one year later to leave KFNS and spend 6 months on the sidelines clearing my head. Being unemployed for the first time in 10+ years wasn’t easy but I needed to hit the reset button and find out what I was about and what I wanted. It was also the first time in a while that I had failed at something and I had to either pick myself up off the ground and learn from it or continue blaming everyone and everything else for what transpired.
I was positive I would leave St. Louis and put it in my rear view mirror and I thought for sure I was going to go to Detroit or Houston but as luck would have it, my next opportunity would be less than 5 minutes away. When I accepted my next job working for Bonneville as the first programmer of 101 ESPN, I went into it mentally focused, appreciative of a second chance and excited about where I was living and much more confident in my abilities to perform there. I learned from the mistakes I made during my first run with KFNS and built a special culture inside the walls of 101 ESPN which continues there today. I also learned that there were a lot of good people in St. Louis who loved radio like I did and I was thrilled that I didn’t allow one bad situation to define my opinion of the market. After going thru that experience, St. Louis became very special to me and when I was faced with a decision to leave, it was really hard to say goodbye.
When I reflect back on those two experiences, there’s one valuable lesson that I learned – doing your homework is vital! When I accepted 590 The Fan’s offer I did so while knowing that my family were unhappy in Philadelphia, they felt more comfortable in St. Louis and there weren’t any other PD jobs available. I was also blown away by the company’s performance in Atlanta but I didn’t consider that just because they were performing strong in one place didn’t mean they would succeed somewhere else. Both markets were very different. I was also a big baseball fan and I loved how passionate St. Louis fans were towards the Cardinals and I figured I’d fit right in and have a chance to succeed if I could tap into that connection. Altogether it took me less than 3 weeks to complete the process going to KFNS and my lack of research on what I was getting into put me in a bad spot. That’s nobody else’s fault but my own.
On the other hand, when I went to work for Bonneville in St. Louis we spent nearly 3 months talking and going over various scenarios before the job was offered. I encouraged my former General Manager John Kijowski to do his homework on me and he did. He talked to people who knew what I was about professionally and I asked him to talk to people who weren’t fans of mine too. I wanted him to know what he was getting if he brought me in. I also did my homework on the company, John and the entire market to make sure I could create a plan that would work. There was no hesitation on either end when we reached the finish line together and by going through an exhausting hiring process, Bonneville got my very best and I benefited by working for a great company which supported, trusted and helped me.
If you’re a programmer, sales manager, corporate executive or GM, think back on some of the decisions you’ve made on talent, producers, board operators, reporters, anchors or any other member of your organization. When you’ve hired people to work for you, have you truly done your due diligence? The ratings story can be deceiving and your former co-worker may have great things to say about an individual but do you really know the ins and outs and critical pieces of information that you need to know about who you’re hiring? If a situation hasn’t worked out, why didn’t it? Did you go against your gut and ignore the signs or were you under pressure to get something completed that you rushed to judgment? If you’ve gone through a failed experiment (we all do), how have you learned from those situations and how are you more prepared now when you make hiring decisions than you were 2-3 years ago?
Too often in this industry people read press clippings and form opinions off of them and while I understand the importance of researching information based on what’s been written, there’s always more to a story than what you read. If you’re going to hire someone great who moves the needle, don’t be surprised if they produce a few unpopular opinions online when you google their name. If the job is to generate an audience and create buzz for a show, those with strong opinions who toe the line and sometimes step over it are going to be on your list of targets.
For example, I am glad that I didn’t allow a few articles and media critics to influence my decision to hire Damon Bruce in San Francisco. Most great talent have their legion of fans and critics and Damon is no exception. At times he’ll say some things that ruffle a few feathers and we’ve had a few passionate disagreements along the way but I also know him as a person off the air and how much he puts into his work. When I did my homework on him I asked numerous people for feedback and I spent months examining whether or not the fit would make sense. When I reached my decision I felt very comfortable with bringing him on to our team and without question it’s been paid dividends and benefited all involved.
I’ve also nearly hired Tony Bruno and Sean Salisbury during my career and if you google their names you’ll find an unflattering story or two but if you got to know them, what they’re about, how they work and how they perform, you wouldn’t even question whether or not they can help improve your product. All you need to do is look in Philadelphia and Houston and you’ll see them having success and being valuable members of their respective organizations.
The same can be said for other top personalities such as Scott Kaplan, Mike Missanelli, Chris Dimino, Stephen A. Smith, Dan McNeil and Sid Rosenberg. All of them possess outstanding talent and strong track records but all have a blemish or two on their resume. Some of them I know well and I wouldn’t hesitate to hire tomorrow if I had a need and they fit my market and brand, and some of them I don’t know and would need to do more homework on. That said, that’s why you go through an extensive hiring process to make sure you’ve given yourself, your company and the candidate the best chance to have a successful relationship together.
While it’s easy to shine the light on this situation from a programmer’s point of view, if you’re an on-air talent there are things you should be examining too before accepting an opportunity.
Do you analyze how the company operates and performs in other markets?
Do you talk to people involved with those stations to find out how they like working for the company?
Do you talk to current or former employees who’ve worked for your potential PD to see how they feel about them?
Do you ask advertisers what their perspective is on the company and why they do/don’t buy the product?
Do you talk to the local teams or the networks that the radio station partners with to see how they perceive the brand?
Have you directly asked the PD or GM what their long-term plans are with the operation?
Have you checked into whether or not the company may be looking to sell?
That’s a lot of questions but each one is critical in helping you make a decision about whether or not to explore working for someone.
If you’re accepting an opportunity based on money and a higher profile time slot you’re setting yourself up for disappointment down the road. An employee-company relationship is a two way street and I remember my friend Pete Gianesini at ESPN Radio once telling me “you’re interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you” and that’s so true. This is your life and your career and this next move could be the catalyst to something big for you professionally or it could be the start of a downward spiral. While the best of intentions may exist today, that’s not always the case tomorrow and both sides need to know what they’re getting into. If you don’t, then it’s going to eat at you again and again if it doesn’t work out!
I stress this not only to the on-air people but to the folks on the company side as well. Whether you’re a GM, Sales Manager, Corporate Programmer or CEO, every sales person, engineer, traffic person, programmer or on-air personality hired, is a reflection of what the company stands for. These people represent you and your brand and that should matter a great deal because you earn or lose respect with every decision that’s made.
Here’s a few questions to consider.
Are you trusting your managers to hire people independently or are you talking to the candidate as well?
Do you know why a person who’s had success or failure in their career had those experiences? Was it a result of their performance or the company’s decisions?
Do you know which people inside your building are future leaders and why they’re capable of stepping up or are you just listening to someone who you like/dislike and allowing it to influence how you think?
Do you talk to people inside your building to get a read on how they’re connecting with their manager or do you just assume everything is fine and rely on the manager’s feedback to impact your thoughts?
Managing is not easy and nothing puts a bulls eye on your reputation more than the decisions you make. Company’s who are generating millions of dollars are trusting their hosts, programmers, sales executives, GM’s and support staffs to create products that will help them make even more money and you need the right people to implement the plan. No company is in business to not be profitable and one wrong decision can cost you millions if you miss! If you’re going to risk a few million dollars on your next decision, don’t you want to know everything you can possibly know before you act on it?
Do you know what really stings? Having to go to sleep at night, not being able to do the job you love anymore because you skipped a few steps, made mistakes and damaged the brand you represented. Take it from someone who’s been to both ends of the spectrum, the view is much better from up top! So be smart and do your homework. Regardless of how it turns out, you’ll sleep much better at night knowing you did everything in your power to get it right.
