Brian Figula is Director of Programming Operations at Bonneville in San Francisco. He programs KBLX, KUFX and KOIT. He’s been in the business for over 25 years and in the Bay Area since 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile. As a veteran of the Rock format, I wanted to start off with his thoughts on the biggest story of the week, the loss of Rock Icon Ozzy Osbourne.
“The passing of Ozzy hit all of us hard this week at 98.5 KFOX,” says Figula. “It brought back memories of working in Rock radio in the mid-90s, spinning new tracks from Ozzmosis. We played ‘See You On The Other Side’ today, and it really hit me. Ozzy’s gone. To me, he’ll always be the artist who brought metal to the masses. A true icon. See you on the other side, Ozzy.”
According to Figula, the Bay Area is one of the most complex media markets in the U.S. “In the nine-county metro (one is embedded), every county is so unique and so diverse,” he explains.
“For example, in Santa Clara County, 39% of the population is Asian American. Nielsen places Asian American panelist data into ‘Caucasian/Other,’ where Hispanic (25%) data is broken down individually. The most successful stations find ways to build content coalitions that all communities can engage with.”
“Our stations build up, connect, inform and celebrate families and communities,” says Figula. “It’s part of the core purpose at Bonneville. We survey our audience annually to understand the needs in the community. We then build an impact plan.”
“In 2024, our audiences overwhelmingly told us that they want to assist in fighting hunger. We’ve raised nearly 40,000 meals with various events to assist families in the Bay Area.”
In addition to finding ways to serve the community, Figula says locking in ways to maximize content distribution and identifying new revenue streams is a top priority for the stations. “At the same time, keeping our radio brands fully engaged and top-of-mind is key.”
To master the station’s priorities, hiring A+ talent is a key part of the strategy.
“When seeking talent for our stations, we’re seeking people who create unique content that relates to our target audience and generates results on-air and online,” says Figula. “What’s also important is seeking individuals who are open to change, willing to grow and accept constructive criticism.”
“When it comes to the music, the formats that I program are primarily gold-based, and we share a lot of that with our direct competitors. It’s critical to keep a fresh playlist, aircheck talent regularly, be on top of trends both on and off air and engage offline. I was in Michigan a few weeks ago and ran into an Ozzy tribute band.”
“Ozzy was playing Birmingham for his final show with Black Sabbath, so I connected with the tribute band’s management for a video interview for our 98.5 KFOX digital platforms. Fresh and relevant. Little did I know exactly how relevant it would be this week.”
When it comes to the new three-minute Nielsen rule, “It makes measurement more inclusive of shorter listening occasions, leading to higher listening and more effective advertising placement,” Figula explains. “We haven’t changed much, we’re just even more cautious of stop set placement and monitoring competitors.”
As for what’s missing in the business right now, Figula says, “What’s missing is an investment into radio. Yes, we need to explore new revenue opportunities and ‘fish where the fish are swimming’ (YouTube, etc.), but we also need to keep the radio foundation strong and compelling. It’s what will grow our other ‘channels’ (podcasts, video, etc.). It starts with great talent and a clear strategy, then maximizing all digital opportunities.”
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