Elroy Smith’s fingerprints are all over some of the biggest Urban stations in the country. From Boston to Chicago, Dallas to San Francisco, Smith has built a career on anticipating what listeners want before they do.
He is the Director of Branding and Programming for Star 94.5 in Orlando and several other Cox Media Group stations, and he is once again proving that great radio is part science, part soul.
He was the first to spin “Candy Girl” by New Edition, the first to take a chance on “Ice, Ice Baby” from Vanilla Ice, and the man behind the unlikely gospel-R&B crossover of Kirk Franklin’s “Why We Sing.”
His programming instincts have earned nods from artists like Alicia Keys and helped launch major careers, from Steve Harvey’s radio debut to mentoring Charlamagne Tha God.
Smith and Star 94.5 are today’s featured brand.
“Our overall premise is to zero in on community needs. That is one of the things that our minds always sort of click. How can we help that listener who has given their time, their energy, their ear to listening to Star 94.5?”
The principle is encapsulated in an acronym.
M.I.C. Music, Information, and Community.
“We make sure that we are playing the best R&B song or songs at every moment on the radio station. It could be an old school song, and we image that to make sure that people are like, oh my goodness, I got married to that song.
“Something from the 90s, which is a huge, huge focus for this radio station and of course music from the 2000s. We have a plethora of music. It’s so broad in terms of appeal.”
“If you look at the ratings, you’ll see that 18 to 34, the station does well, 6 plus, the station does well, 25 to 54, the station does well, and 35 to 54, the station does well. We’re generational. I like that because a single mom could be driving along and feeling confident that my daughter or son in the backseat can enjoy this radio station with me.”
“Everybody can play the hits. Everybody can play the biggest, the best hits. But what makes a radio station click is what happens between those songs that they can hear anywhere.”
To that end, the station avoids “shock content.”
“You can always keep the radio station at a good volume because we do not do shock radio or radio to offend our listeners.”
Information
Information is about relevant content that resonates with its target audience.
“If it pertains to the African-American community, which is our target, 25 to 54, we make sure that the personalities convey that information to them in between the hits. We are what I call the black CNN with music.”
Community
The station works hard at building community. Part of which includes community forums that reflect Orlando’s Black community. Events held in the station’s Stanley Steemer performance room tackle subjects ranging from domestic violence and mental health to police-community relations and wealth-building.
“We have started this whole new campaign, Jeff, where we once a quarter do a community forum at the radio station. We have this performance room, and once a quarter we will zero in on a community matter, like domestic violence.”
“Listeners come to this forum. They get dinner first, and then they hear panelists giving them hope. Giving them inspiration. We’ve done domestic violence, we have done mental health, police and the people. We had the police chief at the radio station facing our audience. I’m sure in the back of his mind, he’s thinking, I’m going into the lion’s den.”
“No, you were not in the lion’s den. You were in a safe space, Chief. And he felt so comfortable talking to this audience. Our audience raised their hands with respect and asked questions. It was a remarkable forum.”
“We’ve also done a forum on marriage beyond the vows. What do you do after you say I do? I do only lasts for what 10 seconds? There were married people in this room asking all sorts of questions, which was amazing. Another one we’ve done, living a debt-free life. Man, this place was packed.”
“We bring experts in, and we have one of our DJs hosting it. People walk away so inspired with hope. When you do those types of things, what happens is that you’re building your brand. It’s going to be hard to tear down this radio station because of these types of investments that we put into this brand that we call Star 94.5.”
For Smith, it is crucial to deliver quality content between the songs.
Leadership
Leadership is rooted in empowerment and dialogue.
“We just had a staff meeting yesterday, and I said to my team, I am not going to do a lot of the talking. I want the team members to talk. So, I gave everyone one an assignment.”
That included having Orlando market legend Monica May offering wisdom on evolving from personality to icon. To honoring the achievements of team members like Lorenzo “Ice Tea” Thomas. Smith turns meetings into forums for peer learning and mutual respect.
“I want everybody to become a star,” he says. “Not just the morning personality, not just the afternoon drive personality, but everybody.”
Standing Out
What goes into the making of a standout talent in the Urban AC format?
“One of the top things that I have seen that has made personalities into brands is the personalities who are able to share their life. I remember when I first started at Star, which was about four years ago. I told one of our DJs, I want you to open up.”
“One day, this personality came on the air and said her age. I’m like, oh my God! Wow, where did that come from? And I said to the person, that’s good stuff!”
“Another personality saying that, I’m married, I have a daughter, versus a personality saying, I am not going to share one thing about my personal life. That’s not a good thing.”
“Our core is female. And when a personality goes on to say, ‘Listen, I purchased this for my wife,’ or ‘this is how I treat my wife.’ Those females are leaning over, turning up the radio to hear this. There is an instant connection.”
Smith recalls a time when a personality came on air to share a diagnosis of diabetes. “I’ve never seen the phones ring like they were ringing. That’s what makes personalities great, when they share.”
“You have to talk as though you are talking to your best friend. Everybody just sounds like, ‘I’m just hanging out, talking to you.'”
Smith shared with me how building a community can lead to poignant, memorable moments, such as Star 94.5’s Daddy-Daughter Dance.
“This listener came up to me and said, ‘My daughter was assassinated when she was 24 years old, and we have taken our granddaughter in. Every year my granddaughter says, Grandpa, are you going to take me to the daddy-daughter dance?”
Next year will be their fifth dance. The station plans to honor them.
“Those types of stories are so real. Seeing fathers come out dancing with their daughters, having a blast, again, just builds the connection between the listener and the radio station. So my personalities know content is so important.”
Coaching
Constructive coaching is part of the culture for Smith and Star 94.5.
“Do not treat your shift as a shift. Treat it as a show. A shift is just reading the liners and saying, good night, I’m done. No, it’s not like that.”
“We look for the good, and we also look for the things they can improve. But one of the things I’ve learned is that if you get a personality to say, what would you do differently? They are now engaged. If it’s just one-sided, from my point of view, that’s not right, that’s no good. It’s a conversation, so they walk away feeling encouraged.”
The Future
How does the future look for Urban AC?
“If it’s just about the music and the music only, people can find that on YouTube or Spotify. If you’re not impacting the soul of that listener, you’re in trouble. To the point where we now refer to Star in one of our positioning statements as The Soul Of Orlando.”
The future also involves striking a careful musical balance.
“You’ve got to be careful not to sound so old, and you’ve got to be careful not to sound too new. It’s a balance where, when that listener turns on the radio, they should know the song instantaneously. We’re not anxious to break music.”
“We’re anxious to play songs that people can sing along to. When the average person goes to the radio, the first thing they want to find is a song that they know. And if they do, they end up singing along and being hooked.”
Smith acknowledges that there are times when new music can truly stand out.
“When Bruno Mars’ ‘Leave The Door Open’ came out, I said this thing is going to be a hit. Not thinking it was going to be a monumental hit. Why? It had a nostalgic feel.”
However, in the end, we return to where we began, with personalities and the station playing a vital role in the community.
“We do not hire liner personalities, we hire personalities. There’s a difference.”
“We try to present the radio station as a lifestyle radio station. We help organizations focus on children, health, education, and hunger – we do it all. We’re like Walmart. You come here and you get everything. You don’t have to go anywhere else.”
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