It’s safe to say it was Tommy Chuck’s birthright to get involved in the radio industry. From, as Tommy puts it, “birth to high school,” he was involved in the family business at WEMB/WXIS in Erwin, TN. No not Z100/New York or KIIS/LA, but certainly a start. It didn’t take a company like Clear Channel long to realize they had a very talented programmer on its hands as Tommy progressed through the ranks and the secondary markets, rising to the occasion at every turn. He now sits at the legendary WFLZ and also at WMTX, wearing a few crucial hats of responsibility and leading the Tampa cluster to its winning ways.
Tommy Chuck
Few Top 40 stations have the brand strength and resilience to celebrate a 25th anniversary and even fewer have the legacy that’s inherent with WFLZ. From its origins as The Power Pig and the caliber of radio programmers and entertainers that have proudly contributed to this legacy to the current status the station enjoys as one of Tampa’s thriving radio entities, these call letters have been synonymous with success. You can’t hand the keys over to just any programmer…Enter Tommy Chuck.
Tommy has a full appreciation and all the reverence for the irreverence that was WFLZ during its Power Pig heyday and through the evolution of the station as one of Clear Channel’s prized Top 40 possessions. Tommy understands the value of its past and more importantly fully comprehends the forward progress path of the station in the digital age.
After cutting his programming and air talent teeth at stations like WTXM/Knoxville, WVSR/Charleston, WKXJ Chattanooga, WQEN/Birmingham and WXXL/Orlando, Tommy was given the opportunity of a lifetime in 2007 when CC transferred him from Orlando to Tampa as PD of WFLZ. In 2009 he became the Digital Director for the Tampa cluster and in 2013 he added PD duties for sister HAC WMTX.
You’ve been programming in Tampa now for eight years, over that time how have you grown as a PD and a manager?
The challenges our team has faced over the past eight years have helped me to mature as a programmer. I feel a greater sense of confidence because our team has been battle tested. I believe I handle challenging people and situations much more calmly. When I started in Tampa I was just the PD of WFLZ. Today I also serve as Program Director for WMTX and Digital Director for the Tampa cluster. I’ve had to learn how to better delegate, trust but verify, and multi-task.
Just how much of a difference maker is it to you and your programming peers to have the Clear Channel arsenal of products and personnel expertise in your corner and readily available?
Since I joined the company in 2000, I’ve always known Clear Channel to be great at networking internally and sharing ideas/best-practices. Over the years we have built awesome systems and processes from the center to make our communication much more clear, efficient and effective. The development of the National Programming Platforms team is a HUGE asset that gives all of us on the battlefield big competitive advantages. We are able to make quicker and smarter decisions, host bigger local events, hold bigger contests, etc.
How do you optimize the vast pool of talented programmers that inhabit your company and who do you find yourself networking the most with internally?
Several times a year I assemble a group of winning programmers and ask them all to spend time critiquing my radio station. I value their feedback, fresh perspectives and ideas. I do this whenever I “think” that everything is perfect. My eyes always get opened and our radio station always gets better! Some of the folks I talk with most often are John Ivey, Alex Tear, Dylan Sprague, Mark Medina, Dennis Clark, Marc Chase, Sharon Dastur, Rich Davis, Tom Poleman, Brian Mack, Cat Collins and Michael Bryan. I’m also very lucky to have a great partner in Randi West by my side as my APD/MD, VP-Programming Doug Hamand right down the hall and EVP Gene Romano on speed dial. It is awesome to have a group like that watching my back!
iHeartRadio has been a gamer changer in many respects, what has this innovation meant to the company and it’s multitude of stations, and what was your reaction when you saw other radio groups joining the party?
iHeartRadio has made the boundaries of our radio stations limitless. The platform gives us confidence that our brands will have an amazing delivery platform no matter how technology continues to evolve. When other radio groups saw what we were doing and asked to join up, I thought it was great. It benefits the industry when we are all in this one together!
In the digital arms race, what else needs to be done to ensure radio’s competitive edge amidst all the other digital players vying for your listening audience?
We have to continue developing and growing great air personalities and shows. Who has the best content is all that really matters. We are smart to utilize all the resources our national platform brings and the key to long-term success is how we integrate all of those into our local market. I love seeing the continued growth of Clear Channel’s Talent Development division led by Dennis Clark. If you are an air talent that wants to be the best, this is the team you want to be part of. We have the platform, tools and people to help you achieve your full potential.
Is it necessary for radio as an industry to look at the massive subscriber bases of many of the digital destinations like Google, Yahoo, AOL, etc. and feel like it needs to be more of a player in that universe?
iHeartRadio just honored Adam LeMatty as our 50 millionth registered user with his own custom channel on the platform. We reached that 50,000,000 number faster than any other digital music service and even faster than Twitter or Facebook. Give us some credit Fred, we’re working on it!
How do you rate your audience’s passion level and satiability for music these days?
I believe the passion level for music in general is higher than ever! As America’s #1 source for new music discovery, radio needs to continue to make developing new artists a top priority. There are so many ways for fans to discover music, and technology allows them to enjoy their favorite songs no matter where they are. Thanks to social media, it’s easy to share the new songs you discover with your circle of friends. I think that because of this, consensus on the biggest hits is more challenging to find. When you do find them, so many stations in a market are sharing so many titles, songs burn out much more quickly. It is a challenge, but also an opportunity. I believe this environment has allowed new and different styles to gain exposure and rise to the top. Clear Channel’s “On the Verge” program has really helped speed some of this along.
Given the streaming options listeners have at many digital sources, do think the “renting” aspect of streaming will ultimately (vastly) override actual digital and physical sales of music, or do listeners still want to be owners of music?
I think it would be foolish to believe that digital radio and streaming music isn’t the way fans will want to create a personalized playlist in the future. I’m hopeful that people much smarter than me will be able to create a business model to make this a win-win for both fans and the artists that make the music. I’m glad that Clear Channel is working to make sure we do our part!
When I speak with many senior programming execs at various radio groups there’s a genuine concern about the dearth of the next generation of programming and air talent. How do feel about this predicament in our business and what is CC doing to mitigate the dilemma?
I bet if you went back in time and asked cave-men they would say that the next generation “didn’t get it” and the talent pool was dry. The talent is out there, we just have to make sure we are actively seeking them out and providing opportunities for them to get their foot in the door. We have to make it a priority.
Each semester, we have anywhere between 6-12 interns in our programming department at WFLZ/WMTX. These college students all have an interest in music, entertainment and building an audience of fans. We don’t rely on HR to find new talent for us. My air personalities and I host the group interviews. We hire them, train them and give them opportunities over the semester to prove they have what it takes. More often than you’d think, we find great new talent and work to find them spots with us or at one of the 850 radio stations we have across the country.
With music labels placing more emphasis on artists’ direct involvement with radio in the field, how much of an advantage have you found in partnering up with artists on initiatives in your market?
The connection we have with the artists is a huge asset. It is one of the many things fans in our local market get from us that they can’t get from their personal playlists. We succeed when the artists succeed. When you approach them with that attitude and aren’t on the attack, it pays off. I love seeing all of the ways that Clear Channel has stepped up and done so much to help artist development on the national level with programs such as “On the Verge.” Locally, we involve artists as much as possible.
Can you cite some examples of the most effective artist initiatives you’ve executed?
Each year we do a “Focus on the Road Challenge” with a local organization called More Health. We raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. We have signed on artists like Demi Lovato and Ed Sheeran to be the spokespersons for the campaign and provide Tampa Bay area high school students who sign the pledge to not text and drive with an amazing in-person VIP experience. Just a few weeks ago our national “On the Verge” artist Katy Tiz came to Tampa Bay for the Children’s Cancer Center Prom. She played a few songs for high school kids with cancer who weren’t able to attend their own prom. These things are so rewarding and we really appreciate the artists that we’ve partnered with to make them happen!
There are several tools to evaluate new music in today’s environment, which of the more recent metric tools have you found to be more reliable?
Several? It seems like there is something new coming at us daily. Every song has a “story” so it is very difficult to see through the weeds. I believe taking any of them as gospel can be dangerous. You have to look at all of them as a whole and make the smartest decisions you know how based on old-school gut.
The spirit of The Power Pig will live forever, what features of that period of time will never leave you as a programmer?
Before I answer, I’d like to congratulate everyone who has ever been part of this station on its 25th anniversary! We are prepping now for a reunion in Tampa in late September. The local Police and Fire Departments are already planning for the festivities and we have launched a kick-starter campaign for bail money if anyone would like to contribute.
Everyone who is currently on Team FLZ takes the history of the station seriously. I believe what went in between the songs is what made The Power Pig special. Great air talent matters and my job is to give our air personalities like The Kane Show, Katie Sommers, Scotty Davis, and Brody & Brian Fink an environment and positive coaching to be their best. Kim Cusmano does an awesome job juggling the many events and promotions that are such key ingredients, and Drew Hall continues the tradition of producing awesome imaging. The spirit of the Power Pig lives on through them.
[eQB Content By Fred Deane]
