Last fall, veteran Modern Rock programmer Nik Rivers took on a new challenge, joining Entercom-Buffalo as PD/Brand Manager of the recently-flipped WLKK (Alternative Buffalo 107.7FM). Rivers arrived from Modern Rock WZNE & Adult Hits WFKL/Rochester, where he had been PD of both stations. In this week’s eQB Cover Story, Rivers discusses Buffalo radio listeners’ excitement over the new station, his dedication to introducing new artists to the market and the frigid Buffalo weather.
Nik Rivers
By Joey Odorisio
Veteran Modern Rock programmer Nik Rivers took on a new challenge last fall, when he was hired by Entercom as PD/Brand Manager of its recently-flipped Buffalo stationWLKK (Alternative Buffalo 107.7FM). Rivers arrived from Modern Rock WZNE & Adult Hits WFKL/Rochester, where he was PD of both stations. He has spent time as a programmer at WZMR/Albany and WPBZ/West Palm Beach as well. Rivers recently chatted with FMQB about Buffalo radio listeners’ excitement over the new station, his dedication to introducing new artists to the market and the frigid Buffalo weather.
Entercom flipped the station to Modern Rock last September, so for the most part, you’ve been able to help build it essentially from scratch. Buffalo hasn’t had a Modern Rock station since 2005, so how has the reaction been in the market?
You have no idea! The people here are flocking to the station like a bunch of rabid dogs! The hunger for an Alternative station in Buffalo is amazing to me. Having come from Rochester, 65 miles to the East, it’s hard to believe that there was such a large untapped audience for Alternative music. But it has worked out great for us. Our social media numbers have continued to explode out of the gate, more and more people are discovering the station, and it is translating into record sales, and packed concerts.
What have been some of the challenges?
For the first three months, I was a one man ship. So everything was on me; from music logs, to production, to social media, to an on-air shift. But now we are fully staffed, and it’s smooth sailing. I also want to say a thank you to the rest of theEntercom Alternative family (Mark Hamilton, Lazlo, Garret Michaels and Jim Fox) who have been more than willing to help out when I needed a hand. Other than that, the biggest challenge is creating awareness of the station. Thank God there is social media to help spread the word. It’s tough to get people to surf outside of their presets in their hometown, but once they do, and have found us, they have been hooked.
The station is playing an interesting mix of currents, with the obvious hits from Kongos, Phantogram and Foster The People alongside Against Me!, Sir Sly and Sleeper Agent. How would you describe the current musical vibe of the station?
In three words: New Music Discovery. We are all about bringing new and emerging artists to the ears of our listeners. We were one of the earliest supporters on Kongos, and Phantogram (had to give them some home state love!) and we continue to take chances and step out on records we feel are a fit for the Buffalo audience. Entercom has given me the freedom to program the station with a local flavor that works for Buffalo. What we as a company may be playing in Seattle or Portland may work there, but not here in Buffalo, and they understand that.
What have been some of the biggest hits so far this year for Alternative Buffalo?
Aside from the obvious hits, we’ve had great success with Bear Hands, Sir Sly and Magic Man. And it looks like The Orwellsand Skaters may develop into big records for us moving forward. Also our “You Saw Them First” Concert series has been a hit with our listeners, as we have had packed shows for Itch and Bear Hands, and The Orwells are next up!
What is your take on the poppier state of the format in 2014, with crossover hits from Lorde, Bastille, Imagine Dragons, etc?
I can’t complain about it at all. Our format is a breeding ground for hits again! It gives Alternative music credibility, in the sense that it is turning out music that is mass appeal and hit driven. If we lose some of these artists to Pop, so be it. But I feel there is such a strong talent base that’s up and coming, and a passion for the product that will keep the machine moving forward.
Tell me about the airstaff…you brought your pal Axe with you from Rochester.
We have a great mix of veteran and new on-air talent here at Alt Buffalo. Bentley holds down the 6a-noon shift. She comes to us with on-air experience at NPR and K-Rock in Syracuse. She also has a background as a trained music journalist, and delivers a great mix of musical knowledge and content to our listeners. I hold down the noon-6p shift with my usual nonsensical ramblings, and my good man Axe made the 65 mile move to be our New Music Ambassador from 6p-midnight, and also hosts The Underground Collective (our New Music Show) on Sunday nights from 6-8p. And then I have a weekend staff of four; Zaque,Brandi, Shannon and Chelsea O, who also hosts our Local Music Show – “Localized” – Sunday Nights from 8-9p.
You arrived from Rochester last fall, so you were already pretty familiar with that part of the country. Tell our readers about the New York state market, and Buffalo in particular.
I have made the journey down I-90 from one end to the other in New York State with stops in Albany, Rochester and now Buffalo. No offense to the other towns, but I am loving Buffalo so far. There is so much more here than I knew about. There are a TON of live music venues, which have welcomed the station with open arms. We have fourteen shows on the concert calendar right now that we are involved with, and a ton more to come. There are lots of great restaurants, and it has a large market vibe to it with theNFL’s Bills, and the NHL’s Sabers. Plus you can’t go wrong living in the birthplace of the chicken wing! They know how to make ‘em right and their hot sauce is actually hot!
How bad was this winter up there?
WAS? WAS???? It’s still going on. It is 17 degrees as we do this interview, and April starts next Monday! But the bright side is that we’re supposed to hit 40 degrees soon, so I guess it’s almost over. I have spent all but six years of my life living in the Northeast, and this is hands down the worst winter I have ever seen. Constant snow and wayyyyyyyyyy too many days below zero. I picked a great one to move to Buffalo!
On the end of the climate spectrum, who were some of your favorites from SXSW this year?
J. Roddy Walston & The Business tore the roof off Stubbs! Bad Suns were awesome live. Itch, The Orwells, Bear Hands and Skaters were the highlights from Entercom and Sony’s “The Heart Of Austin” Showcase. I also discovered a couple new acts I hadn’t seen live before that blew me away in person: The Strypes, Brick + Mortar, Nightmare & The Cat, Jeremy Messersmith,Spanish Gold and Panama.
[eQB Content By Joey Odorisio ]
