His success as a programmer is well documented. “Berko” was the original PD at the legendary PRO-FM/Providence. He took WROR/Boston from an automated Oldies station to what would become one of the first FM AC’s in America. He went to Detroit to program Full Service powerhouse WJR, guided CHR WHYT to its best numbers ever as a Top 40 station, and launched one of the country’s first Hot AC’s, Q95. In 1990 he opened the doors of Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting and has been helping AC stations grow and achieve higher ratings ever since.
Gary Berkowitz
By Mark LaSpina
Before his current tenure as President of the company that bares his name, Gary Berkowitz had spent many years being involved in every aspect of the operation and management of some of the most successful radio stations. “Berko” was the original Program Director at the legendary PRO-FM/Providence. He took WROR/Boston from an automated Oldies station to what would become one of the first FM AC’s in America, garnering Top 5 ratings in the 25-54 demo. He went to Detroit to program Full Service powerhouse WJR (which was always #1 25-54 on his watch) and helped CHR WHYT develop its best numbers ever as a Top 40 station. Also in Detroit, he launched one of the country’s first Hot AC’s, Q95, another station he achieved #1 success with in the market.
Gary hung out the shingle for his Detroit-based Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting in 1990 and has been helping AC stations grow and achieve higher ratings ever since. In 2012 he was inducted to the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame.
What is your assessment of the current state of AC radio and where you think it’s headed in the future?
AC is great. It’s certainly one of the “staple” formats. It’s being challenged, like the other formats, by a lot of things, not to mention it’s a little different in the diary markets then the PPM markets. Heading in to the future is going to be strong for AC as long as it stays relevant with the audience. The real answer here is every format has to evolve, including AC. You need to be aware of your audience, like a restaurant needs to be aware of the always changing food choices of its customers. If you look at many of the big markets, the number one station is the AC station. In most markets, it’s the number one listened to at-work station. As long as AC stays relevant, it’s going to have a good future.
What has changed the most regarding programming and how best can today’s programmers adapt?
Some programmers have a hard time adapting to what’s going on today, which is very different than what was going on a year ago, five years ago or even ten years ago. I always say to be open to change and to what is happening. What tends to happen is as programmers get older, they forget a lot of their audience is younger. Their audience hasn’t changed, but they have. It’s really, really important to be open minded to today. I’ve been in situations where I hear, “Katy Perry on an AC station?” And I say if you believe your music test, then yes. It’s that simple. What’s changed the most is change. It’s changed 500% since I got in. Some ways for the better and some maybe not, that’s debatable. Today’s programmer has to be agile, they have to be quick and willing to adapt and they really have to listen to their audience.
Is AC feeling any pressure from Hot AC’s, where the latter has come musically closer to Top 40?
Yes, AC has felt a huge pressure from Hot AC and CHR. That’s nothing new. CHR is always the format that leads the way musically. When CHR is healthy and vibrant, as it has been for a long time now, and it continues to put out hit after hit, it always possesses somewhat of a challenge to the AC world because in reality, we are going for the same listenership. Find me one CHR programmer who won’t tell you he/she is under pressure from his/her boss to perform 25-54 and I’ll tell you he/she is not telling the truth. They may say their target is 18-34, but everyone’s under pressure 25-54. 25-54 women love this new music. In most markets there’s a CHR, Hot AC and an AC, and in many cases the music is very compatible.
Is music still the number one reason audiences tune in to the AC format and what is the typical current/recurrent Gold ratio?
Music is the number one reason, in general that people listen to music radio, regardless of the format. I believe the ratio these days is probably 70% gold-based and 30% current/recurrent, but that number changes in every market. Every station is a little bit different. It could be 60/40 in some places. I know in my group of stations, they are probably all a little bit different depending upon the specific market conditions. If you’re in a market where there’s just an AC and CHR, it may be a little more gold-based on one side. If you’re in a situation where there are three stations, you may be a little more contemporary.
How important are digital and social network platforms to AC’s strategies these days?
I’m very, very focused on where the big numbers and the big revenues are and that’s on the terrestrial side. I know that may go against the grain of a lot things you hear and read about, but radio revenues are still primarily based on the terrestrial signal. Now, with that being said, the social network side is important for all these radio stations. I’m not sure we’ve gotten better at how to take advantage of it properly yet, or how to figure out how to use Facebook. For instance, I look at a lot posts on radio stations’ Facebook pages and I see a lot of them never get reactions at all. That says to me that nobody is interested in what’s being posted. That’s an area we have to figure out as to how we can better use Facebook and Twitter to our advantage. The same goes for streaming on-line. Making sure they sound good, making sure they don’t run the same PSA’s to fill spot breaks over and over again. For me, the big pot of gold, is still the terrestrial signal. I don’t think you will find a radio manager or owner who won’t tell you that 95% or higher of their revenue is based on their ratings from the terrestrial signal.
Given the divided attention with entertainment options in today’s multi-media world, how crucial is it for AC radio to stay in touch with its listeners’ lifestyle and trends?
Radio stations always have to stay in touch with lifestyle trends and be a reflection of its listenership. Some stations may try a little bit too hard and it doesn’t always work. The main reason people are putting on these stations is for the music. If the music is right and it’s the type of music they want to hear on a regular basis, that’s half the battle. Case in point, look at some of the Pop culture stuff. Every radio station is doing Pop culture. I continually do research that reveals to me that a lot of these AC listeners are not interested in hearing it on their AC station nor are they all that interested in hearing about it in general. It’s a very interesting and somewhat difficult divide to say to a station, “We just completed focus groups and your entertainment minute that you do every hour at twenty after, they couldn’t care less about.”
What research still works, and how often does it need to be done?
Most research, if it’s good research, works. In a perfect world I’d be doing a big strategic study at every radio station at least once a year and I would be doing a minimum of two big music tests each year. That has become a challenging thing to get done because it can be an expensive process. One of my “Gary quotes” is “I’d much rather argue the facts then the opinions.” That’s why I love research. You can ask the question, they’ll give you the answer and you may not like the answer, but there’s the answer. If I had it my way, I’d be doing ongoing research at all the stations, all the time. But that unfortunately doesn’t happen.
How important is it to be live and local in the format?
I’ve always loved live radio. Radio is all about being local. From every commercial you run to every traffic report that talks about the local streets is important. People still like to hear things about where they live. As opposed to live versus voice tracking, the advice I give a lot people is voice tracking is here to stay and is only going to get bigger. If you are an on-air talent, my advice is to work to become the best voice tracker you can be. I’ve heard some stations that are voice tracked and you could have fooled me. I like live because there’s still something about a jock doing a live break over the intro to record. It just connects. But the reality is voice tracking is only going to get bigger down the road. The best voice tracker is always going to have a job.
Has PPM technology affected AC programming strategy to the extent that it has other formats?
It’s been huge. It’s been very good in some markets and very challenging in other markets. Probably half the stations I work with thought when PPM came in they were going soar to new heights and they discovered lots of new challenges when they didn’t soar and get huge ratings. It has totally changed the programming world. I love the idea of ratings that reflect actual listening. In my younger programming days I always envied television, because if you had a (ratings) box on your TV, it showed what they were watching. I love the fact that PPM is measuring what people are actually listening to or at least hearing. I love the fact I get ratings every week. If I could get them every day I’d be happy. I always need to know how a station is doing. There were some AC stations that were number one in their market under the diary system and when PPM came in they found themselves not even top 10. We are all learning the PPM system slowly but surely. It’s definitely given us more data to deal with.
What’s the best way for a station to succeed in mornings if it lacks “superstar” talent?
Probably put the accent on the music, but make sure you have somebody in there who has some appeal. If I don’t have superstar talent in the morning I stick to the basic information like traffic and weather, quick news updates. Grab the at-work listeners. A lot of the superstar talent, don’t want to work in the AC format. Most of the superstar talent today is coming out of either the Rock or CHR world. I will tell you, I look to CHR for most of my air talent. I look for CHR guys who, for lack of a better term, are aging out of CHR. You know, the guy who might be thirty now, who has been in CHR for a long time and who may want to move over to AC.
What does the AC format do best among other stations across markets?
They play a lot of music but more importantly they act as companions to their listenership. I’ve often said, the best AC stations are not personality driven, but they sure do have a personality.
What’s the biggest mistake the AC format is making now and what are the weak spots that you find yourself working on most with clients?
The biggest mistake is a combination of several things: Trying to second guess your listener, looking at your research and saying I don’t believe that, trying to be a little too hip for the room musically or even presentation-wise. I’ve always been a big, big believer in talking to my listeners and asking them questions and listening to them very carefully. I don’t try and put too much spin on it, especially when it comes to the music. I’m one of the more conservative guys out there. I was probably one of the tougher guys when it came time to say goodbye to certain genres of music, like the ’60s and 70’s. I’m very cautious when it comes to advising a client station. These are multimillion dollar assets and I want to make sure I give them the best advice I can.
Does enough mentoring exist in the business today to help programmers upgrade their skills or are PD’s too overloaded with responsibilities to even apply time to this area?
That’s a great question. It’s tough today for young people and for a variety of reasons. There are fewer young people who even want to get into radio today. The passion is not nearly what it was when I first got into radio. When I first got into Emerson College in Boston, the competition for air shifts was crazy. Now they tell me they can barely fill the shifts on the radio station. I love young, eager students. I have a few programmers I love to work with because they’re hungry and when we talk, they soak it up like a sponge. I will always take the opportunity to talk to young people about getting into radio. Radio plays a different role in their life then it did in mine because of all the emerging technologies that are available today. You don’t need radio today to learn about music. It’s everywhere you go.
What is the best piece of advice you would offer someone getting into the business today?
Be passionate, be open-minded and be excited, because there’s less competition to get into radio than ever before. I think you have a better chance of getting in now, than you did twenty years ago. Have a positive outlook, be willing to work in an environment where there are lots of people involved and be passionate. Everyone loves passionate people.
As companies have streamlined operations and personnel, are consultants conceivably playing more vital roles in the mix of decision making?
Yes. Speaking for myself, I play a more vital role today then I did ten years ago. I definitely feel my role as a consultant has changed dramatically over the years. In the beginning I was more of an advisor and now I’m very “hands on” on a daily basis with a lot of the stations I work with. I still have some relationships that are very advisory, but with others my hands are on that log every day. I’m writing stuff, doing imaging, the whole nine yards. It’s a real advantage for me because I can do it. I grew up in an era where you did everything on your radio station. As a PD, I was a “hands on” guy.
Tracing back to your Top 40 roots, what’s your opinion of the way Top 40 radio is executed today?
Top 40 today is great. It’s always been the most fun format in radio. Top 40 has always been the format that leads the way and reflects today. It’s been the format that’s been nimble and able to change on a dime. I listen to Top 40 stations all over the country and I think they do a fabulous job. The music is creative and the new jocks are great! I will always be a Top 40 guy at heart. I think the best radio guys are CHR guys. I get as excited today about LMFAO as I did about Lipps Inc.’s “Funky Town” back in 1979.
During the course of your 35+ year career, what would stand out as some of your most memorable moments?
There are so many. I would have to say the day I was offered the PD job at PRO in Providence because that’s where everything really began for me. My first job offer in Boston to work at RKO’s WROR, that was pretty big and was my first major market job. When I resigned my job at Q95 in Detroit to become a consultant, was a pretty memorable day going from a major market PD gig to a desk in my basement with one telephone that never rang. It was very humbling. There were hundreds of others in between, but those would be the most memorable. Most recently, I was inducted into the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame. Bottom line, if it all ended today, I could honestly say “you had one heck of career Gary Berkowitz.”
[eQB Content By Mark LaSpina]
