In only the second PD gig of his career, Chris Michaels is already performing and feeling like a veteran programmer as he operates with a tremendous amount of poise and confidence. Prior to his arrival at Entercom he had a strong desire to work for the major radio group as a long time admirer. Now he’s in the driver’s seat of two prime Entercom properties in the heart of Memphis and has made dramatic strides in key demos with both stations.
By Fred Deane
Chris Michaels
Chris Michaels is celebrating his ten year radio anniversary this year and he couldn’t have chosen a better place than Memphis with Entercom. It was a decade ago that Michaels began his career as a promotions assistant in Jacksonville for WAPE and WFYV. He quickly developed at both stations stepping into the local producer’s role for Rock 105’s Lex & Terry morning show, while advancing to weekend air talent for The APE under the guidance of Cat Thomas. But it wasn’t until he moved on to WERO/BOB 93 3 in Eastern Carolina and joined forces with (PD) Chris “Hollywood” Mann as APD/MD/Air Talent that his career vision path started to take shape.
Michaels hit his stride in August of 2008 by scoring his inaugural PD job at heritage CHR WABB/Mobile. The move accomplished a lot for Michaels namely proving to himself that he could successfully program a radio station on his own and maintain a balanced schedule of higher level multi-tasking activities. In May of 2011, Entercom elected to give Michaels his first big shot at programming in the majors and entrusted two of its prized Memphis properties in his hands where (since his arrival) he has both stations consistently Top 3 PPM in their respective key demos.
You’re over a year removed from Top 40 radio, how did your transition to Hot AC go in the early stages?
It was actually pretty easy for me. The pace is slower, but the music cycle has shifted for Hot AC more (now than ever) towards Adult Top 40. We’re playing songs from artists like Katy Perry, Flo Rida, FUN and Karmin, that a few years ago Hot AC wouldn’t have played. It’s an exciting time for the format and the music cycle is in it’s prime. Overall, it was a very comfortable transition.
You made quite a market jump from Mobile to Memphis. What significant changes did you experience in shifting to a much larger market?
One of the biggest changes is that Memphis is a PPM market, so you approach radio strategy differently from programming in a diary market such as Mobile. Memphis is double the market size of Mobile, but honestly I believe that market size doesn’t really change the way you think when you program a radio station. I was programming WABB as if it was a major market radio station. The difference between the two is a different target audience, location, and one is a PPM market, so the biggest challenge for me was learning to program FM100 and The River to gain the most traction with the meters, and shifting from making people think they are listening for a certain period of time to making them actually listen.
What were some of the quick lessons you learned about programming in a PPM world?
I learned very quickly that programming in PPM is about the “me” generation. What’s in it for me? We have to understand that as much as we would like, people don’t change their lives for us. They want it now, so don’t waste time, get to the point. Tell the listeners what we do, then do it. All the games and gimmicks in the diary world, where you draw things out, do big teases and keep people hanging on forever, as well as drilling home call letter recognition and recall habits, are pretty much gone. It’s all about real time listening and relating to people right now.
The content is also extremely important to being successful in PPM. In diary, if you had a “C” level bit during your morning show one morning, but overall your product was strong, you would still be okay. In PPM, everything you do needs to be at the top of your “A” game. It’s all about creating fun, exciting and memorable content that will reinforce “top of mind” awareness for the brand. The big thing is figuring out how you can sustain engaging content while maintaining forward momentum with the radio station.
How much did your (first time) programming experience at WABB help you when you arrived at a different format in a much bigger market?
One of the most effective things I experienced in Mobile that really helped with my transition to Memphis was working with (consultant) Randy Lane. Randy’s one of the greatest talent coaches in the business and he taught everything I know about coaching talent, morning show coaching, developing character roles, and the importance of managing each talent differently. I really owe Randy a lot for these lessons I learned. They are valuable information and guidelines I will carry throughout my entire career.
Also programming at WABB, I had a large staff in various departments which helped me build strong people skills and taught me how to manage different personalities. I learned how to manage multiple staff members from personalities, to promotions, to the production department as I oversaw all of those departments. Every single person had a different personality, and it really helped me build my communication skills preparing me for my next challenge.
What changes have you discovered about yourself over the period of time you’ve been in Memphis?
I’ve really learned how to multi-task well. I’m wearing more hats now than ever before. I’m programming two properties, I schedule all the music for both stations, coach talent, and I’m on the air doing afternoons at FM100. To say that I keep pretty busy on a daily basis is an understatement.
I’ve also continued to grow with my leadership and communication skills. To be a good leader you need good communication skills and good management skills. It’s something I take pride in, knowing how to be a good communicator with my staff. You also have to be very close with the sales department. I’m not the programmer that hides down on the programming side. I’m always popping down to sales and discussing issues with them. Tying in promotions with sales is another key responsibility of programmers. I feel I’ve become a much more effective communicator and strong leader for the staff.
WABB had decades of Top 40 heritage, and both WMC and WRVR are heritage AC stations as well. What valuable lessons have you adopted when programming heritage stations in general?
It’s all about the brand and maintaining the brand. WABB, The River and FM100 are very similar in that respect. As heritage radio stations, every one in the market knows your radio station. Every one in Memphis knows the FM100 brand and The River brand, and what they stand for. The goal is maintaining the identity, staying ahead of the curve and on top of Pop culture, and developing creative promotions to keep listeners hanging on to the station they grew up with. A heritage brand is a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal and should never be taken for granted. Staying consistent and forward thinking at the same time is a continuous goal.
Entercom is a major radio group. You’ve also worked with smaller radio groups, and an independently owned operation. What are the differences in progressing from a small company culture to a larger one?
One of the differences in working with smaller radio groups versus a large one such as Entercom, is the resources. I am fortunate with Entercom to have a lot of resources to help me grow and be successful. We have research tools and digital teams in place, as well as a great network of programmers that can share successful ideas.
How do find the company culture of Entercom and how would you best define that culture?
The culture of Entercom is great. There is a reason that I’m told on a weekly basis from different people, “I’ve always heard that Entercom is a great company to work for.” That’s because it’s true. Up until I joined the company last year, I was one of those people that said “I’ve heard nothing but great things about Entercom.” It’s an honor to get to say that I’m working for a great company that believes in it’s people.
My VP/Market Manager Dan Barron is extremely approachable and has a weekly dialog with all managers. Any of us can walk down to Dan’s office at any time, and he stops what he’s doing to talk with you. My RVP Michael Doyle comes into town and literally makes it a point to speak with everyone in the building during his visit. It’s not out of the ordinary to walk down the hall and see Michael talking with my morning show about their show. You just don’t see that with every company, and it’s one of the many things that makes Entercom a special place to work. With Entercom, we are blessed to have the creative freedom to program our brands from a local level, but at the same time we have the resources and open communication from upper management to help us continue to grow.
How much networking is encouraged at Entercom and how much do you participate in?
We are always encouraged to network within the company. I think it’s smart to reach out to other programmers, or our VP of Programming Pat Paxton for guidance. I believe we have some of the smartest Program Directors within our company and it’s a privilege to learn and grow from each of them. My first few weeks on the job, I was reaching out to Pat with questions and he made time for me right away. I’ll pick up the phone and call JR Ammons at WZPL, without thinking about it, for guidance. Jim Fox at our Sacramento cluster, Mike Klein and Cat Thomas are also very smart programmers I lean on for guidance. We also have monthly format calls where we exchange ideas and help each other. I think networking is extremely important, and you learn something new from each person you talk too.
How important is it to be live and local these days, or is this issue overrated today?
I definitely believe that live and local is crucial to being relatable in the market. However, one of the differences I’ve learned since moving to Memphis, is that just because you have you have a shift that is voicetracked and your competitor has a live and local show, it doesn’t always mean your competition wins because they have a live body and you don’t. It really boils down to the content and execution. I have my midday shows voicetracked from out of market on both FM100 and The River, and both shows perform extremely well. It’s all how you execute a voicetracked show.
Sheryl Stewart does middays for me on FM100 from our sister station in Portland, and there is absolutely no way you would know she wasn’t right here in Memphis. She does her midday show the morning of, so her content is fresh, and she’s talking about the drama that happened on The Bachelor last night. In in the event we have something major happen, she updates her show right away. There have been times where it snows, or we have a tornado warning in the middle of the day. I’ll shoot Sheryl a text, and she is talking about it the next break. I communicate with Sheryl constantly over the phone, text and email. I swear it’s like she’s right here. I’ve brought her into the market to do appearances too. The same goes for Ce Ce who does middays on The River from our sister station in Gainesville, who has also done remotes and market appearances and knows Memphis well. If you put the time into making yourself a local personality in your voicetracked market, you can still be very successful. I see it monthly with my midday shows.
What digital platform options do feel work most effectively with audience engagement and how are you using them to connect with your audience more?
Social Media and texting are the top two that work most effectively with my brands. Everyone on my team helps out with updating Facebook and Twitter. We work hard on keeping our pages up to date with fun and engaging content. I’m most proud of the traction we’ve had with our Facebook pages over the past year. On a weekly average, 40% of our total fans on the FM100 Facebook page and 50% of our total fans on The River Facebook page are interacting with us on a regular basis. It’s important to not only gain “LIKES” on Facebook so that we stay top of mind because that’s where our listeners are, but more importantly to have your listeners interacting with your page daily, and we do a good job of that here. Text Clubs are also important, especially with PPM. You can create real time instant appointments with your P1’s with one text message to your whole database.
How are you finding the music at Hot AC these days and given the amount of sharing at Top 40 radio, do you think the Pop boom has helped feed Hot AC as well?
Everything is a song by song basis. The Pop boom has definitely helped feed Hot AC. We are in a massive Pop music cycle right now where artists such as Karmin and Carly Rae Jepsen are being played on multiple formats, yet we still have strong familiar artists too like Adele, Maroon 5, Matchbox 20 and Katy Perry. It’s a really great cycle for Hot AC as well.
I think the two formats are closer than they’ve ever been in the past as far as current Pop music, but Hot AC will not be as aggressive as Top 40. Hot AC targets the upper demo, so we need to continue to be as familiar as possible when playing records. You’re still going to find that Hot AC plays more recurrents and only the super familiar Top 40 records.
As Hot AC has become more contemporary in it’s music approach, are you finding a similar trend with Mainstream AC?
Yes, similar to Top 40 and Hot AC, AC has absolutely become more mainstream during this cycle. Some AC’s are now playingGoyte, Carly Rae Jepsen and Rihanna.
How musically aggressive do you program The River versus FM100?
I’m very conservative with The River. Similar to how I program FM100. Everything on The River must be extremely familiar before I consider it. Memphis is oversaturated with Pop music. The River doesn’t need to be all over the same records FM100 is just because it’s at the top of the AC charts. Keeping both the River and FM100 in their own lane musically works out great for both stations.
How proactive have you been in partnering with labels on marketing/promotion initiatives and how aggressive have the labels been in pursing co-ops with FM100?
I partner with labels on promotions that make sense for the listener. If an artist is coming to town and I can give a listener an experience they can’t buy, such as interviewing their favorite band before the show or meeting the artist, I’ll partner with the label because it makes sense for the station. We do listener lounges with artists, which go over very well. But I don’t partner with labels on just anything. As a matter of fact, I’ve turned down more opportunities than I’ve partnered with them on. Nothing against the labels wanting to give their artists more exposure, but everyone on the label side knows I’m about quality experiences when it comes to doing a promotion in support of their artists. If you hear a promotion on FM100 or The River, it’s one I truly believe in and support 100%.
Having first hand experience from both formats, what are the biggest differences in dealing with the label promotion communities of the two?
With Hot AC and AC it’s a lot slower paced from when I was programming CHR, which is actually a good thing since time is limited these days. In CHR, if I missed my call times because of a meeting, I would have 18-20 voicemails from different labels wanting to discuss their records. There aren’t as many current records with AC, so the emails and phone calls are less. Sometimes a major record company that would be working five or six records at the same time with CHR, may only be working one or two with AC.
You mentioned Randy Lane earlier, who else during your career has influenced you in becoming the professional you are today?
Cat Thomas has been a major influence on me from the early start. He is one of the smartest programmers I know. His staff meetings were motivational, and he taught me how to be a strong leader. Randi West will always be an influence to me. I enjoy my conversations with her and how she always makes me think. Randi won’t spit out the answer you are looking for right away. She challenges you to think about the different scenarios, then she’ll give you her opinion and advice. Tommy Chuck is another very smart programmer I look up to as I grow in my career. Our philosophies are similar and I relate to him very well. He’s a great mentor to me, and takes time to help with advice and shares successful ideas. Steve Davis is also a major influence in my career. Steve has taught me so much, that I can’t list them all. He taught me how to build music clocks, how to balance the perfect quarter hour, how to read and understand music research and formulas, and how to manage staff members with a calm demeanor, yet setting a clear message and goal for the radio station.
[eQB Content By Fred Deane]
