It’s rare nowadays that you spend your entire radio career in and around one market but Rob Miller, a radio veteran of 20 years did just that. Miller spent most of his time on Long Island but now oversees p, rogramming at WKTU “The Beat Of New York” in radio’s #1 market and he still lives, eats and breathes the business he loves!
Rob Miller
Rob Miller is truly one of the good guys in radio today. He made quite a name for himself during his 16 years at Clear Channel Mainstream AC WALK-FM. He began as a station intern and in 1994 launched his on-air career doing nights and swing shifts. He switched to the management side in 1996 and was promoted to APD, and in 2001 was named PD. WALK dominates the
Long Island radio market consistently ranking #1 in ratings. Miller’s success didn’t go unnoticed by CC execs who saw his potential and enlisted him to take over the programming duties at WKTU, The Beat of New York, in 2006. A fan of the station since it first launched in 1996,
Miller now captains the KTU ship that is sounding better than ever and is not only focused on winning, but having fun in doing so. Rob Miller gets it…and he’s become one of the industry’s top programming minds in radio today.
eQB presents excerpts from the August FMQB magazine WKTU/New York PD Rob Miller
“I think having lived in this market all my life and being exposed to KTU in its heyday was critical in helping me design the plan for the future of the radio station.“
“The diary measurement system was all about recall. If you were the station that stayed top of mind to listeners, you were a big winner. PPM measures “exposure” of your station... The diary system wasn’t perfect and PPM isn’t either. However, I believe PPM is a more accurate measurement of the overall reach of KTU.”
“KTU is constantly evolving. It’s critical for our success. Our audience wants to hear all the biggest hits of today, mixed in with songs they grew up with from the late 80’s and 90’s. The current music cycle has been really friendly to us the past few years, with lots of great Pop and Rhythmic hits and new releases from Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Pink, Kanye, Britney, Beyonce and Lady Gaga.”
“I’ve always used research as one of the tools to making sure I’m playing the right songs. But it’s not a substitution for actually listening to music and selecting what you feel is right for your station. There are plenty of songs that do great in research and don’t fit KTU’s music position. Plus, there are songs that out of the gate look bad in research and need more exposure before they turn the corner and test like a power. You still have to use your gut in programming and take the right chances.”
“You have to spend time with your staff and get to know them. Each person needs to be managed differently. You need to understand what motivates them and what their goals are. I’ve tried in the past three years to help everyone on my team achieve the next level of their professional goal.”
“We need to communicate to our listeners in a whole new way. That includes texting, Twitter and interaction with them through social networking and our websites, making their experience with our brands a memorable one. Evolution on all levels is the key to remaining relevant and forefront in their world.“
** QB Content by Bob Burke **
