Rob Heckman
There are few Music Directors in the Rock fields that are as respected and admired as Rob Heckman. Rob has an unwavering reputation for always being fair, honest and straight-forward in his assessment of new music. He believes in accessibility and in doing his due diligence on the music and bands that are his life. Earlier this year, Heckman was elected to the FMQB Hall of Fame, and subsequently selected as Rock Radio’s most prominent Major Market Music Director of all-time, receiving an FMQB Career Achievement award.
e-QB presents excerpts from the July FMQB magazine Rock Up Close with Rob Heckman, APD/MD, WIYY/98 Rock, Baltimore
On the most influential people during his time at 98 Rock…Former PD Rick Strauss was probably the biggest influence.
He taught me to think long term and not short term. We were the first FM station in Baltimore with a web site and he was very instrumental in making that happen. He taught me that there was more to running a successful radio station than just playing the hits.
GM Ed Kiernan has been one of the most patient GM’s I’ve worked for. He taught me about the big picture of radio. My current PD Dave Hill is very much a forward thinker and he’s the one who has accelerated our efforts into new technology platforms enabling us to more creatively interact with our listeners.
On his proudest accomplishments over time at 98 Rock…One of my biggest accomplishments is consistency when communicating with the record community. I always give straight answers on records. Also going from Rick Strauss to Dave Hill as PD was an easy transition. It was flattering when Ed Kiernan asked my opinion of Dave after I got to spend time with Dave during the interview process. Also finding Airbourne on myspace and being part of the team that downloaded Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch” off myspace.
On 98 Rock’s powerful brand in the market…98 Rock is Baltimore plain and simple. Over the years we’ve seen competition from Active Rock, Classic Rock and Alternative stations both in and out of the market and we’re still here. We are here for the duration. We now span three generations of listeners.
On balancing a classic and fresh approach in music, imaging and presentation…We do auditorium tests, call out and web research along with a healthy dose of gut. Imaging Director Jamie Shmidheiser does a great job with sweepers that are specific to each new tune. We run new music promos that include clips of new songs as well. With music, our goal is to deliver the best Rock past and present. That’s what’s expected of us after thirty-one years.
On what listeners value most about 98 Rock…Our connection with the community and our staying power. Only one other station in the market has been the same format as long as we have. We support local music too. We always try to have one local band in regular all-dayparts rotation.
On the use of HD side channels to extend 98 Rock’s brand and image…We have two HD channels. I handle the programming of Classic 98 Rock HD-2. It is deep cuts Classic Rock that sounds very Baltimore with Child’s Play, The Rayvns, Kix and Crack The Sky. Indie 97.9 HD-3 is a true Indie Station programmed by AMD Steve Huber. He does a great job mixing signed bands with bands he finds on the web. Along with that there’s a healthy dose of local music from the Baltimore indie scene.
On web site presence…All three stations have web sites: 98online.com, Classic98rock.com and Indie979.com. They all stream from the main site as well as individual sites. 98online.com is 98 Rock! We are not subtle about our web presence at all. We’re preparing for the day when everyone has broadband wireless radios in their cars.
On managing label relationships…I wish I was at a college radio station where I could add everything! As a long-time Music Director, you wish you can add more music. There are plenty of records I don’t play that I think may have worked, and there are plenty of records we do play that we believe are hits (as does the industry) and end up stiffing. However, the label reps understand what 98 Rock is all about. We’re a Rock station with a steep heritage and we need to support that heritage as well as play new material. It’s a delicate balance.
** QB Content by Fred Deane **
Also in the July Issue:
Up Close: Jay Nunley, PD, WKLC/Charleston
“If you don’t entertain people with quality air talent who are not over-tired from doing three jobs, people will replace radio with something else that entertains them. Ten songs in a row and cookie cutter formats aren’t going to get it done.”
