eQB NOW: WKFS/Cincinnati PD Jordan

Jordan is celebrating more than a decade in Top 40 Radio. It was his destiny to be behind the microphone entertaining listeners while programming their favorite music. As PD of WKFS (Kiss 107)/Cincinnati he’s also earned industry recognition this year winning “CHR Most Promising Programmer” honors as one of FMQB’s 2010 Leaders. Jordan is one to watch amongst a new generation of programming minds who are more than ready to facilitate a leading role for radio into the future.

By Bob Burke

Jordan is celebrating more than a decade in Top 40 Radio! He started in Syracuse handling Promotions/weekends/swing and served as morning show sidekick at Clear Channel’s WWHT (Hot 107.9). Then it was on to host nights at Entercom’s WEZB (B97)/New Orleans in 2002. In 2004, Jordan landed the night gig in Cincinnati rejoining Clear Channel at WKFS (Kiss 107). It would be in Cincy where Jordan would eventually segue into the programming department, first as MD, then APD. By November of 2008 Jordan had been named Program Director at Kiss 107 and the station hasn’t missed a beat since. He has also earned industry recognition this year winning “CHR Most Promising Programmer” honors as one of FMQB’s 2010 Leaders. Make no mistake, Jordan is one to watch amongst a new generation of programming minds who are more than ready to facilitate a leading role for radio into the future.

When did you know radio would become your career of choice?
Music and radio have been a part of my life for some time. It’s difficult to pinpoint one exact moment; maybe I knew radio was for me when I was sitting in the dentist chair as a kid. They would have 93Q playing on the radio and I would interrupt the dentist to give the title and artist of the song playing at the time. Perhaps it was when I was ‘that kid’ who would call and prank Rob ‘The Ragman’ Wagman when he was doing nights on 93Q, then record myself on the playback? Maybe it was my editing out of cuss words from the explicit cassette tapes my stepbrother had that my parents wouldn’t let me listen to? Too many other examples to list…What I do know though, my mom has a photo of me meeting MTV legend JJ Jackson when I was 3 or 4 years-old. I need to get that from her, blackmail is a bitch!

Tell us something about the Cincy market that we might be surprised to find out?
Cincinnati is home to the second largest Oktoberfest in the world, only behind the original in Munich. Cincinnatians also love their goetta (pronounced like ‘David Guetta’). For those unsure, according to Wikipedia, goetta is a ‘peasant food of German origin popular in the greater Cincinnati area. It is primarily composed of ground meat and oats, and is often referred to as Cincinnati Caviar’. Working in radio, I’ve had to resort to numerous ‘peasant food’ meals.

Top 40 is enjoying one of its best music cycles. How much fun are you having with the music that’s been available to the format?
Music has been a lot of fun lately, and we’ve benefited greatly from it. I must say though, I enjoy when the music cycle challenges me. Right now, it almost seems ‘too easy’; just about every song that’s released seems to end up working for the format. I like having to take more than one listen to ‘get a song’. Being challenged is what keeps me on my toes each week when I make rotations. There are weeks where I’ll schedule a few days of music, sit back and really anticipate hearing how the flow will sound listening to the station. I hear this ‘cycle’ is coming to an end though, so we’ll see what kind of challenges that produces.

How do you balance gut with research when it comes to making music decisions for Kiss 107?
Both play very important roles on the way the station is structured musically. I can’t expect every song to be testing when I pull the trigger on it. That’s when I trust my gut. If something ‘sounds’ like Kiss 107, it’ll make sense to me when I listen to it and if the space is there, I’ll give it the nod. Letting a record warm up is the tricky part. I’m so passionate about music my gut wants me to keep the station on a constant wheel of motion by putting records on each week. Letting records run their own course is my way of respecting the music. I’m also not one to rush a song out of power just because it’s ‘down in spins’ on the charts. Chances are, the audience hasn’t heard the song as many times as I have, and as sick as I am of the song only means there’s still room for it to breathe with our audience. I’ve had to learn patience in this part of my programming career.

If you could change one thing about PPM what would it be?
A few extra meters my way, maybe? I gotta beat Rod Phillips’ 7.5 share he had after signing on Kiss 107. He’s consistently busting my chops for not being able to hit that mark!

In the ever changing world of new media, what digital platforms are you seeing the most feedback from listeners on nowadays?
We have so many at our disposal! From KISS107.com, to our Facebook and Twitter accounts, to our texting platform, we’re in constant interaction with our audience at all times of the day. Our texting platform through hipcricket is great. Listeners love chiming in on what’s being played, promotions being executed, what the DJ is talking about, and voicing their opinions regularly. We have the opportunity to interact with so many listeners on multiple levels; what better way to cater to your audience than to hear from them first-hand?

Everyone is doing more with less nowadays, what’s the key to staying focused?
Praying! Actually, you just have to realize long gone are the days of ’40 hour weeks’. My market manager, Chuck Fredrick, puts it to us like this: think of what we do as if it’s a basketball game. Players don’t just play offense, then come off the court and sit until they go back on offense. You play both ends of the court, offense AND defense. It’s much the same in radio. Programmers now hold down on-air shifts, Digital Programming duties, and host events and club gigs on weekends. It’s not just an office job anymore. There are so many more moving parts to be involved with. Prioritizing has been crucial in me keeping my head on straight this past year. More meetings, music rotations, weekly PPM breakdowns, talent coaching sessions, and my on-air shift…it never ends, and I love that! Keeping a plan of attack and following it is very important. Having a stack of post-it notes on my desk helps out too!

Has the partnership between radio stations and labels improved in terms of each having a better understanding of one another’s goals?
Honestly, will it ever? Seriously, it’s all about communication here. Partnerships succeed if communication is present. I’ve also been known to not always be the fastest add. An understanding of pacing is very important for me. I’m not the ‘always there on impact week’ programmer, and furthermore, not every song that crosses my desk is a hit (as some would want me to believe.) If there’s no honest passion coming from the label on a project, my interest is lost just as quickly. Labels also need to know that not every song I put on Kiss 107 will become a power. I need songs that occupy the 300-400 times and off slots. And while I know labels need information on their records, with the amount of platforms available for communication, a phone call shouldn’t always be the only way we communicate. Be it emails or texts, information will be passed along. Most label reps today operate a twitter/facebook/instant messenger handle as it is! Please remember, it’s never personal! Oh yea, NO CALLS when I’m on-the-air either!

What’s the one aspect of your job that really excites you on a daily basis?
The fact that everything changes the moment my key unlocks my office door. As much as everything seems the same working in radio, it really is a new day every day. Top 40 is such a fun format to be a part of, too. Entertainment, music, content, it’s in constant motion.
     Working with our team has been very exciting! Putting up some of the biggest numbers Kiss 107 has seen in almost 10 years has been a tremendous success! Mornings are handled by Tim and My Mom Calls Me George, two of the hardest working personalities I’ve come across. I really don’t know how they do all they do in a single day. With Ryan Seacrest in middays, Jeff Hurley at night, our Promotions Director Samantha Stanford and online content directors Mark Bianchi and Ali Toerner, everyone brings their A-game on a daily basis, and the hard work shows. I also have the ability to walk next door and run promotion ideas by my OM, Scott Reinhart. He’s a wealth of knowledge, which makes my day to day duties much easier. It’s the looks on the faces of the staff when the results come in that keep the fire burning. They know the work never ends, and their passion for the brand elevates mine.

I was also pretty excited last week when I saw this brunette in a Honda Civic singing along to Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” and realizing it was Kiss 107 that the song was playing out of. I think she caught me staring at her, too!

Any advice to up and coming talent or young programmers who are looking to advance within the business?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and never turn down an opportunity. I’ve never met a programmer who was just handed their current position. Never expect something will simply come your way; work for it. It amazes me how many newcomers think they’re “better” than what’s asked or suggested of them. They feel that a few semesters at a “learn how to be in radio” school means they’re ready to be behind the microphone. Show me you’re hungry and ready to work, regardless of the task; passion is easy to spot by those who are passionate.

What’s the one thing radio needs to stay focused on to ensure its place as the go-to media of choice?
BEING REAL! We have the ability to put ‘who we are’ in front of our listeners each time we turn the mic on, or every time they click on our websites. I say to my team, ‘Ask yourself, “Do I give my audience a look into who I really am? Do I offer up personal videos and photo albums from my birthday with my family on my personality page/Facebook fan page? Does my audience know what my recently adopted pet dog looks like, or have they seen the video of my pet doing something stupid?” Chances are, your listener doesn’t drive the Bentley Jay-Z drives that you have “featured” on your blog, but I’m sure they’d relate to you being a pet owner. You’ll build longstanding relationships with listeners putting REAL, GENUINE content in front of them. That’s something listeners attach themselves to. That’s something they know isn’t fake.
Mix that with music, topical content and entertainment, and that’s what keeps them coming back. We need to make sure we’re not just a ‘spot on their preset’. We need to be the soundtrack to their ride to work, their ride to their boyfriend’s house, and their ride home from class. We need to be as real as we can be to our audience in everything we do.

[eQB Content by Bob Burke]