Radio runs in his family but this Dan Mason is making quite a name for himself. He’s worked for some pretty big radio companies but nothing has been more challenging then overseeing KDND (107.9 The End) in Scaremento where he’s since posted some of the biggest numbers in station history.
Dan Mason
Dan Mason grew up with radio in his blood, and considering the fact that his father has been one of the most successful radio executives in the business, it’s easy to see why he was introduced to the medium at a young age. But his dad’s success aside, this Dan Mason has carved quite a career for himself as well. His career began more than a decade ago as PD/night host at WMME (92 Moose)/ Augusta, ME. Then in November 1999 Mason really made his mark as PD/on-air host at WAKS (96.5 Kiss FM)/Cleveland, OH where he spent seven years. In May 2006 he headed for South Beach for a short time and became PD at WHYI (Y100)/Miami, but it was in February 2007 that Mason took on what would become his greatest challenge to date, rebuilding and rebranding Entercom Top 40 KDND (107.9 The End) in Sacramento; and based on the recent success, it appears like the mission is going quite well as The End has posted some of the best numbers in station history.
eQB presents excerpts from the June FMQB magazine CHR Up Close with KDND (107.9 The End)/Sacramento PD Dan Mason
“I don’t know if I am ever “satisfied” with where we are. I’m a believer in the notion that if the station isn’t getting better, than it’s getting worse.”
“There was some resistance initially to opening the playlist beyond the Pop/Rock product, but the goal was never to play more “Rhythm” records per se. It was all about playing the biggest hits no matter the genre. Don’t leave the best records on the table for the other guys to own.”
“We were the first station in the market to integrate a text messaging platform on the air and the response has been huge! It’s a great way to embrace that 97 percent of the cume that will never pick up a phone and fight through busy signals to play a contest or call-in on a topic.”
“We have been very much focused on our website and getting as much video content up as possible…We don’t have the luxury like the bigger broadcasters to leverage a gazillion Top 40 stations to get national content from labels so we work really hard to create that content on a local level. Most weeks The End accounts for 90 percent of the video plays within our cluster.”
“I made some pretty substantial changes to the station when I got here, and I’m not even sure that Pat Paxton and Bill Pasha were sure I was doing the right thing. But the great thing about working for this company is they hire good people and give us 100 percent autonomy to make decisions we believe are best for our competitive situation.”
“Successful Fortune 500 companies don’t have six CEO’s with six different business plans. Successful sports teams don’t have six different head coaches with six different playbooks. Likewise, a successful radio station needs one singular vision for how to win. Entercom understands that concept and lets their people have the keys to the car.”
“Some record companies pay a lot of lip service to finding new ways to market artists and do business, but at the end of the day, they are still stuck on the concept of “add week.” For some labels, if radio isn’t there out of the box, then we aren’t being a good partner. Yet, PPM has shown that listeners are not rewarding stations who are trying to step out and lead the charge on every developing act that comes down the pike.”
“We need to step back and remind ourselves that radio has so many other assets than airplay to help expose and market new music. We have websites, we have listener databases, text platforms, all of which could be used to expose new music to our audiences.”
”The reality is that in the age of “Premium Choice” and national content, it’s going to be harder and harder for a kid out of college to find employment with traditional terrestrial radio broadcasters. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for creative people, because there is always going to be a need for people who can create and deliver compelling CONTENT.”
** QB Content by Bob Burke **
Also in the FMQB June Magazine:
Q&A: Chase Murphy, OM/PD, WFBC & WSPA/Greenville
”In order for us to be successful, it’s imperative that the goals of each station are shared and embraced by the key players of each brand.“
Hot Shots
Nicole Scherzinger, Ting Tings, Tinted Windows, Asher Roth, Justin Bieber
Hot Shots Extra
Jessie James at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Weekend
