Mike McCoy is one of the format’s hot programmers on the rise for good reason…he’s that good! If a PDs job is defined by their ability to get ratings, then McCoy deserves a metal! He just posted some of the best numbers to date for Clear Channel Top 40 WNCI/Columbus and is now the #1 station in the market.
eQB presents excerpts from the February FMQBmagazine CHR Q&A: WNCI/Columbus PD Michael McCoy
Mike McCoy began his broadcasting career in 1989 at WNGZ in Watkins Glen, New York, but it wasn’t until 1995 that McCoy really honed his skills in some of the outlining markets in and around New York. He also spent some time at WTVR/Richmond,WPTE/Norfolk and WAFY/Frederick, MD. In 2000 he ventured into the programming side of the business at WMRV/Binghamton, NY. Then it was onto WLAN/Lancaster, PA where he eventually oversaw a combination of both WLAN and WHKF/Harrisburg. McCoy has since set up shop in Columbus where he now oversees the programming at Clear Channel’s heritage Top 40 WNCI and has picked up additional programming responsibilities at AC WLVT. McCoy is one of the format’s hot programmers on the rise. In addition to his own stations McCoy also serves as a CC Brand Manager lending his expertise to other stations within the company. I recently caught up with the busy programmer who was most recently voted a 2006 FMQB Radio Leader as CHR PD of the Year.
On balancing a contemporary music mix that tends (at times) to lean more to the Rhythmic side in a Rock leaning market… The perception that this is a Rock leaning market might be wrong. You look at the composition of the radio stations in this market: three Country stations; an Urban; Classic Rock; Active Rock; and Top 40. It’s pretty much right down the middle. It’s just a great slice of Americana and, because of that, and because it’s not like a Southern market where if you’re not Country or Urban, you’re pretty much relegated to the bottom of the ratings, the heritage of the radio helps the station and allows us to spread our wings more. It’s not so much playing Rock records as much as it’s playing hits.
On research… If you don’t have it then you have to work that much harder not to get beat by somebody who might have it. It’s a great tool. It’s not the Bible; it’s a tool.
On the biggest mistake a programmer makes when looking at research… There are a lot of mistakes, like people who don’t take every factor of the research into account. For example, when did the person receive the call? That makes a big difference in research scores. Most of these calls are in the evening, consequently something like a more aggressive song might score better than, say, if for some reason they caught these people at work. You have to use some common sense. The biggest mistake at that point would be not marrying the research information with common sense.
On HD Radio helping terrestrial radio expand its brand… If you’re just looking at HD radio as a way of improving the sound quality of our current delivery platform, then I don’t see it necessarily being a huge help. But if you look at it as an entirely differently delivery platform that can be utilized as content for numerous devices that we can probably only dream of right now then, absolutely! That’s the road we’re on. We’re always striving to deliver compelling programming irrespective of the delivery platform.
On utilizing the Internet and streaming… It helps the product a lot. Streaming is huge! We are the number one streaming station for Clear Channel in Ohio. It gives the listener another avenue to get and receive the product. One of the things we are charged with doing this year is increasing our on-line traffic by 100%. If you don’t do some web-only type of contesting or some stream-only type of contesting, then you’re missing an opportunity to expand your brand.
On satellite radio as a real threat… When you can punch up a web site and stream or you’re in the hot zone all the time and you can punch up a web site in your car and get whatever stream you want, that’s the end of satellite radio. They’re going to have to change their delivery platform.
On iPods… iPods are a real marketing opportunity for us. It doesn’t replace the immediacy that radio provides, but it provides us with an opportunity to virally market some of the best content that we create.
On keeping terrestrial radio a priority with listeners… Embrace new technology; don’t run from it. The other side of that is we have to find more and better ways to market ourselves. That’s the one thing radio is not very good at. Again, regardless of the platform, regardless of how we’re providing the content, we need to find the most effective way of marketing our product. We preach to advertisers all the time, “Advertise on us because we reach…and look how effective it is,” and then we don’t do it ourselves, that’s somewhat hypocritical.
On advice for up and coming programmers… You can’t know too much. Get all the knowledge you can about everything you can, whether it’s lifestyle of your listeners, how Selector works, how whatever operating system it is that runs your radio station computer works. Get to know as much as you can about everything — then work real hard to try to filter out all the crap. The more you know the more valuable you are.
On how to improve the radio relationship with record companies…Better communication and understanding that everybody has a job to do. Everybody’s going through a really challenging time now. The more you communicate, the more you take the time to understand, whatever side you’re on, what the mission and goals are.
** QB Content by Bob Burke **
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Also in the February Issue: |
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