Among the many standout programmers in the Clear Channel fold, Stan Priest is certainly one of the company’s rising stars. His analytical and strategic approach is matched by his passion for the medium of radio. Yes, he’s one of those multi-tasking, multiple oversight kind of guys as he is involved in the programming departments of seven CC stations in the Hartford and New Haven markets, most notably format competitors WKSS and KC 101.
Stan Priest
Participating in the programming departments of seven radio stations is no easy task, just ask Stan Priest. But programming in the multi-media competitive mix of which radio now lives is not suppose to be easy. Facing challenges and deriving solutions is all part of Stan’s managerial make-up as he applies his wares to two markets with day to day involvement with CHR competitors WKSS/Hartford and KC10/New Haven.
eQB presents excerpts from the September FMQB magazine
CHR Up Close with Stan Priest, PD WKSS, Hartford
“The most unique situation is that both WKSS and KC101 are in markets that are so close geographically, you can hear them in each other’s markets. It’s like you’re programming against yourself at times.”
“The reality is we strive to make the stations different. The personalities are completely different and we have different imaging and profiles for each station.”
“I believe improving your skills-set on a daily basis is a goal everyone should strive for. Giving yourself enough latitude where you can eventually gravitate from one format to another is a logical concept.”
“One of my favorite parts of what I do is working with talent and helping them grow, mature, and come up with a plan. I believe there always needs to be a plan for everything we do in life.”
“I’ve learned to live with the financial side because it’s an area you have no control over, but I also understand why these decisions are being made. This is one of the most challenging economies we’re probably ever going to see, and from my perspective our company has done an impressive job of retaining as much live talent as they have.”
“We’re in the communication business and some of the people in this business struggle with communication. It’s really important to communicate to your people. Make sure they understand why you’re asking them to remain fully engaged at all times.”
“We knew how to play the diary game effectively by pressing the message on a regular basis for recall. Now with PPM, it’s about occasions and getting them to tune in frequently enough so you can win those quarter hours.”
“We have to be realistic. Radio is not the only way music is being broken. In fact now more than ever, labels and artists find new ways to expose their music. Social media is really going to be the player going forward that we all have to be hyper-aware of and have our hands on.”
“We need to move on the messages that apply to social media. On-line is the way most people get everything these days. We’re always turning to our devices. You’re going to see more and more smart phones, and eventually complete convergence is going to take over.”
“The ongoing challenge for the labels is for them to get creative. I don’t see how you can just throw money at this problem and fix it. They’re going to have to throw their brains at it and get really creative. They’re going to have to outsmart the challenges that exist.”
** QB Content by Fred Deane **
