Chris Edge
The South Hadley, Massachusetts native has worked at some of the most respected radio stations in the business. Beginning in Hartford at WKSS, moving on to WDCG in Raleigh and now putting roots down in Indianapolis at WNOU, where he has spent the last two years. Not bad for a guy who never was a radio junkie and “just fell into the business.”
eQB presents excerpts from this week’s FMQB hard copy CHR Up Close interview with WNOU/Indianapolis PD Chris Edge
On competitive radio in Indy… WZPL (Z99.5) and WHHH (Hot 96.3) are my two biggest threats, though both of them share a lot of cume with us. Radio Now and Z99.5 have been beating each other up over a fraction of the audience while WHHH has been eating all the cake. We have recently made a conscious decision to move over a little bit and start peeling off some of Hot 96.3’s people.
On the flavor of Radio Now 93.1… It tastes like Golden Corral! You want steak? We got that. Vegetables? Yes. Apple Pie? How many slices? Radio Now 93.1 delivers “All The Hits” with a lot of personality, cool promotions, and an awful lot of fun!
On a balanced approach to programming… As important as research is, there still has to be some sort of dice roll from the Program Director. We trust ninety people to tell us what the other 200,000+ want to hear. Crazy? Maybe, but that’s why it’s important for PD’s to do their homework.
On embracing HD radio… It’s been an interesting roll out to say the least. I don’t know if our industry went about it the right way, but it’s here and I do think the possibilities are exciting! The sound quality is great, but more importantly so is the diversity in channels. In the end it will always be about compelling content.
On Radio Now’s web site… I put a lot of focus and effort into our online brand. It’s one of the most important touch points of the radio station. Over the last two years I’ve really tried to integrate more programming features into radionow931.com. The more time they spend with you online, the more time they spend thinking about you.
On ensuring radio’s place with its audience… Content is king. Sirius hired Howard Stern for a reason, because he is compelling content. There is no better example of content being king then Howard Sterns’ move to Sirius. Our job now, as we expand with HD and online, is to continue to put ourselves in a position to connect with our audience using the mechanism that they interact and communicate with.
QB Content by Mark LaSpina
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