Dave Mason
Dave Mason’s nineteen years in radio kicked off in Bryan/College Station, Texas in a time when “music was on vinyl, commercials were on carts, back timing into news at the top of the hour was an art form and production work included a splicing block and razor blade.” He would move on to stops in Dallas and Oklahoma City, while working at some premiere companies like Capstar, Palmer, Beasley, Infinity, and Saga. Never forgetting his original radio roots, Mason opened the doors of CM Consulting in 2001 and currently serves twenty-nine AC stations in medium, secondary and tertiary markets.
What are some of the key elements in good programming?
First and foremost, understanding the market and the demo you’re targeting. Look at your music; is it current and up to date? Do your core artists line-up with your demo? The Holy Grail of AC has been the 25-54 group, but the core artists have changed. It’s not Elton John or Billy Joel they grew up listening too, but rather the Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, etc. Continuity is a major element that attracts an audience. If they expect, and are given, a sound product the numbers and TSL will follow. Take time away from the station and listen to it like your demo does. Try to think like a listener. This topic could go on forever but these points figure in heavily to good programming.
What are the challenges facing today’s terrestrial radio programmers?
The number one issue among most PD’s is budget concerns. They are being asked to do more with half the budget. Much of the time this means eliminating air staff positions in favor of voice tracking. With personnel cuts comes a heavier workload for everyone else and programmer’s worry about on-air quality and the overall sound of the station. The secondary and tertiary markets have seen a dramatic drop in new music service from the major labels and departure of local label reps. Now understand something, there’s no conspiracy by the labels to “cut out” the smaller markets. It’s a result of all the consolidation and budget cutting that’s gone on with the labels. There are some great label folks that will give you a hand like Dave Reynolds at Universal, Scott Emerson at Interscope, and before she retired, Elaine Locatelli at Columbia. Increasing commercial spot loads is another worry. Most common sense research indicates that listeners understand the need for commercials. It’s tough to find that happy medium between what owners/shareholders want and what listeners won’t tolerate.
Does AC radio find itself at a crossroads? What must AC radio do to stay vital?
The definition of AC radio has changed over the past ten years, unfortunately nobody bothered to tell the industry. Remember when there was only AC and HAC? AC was locked into soft, pleasant, office friendly music. HAC was in the car, home, or at some nightspot with drink specials. The whole format has changed and fragmented into Mainstream, Hot, Modern, Adult and the relative new kid on the block Alternative AC. Truthfully, I can’t tell much difference between Mainstream and Hot except for a few artists. I’m sure the think tanks that come up with “new & improved” formats will toss out a couple more before it’s all said and done. AC radio is a vital force in the industry, just look at the number of stations nationwide. I guess you could say AC is the heritage format of radio. You have new listeners aging into the format all the time. To attract those people, solid efforts at marketing and branding of the product will pull them in to sample the station. Good programming with a listener friendly quality will keep them.
What’s your take on the “cookie cutter” way of national programming?
I have always maintained, and firmly believe that every market, town or city is different and each has it’s own unique qualities and listening patterns. The concept of “one size fits all,” or in this case one size fits the entire continental US, is going to come around and snag some corporate profit margins. Listeners now recognize that despite what they hear during some dayparts, there’s no one in the studio. They have to call a national toll free number to participate in a contest. The stations they identify with have talent from somewhere hundreds of miles away. Everything from music to liners and jingles sound generic. I like to think that this way of programming will eventually come full circle and local will once again mean local and stations will build specific identities unique to the market.
Given the many options available for today’s listener, is terrestrial radio doing enough to win the war against the iPod and satellite?
Radio should always take the high road and be confident that there is “no competition” from iPod’s or satellite services. The iPod figures I’ve seen are impressive, but look closer. Sales say adults are buying, but sales don’t tell you that a large portion of adults are buying them for their kids who won’t stop whining for one. It’s fun to watch those units get lost or tossed in someone’s closet after the kids find out that it takes time to download and transfer mp3 files and yes, you do have to delete files to make room for more. Will satellite damage the industry? Judging from recent news items about fiscal problems and mergers with those companies, I would say they have a long way to travel before doing real damage to terrestrial radio. Look, it would be great to say that AC wants every adult in the 25-54 demos, but it isn’t going to happen. There are always going to be people who like niche specialty programming or portable gimmicks. Most commercial stations don’t offer these options because they don’t meet the test for business viability and radio is, after all, a business.
How will HD Radio fare? Will HD Radio provide the listener with enough compelling alternate programming to compete with satellite radio?
I really feel like it’s too early to tell what the impact will be. Remember when AM stereo first popped on the scene? It was going to be the magic bullet that increased total audience numbers and TSL by leaps and bounds…never happened. There’s substantial alternative programming already available at the terrestrial level and it’s growing with the advent of the LP slots. There’s some creative low power stations starting to come of age, one example is KFMG-LP. This station has seasoned leadership behind it and knows exactly what the gaps are in terms of specialty programming.
Should local radio vary depending on market size?
Today’s snapshot of radio would point to market size determining what “local” means. In the larger markets with so many signals hitting one city, being local means specific targeting at a select group or demo with elements designed for them that are considered local and cultural.
In secondary and tertiary markets, local is the standard and must appeal to the majority of listeners in the market or area. These stations provide a product that you would call full service along with mainstream music. The key concept in “local” is really just being topical and working the community culture into programming.
What’s the best advice you can offer to upcoming programmers?
I interact and see the results of music programming from a very talented group of PD’s and MD’s. After communicating with these folks and seeing a weekly playlist over a long stretch of time, certain key elements stand out. Here are two good examples of what I’m talking about. I work with Steve Williams, OM of WZWW/WWZW/Lexington, VA and Matt Shannon, PD of KITI/KRXY/Cetralia, WA. One’s on the East coast, one on the West coast. Each guy has qualities that every PD on the way up should embrace. They have a sense of structure and continuity, along with being flexible in the overall programming of the station. They know their markets! If you talk with these guys, you would find a friendly attitude that enhances their leadership and people skills. It’s obvious that communications is a major part of the day-to-day operations. Not just in dealing with the talent, but with the GM’s and owners.
Finally, both PD’s have one thing every PD should have and that’s vision. They have a vision of where the station should be and where they want it to go and a plan to get there. A common mistake newer PD’s make is using a national chart as the primary reason for music adds. A chart is just one tool or element to use when making decisions about your music. Don’t let it be the only reason you add something. Part of being a good programmer is having a sense of your market and a tried and true instinct for what works and what doesn’t. Becoming a good programmer doesn’t happen overnight, it’s takes time, talent and drive. Not everyone can be a programmer and it’s not as glamorous as some may think. Sometimes even the PD’s wish someone else had their job.
What’s your take on the PPM?
The jury is still out on this and so am I. If I can remember to haul my PPM around everyday with my cell phone, wallet, glasses, assorted paperwork, personal notes, appointment book…I think you get the picture.
What do you see on the indie side of music?
Wow, talk about something really changing over the past ten or twelve years. There was a time when indie music was just plain marginal or bad. You would get a pile of discs on your desk from the labels along with some indie stuff. Most of the indie tunes were from artists you’d never heard of and never will. The quality, production value and everything in general was just plain terrible. More than one PD had fun seeing how far that disc would fly out behind the station or skeet shooting those little silver devils. The indie music scene has changed for the better. Indie used to mean no name, no label. Today it may still mean no label or it might mean “I started my own label.” No name, well think again. How about names like Eddie Money, Simply Red, Randy Bachman from BTO and more. Names that have marquee value and recognition, names that still put on a great show. How about the names that no one recognizes? That’s come a long way with artists like Tom Fuller, Jonathan Cain of Journey and Robert Fleischman, who was the original vocalist in Journey. These artists have a resume that you may not be familiar with, but would recognize right away. The overall sound and production quality of most indie material has improved to studio quality levels and who knows, one of these unknown artists that land on your desk may be a household name in the near future. The next time you get indie material, give it a listen, you might be surprised.
To contact CM Consulting: Phone: (515) 285-9079, Email: cmconsulting1@aol.com.
** QB Content by Mark LaSpina **
