Bill Weston
PD of WMMR & WMGK, Philadelphia/VP of Talent Development
Beasley Media Group
May 14, 2021
by Fred Deane
Bill Weston
Bill Weston has built a winning franchise in the City of Brotherly Love for nearly two decades now. He arrived in Philly in 2004 as PD of the legendary Heritage Rocker WMMR, fresh off a Rock programming track record that included stops in New York, Providence and Buffalo. In 2014, Weston assumed programming command of sister station WMGK (Magic), a legacy Classic Rock station in its own rite.
The two stations have complemented each other nicely under Weston’s tutelage, anchored by a commitment to an essential fundamental tenet of programming: Live & Local. Bill’s longevity, as well as the air talent staffs of both stations, are testimony to the winning traditions of these two successful heritage brands.
We asked Bill to share his secret sauce of success, which certainly serves as a recipe for stations and brands of all formats.
What have been the key factors leading to your remarkable success and longevity record in Philly?
A little bit of luck and a lot of hard work…and through the grace of God, inheriting a reasonable amount of intelligence. Mostly, it’s the good-hearted, talented people around me. Working to make them happy and successful in their jobs has made me successful. It has been a pleasure to guide WMMR and WMGK to a consistent level of success in ratings, employee retention, profitable promotions and special programming.
How vital is it for the staff to share the programmer’s vision?
It really is about people. You hire the right person for the job and clearly explain what success looks like, and then let them do the job. Of course, you have to generously provide guidance and resets along the way when needed along with a lot of praise. It’s not just here in Philly. Along my career journey, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many talented people who cared enough to do the job right. They put in the work, think about the end user (listener or client) and then reap the rewards.
How important is it for a programmer to have a continuous flow of resources, especially these days when radio is up against some major outside disrupters?
Most of my employers throughout my career have given me the resources to grow as a programmer. Getting to work with researchers and consultants who were also generous in sharing their knowledge with me goes a long way. (Thank you, Fred Jacobs and Tommy Hadges). Company VPs of programming and general managers are very much a part of the success formula as well.
Beasley has been a strong advocate of live and local, while a good portion of our industry has drifted toward voice-tracking. Can you address this issue?
Beasley Media Group has been highly supportive of keeping live talent front and center. There are some who believe voice-tracked, out of market announcers can pull it off just as well as a local. I strongly disagree. The Preston & Steve Show, 20+ years on the air in Philly including 16+ at WMMR, are the poster children of a personal, hardworking local show. The relationship with their listeners is astounding and their client relationships as well. They’ve been #1 in morning drive for 15 of those years. I like to remind people they beat Stern in his last Philly book. And they are almost as nice as the guy who follows them, the legendary midday personality Pierre Robert, who celebrates an uninterrupted 40-year run on WMMR this November. The balance of our live and local line-up includes Jaxon in afternoons (just signed an extension that will get him to 20 years), and our nighttime hosts Jacky Bam Bam and Brent Porche who are as passionate and caring as they come. Our listeners love them. There is a loyalty that exists that is the difference maker when it comes to audience and client retention.
On the WMGK side, after 40 years in the market, John DeBella is approaching 20 years as MGK morning host and Philly radio stalwarts Matt Cord and Andre Gardner are the voices for the passionate Classic Rock fan. With consistent double-digit performance from ‘MMR, I feel ‘MGK sometimes gets overlooked, but Philadelphia’s Classic Rock, 102.9MGK is a jewel, ranking consistently in the top 3 because, once again, it’s the people that work the programming, promotions, digital, production, traffic, and engineering departments.
How have the personalities helped keep the stations connected and engaged with the audience through this very challenging pandemic period?
Over the past fourteen months, with no physical contact at concerts, events or even at a staff meeting, it’s been a challenge to remain positive. Yet our live and local airstaff has been the light for our listeners, simply by being here on the air each day. There have been so, so many emails and calls from our fans thanking us for being a constant in a world of flux. Personal tribulations aside, our air talent has given off a collective energy from which the entire community benefits. I have tried to maintain close contact with my staff during this time. It has not been an easy go. I can’t wait to conduct a staff meeting gathered around a big conference table, chatting each other up, busting chops, sharing ideas and being reassured and satisfied that we are all on the same boat rowing in the same direction.
How big of a role has community involvement played in further fortifying the two brands?
There is one thing I would like to highlight regarding localism. Both WMMR and WMGK have recently been honored by the NAB with The Crystal Award, recognizing an outstanding, year-round contribution in community service. To be able to provide top notch entertainment, marketing solutions for our clients while making a difference in the community is a triple win I’m so proud of. Every entry in the extensive Crystal entry process represents efforts beyond the day-to-day. It’s work trying to figure out how to hold a blood drive during a pandemic or filling dozens and dozens of semis with food for the needy or interviewing local leaders for public affairs programming- verus running the nationally syndicated P/A shows. Led by the morning show, our staff had “healthcare hero lives here” signs printed at their own initiative and delivered them personally to the front yards of our listeners. At the root of it all, our staff has a genuine sense of responsibility to the area we broadcast, stream and podcast to.
What do you feel are the biggest challenges programmers face today?
Challenges include reengaging the 18-24 audience and attracting the brightest and best to work in our industry. We need to make every effort in reaching them and listen to them. Our future is also challenged like every other business in America by the digital disruption. I feel we are addressing it head on. It’s encouraging Beasley’s digital revenues keep growing year by year. At the heart of it all is great audio, which we are pretty good at making whether it’s live or on-demand. Video is getting there, too.
Looming ever larger, is the importance of the meaningful relationships that exist between a local radio station (jocks and account executives) and the community. It’s our competitive advantage. I like to think my stations are in much better shape focusing on live and local talent (versus syndicated/voice-tracked) with local, informed sellers helping their clients find customized, effective, and honest marketing solutions as opposed to the programmatic approach. It’s just more personal and in the end more successful.
Who have influenced you the most throughout your career and what were/are your major takeaways from these relationships?
I mentioned earlier how fortunate I’ve been to work with really smart people. I have applied what may be an Eisner quote, “None of us is as smart as all of us,” to every job. By allowing yourself to accept the final answer may not come from your own mind, but from another person in the room, or ideally, it comes from a collection of thoughts. That is the true meaning of collaboration and delivers the solution. Also it’s not what you learn and employ, it’s about how you share that with others.
Paul Heine gave me a shot early on in my career which was my first programming job as MD of WGRQ/Buffalo in 1982. I learned a lot from his management style and love of music. During that time I met record promoter Bruce Moser who taught me so much about how the music business functioned. I was very sad when Bruce passed away last year. GM Jim Corwin and consultant Tommy Hadges were a big part of my successful tenure in Providence at WHJY. They showed me that with a trusting relationship, you can be very successful without micro-management. For the past twenty years I’ve had the pleasure of working with Fred Jacobs. A smarter, more programming focused and yet diplomatically gifted person, I have yet to meet. Plus Fred is one of the nicest people I know. Throughout my career I have learned basically everything from those I’ve had the pleasure to work with. A true blessing.
