Randy “R Dub!” Williams is livin’ the dream! His Sunday Nite Show Slow Jams show has forever changed his life. Once syndicated from his basement, the show is now broadcast on over 60 stations and is being syndicated nationally now by Westwood One. His partnership with iHeartRadio has also proven to be a winner. R Dub! a veteran radio programmer, has also documented his experiences and challenges in the book, “Coast to Coast: The Radio DJ’s Syndication How-To Guide.” He believes that syndicated content produced the right way can increase both ratings and revenue.
Randy “R Dub!” Williams
By Bob Burke
Randy Williams, known to most simply as “R Dub!” is a veteran programmer who has worked at some great radio stations from Tucson to Los Angeles. But his claim to fame is taking a local radio show that he created…and then syndicated from his basement, and building it into a small empire! The highly-rated “Sunday Nite Slow Jams with R Dub!” has since earned him national syndication deals first with Superadio and now with his current syndicator Westwood One. Nowadays, R Dub! finds himself serving as President of Fusion Radio Networks, a company he founded in 2002 with the goal of producing and delivering the best content for radio. He even documented the art of securing a syndication deal in a book he wrote, “Coast to Coast: The Radio DJ’s Syndication How-To Guide.” It wasn’t always the easiest path to success but R Dub! has learned a lot during his journey, one that has proven that hard work and determination still wins!
From radio Program Director to President of your own company Fusion Radio Networks. Was that always in the game plan?
Not at all! It all happened by chance many years ago, when, by luck, two different PDs in different markets inquired about running my Sunday Nite Slow Jams show, which at the time was solely a local show. They asked if I would consider doing a “generic” version of the show (without local call letters, etc.), that they could run on their stations. The idea of being “nationally syndicated” (albeit only on three stations) sounded neat to me! Well, three stations turned into six, six into 12, and so on. I never dreamed in a million years that one special “weekend” show would turn into a full-time job. I’m still in disbelief to this day!
You’ve written a book Coast to Coast: The Radio DJ’s Syndication How-To Guide. What did you learn most in writing the book and what did you want people to take away from it after reading it?
It was a fun project. Really, the idea was just to outline the steps that I, and others in the game, took to get syndicated. The result was an easy-to-read, A to Z “manual” on syndication, designed to help folks who have a great product, but just don’t know where to start.
No one told me how to do it. I had to figure it out on my own. I wanted to write a book that answered all the questions I had when I was starting out. I know what it’s like to have an extreme passion for something and need a little “direction.” It’s also important to note that the book isn’t just about me…it outlines much bigger stories than mine. I sat down with a dozen or so major syndicated personalities–from Dr. Laura, to Kid Kelly–and picked their brains and found out how they did it; all formats, from Talk to Gospel, to Country, to Urban.
There’s also a complete chapter containing contacts to dozens of syndication companies, and even a chapter that outlines setting up your own home studio–from the basic to extravagant, including vendor contacts and prices.
What was the biggest syndication hurdle and how did you overcome it?
Probably the biggest hurdle for anyone is going from local to national. And remember, you can be on just two or three stations, and that is still considered “national.” But that first jump is the toughest–taking your show from your home base, tweaking it into a “national” version, and placing it on your first couple stations outside of your own station. Once you’ve accomplished that, assuming your show is successful on your first few affiliates, the rest falls into place; it’s just all about growing your affiliate base. It takes a ton of work, but it can be done.
What’s the key to making any good syndicated program not only successful ratings-wise but profitable for stations?
Stations should take ownership of their syndicated programming. Don’t just throw it on and ignore it. There’s so much monetary potential that goes wasted. Use your syndicated program to crank extra, non-traditional revenue–especially if it’s a popular show. Sell its inventory at a premium, have the host(s) come to the market and do client/station events, sell a premium endorsement package that uses your syndicated hosts. I know the programmer’s day is short, and the tasks are plenty–but delegate. Use your APD or a sales manager you trust to start and manage the initiative if you don’t have the time. It’s like finding money.
How important is brand building and what’s the key component in expanding any brand?
Essential! Obviously, if the content’s not there, the brand doesn’t matter. But I want to touch on how important a name is. You only get one chance to get it right. Sometimes a mediocre talent with an amazing name is more popular than a great talent with a boring name–I’ve seen it in countless markets! Come on the air with a crazy and original name (like Corndog, Chino Cochino,Special Ed, etc.) and people are instantly going to be drawn towards you. But if you’re using your first name and a letter for your last name (Brian D, Lisa J, etc.)–change it.
We were assembling a new morning show for one of my stations a few years back and everybody was trying to come up with a good name for them. There were some okay names, like “The Rude Awakening,” etc…but nothing stuck. Some names were too cool for the room. Finally, I just blurted out, “The Mexicanz!” Everyone laughed and the response from the hosts was something like, “Yeah, right!” They didn’t take it seriously. Later that night, the host (Rascal), calls me back and says, “Dude, you’re right –‘The Mexicanz!’ I can’t get it outta my head!” The name made the salespeople nervous…I remember my sales manager saying, “Can we say that on the radio???” Needless to say, “The Mexicanz” were a hit, and gained instant name-recognition the very moment they hit the air, mostly because of their name alone! Their branding was second to none–and a Houston station quickly snatched them up outta Tucson within a year.
Where do digital media and social networking platforms come into play as we are now firmly entrenched in a digital world?
It goes without saying–an essential component to any product. I see a lot of stations’ Facebook pages neglected. If, as a PD, you don’t have time for your station’s Facebook–delegate it to some one, an intern, whoever–but don’t let it just sit there.
I still chuckle when I remember, just a few years ago, hearing stories of GMs and PDs who insisted that their jocks never, ever mention MySpace on the air (back when MySpace was the thing), as if not mentioning MySpace would make it magically just “go away.” They soon found out the hard way–that listeners were already on MySpace (in today’s case Facebook). Not to say that you should give up on pushing your own station website (in my case slowjams.com), but listeners are much more likely to interact with you via Facebook, since they’re already there everyday and feel comfortable with it. It’s their “domain” and part of their everyday life. I don’t care how great your station website is, it will never be as important to most listeners as their facebook is. So smart programmers use Facebook as a tool to connect personally to their listeners, and in the right doses, link back to valuable content on their station website via Facebook posts…just don’t oversell.
How important is interaction with local affiliates and the programmers themselves?
I love talking to PDs. It’s tough, because today’s programmer is doing more than he/she has ever done and wearing a whole lot of hats. But checking in with a programmer, even if it’s just over e-mail to say “hey” is always important. It lets them know you care, and are invested in their station. The worst thing a syndicator or company can do is sign on a show somewhere and then never talk to the station again. That’s just bad customer service. I also value all my affiliates–not just the large markets.
You’ve been a radio programmer from small markets to major markets. The last thing a programmer wants to do is run or add another syndicated component to its programming schedule. What should be considered most when evaluating any syndicated show for possible air time?
I disagree that the last thing a programmer wants to do is run a syndicated show. Although there are two totally different scenarios: A) There’s the station that runs a bunch of syndicated programming haphazardly just to fill space and because they don’t want to spend the money to create great local programming…bad! B) Then there’s the station that understands that the right syndicated programming, in the right place, can compliment their station and really round-out their programming line-up…good!
First and foremost, a station should look at the program and its content and decide if it would work for their station–and why. Then ask, can we do as good as a job, or better, locally?
Take for example, a countdown show. At one of the last stations I programmed, I thought, instead of running a syndicated countdown show, we would use our own morning show to produce a better, local, Saturday morning countdown show. Not only did the show play the Top 30 songs custom to our market, but what a great branding tool to have our morning show on the air promoting their show, instead of someone out of market.
On the other hand, there are a few really great syndicated shows, that I felt, couldn’t be duplicated on our end. We just didn’t have the staff and man hours to create a show that matched up with what The Baka Boyz were doing, so we made them part of our station. I like to put Sunday Nite Slow Jams in that same boat. Sunday nights are usually the most neglected daypart on a radio station. Even if you tried doing your own version of the show, the fact that with Sunday Nite Slow Jams, your listeners can make dedications to loved ones listening in other cities and states–well that just can’t be duplicated on a local level.
So what I’m trying to say is that syndication can be a wonderful thing for a radio station, if used sparingly, and for the right reasons–not as a Band Aid for a poor situation.
What is the most important thing to know about creating any show that you feel has syndication potential?
It has to be a proven winner in your market. In fact, that is step one in my book. If you’re not absolutely knockin’ ’em dead at home, there’s a slim chance your show will succeed elsewhere. Build an amazing product on your local station first, and make sure you have the ratings to back it up. Then, step two is to find some other believers outside of your market. See the book for steps two through 20!
What is the biggest mistake most syndicators and/or syndicated shows make nowadays?
I don’t think syndication companies spend enough time marketing their existing shows to new affiliates. There’s not enough cultivation, which is why sometimes good shows go away. Too often many companies just sign on a show that already has an affiliate list and never grow that list. We’ve partnered with Benztown Radio out of Los Angeles who helps do our affiliate sales. Chachi, Masa and the team there really do “get it,” and do a great job growing their products.
What’s the one thing radio must focus on to ensure its position as the go-to media of choice?
We’ve got to start investing in our talent again. At a time where listeners have more choices than ever, now is the time to create better radio than we ever have before, and it seems the industry is doing just the opposite. The answer is simple…just seems no one is listening.
What’s the future hold for Fusion Radio Networks in terms of goals and broadening its reach?
We just launched a new, Pop/Mainstream version of Sunday Nite Slow Jams that is made just for Top 40 stations…it’s doing great out of the gate, and we’re aiming for 60 stations by the new year. OurSunday Nite Slow Jams Rhythm version and weeknight show continues to see great growth, and our partnership with iHeartRadio (Slow Jams channel) has proved to be a winner.
[eQB Content by Bob Burke]
