Randy “R Dub!” Williams was just fifteen years old when he first broke into radio. He has since taken his passion for one small weekend specialty show that he started as a teenager and built an empire. Nowadays R Dub! finds himself running his own radio syndication company while still hosting that little love song show he started back in 1994 at a tiny AM station in the desert, only it’s now on 40 stations in three countries!
Randy “R-Dub!” Williams
By Bob Burke
Randy Williams, a broadcast veteran/programmer known to most as “R Dub!” is living the dream! His passion for great radio was the driving force behind the idea to syndicate his own radio show, “Sunday Night Slow Jams,” out of his house. 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 to radio the most stellar on-air product imaginable. R Dub! is the one man who knows the art of securing a syndication deal. His story has just been documented in a book, “Coast To Coast: The Complete Guide On Syndicating Your Own Radio Show.” It wasn’t easy but R Dub! is a proven success story!
How did the idea for a syndicated show come about?
Honestly, by accident. I had been hosting Sunday Nite Slow Jams in Tucson for over five years and the show’s ratings were breaking records. Although I was MD and night-guy at the time (at KRQQ), my real passion was focused on this lil’ ole weekend show. I lived for it! The show started gaining a little bit of national attention and one day, just by chance, two different PDs from outside markets approached me about sending them a generic version of the show (without my local call letters) to air on their stations. I wouldn’t be paid anything, but the idea of being “nationally syndicated” was exciting! Sure, “national” only meant Tucson, Tulsa and a tiny town on the Arizona border called Nogales, but the thought of people outside of my hometown hearing Sunday Nite Slow Jams was thrilling.
What was the process of soliciting stations to sample the show and then air it?
It was all about persistence and having a “story” to tell PDs. I’d call a station in Stockton, CA and tell them about the success I was having up the street in Salinas. I called Amarillo, TX and told them how well the show was doing in Abilene, and so on. Being a PD, I had an upper hand because I knew what programmers cared about and the kind of info they wanted to hear about a show. It’s very similar to working records. We (programmers) look for research, success stories, track records at other stations, etc., when picking records. I applied the same reasoning but for a radio show. You present the facts and prove your case. Also, besides having a slick presentation and demo, I really believe in the product and that resonates with most PDs.
What were the biggest challenges in syndicating your own show?
Two big ones: money and time. It cost a ton to start up and maintain the show yourself. From building out my own broadcast studio at home, to supplies (blank CDs, envelopes, etc.), to the long-distance toll charges from my 1-800 request line. It was a financial strain to say the least. I remember having to overnight twenty-seven shows every Monday. That alone was hundreds of dollars a week, and I wasn’t making a dime!
Time-wise, it wasn’t easy to handle the show and all of its affiliate duties while holding down a programming and on-air job at the radio station. They are both more than full-time jobs! There was no time for fun or a day off. I ran myself ragged.
At what point was it time to become involved with a big name syndication company?
I knew I had to have a real story before I started shopping my show. Having a “good” show wasn’t enough. I knew I’d have to come to the table with some value and in the syndication world that means audience. Once I had about twenty stations under my belt, I started looking around. Superadio signed me shortly thereafter and my life really started to change for the better. Today I’m withWestwood One and quickly nearing the fifty-station mark. We’ve added a two-hour weeknight Slow Jams show as well.
What’s the most important thing to know when it comes to partnering with a syndicator?
You should talk to other producer’s on their roster, kind of like checking references of a job candidate. That’s the best way to find out whether the company’s going to be right for you. The syndication company is most likely going to offer some sort of revenue split with you. Ask them, to tell you in detail what exactly you’ll be getting in exchange for splitting your revenue with them.
If your show is already somewhat established you might look into an agent to help with your deal. I wouldn’t be with Westwood One today if it wasn’t for my guy, Dave “Chachi” Denes. He’s the best.
What’s the biggest misconception about syndication?
That you’ll make millions right away…or ever! And that network spots sell for a boatload of money. When I was self-syndicating and was on about twenty stations, I figured I could add up all the spot-rates at each station I was on, and sell my spots for just a little less than all of the individual stations’ spot rates combined. I would be filthy rich! Boy was I wrong. Network spots are reallycheap. In fact, often a spot on a syndicated show that airs in over twenty markets can be cheaper than buying a spot locally at just one of the stations where that show airs. For example, say a commercial in Phoenix costs $400.00. An advertiser could very well buy a spot on a syndicated show that airs on that same station in Phoenix plus fifteen other stations for just $300.00! Sometimes I think it all just doesn’t make sense. But I never got into the business for the money.
You’ve written a book, Coast To Coast: The Complete Guide On Syndicating Your Own Radio Show. Why a book and what’s the message you wanted to deliver? Over the past few years, I get a least ten calls every month from my peers in radio, fellow jocks who have a successful local show they want to syndicate, asking me how I got syndicated. I normally spend, at the minimum, ninety minutes on the phone with them, telling them my story and outlining a plan for them and their show. I never thought twice about helping friends because I had no one to guide me when I started out in syndication. With all the layoffs and downsizing this past year, I thought the timing was perfect to share this recipe with others who are interested in bringing their show to a national level and at the same time having some extra security in the most unstable time radio has ever seen. I know there are many very talented jocks out of work right now who might have had an amazing show worth syndicating. The fact is, the more layoffs and downsizing companies do, the more the need for syndicated programming. It’s a shift, and although an unfortunate one (I’m a huge advocate for local radio), it’s reality.
The book is anything and everything anyone thinking about syndication would want to know. When I entered the game, I didn’t really have anyone to guide me. It was trial and error. I made a lot of great decisions along with some very big mistakes too. When I wrote this book, I pictured where I was eight years ago, trying to get Sunday Nite Slow Jams off the ground, and tried to answer in detail all of the questions I had when I was starting out. I put together a very detailed, step-by-step plan on how to get from local to national, spelled out in very easy-to-understand specifics. I tried to leave no question unanswered. When someone’s done reading the book, they should be ready to start step one immediately.
This book isn’t just about R Dub!’s Sunday Night Slow Jams. You talk to many syndicated hosts and companies about the art of syndication.
I devoted a whole section of the book to other syndicated pros, mostly with stories much bigger than mine. All formats, from Country, Gospel, Pop, Oldies, Talk, etc. are included. I interviewed stars like Dr. Laura, The Baka Boyz, Bill Handel, and so on. I got their story and their take on the syndication game. I also spoke to the VPs at all the major syndication companies, from Westwood One to Premiere to Dial-Global. I picked their brain on exactly what they are looking for when it comes to new syndicated programming.
What did you learn about syndication after putting the book together?
Writing the book took me back to the basics and re-enforced some of the most valuable lessons I have learned along the way; to work hard, always take care of your affiliates, plan ahead, always know what that “next step” is and never stop growing. It was also very humbling to talk to and hear the stories of others folks I look up to in the business and listened to on the radio, and learn how they got where they are.
Finishing my first book was very satisfying, and when it was all said and done, I was very happy with the finished product. What you have is a very information-intense and execution-oriented manual which at the same time is an easy and fun read. It even has pictures!
What’s the best piece of advice you can give someone in regards to syndicating their own show?
Buy the book. No seriously buy the book, because all the advice is in there. It’s hard to pick just one, but if I had to pick the “best” piece of advice to share here it would be to remain humble, be persistent and be ready to devote your life to your syndicated show. And hold on, ‘cause it’s going to be a crazy ride!
***eQB Content by Bob Burke***
