Jeff Sottolano has spent his entire radio career at CBS, starting as an intern at Rocker WZNE/Rochester in 2001. After rising to PD a few years later, he moved to WYSP/Philadelphia, where he eventually became PD and oversaw the notable transition of the 94.1 frequency from Rock to the new home of Sports Talk mainstay WIP a few summers ago. At the beginning of 2014, Sottolano was rewarded with a promotion to CBS Radio Director of Programming. In his new position, he supports major market CBS Radio programmers nationwide in a number of capacities. Sottolano recently took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to FMQB about his move into the corporate side of the radio and much more.
Jeff Sottolano
By Joey Odorisio
Congratulations on the leap from WIP PD to CBS Radio Director of Programming! What does your new position entail?
Thanks a lot Joey! It’s perfect for a jack of all trades/master of none type like myself. In supporting our stations with whatever it is they need to drive ratings and revenue growth, I’m involved in everything from tactical discussions to talent identification and recruitment (both programmers and on-air) to marketing to digital content to sales brainstorming. Every day is a little different depending on where the needs are. It’s all about making sure we keep winning where we already are and doing whatever I can to help the cause where we have opportunity for growth.
What have been some of the highlights of your first six months on the job?
Honestly, there’s no bigger highlight than getting to work more closely with so many talented broadcasters. Obviously that starts with Dan Mason, Scott Herman and Chris Oliviero in this office, but it extends to all of our format captains and local programmers. We are lucky to have such amazing programmers that believe in the power of collaboration and idea sharing and it’s been a great experience getting to know them and understand their brands in my new role. From a project perspective, playing a small part in 92.3’s evolution to AMP Radio (WBMP/New York) in May and participating in our Ed (Sheeran) on Ellis event stand out as two great moments.
What have been some of the challenges?
I think the biggest challenge has been just adapting to not coming to work to a radio station every day for the first time since I was 19 and dealing with the differences in communication in a corporate office. There’s not as much free pizza and I have gotten very familiar with my conference call dial-in settings. I feel like I’m still in the early innings in better understanding some of our markets and their unique goals and challenges as well as formats that I haven’t worked in. If you’re not learning something in this business every day, “you’re doing it wrong” as the internet meme goes.
What have been some of the notable success stories in these markets in the first half of 2014?
You don’t have to look further than markets #1 and #2 for two incredible stories. The addition of the legendary Scott Shannon to mornings on WCBS FM in New York has taken that station to another level. K-Earth (KRTH) in L.A. has experienced incredible growth this year, culminating with a #1 6+ finish in June. Finally, WPGC in D.C. has posted some all-time PPM era highs this spring. The credit goes to Jim Ryan, Rick Thomas, Dave Mason and Steve Davis and their respective teams for the amazing jobs they’ve done so far in 2014!
What was the importance of CBS acquiring the rights to broadcast Chicago Cubs games, after an incredible 90 years on WGN?
There are few sports franchises more iconic than the Cubs, so the marriage with a storied brand like WBBM Newsradio is a logical one. An exciting component of our partnership is the ability to include all of our Chicago stations in partnership with the Cubs on events inside Wrigley Field or on a new plaza that are part of their exciting renovation plans.
You’re assisting with CBS Radio’s digital department as well. What new advances can you tell us about in this area that CBS has recently launched or enhanced?
It’s 2014, we’re all assisting with the digital department! In my role, I work with CBS Local on new product launches, cultivating content from our stations and ensuring our brand experience is consistent across all of our platforms. It seems like they are cooking up something new every single week, but a few recent highlights are the launch of a new Radio.com website which showcases both station content from across the country as well as original content, the new Radio.com prime player which, among many other enhancements, makes our content more easily sharable, and a real-time charts platform derived from over the air and digital airplay across all of our brands.
Michael Martin was recently promoted to SVP of Programming & Music, how does his new position work in conjunction with yours?
Pair an incredible passion for his brands and artist development with amazing relationships and an insatiable competitive edge and you have Michael. Michael’s role is all about shepherding our efforts with all of our partners in the music space – artists, labels, managers – and helping to create amazing music experiences for our audiences on our airwaves, our digital platforms and at live events. He and [SVP Strategic Events and Partnerships] Amy Stevens have some really cool things up their sleeves when it comes to that last piece.
Finally, our respective favorite baseball teams are competing for last place in the NL East this year. As an expert on both sports towns, what’s to be done about the Mets and the Phillies?
It sure feels like this trade deadline season will be a crucial one for fans of both franchises. The Mets have been here before, supposedly on the upswing and deciding whether to go for a wild card position in 2014 or stock up for a run starting next season. Despite the failings of “Generation K,” it’s hard not to get excited thinking about Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and NoahSyndergaard in the rotation for years to come. That’s what us Mets fans do best: Optimism, Hope, Disappointment, Repeat.
As for the Phillies, if Cliff Lee can get healthy and right, and very quickly, he could be one of several valuable trade pieces for the Phillies. They definitely have some holes to fill but with the right moves, they could net a haul of new faces this summer.
[eQB Content By Joey Odorisio]
