Nowadays life is pretty good for Jet Black. As PD of KHTT and KBEZ/Tulsa, Jet gets to remain close to home while living his dream. He’s one of the format’s most passionate programmers who simply loves radio and the music that’s played on it. Now under new ownership, Journal Broadcast Group, Jet continues his relentless attack on the market while delivering great radio that’s maximizing both ratings and revenues. 

By Bob Burke

Who says you can’t go home? Jet Black is back in the city where his radio career began at age 15. He started as an intern for Renda Broadcasting in Oklahoma City, he would then move on to play a role at some great radio stations: WWWQ/Atlanta, WRVW/Nashville, KSLZ/St. Louis, WAKS/Cleveland, KTBT/Tulsa and WHZT/Greenville-Spartanburg, SC where he handled everything from working the night shift to Imaging to serving as both a Music Director and a Program Director. He’s worked for both major and independent radio companies and has loved every minute of his radio journey.
Nowadays, Black oversees programming as PD of Journal Broadcast Group’s CHR KHTT (KHITS 106.9) and Adult Hits KBEZ (92.9 BOB FM) in Tulsa. It was just about a year ago when the stations were sold from Renda to Journal and Jet couldn’t be any happier. He’s as passionate as ever about not only radio but the music that’s played on it. Jet Black understands what it takes to be the best and he’s committed to winning!

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In March it will be a year since the sale of the stations from Renda Broadcasting to the Journal Broadcast Group. What effect has it had on the stations and how smooth was the transition as far as day-to-day operations?
I have to hand it to the management team at Journal, they truly worked tirelessly to make the transition as smooth as possible for every single employee, reaching out with a number of the company executives to help us transition, answering any question or concern quickly and making sure that we felt very welcomed into the Journal family. They proved to us that Journal really is a family, not just a nice way to talk about your co-workers. As for the technical side, Journal VP of Engineering Andy Laird did a superb job in making sure both the stations didn’t miss a beat. KHITS was already in good shape, but Journal wanted to market the station and our barely three month old morning show to maintain our status. In addition, on KBEZ we have continued to support the BOB brand in Tulsa with both marketing and a focus on creating a positive listener experience. This company is hands down the Best. Company. In. Media.

Tell us a little bit about Journal Broadcast Group.
We’re a small and determined group. Every single individual in this company wants to do anything they can to serve our audience and advertisers. We have the tools we need (and many that we ask for) and the local managers make sure we’re focused on doing what’s best for the local marketplace and audience. While we may not be the biggest, Journal is a TRUE, local media company.

We spoke often during that transitional period and I could hear the excitement in your voice you had about the future of the stations. How has this past year gone in terms of keeping the stations focused on ratings and revenue goals?
We’ve grown in so many areas that I don’t even know where to start. Our new morning show for KHITS, The Morning After withAustin and Cristal, has become a phenomenon in a short time. The evolution of the KHITS brand to being super focused on the 18-34 year old vibrant female has come with lots of sacrifice but lots of support. Some of our interactive growth has been focused on involving listeners as well. Recently, our morning show found a random photo of a mom punishing her bully son by way of public “humiliation.” The Morning After posted it and in three days we had more than a half-million likes, 16,000 plus shares and our fans grew by 27%. It was the biggest thing I’ve witnessed since the dawn of social media. With BOB, we’ve seen a gradual evolution toward a true “We Play Anything” station. We grew the catalog, but the fact that every single song is a hit has made a difference in keeping the brand growing. Not to mention, six major seismic shifts in the market in 2012.

How would you describe the radio landscape in the Tulsa market today?
It’s much different compared to a year ago. The year’s major change started with the Journal acquisition of these two stations, but by December we’d seen three format flips/shifts and three major morning show changes. It was the most change in media I’d seen in one place at one time in my 15 year career. Our CHR is in a nose-to-nose battle with KTBT a CC Top 40 that shifted from Rhythmic last September. Those guys do put up one hell of a fight, but in the end it makes us all work harder and the audience ultimately benefits. As for BOB, we’re seeing competition from four other stations, but that’s common in the variety world.

Musically, Top 40 has never been healthier pulling in hits from many different genres. Has this helped the KHITS “All The Hits” brand?
When I arrived in 2010 KHITS was a very Rhythmic leaning Top 40. With a Rhythmic competitor across town, it was natural to lean to the side with a bit more thump. But I quickly saw we were missing out on being able to OWN big mainstream records. So, we took a chance. I threw out call out for six months and based most of our decisions on charts and a pinch of gut. After the six months, we saw a dramatic change in both ratings and results. Callout was showing the singer/songwriter records of the day testing through the roof and artists that the radio station had traditionally held off on until top 10 were getting reaction very early. The best part, the competition was far behind the bell curve and they didn’t expect it. Fast forward to the fall of 2012, that’s when KTBT shifted to come after us, as did the Hot AC KRAV. All these moving parts have helped solidify KHITS as THE station to get ALL THE HITS.

What’s your overall outlook on the format as we head in 2013?
I expect more singer/songwriter records. The last couple of years have been breeding grounds for the Pop/Rock artists and the audience has embraced them with open arms. Who knew The Lumineers, Gotye or Adele records would be #1 in the country on Pop radio when they first heard them? Don’t lie. I’m glad to see Justin Timberlake back on the scene and I hope that he’s the beginning of a return to the roots for many of Pop music’s biggest names.

You’re a pretty passionate music guy. How do you balance gut instinct with the influx of research data to make sure KHITS is playing all the right music at the right time?
Research is like a bikini, what it shows you is revealing, but what it hides is essential. Anymore, there are so many tools you could consider to be research and I use as many of those tools as I can every week when making decisions. Callout, SoundScan, charts, custom panels, requests, the list goes on and on. But not many things can hold up to good, old fashioned, pure gut. The ultimate end goal for Top 40 is to “play the hits,” right? If you’re a PD or an MD and you don’t hear the hit factor when listening to a new record, wait until you’re proven wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that. The labels seem to get that for the most part. But I always keep in mind that the ultimate failure of the radio station will rest on my shoulders. I’ve got to always do what’s right for the audience, first and foremost.

New Media has become an essential tool for stations to expand their brand. How are you utilizing digital platforms?
Everything we put on the air is put online both through traditional means of the website and email blasts as well as social media platforms, texting, apps, etc. It’s all part of the strategy and formula of the brand that we’ve embraced. I mentioned earlier some of the success we’ve had recently with a Facebook post. The key with social media is to know that it will be consumed vastly different than anything traditional. Your message has to cut through in both delivery and content. Plus, if you’re not maintaining your relevancy to your audience through the power of viral media, you’re doing it wrong. The content is essential but the typical sales pitch won’t cut it. One of my favorite guys in the biz, Paige Neinaber, says it best – “No one cares that you’ll have free pizza to give away all weekend when they’re on Facebook, give them something emotional they’ll want to share with everyone they know.” Exactly.

You’ve always had much respect and appreciation for the great radio programmers and personalities that have come before you. Who really inspired you to choose radio as a career?
WOW, that’s a really tough question. There are so many who have inspired my career. I can start by saying I work with one of them now in Carly Rush. She’s been a part of KHITS and KBEZ since 1988 and I grew up listening to her on the night show back in its K-107 days. There’s Ronnie Rocket who is at KMXV in KC now, he did afternoons on KJYO in OKC while I was a teenager and I wanted so badly to be like him. But I really have to hand it to the guy who believed in me and gave me a shot and then dared me to be great – Rich Davis at KDWB in Minneapolis. I really owe most of my career to him. He hired this red headed kid from weekends at Q100 in Atlanta and turned him into a seasoned APD/MD/Night Jock at the River in Nashville. Hell, his wife is the one who named me. He’s always had a special place in my heart and I’ve been more than blessed to have worked with him. We still talk, often.

What’s the key for young up and coming programmers to survive and succeed in today’s radio business environment?
Embrace change…If you haven’t seen it around you already, you’re blind. Consumers are changing. Habits are evolving. Consumption is different. Learn it, love it and do your best to own it. Plus, you’ve got to know when to admit failure. That’s the only way you’ll really know what it feels like to win big.

What one area should radio focus itself on to ensure it remains the go-to media of choice for music?
Don’t. Be. So. Afraid. Take a chance. Since I was a kid I’ve been a big time EDM fan and I knew (along with Phil Nieves fromUltra, Cary “Mr. Dance” Vance and Frank Murray from Robbins) that the day would come where the American music consumer would finally come around and champion Dance music. Now look where we are. But, honestly, look how long it’s taken us to get here. We’ve got to do a better job at taking chances and finding better ways to deliver what the audience wants. Stop living in a vacuum. Reject the suction. After all, radio is high risk, high reward. Right?