Rob Cressman grew up in Fredericksburg, Virginia and says the radio bug hit him early. “I have no memory of ever wanting to do anything else with my life,” he recalls. “I never wanted to be a lawyer or a fireman or anything else that little kids want to be. I got bitten by the bug early. I’ve always been a music fan. I’m a musician; I took 13 years of piano lessons. My appreciation for the music drew me to the radio which then intrigued me further into the business.”
Like many in the radio industry, Cressman took his love of radio and applied it at college while attending James Madison University. After school, he worked at a local radio station before taking on an operations position at WJMA/WCJZ in Orange, Virginia, a community outside of Charlottesville. Then came a move to WAVF/Charleston in 1991. He was there for eight years, starting as a jack-of-all-trades before eventually rising to Program Director/Operations Manager, before moving to WMFS/Memphis in 1999, where he has been ever since. We caught up with Cressman for a look inside WMFS and what makes the station tick.
On taking over the PD reigns at WMFS…
The ownership invited me to Memphis to bring WMFS back to a Mainstream Rock position. We saw some results of really tightening down on the music. There were close to 2,000 titles in the library, so I made quick work of what I knew could help the direction of the station and the focus on the target. I made some inroads in short fashion. We made some personalities changes at that time as well, and we were off to the races. Then the radio station was sold to Infinity Broadcasting. They did market research and everything a company like that would do when purchasing a station like ’MFS and decided that there was a place in Memphis for a mainstream Alternative station. We switched the station on Labor Day weekend 2001. Then 9/11 happened, and all of the marketing and drum beating that we had planned got a little bit stifled so the launch was less than what we wanted it to be. But we stayed the course and, again, saw some great improvements really based on just being able to clearly express a vision and make the goals attainable and then celebrate the victories as we went along.
On Entercom entering the picture…
Entercom had some different thoughts about where the station should be musically. We had already begun, during the sale process, to shift some of the music based on the competitive landscape here. There were two Classic Rock radio stations, and we were the only property in Memphis playing any kind of contemporary Rock music. While the station was performing well, we really thought there was more potential, especially in a blue collar city like Memphis, to bring some of the stalwart artists from the Active Rock genre back — bands like AC/DC, Ozzy, Metallica, and make a hybrid out of the radio station because nobody was covering both ends. I feel fortunate everyday that I have been able to survive three ownership changes, and that Entercom has placed a lot of faith in me to continue to stay the course and develop the brand to its highest potential.
On staying focused on the WMFS brand…
I’m constantly in touch with the radio station… and by in touch, I mean I’m an avid listener. Too many programmers today don’t even have time to listen to their radio station for two or three hours-a-day, but that’s part of my daily routine. Beyond that, you have to be in touch with what the audience is breathing and bleeding everyday and be able to embrace change in this industry in 2008. Digital initiatives and new technologies have to be part of the vernacular of a programmer that’s trying to reach guys between 18 and 34. The options are endless, so you have to be sure that the content you’re putting on the radio station is so finely tuned and acutely addresses what these guys are wanting out of their entertainment source.
On how the staff embraces technology and communicates with its listeners…
They have to take charge of our on-line presence as well. We don’t rely on one webmaster to do everything. There are interactive assignments for every member of the staff, so our web presence is an ongoing project and they help to build that everyday. We also talk about all kinds of different digital initiatives. We’re working on a new texting program for the radio station so that the jocks can be better equipped to communicate with the audience that has all but moved on beyond the telephone. We have to keep the radio station relevant and make sure that the jocks have all of the equipment they need to be able to communicate effectively with the folks that are listening. Where technology is concerned, none of the members of the staff are out of the demo so it’s a natural fit for them to be able to speak intelligently about the evolving technological world we live in, and to be able to identify not only the Pop culture kinds of issues and stories that the audience is going to want, but also the technological.
On 93X’s musical position…
We’re definitely an Active-leaning Alternative Rock station. That has been the most successful plan of action thus far and it has evolved through the changing music scene. The Memphis audience is just naturally more tolerant of guitar-based music.
On his biggest challenges as a programmer over the next 3-5 years…
Programmers have to embrace change and be on top of emerging technology, because while iPods are a big thing now, the audience of the future is already developing the next biggest thing and it’s going to be bigger than the iPod or bigger than the Internet.. We also have to be aware of opportunities for revenue and finding mutually beneficial solutions for advertisers. We have to incorporate content that’s not only completely compelling and unique for the audience, but also very attractive to potential advertisers.
**QB Content by Michael Parrish**
| Also in the August Issue: |
|
Q&A with Capitol Music Group – Astralwerks’ Gabriella D’Agostino Artist Spotlight |
