Native New Yorker Sean Stewart arrived in Chattanooga in August of 2008. He brought with him a strong passion for radio and love of music. Almost five years later, and Sean’s keen sense of programming and his constant focus on the big picture, is making for a bright future for WDOD.
Sean Stewart
By Mark LaSpina
When you talk with Sean Stewart you can sense his passion for radio. You can also tell how much he loves music. His career kicked off in May 2001 in his home state of New York, starting as MD/nights at WFPK/WPKF in Poughkeepsie. He would exit in November of 2007 to join Hudson Valley stations, WSPK/Poughkeepsie and WAJZ/Albany. A year later it was off to Chattanooga for a brief stay as MD/night host at WKXJ. That gig would eventually lead him to his current post as MD/night host at WDOD. Stewart has called the station home since August of 2008.
What does it take to be a successful programmer and how are you applying this to your programming philosophy?
For me, to be a successful programmer I must make sure two things are happy: the listeners and the advertisers. Achieving this will reflect in the ratings and revenue for the station. It is not an easy task to find a steady balance to appease both parties, but with adjustments, strong strategy and planning, being able to hit these goals has been possible in the markets I have worked.
What are the advantages for working for a smaller company like Bahakel Communications?
Being able to hyper target one market and program to the listeners and advertisers that live, work, eat, breath, drive and listen to the radio. What works in one market may not work in another. With major radio companies, some of their secondary stations get lost. They have zero budget and one part timer on staff who shows up twice a week to make sure nobody broke into the building. Our company gives us the freedom to program a radio station exclusively for Chattanooga and a very competitive budget with the ability to operate a LIVE 24/7 airstaff. To me that is a huge advantage.
How do you effectively use research to make music decisions, and what role does gut play in assessing new music?
Of course research plays a role. I would be a fool to try and fly the ship blindly, however sometimes some of the best research is your own ears! I feel pretty confident in my ability to hear a hit record. We have our finger on the pulse of the city and are able to gauge very quickly what is working and what is not.
Aside from having Kidd Kraddick in mornings, talk about the rest of your on-air line-up and what they bring to the table.
After KKINTM we have Jason Walker in middays, Brad Stiener in the afternoon and me at night. The three of us complement each other greatly. Both Jason and Brad are household names in the city and understand how this city breaths. Having two jocks that understand this city so well made it easy for me to make my transition from New York. Jason is one of the best in public MC’s I have worked with. He has a way of commanding the attention of our listeners and entertaining them during live events. Brad is a champ on air who is able to blend his quirky sense of humor with strong wit to give our listeners a memorable afternoon. The best part of our team is that we are a team. Nobody is bigger than the station and none of us take ourselves too seriously.
How has the station utilized new media platforms to extend its brand and are you seeing the audience stimulated by one platform more than another?
We have devolved our own app that is available for free by searching “HITS96” in the app store or wherever you get apps from. Since the launch of the app we have seen an increase in online listing and social media impressions. The app easily allows the user to Tweet/Facebook and connects with us via our mobile site. Giving our listeners multiple ways to connect with us has strengthened our brand, some call, some tweet, some Instagram, some Facebook. No matter how they chose to connect we are always there for them.
Although you’re not a PPM market, has the PPM mentality influenced the way you operate these days?
As far as being a jock goes, absolutely! PPM showed me how important it is to tighten up breaks, bits and interviews. Thanks to PPM the website has become a great landing spot for long artist interviews. Promos and imaging have been given the less is more treatment as well.
Given the importance of all things digital these days, what shouldn’t radio lose sight of in a traditional sense?
LIVE AND LOCAL. To me these are very important words. The best way to connect with the community is by going out into the streets and shaking hands. Walk into a gas station, hearing the station on, then going on the air hours later and saying “thanks for listening.” It’s the little things that we should not lose sight of.
Is the radio/record label relationship in a good place where both have a better understanding of each other’s goals?
From my perspective we do. At the end of the day we both have a product to sell. Together we are able to sell more product than apart.
What are the biggest challenges facing terrestrial radio today and how can we best fix the issues?
We all know the challenges are keeping up with Pandora and all the other digital music outlets. So we must give the audience things Pandora cannot. LOCAL CONTENT, LOCAL CONTESTS and LOCAL TALENT. Focus on giving the listeners reasons to stay with the local product. They can hear our songs anywhere, but we need to invest in making the local stations special to them. Taking the time to interact and having them feel like friends. If they know we are there for them they will be there for us. I feel some companies don’t, but the way to fix the issue is by making a long term commitment to local radio.
Who are some of the programmers and stations you admire the most?
My hometown station WSPK/Hudson Valley. I was able to work there for six months and during that time was able to learn from some of the best. Both Scotty Mac and Skywalker are outstanding programmers and talents who taught me more about this business in my short time there than I had learned previously. And for that I thank them. Also, shout-outs to HOT97, Z100 andWKTU/New York. I did not know it at the time, but I was super lucky to be able to grown up with these legendary stations in my backyard.
Who have been your mentors throughout your career?
I go back to the beginning when Donny Michaels, Jimi Jamm and CJ McIntyre gave me the opportunity to crack the mic for the first time in Poughkeepsie at WPKF/WFKP. I consider all three mentors because they showed me the ropes and helped groom me as a jock.
What’s the best piece of advice that anyone has ever given you that you still applies today?
Find something you like to do and find someone who will pay you to do it. Also SMILE every time you crack the mic, if you feel happy you will sound happy. #Radio101
What advice can you impart to up and coming talent on making it in today’s radio business environment?
Stay focused on your goal of being a full time radio personality; realize it does not happen over night. You have to put in the work, just because your mom thinks you have a radio voice and your friends think you’re funny, doesn’t mean you are. Listen to major market jocks so you can understand the mechanics. Never copy what you hear, but notice how a good jock gets in and out of breaks. A-B-C’s are huge.
Personally, what do you like to listen to when you’re not in the office?
Howard Stern, Sports radio, 90’s Hip-Hop and EDM.
[eQB Content By Mark LaSpina]
