Tom Cunningham
When you truly love what you do, life is good. Such is the case for Universal Motown VP/Adult Formats Tom Cunningham. The multi-faceted Cunningham has parlayed a successful career in radio (WPST/Trenton) and the trades (he’s an FMQB alumn) into another successful career in label promotion. From Reprise to Jive and now Universal Motown, he has established himself as a highly regarded record professional. Also on TC’s plate is hosting a weekly radio show on Classic Rock WCHR/Monmouth-Ocean playing the music of his hero, Bruce Springsteen. The aptly titled Bruce Brunch airs Sunday mornings and this “little show” from Jersey is heard around the world via the internet.
What’s it like being in the trenches everyday with President Sylvia Rhone and SVP Gary Marella?
I’m fortunate to be part of a team that is on top of their game from top to bottom. That mentality starts with Sylvia and our GM Andrew Kronfeld. They, along with Mel Lewinter, really give us the hands-on support we need to keep things moving forward. Being in meetings with these folks is consistently a learning experience. Gary has always been a monster promo exec in the Crossover world; it’s been great to see him bring that passion and knowledge to the big chair.
You scored a Top 10 hit at Hot AC with Blue October’s “Into The Ocean.” How difficult is it today breaking a new artist at Hot AC?
Blue October has worked for everything they’ve earned. “Hate Me” opened a lot of doors for the band at the format. In spite of whatever lyrical issues that folks could come up with, that turned out to be a song that connected with women. That in turn paved the way for “Into The Ocean.” Great callout and a compelling story at VH1 were the clincher. When all was said and done, they had a platinum album and made a lot of friends at the format along the way. We were able to parlay the Hot AC story to solid airplay at AAA as well. It was a rewarding project on many levels.
What are the essential elements that Hot AC radio looks for when evaluating new music on a weekly basis?
No mystery that programmers are looking for the records that will connect with their target audience and keep their listeners passionate about the radio station. It’s always great when you have stories to share from like-minded radio stations. Sales stories, on-line stories, ring tone sales, whatever TV show your song was on that week—everything and anything helps make a difference.
Does brand name value mean much to Hot AC programmers, or does the sound/texture of the song play more of a role?
Name value gets you in the door. After that, it’s all about the song.
What has been the reaction to Vanessa Carlton’s return to radio?
The roll out has been a fascinating process. There was/is a ton of airplay at the format on “A Thousand Miles” so we knew she was still a familiar name and an artist who meant something. Since she’d been away for a while and had a rough go of it with her second album, it was obvious there was grassroots work that needed to be done. A long time ago a guy named Kal Rudman told me “once a name, always a threat.” He was right then and he is right now. So, we took her on the road. She has been a warrior. She has done everything that we’ve dreamed up and then some. Everywhere she’s gone, her artistry and charisma have really made people pay attention. On top of all that, she’s made a great album—one that is in many ways a throwback to a time when great albums meant something. We’re thrilled to be associated with her.
The record/radio relationship has seen its share of changes. If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I wish that the current crop of Program Directors, Music Directors and younger promo reps would have known what it was like to go to a Poe Convention or a Gavin Convention back in the day. Hijinks? Sure. But also memories and relationships that last a lifetime.
You’ve handled promotion duties covering various formats over your career. What constants have you found format to format?
Hit records make for exciting radio. Buzz artists make for exciting radio. When you are lucky enough to have a buzz artist with a hit record, you sell records. Selling records makes for a happy record company.
In the formative stages of your label career (fresh from radio), which promotion people did you value?
Being worked primarily out of Philadelphia, there’s Bobbi Silver. When you’ve been worked over by Bobbi, you’ve been worked. Like all people who make programming/music decisions, I knew the way that I wanted to be worked on records, and always respected and appreciated the folks who did that. I keep that in mind when I am making my calls every day. Folks like Bob Catania, David Leach, George Stone, Bob Weil, Michael Lessner, Rich Tamburro, Rick Salvador, Biff Kennedy and Herb Gordon just to name a few. Marc Ratner was always great. The legendary Matty “The Humdinger” Singer. I used to annoy Rick Stone just to get Charlie Minor to call. Good times. Did I mention Bobbi Silver?
As someone who is passionate about what you do, what have been your most rewarding promotion experiences?
Seeing Blue October get a platinum album has been very gratifying. Getting Jack Johnson back into the Top 10 at Hot AC was a mission. I’m confident that there are great days ahead for Vanessa Carlton. Working at Jive the day *NSYNC scanned 2.4 million albums in a week was amazing…Being part of the team that broke Alanis Morrisette. I look forward to the day when something tops what happened when Green Day’s Dookie broke though. Rich Fitzgerald was running promotion at Reprise at the time, and he’d sent each of us a copy of the album with a note that said that this had a chance to be one of the most important albums of our careers. Heady stuff! There was nothing like it on the radio or even on the landscape at the time–the first track “Long View,” featured the f-bomb and masturbation. The band was on tour, being driven around in an old Bookmobile by the drummer’s father. They were playing clubs and were as dynamic and incendiary as anything that I’d ever seen. It was great. When “Basket Case” hit radio and MTV, it went to a different place, and then “When I Come Around” was the fast ball down the middle.
You’re a self-admitted Bruce Springsteen addict. When and where did you originally catch the bug?
I was 16 when Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ came out—to say I was blown away is an understatement. I grew up in Trenton, NJ (the garden spot of the Garden State) and here was a guy who came from down the road in Freehold and was part of this whole Jersey Shore thing. My station of choice at the time was WMMR/Philadelphia, and they really championed Bruce and his first two albums. The station’s jocks, like Ed Sciaky, Michael Tearson, David Dye, Johnny Craft, Luke O’Reilly, Jonathan Takiff and Carol Miller all played those albums like crazy.
What drew you to Bruce the most, his live performances or the music itself?
At first, the songs. I was really into Bob Dylan and Van Morrison at the time, and Bruce’s early music certainly leaned on both, plus it was easy for me to connect the dots to the Soul and Doo Wop records that I loved so much. To my ear, the sax solo in “Spirit In The Night” was not that far removed from the one in “In The Still Of The Night.” I first saw Bruce live in Trenton in 1974, and the deal was sealed.
When you started hosting the Bruce Brunch almost four years ago, did you foresee just how big the global reach would be?
The show has to succeed locally, first and foremost. I’m proud the ratings have been consistently favorable. It was on the air for two years before the station started streaming. As karma would have it, the first show I did when the stream started was a special on the 30th anniversary of Born To Run and I had three of the E Street guys on, and it was a great show. The internet has been a good thing for Springsteen fans. They are very vocal and very knowledgeable. It was hard for me personally not to hype the show on the web, but I didn’t because I wanted it to be an organic, fan discovery and that’s what happened, and now there are people who listen everywhere and anywhere. I’ve certainly gotten some very cool e-mails. There are a couple of fan message boards where folks post the link every week and chat live along with the show. It is a community of fans in the truest sense. But always, at end of the day, it needs to be a successful local radio show.
What is the general make-up of the content of the show, and how do you keep the content dynamic week to week?
The station’s program director, Phil LoCascio, is a consummate pro. He’s a terrific sounding board and co-conspirator. I come at the thing with a program director’s head and a fan’s heart. It’s a good mix. Serious show prep takes place on Saturday, but throughout the week, songs/segues/themes/whatever will pop in and out of my head. I play “Bruce hits” and mix them in with things that work together lyrically, sonically or texturally. I do “This Week In Bruce History” bits every week, and that always leads to a solid arc. I play music by other Jersey Shore or Bruce-related artists. We hit the road. I’ve done the show live from the legendary Stone Pony and even a minor league baseball stadium. I program the show, and it’s a responsibility I take seriously. Phil gives me the keys to his radio station for two hours every week and I’m not about to violate that trust.
Your show is on the air every week where the Springsteen’s live. Has Bruce been on the show? Do you know what he thinks about the show?
Bruce has never been on the show. I have asked. Maybe I’m not asking the right people? While I don’t have any idea if he knows anything about it, I do know of family, friends and colleagues of his that listen. Hopefully he’s an FMQB subscriber and is reading this—hey Bruce, please come on the show.
As with any radio show, guests can be a key ingredient. Who have been your most interesting guests?
Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh was great. Author Robert Santelli was great. Jesse Malin came down and world premiered the duet with Bruce that is on his latest album—that was great. E Street guys Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent and Danny Federici have all been on. Then there is Little Steven Van Zandt. I’ve loved Steven’s music since his work with the Asbury Jukes back in the 70’s, and of course, he is now a one man conglomerate. I went to the Underground Garage and sat with him for an hour and it was a career highlight.
After getting to spend time with Bruce’s latest album Magic, give us your overview on how this work stacks up along side Bruce’s previous efforts.
The more I hear this album, the more I love it. I love the preciseness of the song writing. The themes of the songs and the characters are very compelling, and many of the songs are very pop sounding. It’s certainly got that classic E Street Band sound, and in my opinion the best work yet that he’s done in the studio with Brendan O’Brien. At the same time, there is a subversive thing going on lyrically. From the title cut: “Trust none of what you hear and less of what you see,” that seems to sum up Mr. Springsteen’s disposition in 2007.
Give us a great Bruce Springsteen story…
Because the statute of limitations has not run out yet, I’ll have to pass on the one with Jimmy Steal at Deal Lake in Asbury Park in 1991. When Mike Kaplan was in Kansas City, I happened to be passing through town the same night Bruce was playing on The Rising tour. I got a call from a friend of Little Steven’s who knew I was in town asking if I could come up with a copy of the song “Kansas City” as Bruce had decided to play it that night and they couldn’t find the song. I called Mike and he brought a copy of the song to my hotel. Steven’s friend does a drive-by, opens the car window, grabs the song and heads for the arena. When we got to the show, there were passes with the tickets, and we figured if nothing else we would poke around backstage after the show. Plus, it was the night after Bruce’s birthday, and I’d brought a package of CDs to give him as a present in case we got to see him. Not surprisingly, the show was off the hook.
Stellar performance, top notch set list, with a couple of total gems and surprises. They ended the show with an insane version of “Kansas City” that at one point had the entire band except for pianist Roy Bitten off the stage. It was incredible. After the show, we headed backstage. We’re on our own at this point, but Mike knows his way around the building and I’ve done the backstage thing a million times, so we’re confident we’ll get where we need to go. We get to the dressing room area, and run right into Bruce. It was obvious that he was extremely happy with the show. He was animated, loose and funny and in a great mood. I give him the CDs, and this makes him even happier. Mike had moved to KC from Bruce’s hometown of Freehold, NJ literally a couple of months before that, so that makes for some fun banter. The next stop of the tour was Chicago, so we started suggesting Chicago-themed songs. We got to “The Night Chicago Died” and after much laughter, there in the hallway, Bruce Springsteen starts singing the familiar refrain of the song. It was beyond cool. By the time we left, the parking lot was empty and we just shook our heads and laughed as we walked to the car.
**QB Content by Mark LaSpina **
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