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Get
Off The Road
At least two Top 50 GMs tapped into
familiar territory to fill programming openings, as
PDs-turned-consultants have returned to their hands-on programming
roots.
Democracy Lives
When PD Jay McCarthy
exited Clear Channel’s WWYZ/Hartford more than two years ago,
longtime consultant Pete Salant presented himself as a potential
successor, but was turned down. “Consulting was drying up [after]
consolidation,” he remarks. “I’d been producing television spots at
home for about a year [but] realized it wouldn’t be the kind of work
that would produce a steady income.”
So it was fortuitous
that when the “Country 92.5” programming position again became
vacant in July 2005, GM Manuel Rodriguez remembered Salant and
invited him to come aboard. “He runs this cluster like something
close to a democracy,” notes Salant, who programmed for several
months at Cumulus/Danbury, CT before joining WWYZ. “He has a lot of
autonomy and, consequently, we do too.”
Soul
Proprietorship
The front man of North Haven, CT-based Pete
Salant Broadcast Consultant branched out to Pete Salant Media
Consulting & Production. Conceding that companies like FilmHouse
and Shark do tremendous work, Salant identified a niche for
graphics-only spots and music videos and animated stills. “I’d do
the spots at low-price points [under $1,000] and had a bunch of
takers. It was – and is – a sole proprietorship.”
Buying
sophisticated equipment and maintaining studios can become an
expensive proposition. It also takes a long time to put together a
30-second spot. “For virtually all my programming career, I’d been
involved with production of the television commercials. In the
late-1990s, it became possible to produce broadcast-quality
television spots on desktop PCs. It was equally as fascinating to me
as programming.”
A hole existed and Salant proceeded to
satisfy it with past clients. “I found myself busy for three months
in the spring and [an equal amount of time] in the fall,” he
explains. “But people aren’t going to buy TV commercials when they
don’t need them.”
Winning Experience
In
advance of the Danbury stint, 20 years had gone by since Salant last
performed day-to-day programming duties. Previous PD assignments ran
the gamut from WAVZ/New Haven to NBC’s WYNY/New York City, but
Salant concedes he’s programmed only a handful of stations. “I
tended to stay longer at each place. [WKCI/New Haven] was probably
my favorite. I was only there a year, but was the PD who [in
early-1979] suggested that the owners change it from Easy Listening
to [a format that would become known as] Hot AC.”
After two
years of being a consultant, Salant took two years off as
owner/operator of then-silent AM daytimer WNNR “Winner
Radio”/Hamden, CT. “I assumed the obligations to the electric
company and a couple of others, so I basically got it for nothing,”
he acknowledges. “I put it back on the air and we were highly
successful in AM Stereo as an Oldies station. We set new records,
[including] several $50,000 billing months, which were great for a
little [station]. I did air-work, sold and was the Chief Engineer,
[although] I didn’t touch the transmitter because I was afraid of
it.”
A year later, though, something Salant feared would
eventually happen became reality when WDRC-FM/Hartford flipped to
Oldies. “There we were with 1,000 watts, but I look back upon [the
experience] as being paid for two years of graduate school. I went
right back into consulting with both feet.”
The WNNR phase
taught Salant what it takes to be an entrepreneur and he jokes, “I
learned that paperclips matter. In virtually every consulting
assignment, I treated the station as if I owned it. That mentality
will get you far.”
Being Held Accountable
Since
he had several corporate deals, it’s difficult to say precisely how
many clients Salant consulted. “I worked with Three Eagles
Communications, which owns stations in Nebraska and Iowa,” he points
out. “I worked for them for one large, flat fee and was directed
where the need existed. There were 43 stations, but I don’t count
them as 43 clients. I was fortunate to be able to command more than
competitive fees. It was a very exciting 20 years.”
Checks
and balances must exist and there needs to be centralized control
over areas like bookkeeping and budgeting, but Salant opines that no
two companies handle that level of centralization the same. “Some
like Clear Channel offer much more autonomy on the local level,” he
maintains. “They fully understand if they expect a programmer to be
accountable, they have to let that person make most of the decisions
that lead to the success. Otherwise, there can be no accountability.
If I can make a good case to spend money, it will be spent. I’m
given the opportunity to participate in the process of finding the
money. It’s an exercise from the old days of ownership and I find it
fascinating. If I can save some money, perhaps I can buy a custom
jingle package. That’s one neat thing about the larger scale upon
which radio is now being executed.”
Familiar With The
Format
Well known in AC and Oldies circles, Salant actually
had more Country clients in the last five years of his consultancy
than any other format. “I’m not a format newcomer and love the fact
[WWYZ] is the only Country station in our coverage area [although]
we overlap a little bit with WCTK/Providence,” he remarks. “My first
job was writing copy at a New Jersey Country station in the summer
between my junior/senior years in high school. Great radio is great
radio and that’s all that matters.”
Since he wasn’t on the
road as often as most other consultants, Salant acknowledges his
colleagues have racked up many more frequent flyer miles. “At the
most, I traveled once a month,” he explains. “I’d see two clients
per trip and then have two weeks off before I’d fly again. I was
able to make a dandy living from pretty much the same people. I
never had to advertise and didn’t attend trade conventions because
it would have meant more travel.”
Off And Running
With his focus completely on “Country 92.5,” there are no
plans for Salant to do any consulting work on the side.
It’s
clear his energy the past several months was well spent as WWYZ’s
fall ratings results were impressive: Only sister CHR/Pop WKSS (3.7
– 6.3) had a greater fall-fall (12+) increase than WWYZ (5.8 – 7.9,
No. 3).
There are times a consultant’s role can be
frustrating and, to Salant, comparable to being a grandparent. “You
visit with the kids and leave,” he comments. “I’d rather have the
payoff of hearing what I’ve helped craft or helped the staff put
into play. There’s an awful lot of gratification. I’m now
responsible for paving the way for a lot of dollars to be made and
see an already excellent radio station become great. I also lead a
team of mature, sensitive individuals who are extremely talented;
afternoon driver Floyd Wright and I have been friends 34 years. I’d
like to stay here as long as I can be productive and accomplish the
goals expected of me.”
Changing Positions
When
Dave Popovich accepted the PD assignment at Hot AC KIMN/Denver this
time last year (February 2005), it left a gaping hole in the
programming department of the station he left - Clear Channel Hot AC
WMVX “Mix 106.5”/Cleveland.
It likewise presented a
significant opportunity for Don Hallett, who for nine years
(1987-1996) programmed Saga’s heritage Adult Contemporary WSNY
“Sunny 95”/Columbus, before establishing The Positioning Works. “As
the years were [going by], I was still excited about doing the same
things,” he notes. “We were raising money for Children’s Hospital
and being the `events station.’”
Sudden Thought
As a consultant, Hallett reflected on those days,
appreciating how much he missed day-to-day programming, rather than
sitting in airports. “I had so many frequent flier miles and no time
on my hands to use them,” the former WWLI/Providence and WKRZ/Wilkes
Barre PD comments. “I had a vendor relationship with Critical Mass
Media where I’d administer music tests and train Clear Channel PDs
on software the company uses to sort music tests. I’d spend time at
these great stations and suddenly realized I wanted to be part of
one of them. My heart was set to looking at something within Clear
Channel.”
That was well over two years ago and he’d been
mostly on sabbatical, but still doing consulting work before
accepting Mix/Cleveland responsibilities in mid-July (2005). “It was
a great long vacation [but] I was ready to get into the battle in
Cleveland.”
When Hallett let it be known he wanted to return
to programming, management people from several different companies
contacted him. “They asked if I was sure I knew what I was doing and
if I wanted to go back to the firing line,” he remarks. “WSNY had
[frequently] been No. 1 25-54 and we were No. 1 12+ twice in the
year I left. I was rewarded handsomely and felt I earned my keep.”
Different World
Over the past several years as an
entrepreneur, Hallett dealt with literally hundreds of programmers,
managers and marketing people and would’ve kept his consultancy
going, but reasons, “Ten years is a long time. Walking into a
building at 7:30am and watching [all these people] arrive for work
is a lot different than sitting in your home office, petting three
dogs. It’s a whole different world and the adrenaline is flowing.”
Other than being more technologically advanced than when he
left hands-on rigors in 1996, programmers, in Hallett’s view, still
perform the same duties. “He [or she] is still the product manager
and still where the buck stops,” he maintains.
But something
he had to adjust to was programming within large clusters. “The
responsibility is no longer to the product alone; the PD needs to
think about [sister stations within the cluster],” he opines. “If I
see something that might work on [sister Clear Channel/Cleveland
Oldies outlet] WMJI, it’s my responsibility as an employee of the
cluster to fill-in that other individual. Two heads are usually
better than one. You’re probably going to come up with a promotion
that’s better for both stations and make more impact on the event in
the marketplace.”
Walk This Way
In the mid-1990s,
Saga/Columbus had 55 employees and Hallett describes that
residential area facility as a “palace sitting out in the middle of
an enormous green space.”
With five FMs and one AM, Clear
Channel/Cleveland has 60,000 square feet and approximately 250
people on the payroll. “I’m a people-person and do management by
walking around,” Hallett points out. “I don’t have to manage 250
people, [but if I did] it would take seven days to do that here.
People have [complained] for a long time about what consolidation
has done to staffing, but this is like a small city.”
Programmer Deja Vu
The home of the Rock &
Roll Hall Of Fame is one of only nine Top 50 markets having two,
competitive metro Hot ACs and, like WWYZ/Hartford’s Pete Salant (see
above), Hallett proved he hasn’t lost his programming touch.
This fall, WMVX registered nearly a full-share (12+)
fall-fall gain (2.9 – 3.7).
CBS Radio’s WQAL (2.9 – 2.5
fall-fall, 12+) supplies the head-to-head challenge to WMVX and
Hallett is not only quite cognizant of his format rival but equally
aware of the irony WQAL’s recently-arrived PD is – Dave Popovich.
“WQAL is definitely part of our mission and we’re out to beat them,
but we’re also out to beat [that company’s Classic Rock] WNCX and
[Adult Contemporary] WDOK,” Hallett states. “WQAL and WDOK are
female-driven stations. We are an adult-driven station and have no
intention of giving up that position. Clear Channel’s `Mix’ stations
are very different across the country. There’s no question Cleveland
rocks, but WQAL and WDOK have decided that’s not part of their
fabric. [WMVX] has an edge to it 24/7.”
Self-Starter
Being an isolationist is something Hallett will least miss
about his consultancy. “I love interacting with people and managing
a big team,” he declares. “Some people fail at self-employment
because they’re not self-motivated and can’t set goals each morning.
No one is standing over them driving them to success. I didn’t have
that problem. My father was self-employed for 20 years. The thing I
most miss is the flexibility of hours I work.”
But sitting
in the programming chair again is something he believes he’ll do for
the long-term. Having the chance to program WMVX is tremendously
satisfying to him, although he admits to aspiring to do more. “The
next step would be operations somewhere; adding a station to my
Cleveland responsibilities; or adding regional or format
responsibilities within the company,” Hallett states. “I’d prefer
one of those options more than returning to self-employment. I
talked to several consulting firms about merging and had calls from
people who wanted to buy out my existing contracts. That part of my
career was great; it made me a better human being and definitely
made me a better broadcast executive and programmer. I don’t,
however, see myself going back to consulting.”
Thorough
Process
Likening programming to having a hobby that comes
with a regular paycheck, Hallett says in mock disbelief, “You go to
work, you play, you create and every two weeks, they actually bring
you money.”
For those thinking about leaving a job, Hallett
advises, “Be financially prepared. I was lucky enough to be able to
sit for two years, but made very little money. [Clear Channel
Regional VP/Programming] Kevin Metheny and [former Clear
Channel/Northeast Ohio Regional VP & Cleveland Market Manager
Jim Meltzer [who left the company last December] are very
task-oriented. They searched long and hard [before making me an
offer]. It was a competition that went on several days a week for
four months.”
The latest “Mike Kinosian Interview”
(1-30-2006) features CBS Radio morning drive personality Adam
Carolla.
Last week’s “Inside Story with Mike Kinosian”
(1-26-2006) gives the perspective of what’s happening with HD Radio
through the eyes of HD Radio Alliance CEO Peter Ferrara.
Both these exclusive Inside Radio features are archived
here.
By Mike Kinosian
INSIDE RADIO
contributing Editor
mikek@insideradio.com
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