Overcoming the Overwhelm: Actionable Strategies from Industry Sherpa Mike McVay

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Managing cost, that's extremely important, but there has to be a

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knowledge and understanding of how do you manage those costs without hurting your

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product and damaging the reason people want to market or advertise with you.

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Begin with.

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Yep.

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Let's face it, if you turn off the power, you save a lot of money, right?

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Welcome to BRANDwidth On Demand, your Guide to Rebooting radio.

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The more opportunities you have to meet listeners, the greater the opportunity

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to have success in grow an audience.

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You're still a celebrity.

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To the people who've met you now for the first time, brand width

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on demand rebooting radio with a different take on all radio can be.

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Now your guides through the media metamorphosis.

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David Martin and author of the book, BRANDwidth Media

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Branding Coach Kipper McGee.

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Mike McVay is an undeniable industry icon.

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He's president of Big Bay Media, a full service consulting firm.

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He specializes in content creation, radio programming, including network

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syndication, talent coaching, unique media strategy design.

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He also focuses on podcast creation and developing other

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digital content strategies.

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You may know that most recently he was executive Vice president of content

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and programming for the number three broadcaster in America, Cumulus, and also

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the number one network, Westwood one.

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Mike has an incredibly storied career including programming in Los Angeles

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when he was only 25 years old.

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We'll find out all kinds of stuff on Mike in the show notes at BRANDwidth On Demand.

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We are proud to present.

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Mike McVay,

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thank you very much.

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It's a pleasure to be here, and it's great to talk to the people

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who are listening to your podcast.

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Hey,

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we're glad to have you, Mike.

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So how would you describe the state of the industry right now, especially from

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the viewpoint of somebody who loves the business, wants to stay employed

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and does not want to be a budget cut.

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In other words, make themselves indispensable.

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I

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think that it's critical that if you are going to be in

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our business today, be adaptable.

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I do not live in the past.

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Guys like us myself, who started when am radio stations played music will

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remember the number of people that complained as FM came along and was

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taking audience, and the competition levels have continued to increase

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from there to where they are today.

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So when it comes to keeping a job and understanding how you make

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yourself indispensable, I think it's about being resilient, being open to

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multitasking, not being a person who grumbles and does, oh, woe is me.

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It says, what else can I do to help you?

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Those are people you don't wanna lose in your organization.

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My good points.

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What are some of the new skills that folks need today to

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remain competitive and viable?

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If

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I'm looking at an air talent, I want the air talent.

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Who is capable of doing more than one format?

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Cause it's quite possible that they're going to be an air talent doing mornings

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in one station and midday on another.

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I want them to have social media skills.

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I want the air talent to be good in public and air talent.

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Who could do a great remote broadcast.

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A great public appearance is very valuable.

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And add to that, their ability to ride along with a

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salesperson, help close a deal.

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Or show up at a charity event and further the image of the radio station.

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So from an air talent, it's way more than the old days of introverts who sat in his

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studio and talked into a piece of metal.

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It really is that you have to be all encompassing as a personality.

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From the standpoint of a program director, I wanna focus on

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what is it between the songs?

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Mm-hmm.

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What is it that you're going to to capture diary holders or meter holders?

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Because playing the right music is really just a point of entry.

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Today.

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Everybody has research.

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If you say it's a level playing field, and we've all got the same

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resource when it comes to the music.

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It's about what's between the songs?

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Mm-hmm.

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Or spoken word music are the topics that your news talk people

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are hitting on, or that your sports talk people are hitting on.

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And so programmers need to focus on really understanding who their

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talent are, how to coach talent, how to add the discipline, to coach them

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regularly, how to motivate talent.

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So as a programmer today, there's a lot of things you have to look at before

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you even get out into the community.

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For the market manager, that skillset, like I mentioned earlier, is more

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than just selling advertising.

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It is how do I sell air conditioners?

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How do I sell cars?

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How do I sell meals?

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Market managers are selling and marketing other people's

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products, and it should be radio.

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It should be social media.

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It should be commercials that are dropping into podcasts

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that they are also marketing.

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It should be moving the product for an advertiser in as many

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different ways as you can do it.

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Managing cost, that's extremely important, but there has to be a knowledge and

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understanding of how do you manage those costs without hurting your product.

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And damaging the reason people want to market or advertise

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with you to begin with.

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Right.

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And on that note, with all the new duties and responsibilities that

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everyone has taken on right now, are you finding any radio basics that

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might be getting lost in the shuffle?

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You know, I to say, that thing that I just mentioned,

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coaching talent is becoming lost.

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I also think that we are losing.

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The basics that is encouraging our air talent to identify the

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radio station and the frequency.

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Even if you are a station in a PPM market, and listeners no longer need to write down

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the name of a station or the frequency.

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You still need to know it so they know where to come back to.

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Right?

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You wanna make your station memorable, more memorable.

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You are the greater success and providing a service to your audience.

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I mean, we just saw with hurricanes racing through Florida and up the eastern

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seaboard for the usa, that's one of the times that people come rushing to radio.

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Those that seldom use radio to serve your community, deliver something to them.

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That's more than playing the big songs.

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Help them save lives.

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Great advice.

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You know, as a guy that's worked everywhere and certainly all the big

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markets and some of the biggest companies as well as some of the really excellent,

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smaller companies, what traits do you look for when recommending a higher mic?

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And do they differ based on company size?

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And if so, how?

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You know, I don't know if it differs based on company

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size as much as market size.

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In the biggest markets, you will find that the level of air talent are greater,

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that their commitment to show prep and putting in the time it takes to be really

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good is greater in smaller markets.

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I really look for someone that I think has potential.

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That sounds good.

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That is smart.

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I've never met a successful air talent that wasn't intelligent.

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I look for a strong work ethic.

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As I said earlier, I like them to be open to multipathing.

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I, I'm very fortunate in that I grew up, as you gentlemen did

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at a time when is air talent.

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We did everything that had been lost for a while.

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Now we're back to that, back to where, particularly in small and medium

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markets, air talent, do everything.

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Speaking on the radio today is really special.

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It is a privilege.

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To be allowed to speak on the radio today.

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You bet.

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And and I think that that's one of the things that I look for

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with PAL for smaller markets, cuz I want them to wanna get better.

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I want them to focus on.

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Expanding their listenership.

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Not being afraid to walk into an appliance store where all the radios

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are on the competition and change 'em all to your radio station.

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Right, because you get that it's all about listening.

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Right?

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Right.

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Now, thinking about people who want to advance their career, what

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do you see as the biggest gap between where candidates are and really where

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an employer wants and needs them to

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be?

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I like the air talent.

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Who are willing to jump through burning hoops of fire.

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I always tell a quick story about Elena Smith.

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Mm-hmm.

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Elena Smith is part of the nationally syndicated radio show Nash Nights

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Live, and when I was the E V P of Content and Programming in Cumulus and

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Westwood one, I had been at a radio conference, two really well known air

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talent from San Diego, Jeff and J.

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They came over and as we chatted, they said, this is a

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young lady you need to know.

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And they introduced me to Elena and I said to Elena, tell me about yourself.

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And she had interned with Jeff and Jar.

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She was doing some little in studio part-time work with a

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morning show in their same cluster that was on the rock station.

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And she wanted to be part of a morning show somewhere.

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Well send me your air check.

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I got a link to her audio a couple days later and I listened to it

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and I heard something there and I called her and said, look.

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I know you're in San Diego.

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Cumulus has an opening for a morning show sidekick in Melbourne, Florida

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if you're willing to starve, cuz the job pays about 30,000 a year.

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Mm-hmm.

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And if you're willing to move across America, this would be a great place to

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consider being paid to go to college.

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And you'll learn how to do radio there and I'll keep my eyes and ears on you and.

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Elena Smith jumped in a car with her father.

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They called me as they were in Dallas, driving across the

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country and said, Hey, Mr.

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McVay, is there a hotel we should be staying at when we get to Melbourne?

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That's, and I suddenly was, I suddenly was like, oh my gosh, I don't even

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think we've signed her contract yet.

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And scrambled and Elena did mornings for a little over a year in Melbourne.

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John Dickey was the chief operating officer at the time we were launching.

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Knight Live and John's vision was that he wanted someone who had done top

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40 radio, that female to be a cohost.

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And so I was bringing him the usual names that.

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Are always out there when you're talking about this specific type

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of job and John said, no, I want somebody different for this.

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I want someone who's younger, youthful sounding, maybe their chronological age

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isn't young, but they need to be youthful sounding so that on this country show at

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night, we have a top 40 like radio show.

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And I said to him, Google the name Elena Smith and I popped Elena and we hired her.

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Not only did Elena move to Nashville where she about tripled her salary.

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She has continued to succeed and grow and is doing significantly

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better with multiple platforms.

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Today she has a night show and she has a podcast that she's

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now doing on Westwood One.

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Those are the kind of people I look for.

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Those are the people that I really wanna find and see if

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I can further their career.

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If God's asked you further their career, you are also improving your own product.

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That's something we all want to do, right?

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Yep.

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We're with the wonderful Mike Mcbe today.

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Hey, we've got one last question coming up, but first is there

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somebody you'd like to hear from?

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We'd love to hear from you with your suggestions.

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I.

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Email us Show at Brand with on demand.com.

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And

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if you are finding this information helpful, please spread the word, our

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mission to help you build smarter radio brands and then use all the

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bandwidth without opportunities to make sure people hear 'em wherever they

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are.

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And we're available on all podcast platforms.

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And the easiest way, just Google brand width on demand player pops right up.

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Coming up next, Mike Mcy shares some opportunities hiding in plain sight.

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Hi, this is Dave Tyler from Music

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Discover how

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Hannah: 00:13:25

Hey, it's Hannah b, associate producer of the Bandwidth Podcast and

Hannah: 00:13:29

a huge fan of Morning Show Bootcamp.

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This will be my third year in a row attending bootcamp and

Hannah: 00:13:34

it's truly the best experience.

Hannah: 00:13:37

Kipper encouraged me to attend bootcamp when I was looking

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to get my foot in the door.

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I took his word and ended up attending my first morning show Bootcamp.

Hannah: 00:13:44

Back in August of 2021 and just a few weeks later, I was

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offered my first on air gig.

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We all know networking is huge in this industry, right?

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And that's why bootcamp is simply the best.

Hannah: 00:13:56

I am now doing afternoon drive with Chicago Radio legend

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I'm so incredibly grateful for everything Morning Show Bootcamp

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has brought into my life.

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I've met the best mentors while attending bootcamp, including Don Anthony, Chris.

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I truly don't know where I would be without Morning Show Bootcamp.

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It has helped me grow as a broadcaster while meeting some of

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Visit morning show bootcamp.com today and register for this year's bootcamp.

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I hope to see you August 10th through the 11th in Dallas, Texas.

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Opportunities Hidden in Plains.

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Sight

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bread with on demand.

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We're with the

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always amazing Mike McVeigh.

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Hey Mike.

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What's one opportunity for local radio stations today that most folks might find?

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Just hiding in plain sight.

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You think it's being in the community more being everywhere and

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being seen everywhere regardless of the size of the market.

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Could be New York City or Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco,

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or it could be a small market.

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For Wayne, Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana, Albany, Georgia.

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Mm-hmm.

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Be everywhere.

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Be seen everywhere.

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The more opportunities you have to meet listeners or meet people who could become

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listeners, the greater the opportunity to have success and grow an audience.

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Yep.

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When people meet you, you suddenly become real to them.

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And even though it may seem to you that you're in tiny Town, us a.

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You're still a celebrity to the people who've met you now for the first time.

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Yep.

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The second part of this is that there is a responsibility that goes with that.

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Being that wherever you are, whether you are wearing a station t-shirt, or in a

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station vehicle or not, you're still a member of that broadcast facility, and

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so be a nice person, be a good human.

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Don't flip somebody off or use profanity or be rude to a waiter or waitress.

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Assume that everybody likes you on the air because you're a good person.

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Be that same person off the air.

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That's what's hiding in plain sight.

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Chance to have grassroots growth by meeting people and touching them.

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Our thanks to Mike McVay.

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Boy, he is something else, isn't he?

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Kipper?

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Oh yeah.

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As

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always, our thanks to exec producer Cindy Huber.

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And Associate Producer Hannah B.

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And coming up next,

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Hey, I'm TJ from the nationally syndicated the TJ Show, and we're talking

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about all types of things on our show.

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And the best way to get a quick snapshot is by searching for the TJ Show Podcast.

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It's on all major podcasting platforms and you can find it@thetjshow.com.

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I can't wait to talk to Kipper and Dave on the next Bandwidth on Demand.

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That's a rap.

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Kiper Mighty Bay.

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Talked about community, and we'll talk about it too in

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the one minute Martinizing.

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You'll find it in show notes@bandwidthondemand.com.

Dave: 00:17:11

I'm

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Dave Martin.

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And I'm Kipper McGee.