Linda Byrd is the President, North Florida Region, for iHeartMedia. She manages the Orlando cluster of nine radio stations and a state network for iHeartMedia. She also oversees the Central/North Florida region, which includes Sarasota, Tampa, Melbourne, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Panama City, and Brunswick, Georgia. And she’s on Radio Ink‘s 2018 Most Influential Women in Radio list.
Over the next several weeks Radio Ink will be highlighting many of the fabulous women who are making the radio industry run like a top. They are leading hundreds of employees through a time of tremendous pressure and change, and responsible for bringing their company a lot of revenue.
Here’s our extended interview with iHeartMedia’s Linda Byrd.
Radio Ink: Why do you believe you are successful?
Linda Byrd: I am a strong believer in hiring the best talent in all positions. That’s where success starts. I can be a great captain but if the ship is not seaworthy we will never get to our destination. I establish clear cut expectations of what I want the end-game to be and everyone is responsible for developing their own path (with my guidance) of how to get there.
To reach the highest levels of success in our industry, one needs to establish what they want their “brand” to be, what kind of a leader they want people to know them as, and then put everything you do through that filter. When people can predict how you are going to react, you have achieved success at establishing clear direction.
Radio Ink: What do you do to stay sharp?
Linda Byrd: I interact with a lot of people in all types of businesses from the neighborhood Starbucks to the CEOs of major industries. I ask a lot of questions about consumer behavior, ideas for success, perceptions of our business, etc. And it’s amazing what you can learn when you just ask and listen. Even my son’s 20-year-old friends have ideas and thoughts that can take my breath away.
Radio Ink: What are you doing to make the radio industry stronger, and why do you believe it’s important to help the industry grow?
Linda Byrd: We need to constantly recruit great people into our business. If you don’t work in the industry you really don’t know how special it is. Especially in the sales arena, we are constantly looking outside the business for star performers to backfill any open positions. Broadening your skillset among your sellers is vital to having a high-performing unit. And having diversity throughout your organization drives high performance.
NOTE: Our MIW list will not be released online. It will only be available to paid subscribers. Subscribe to Radio Ink in time to receive our popular Most Influential Women in Radio issue. GO HERE
Radio Ink: If we were able to put you on speaker phone and every radio manager was on the other end listening, what would you say to them?
Linda Byrd: What are you doing differently today than you were a year ago? What is your view of the possible? There is so much opportunity out there for every market, even the smallest…you just have to remove your blinders and think really big! Don’t just talk the talk…you have to walk the walk, and you can’t hide from the numbers. Don’t just take direction if you don’t believe in it. Push back, question things that are not consistent with your unique circumstances…trust your instincts. Take risks but be smart and be prepared to deliver. No one will ever be known as a great leader if they take the safe route.
Radio Ink: What one goal has eluded you so far?
Linda Byrd: Meeting Paul McCartney.
Radio Ink: What do you want to see radio do better?
Linda Byrd: We are as big as TV, yet we don’t view ourselves as such. Why not? Have you looked at the numbers? Are you aware that the phenomenon of “cord cutting” is becoming a regular practice…and not just with millennials? Radio has the greatest ROI, the greatest creative flexibility, the greatest ability to target…and did I mention, the greatest reach!
Reach out to Linda and congratulate her on being very influential at [email protected].
Subscribe to Radio Ink in time to receive our popular Most Influential Women in Radio issue. GO HERE
As a texter and emailer, i can say Linda has been most responsive and the best to work on with. Best work here and she is always in mind.
Linda is the “real deal” who takes the time necessary to know her market. I’ve had the privilege as a client and a vendor to work with her and it has always been a pleasure.
Great for her!! but I have a question: Many radio stations mention the ROI return on investment, but my question is for who its that theoritical return because many times the only one who gets huge chunks of money is the radio station with a great return on their client investment! its a great.return for the radio station while the client is left with nothing else then a bunch of losses.
So, Retuen On Invesent for who…?
Also, when CEO’s have so much power is not good for the industry. I dont know this lady, so I can not say nothing about her job, but hipoterically saying: what if a Corrupt CEO gets control of many markets like the ones mentined in thisnstory, coould you imagine the extent of the damages if a Corrupt and unethical CEO get acces to all this markets when a company its too big, and when it has too many radio stations?
This is another example of why its never a good idea to put so much power in the hands of a single person.
Over my 30 year career I’ve had a lot of management influence. I’ve had the privilege of working in Linda’s region for close to 2 years now. She surrounds herself with top notch talent, and expects the same of her managers. She is by far the most motivating and inspiring, top level radio executive I’ve worked with. When our market was placed back into Linda’s region in 2016, our staff that knew her did the “happy dance” for days! Congrats Linda on being chosen on this list once again.
Linda sounds like an ideal manager. Wish I could have had that experience with all of my managers. I have always enjoyed working for women. They learned from me as much as I did from them. Radio is not as fun as it used to be. Linda brings some of that back.
I met Linda in 1983 when she was at WCRJ and I was at WIVY in Jacksonville… I to wish that we could have worked together but I am still better off as person because I know her and can call her a friend… The number of incredible people who were either revived, recruited or retained by Linda who have been a part of some great operations is as long as any in the radio business. Using the word influential to describe Linda is an understatement. Best Always
One of the most supportive, honest people in the industry. Before I got the chance to work with Linda I was jealous of the people who were.