Want To Win? Lead, And Get Out Of The Way!

Shannon Knoepke is the Market Manager for Entercom in Minneapolis. She’s been in radio for 21 years, 17 of those as a manager. One of Shannon’s employees told Radio Ink how Shannon brought the Minneapolis cluster through the CBS merger could be reason enough to nominate her for one of radio’s best managers, but it is one of many. “She inherited a challenged station group when she took the helm nearly three years ago. She didn’t allow ratings issues or lack of resources to challenge her ability to lift morale, goals, and expectations. I can only hope Shannon stays in Minnesota with our station group to see all the fruits of her labor pay off. I anticipate she will be highly sought after by other parts of our company and even other companies.”

Knoepke is a supporter of hard work and winning attitudes. She embodies what she seeks to bring out in others. She is strategic and multi-faceted. Shannon knows what makes compelling audio content. She strives to bring the most talented people together to create it, program it, and sell it.

Here is our extended interview with one of Radio Ink’s Best Managers of 2018.

Radio Ink: Why do you believe you’ve been able to achieve the success you have as a manager in radio?
Shannon Knoepke: I’ve had some great radio mentors along my journey. I’ve been a sponge throughout my career, and I’ve learned what to do, and what not to do. Have I made mistakes? Absolutely, but I’ve learned from my mistakes to become a better leader. I’ve also learned that a strong business culture matters. Once your workplace culture improves so does your business.

Radio Ink: Who mentored you, and how did they help you succeed?
Shannon Knoepke: The late Bob Fox was a positive role model for me when I first entered the business. He always had a smile on his face; had great relationships in the market, and he’d say “the best idea to the table — wins.” He was right — we had a successful radio business. I moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2001, and I had the pleasure to be the DOS for John Laton. John was my true mentor who really taught me how the radio business works. He trusted me, and we ran a solid operation together for eight years. Everything came together for me working for John, and I’ll always be
grateful for his guidance and his trust in me.

Radio Ink: What do you expect from the people you manage?
Shannon Knoepke: We give the “car keys” to each manager of their department to lead that department in a positive and respectful manner. Each person needs to be willing to collaborate, generate ideas to grow our business, develop leaders as they develop, stay current, and really be a player for all seasons. I’m an athlete and I love to win, so let’s find ways to cross the finish line together. However, if we lose, how do we learn from that mistake to change behavior and find ways to be successful together.

Radio Ink: When/how do you know you have a great employee who has the potential to become a manager?
Shannon Knoepke: This has happened a couple times for me while in Minneapolis. First, I promoted an AE, Shannon Hoheisel, to our Live Events & Experience Director a couple of years ago. She continues to grow revenue with our event business with new opportunities and fresh new ideas. Second, this year, I promoted an AE, Brad Fedorowski, to General Sales Manager of our two FMs. He’s a fantastic coach to our AEs and he’s finding unique ways to grow revenue, and he’s willing to lead new initiatives to keep us current. Both of these moves have been extremely successful moves for us.

Radio Ink: Tell us what your biggest/most proud moment at the station or cluster was over the past 12 months.
Shannon Knoepke: The biggest/most proud moment for me was November 17, 2017, our first day with Entercom, and we announced that the Minnesota Twins were coming back to WCCO-AM after an 11-year hiatus. This was a huge day for our team, a huge day for the Minnesota Twins, and a huge day for the State of Minnesota. They could hear their beloved Twins back on WCCO! A special thank you to David Field and Mike Dee for working with us to make that happen.

Radio Ink: What does it take to be a strong and successful manager in radio today?
Shannon Knoepke: I think a strong and successful manager needs to really care about their employees, understand them, and listen to them. Also, be honest, give recognition, communicate effectively, and keep your cool. I have a sign in my office that reads, “Work Hard and be Nice to People.” At every quarterly staff meeting, I end with a message to the team: “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Give thanks for all of their hard work, and HAVE FUN!

Radio Ink: What would you like to see the radio industry be better at?
Shannon Knoepke: We need to do a better job of telling the radio story, as an industry, with the same narrative. Amazon and Google are spending billions of dollars in “audio” with their home speakers, etc. Radio is audio, and audio is radio. Just think if radio was invented today. I think people would look at radio and say, “You mean I can listen to radio on my phone, or in my car, or in my office on my computer, or at home with my home speakers for FREE?” Let’s all work together to tell a consistent story.

Reach out to Shannon to congratulate her on being on of the best market managers in America at [email protected]