How I Hit For The Radio Cycle

(By Bob Lawrence)  In 1977, after an unsuccessful attempt as a pre-med major – sparked by the catalyst of a failing grade in Organic Chemistry – I decided it was time to do what “I” really wanted to do, rather than focusing on what my dad had set in stone for me. He was a doctor and had pushed me hard in school my whole life. For him, it was a “fait accompli” from the time I was in grammar school but for me, not so much! I was in love with radio from a very young age.

Growing up in New York City, I listened to some of the greatest talent in the nation. People like WABC’s Dan Ingram, George Michael, as well as the original WMCA “Good Guys” Harry Harrison, Dan Daniels, & Gary Stevens (now on Saga’s board of Directors.) Of course, there was also WNBC’s Imus-in-the Morning, and Cousin Brucie. Later on, there would be WXLO’s (99X) Jay Thomas, Dick Sloane, Steve “Smokin’” Weed, and Al Bandiero – “The Italian Stallion”. Those were magical radio days in the early 60s through the 70s. I remember how incredible it was to learn that Erica Farber was only 27 when she was GM at 99X. One of the GREATEST Top-of-the Hour IDs I ever heard was on 99X… “W-X…ello New York”.

This was magical for an 18-year-old young man in 1976. I met midday jock Dick Sloan at a remote somewhere in my neighborhood and he invited me up to the station to see the studios! WOW!! Are you kidding me? I took him up on it within a couple of days! When I got there, he introduced me to Jay Thomas who after being told that I wanted to get into radio, looked at me square in the eyes, leaned in and said, “SCHMUCK!” Then walked away! I adored Dick Sloane forever after that experience and I was so thrilled to find him on Facebook recently.

In the summer of ’78, I got my first job offer after a friend of a friend heard me on the air at my Queens College radio station – 590 WQMC (carrier current of course). He asked if I wanted to be on the air and do mornings in the small town of Reidsville, Georgia. It was a 500-watt day timer. If the wind blew badly, you couldn’t hear it too well. Ok – it wasn’t really that bad – but 500 watts at 1390 had its limitations. When we had contests, the jocks would call each other and say, “Hey, I didn’t get any callers. Can you be Jimmy Joe from Reidsville?”

It didn’t matter to me. I was on a real, commercial radio station. In case you’re wondering where Reidsville is, it’s about an hour southwest of Savannah and located down the road from the state penitentiary where the original “Longest Yard” with Burt Reynolds was filmed.

My history after that was more the traditional “pack and go”, with inflatable furniture ready and available in-a-flash for the next town! Parkersburg, WV at WXIL was next, then off to WKAP Allentown, PA for a morning show stint for a couple of years, until the call came from consultant Mike Joseph to join the team of talent being amassed at 98 WCAU-FM for the launch of “Hot Hits” in September of 1981.

What a great team we had. Scott Walker did mornings (later he would become PD), followed by Rich Hawkins from 9-Noon. Rich would become a top programmer and then a Regional and GM for Clear Channel some years later. (We have remained friends for many years.) I followed him as Bob Garrett from Noon to 3pm with Todd Parker in afternoons. Todd would later work in San Francisco and LA and today is a highly successful VO talent. We also keep in touch via Facebook. Terry “The Motor Mouth” Young came up from New Orleans and was a true centerpiece for Hot Hits between 7:00pm-Midnight. Billy Burke, who would also work in LA for a while did overnights, and then moved to afternoons when Todd left for San Francisco.

I remember being in the studio working a Sunday shift, and told my wife, “I am still having a blast doing this – but I think I want to grow into something more.” Clearly, I had a hankering for learning something else. I wanted to know everything else that was available. I met with CBS-FM VP of Programming at that time, Bob Vanderheyden to let him know I wanted to be a PD. After all, I must be ready!

For the next few years, I spent some wonderful time as PD in terrific markets like St. Louis and San Francisco for companies like CBS and the original Entercom’s when Joe Field was still at the helm. More than most anyone, I still remain so grateful to Mike Joseph for instilling in me the most valuable tools of my career… discipline and brevity. The industry and world are no longer the same without him.

I was also blessed to do some work at RKO’s 610 KFRC in San Francisco. What a trip it was to work on a station with that kind of heritage and legacy! “The Big 610. The Amazing AM.” One night I picked up the request line, “Hi KFRC!” A young voice on the other answered, “Hi, can you play a song for me?” “Sure”, I said, “Where are you calling from?” She answered, “Cheyenne!” I was dumbfounded, “Good lord, you can hear us in Cheyenne, Wyoming!”

After that I made a stop in San Diego, working with my good friend and former competitor Nick “Bazoo” Ferrara. In the summer of ’88, after Gary Wall and Q106 annihilated our station KS103, I became PD for the new “102-9 The Wave”.

Shortly after that, I got a call from one of my favorite people on the entire planet; Frank Cody at Cody/Leach Broadcast Architecture. He inquired as to whether I knew anyone who wanted to program – what would later become – “Smooth Jazz” for a Japanese Satellite company called, “J-Wave”. We would program the music and actually produce it from our offices in Princeton, NJ and ship it to them on DAT. This was great because guess where my two daughters lived? Oh, did I forget to tell you about the divorce somewhere in the middle of this whole story?

I spent the next 10 years at BA, working my way up to Senior VP of Operations. I found a new calling in Research. At that time, BA was owned by Pyramid Broadcasting and designed to be an at-cost research resource for the O&O stations. It was there I met my programming mentor and good friend, Steve Rivers. To this day – I don’t think anyone has ever surpassed the simplistic genius of my friend Steve. He programmed KISS in Los Angeles when I was at Gannett in San Diego. He programmed KMEL in San Francisco, and would later program Boston’s WZOU Z94-5 which eventually morphed into WJMN “Jammin’ 94-5”.

Steve would later become VP of Programming for Pyramid after programming KISS 108 Boston. He would quickly be promoted to the same at all iterations that Pyramid went through as Duopoly grew in the early 90s and Pyramid became Evergreen, then Chancellor, and eventually he was Chief Programming Officer at AMFM, before they merged into Clear Channel – now iHeart. After a decade, I returned to the Programming chair at K101 San Francisco for a couple of years.

Through all this I met and learned from other truly great programmers, one whom I owe a debt of gratitude – Guy Zapoleon, who in 2001 would help finance and become a silent, part-owner of my research company, Pinnacle Media Worldwide. At PMW, I worked for some incredible companies and stations with tremendous industry talent over the next 15 years! Our clients included Citadel, CBS/Infinity, ABC, Cumulus, Entercom, Bonneville, Hubbard, and Saga, as well as many others!

It was in March of 2015 when I got a call from Ed Christian at Saga Communications. Steve Goldstein had left and opened “Amplifi Media” which left an incredible opening for Saga’s VP of Programming. I was about to be offered another dream opportunity – perhaps the biggest and most challenging of my career. I flew to Sarasota to meet with Ed on March 26th, 2015 and started on April 13th. My family and I moved to Michigan and I enjoyed over five great years with some of the best people at one of the greatest broadcast companies in America. I have such a warm spot for Saga and am so grateful to Ed Christian for that wonderful time and all I learned.

I still however, felt like there was more to do. I tried to soak up so much at every stop in my career alongside amazing Managers. Yet, still I had more to learn. I had been on-air, was a PD, worked in Operations, Production, Coached Talent, developed some powerful research & branding tools and I honed my sales skills, as well. But I had still never managed a market as a GM. I really wanted to “Hit for the Cycle”.

My wife is originally from the South and I thought that we would perhaps retire there. My good friend Mike McVay heard that I was thinking of moving down to Jackson, MS and told me about an opportunity with The Holladay Family of stations at New South Radio in that market. I met via Zoom with Clay Holladay, a tremendous and brilliant local owner whose dad, Ed Holladay started the company decades earlier. In the height of the pandemic in late June 2020, we went to visit my wife’s family in Jackson for July 4th and also met with Clay at the stations. I was blessed to be given my next challenge and I met the staff on July 10th, sold my house in Michigan, and started as GM/Market Manager on July 27th 2020. Here I was as a new GM in the midst of a global pandemic. Well, I did ask for a challenge and I love every minute of it with this great family-owned company.

It’s been a 43-year career that isn’t over yet. I can’t imagine doing anything else. A friend of mine recently said, “Well, you’re a GM now and once a GM, always a GM.” I don’t know. I can only say that I love every aspect of all things I am blessed to do each day.

I believe that this same type of fun and excitement still exists in our industry. Not only on the radio, but through every device that requires human ears. The ear has the ability to create the greatest illusions of all time… far more than the eyes. We all know that seeing is believing… but hearing only requires an imagination. As my friend and mentor Steve Rivers used to say, “Just make magic come out of the speakers!”

Bob Lawrence is GM/Market Manager, New South Radio. He can be reached at: 601.746.7136 or [email protected]