Indiana RadioWatch: July 31, 2013
Northeast
Where Are They Now? Former WOWO Promotions Director and then-WFWQ Production Director/Midday jock Drew Dawson will soon be the new station manager and host at Georgia Public Broadcasting radio station WACG in Augusta, Georgia.
Northcentral
Afternoon host Jim Carter exits the WFRN radio network (based at WFRN-FM, 104.7, Elkhart) and joins HCJB Global, doing audio production in their Elkhart global technology center.
Westcentral
Natalie Randall exits Midwest Communications' CHR/WMGI (100.7fm, Terre Haute) where she was the PD ("Brand Manager," in Midwest parlance) and was on air in afternoons. On August 19, Ms. Randall becomes the new PD at KSPW in
Springfield, Missouri. Ms. Randall remarks on both KSPW and WMGI, saying, "[KSPW is] an amazing group of people who share a passion for Top 40 radio and their listeners, and I can't wait to be a part of this winning cluster. It's
bittersweet to leave WMGI and Midwest Communications. I must thank Jack Swart and all the Mix-FM crew for making my five years in Terre Haute so worthwhile."
Radio Spotlight
Name: Bill Shirk
Job Title(s): President, Program Director, DJ at Hoosier Broadcasting Corp.; Co-Owner, Program Consultant at Hochman Media.
Station(s): WIRE-Lebanon, IN; WSPM-Greencastle, IN; KORL 101.1FM, Translators 101.5, 107.5, 97.1 - Honolulu, HI; KPHI-AM-Honolulu, HI; KONI-Maui, HI; KRKH-Maui, HI; KRYL-Maui, HI; KJMQ-Kauai, HI.
Market(s): Lebanon, IN; Greencastle, IN; Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, HI.
Owner: Hoosier Broadcasting Corp. Pres. Bill Shirk / Chairman, Bill Mays. Hochman Media is Bill Shirk, Bill Mays and George Hochman.
Who were your early DJ or radio station influences? (Perhaps what lead you to "catch the radio bug."?)
Larry Lujack, WLS Chicago, Cousin Brucie, WABC New York, Ric Shaw, WQAM Miami, The Real Don Steele, Los Angeles, Jackson Armstrong, Philadelphia
Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Having fun.
Hopefully everyone sees the "Listen Live" link on the radio station website. What has online listening meant to your station?
Lots of listeners... No Money. On J-POP (Japanese Top 40), Has 280,000 online listeners per month in Japan, We still haven't figured out how to make money on this.
If you had such a thing as a "typical day," please tell us about yours?
Up at 6am, Work out at 7am, Go to "Radio MOM," do my show and put out any "Fires", leave around 11:30am to visit Mother at Nursing Home, Have lunch, Head home around 1pm, Spend rest of the afternoon fishing, watching TV or working
in the yard.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I'm the BOSS!
What has been your biggest radio career accomplishment?
First: Selling 3 Class A's and a low power television station in Indianapolis for 23 times cash flow
Second: First in nation to hook up 3 translators to 100,000 watt KORL-FM on High Definition 2, High Definition 3, High Definition 4, K-POP 107.5 (Korean Pop), J-POP 97.1FM (Japanese Pop), K-Rock 101.5.
What has been your most memorable moment on the air?
When I was handcuffed, chained and put in a Plexiglas coffin and buried under 7 tons of dirt and cement broadcast LIVE on Hoosier Hot 96dot3FM. In 1968 I talked LIVE to Howard Hughes on WERK, Muncie.
What is the best thing about noncommercial radio?
Music licensing fees for WIRE, Lebanon is only $900 per year. When I owned commercial station WHHH, it was $80,000 per year.
What makes Bill Shirk unique on the air?
I can play it straight or completely CRAZY!
What makes the Indianapolis radio market unique?
Legendary stations like WIFE, WNAP, WIBC, WNDE and WXLW - They even made an Emmy Award winning movie about these stations (Naptown Rock Radio Wars).
What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?
I have been an air personality continuously on radio for 48 years.
What's the best advice you'd give to those wanting to get into radio?
Get a part-time job at a radio station to learn what it's all about.
What's the most important issue in radio today?
There are too many stations and all the creativity has seemed to vanish.
What's your biggest pet peeve in radio?
Not being a member of the Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
What's your favorite out-of-market radio station, and why?
JAMZ 98dot1, Kauai - Upbeat top 40 programmed by veteran broadcaster Scott Wheeler and me.
What's your philosophy about radio ratings?
Live by the ratings... Die by the ratings. What's most important: Does your radio station give your advertisers results?
Where do you see the radio industry five years from now?
Hopefully in a better place.
Who's your favorite air personality that isn't working for you?
Amos Brown WTLC Indianapolis and Bernie Eagan WYXB Indianapolis.
Why do you think radio is still important?
Because it reaches 96% of all people weekly.
Employment Opportunities
WBCL Radio Network is looking for an energetic, organized and creative person to join the ministry team as Promotions Director. This position will be responsible for supervising and overseeing promotional efforts, contests, interns
and volunteers. Person will: work closely with the Development Director to implement strategic promotions that can increase revenue and listenership to WBCL; needs a proven track record in promotions and community involvement;
passion for and experience with social media; on-air experience a plus! Details on responsibilities and qualifications listed at wbcl.org. Send resume to Personnel Director, WBCL Radio Network, 1115 W. Rudisill Blvd. Fort Wayne IN
46807 or email to employment at wbcl dot org No phone calls, please. Taylor University Broadcasting, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
89.1 WBOI and 94.1 WBNI public radio in Fort Wayne seeks a Business Development Specialist to secure financial support for our stations. Duties include: prospecting potential program underwriters, preparing proposals for
underwriting and event sponsorship, and writing copy to satisfy client needs, FCC regulations and station policies. In collaboration with the General Manager, annual goals will be set for underwriting and sponsorship, as well as
monthly targets and weekly activity levels for meeting goals. This position will also assist with on-air fundraising and community promotional activities. The successful candidate will be a self-starter with a track record of
developing new business and a demonstrated ability to work independently. College degree or comparable experience, computer literacy, valid driver's license and dependable transportation required. Knowledge of public radio and an
understanding of and commitment to its values are highly desirable. Position is salaried, non-commission. Send resume and cover letter to: gmpd at nipr dot fm. No calls, please. Open until filled. WBOI and WBNI are an Equal
Opportunity Employer.
WFYI Public Media is accepting applications for a Multi-Platform News/Public Affairs Content Manager. This full time job reports to VP of Interactive Media and Content Strategy. This position is responsible for the creation of
policies, practices and the placement of public affairs content on WFYI's multiple content platforms from internal departments and external content providers. Those platforms include wfyi.org (and other future mobile platforms),
radio and television. This position will also generate ideas and produce original content for those platforms. You will: Manage the flow of news and public affairs content from internal WFYI departments onto wfyi.org, FM 90.1 and
channel 20, manage the flow of content from external sources onto wfyi.org from national organizations including NPR, PBS, and AP, manage the flow of news and public affairs content from local WFYI content partners, develop strong
working relationships with relevant WFYI editorial staff and actively participate in creating online elements for special features or packages, assist in oversight of user generated content and communities, including blogs, comments
and other opportunities for WFYI visitors to share their views about the topics we cover, design and produce multimedia feature coverage, taking projects from conceptualization to research and development, through pre-production,
production, post-production, delivery, evaluation and final report, provide suggestions for home page treatment of material and assist in planning and producing special coverage and live events, work with internal staff to improve
the organization's skills for creating interactive content, and conduct Web/Mobile audience research, identify and track key metrics such as traditional pageviews, social media engagement and streaming media to help evaluate the
traffic growth and usage of WFYI.org. Qualifications include a college degree, extensive Journalism or news background, knowledge of public media preferred, demonstrated excellence in best practices for writing for the web, editing,
copy-editing and headline-writing, good user interface/experience sensibility; able to communicate design/feature ideas to a Web designer or Web developer, and you must have excellent communication skills, and a customer service
attitude. To apply, please send cover letter and resume to Human Resources, WFYI Public Media, 1630 Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202-1429 on or before August 15, 2013 or email hr at wfyi dot org. Please, no telephone calls or
walk-ins. Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
WFYI Public Media is accepting applications for a Director of Membership. Duties: Responsible to the Vice President of Development for directing the annual giving membership program ($3M revenue budget) including on-air pledge
drives, direct mail and telemarketing programs, and for supervising related personnel. Provides leadership to 5 FTE and the Community Ambassador outbound telefundraising program. Specifically responsible for maximizing net revenue
for WFYI by: Providing direction and leadership in managing the day-to-day operations of annual giving membership efforts. Directly supervising Membership staff including three managers: On-Air Development, Direct Mail and
Telemarketing. Managing online & email, vehicle donation and online auction programs. Analyzing data and information to create successful membership strategies and objectives based upon industry best practices and benchmarks.
Preparing annual budgets for membership department. Setting goals for membership solicitation activities such as on-air drives, direct mail, telemarketing, email and other campaigns relating to acquisition, renewal and additional
gift revenue. Cooperating with other development & organizational leaders to ensure effective and efficient overall fund raising activities. Assisting in planning and executing cultivation activities and events.
Qualifications: Graduate of four-year, accredited college or university. Must have broad range of experience in fund raising for a minimum of 5 years, preferably in public media. Must have extensive knowledge and experience in
personnel management, and working with complex relational databases. Must possess excellent written and oral communications skills. Must be able to deal with internal & external constituents in a professional and courteous manner.
The successful candidate will exhibit characteristics of innovation and positive motivational leadership.
To apply, please email cover letter WITH SALARY REQUIREMENTS and resume to: Human Resources, WFYI Public Media, 1630 Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202-1429 or email hr at wfyi dot org.
WFYI Public Media is accepting applications for a Community Engagement Coordinator (Temporary, 35 hours a week through January 2014). Reports to Vice President of Community Engagement. Duties: Initiate, support, and assist in
planning and evaluating the community engagement strategy, including the American Graduate initiative, interactive PBS Education products, cross-platform education content, Indy Talks, and the Spirit and Place Festival. Help
strengthen and support collaborations and partnerships to advance station goals for community engagement. Engage in the planning and execution of special events and conferences. Assist in the gathering and curating of content for
the web to meet the online engagement strategy goals. Assist with the planning, content development, and execution of social media strategies. Participate in internal team and station meetings, to plan, promote, create, and secure
funds to advance station goals. Other duties as assigned. Qualifications: College degree and at least one year experience in a non-profit, collaborative environment. Adept in social media and web skills. Passion for public media.
Excellent written, oral, and team communication skills, including attention to detail. Ability to participate in multiple projects and partnerships in a changing environment. Possess strong computer skills, including Office, Excel,
and web-based interactive software and applications. Possess initiative, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Hours are weekdays, along with flexible hours during special events and promotional activities. Weekend hours sometimes
necessary. To apply, please send cover letter, resume and minimum salary requirements to Human Resources, WFYI Public Media, 1630 Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202-1429 or email hr at wfyi dot org.
Do you like bats, bourbon and basketball?? If so, keep reading. Newly formed Summit Media Group's Louisville cluster is on the hunt for the nation's best talent. We need a morning personality/imaging director for top rated 107-7 The
Eagle, Louisville's Classic Hits (WSFR). Prepare to be all live, all local and ready to work - show prep, creative content, production, appearances, social media, concerts and more expected. Main focus on live mornings and imaging.
Must be willing to accept coaching. 3 to 5 years on-air experience preferred. Experience imaging Classic Hits, Classic Rock, Hot AC a plus. Excellent pay, benefits and resources. Summit Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Send packages to: loujobs at summitmediacorp dot com.
Emmis Communications' WIBC/Indianapolis is reloading with more live and local talk programming. Our next afternoon host will talk about things that make others talk about them... someone that understands the difference between
displaying/relating conservative sensibilities vs. ideology alone. If you want the job, you'll need to be as comfortable talking about Mark Zuckerberg as Marco Rubio and Ryan Lochte as Paul Ryan. If you can connect the dots on what
commonalities make both "The O'Reilly Factor" and "Chelsea Lately" work you could be ready to pull off the kind of show we are looking for. Insatiable curiosity required. Amaze us with your demo, writing examples, and anything else
that conveys why your skills and talents will keep us relevant through the next decade. Send to dwood at indy dot emmis dot com.
Hoosier AM/FM is seeking an experienced media Account Executive to join the sales team of our four-station cluster in Muncie-Marion, IN. This person will be responsible for prospecting and developing new business as well as growing
and maintaining existing accounts. A positive attitude and excellent verbal and written communications skills are a must. This is a full time position. Hoosier AM/FM offers a competitive compensation package including Medical,
Dental, Paid Vacations. Minimum education level is High School diploma or equivalent. Resume and letter of introduction are to be sent to indianaradiojobs at yahoo dot com. Hoosier AM/FM is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
That's all for this issue. Thank you for your continued support.
Blaine Thompson
Indiana RadioWatch
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