Issue 502 - June 6, 2016

Page 1

June 6, 2016, Issue 502

Management 101:Leading Radio’s People

Radio’s inherent stresses and reliance on colorful creative types make effective people management and healthy workplace culture critically important parts of doing business. Just ask Cumulus CEO Mary Berner, whose turnaround efforts are sharply focused on improving the employee experience. “Toxic cultures are characterized by muddled thinking and decision making, unresolved internal conflicts, high turnover and an inability to recruit and retain quality employees,” she told investors earlier this year. “And they almost always result in poor performance.” Hard to disagree with that, but how are such cultures mended and what does good management look like? Country Aircheck spoke to three high-profile and highly Dr. Jackie Gilbert effective radio managers and a college management professor to find out. Respect, self-awareness, fairness and positivity are the names of the game, says Dr. Jackie Gilbert of Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Business. A large body of research supports a “people-centered” strategy that’s democratic/supervisory in style and egalitarian in nature. “In other words, ‘I don’t work for you and you don’t work for me, but together we work to accomplish mutual goals,’” she explains. Bones, Hugs And Harmony: It’s a concept Cox KKBQ/Houston PD Johnny Chiang subscribes to. “I equate everything I do to sports and you could probably say I’m a player’s coach,” he says. “Having a harmonious locker room is really important to Johnny Chiang me.” In fact, Chiang doesn’t really view it as managing at all. “I just look for ways to make the people around me – my teammates – more comfortable,” he continues. “Not in the lazy sense, but how can I make them feel like they have everything they need? I (continued on page 8) want them to have all the support they

Rip-Roaring Good Time: Capitol’s Keith Urban (second from left) with WIL/St. Louis’ Bud Ford (l), Becca Walls and Jerry Broadway at the second stop of the RipCord Tour Friday (6/3).

Urban Pulls The Ripcord

Capitol’s Keith Urban rolled into Kansas City Thursday (6/2) to launch his RipCord World Tour 2016, complete with seven tour buses, nine semis and an 8’x66’ high definition video screen. And by all accounts, the tour is off to a big start. KFKF afternooner Ed Walker says from the first chord of opening song “Gone Tomorrow (Here Today),” the show was high energy with lots of crowd participation, and a good mix of recurrent hits and cuts from RipCord. “The crowd seemed very familiar with the new album,” he says. “They were singing along to every song from it.” Ed Walker “Like I usually do, I thought the show screamed Entertainer of the Year contender,” says KBEQ PD Mike Kennedy. “The show is so tight, so energetic, yet he still finds a way to take time to engage the crowd one-on-one.”

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Issue 502 - June 6, 2016 by Country Aircheck - Issuu