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Time well spent with ...
Tony Fields, OM of WEDR-FM (99Jamz) and WHQT-FM (Hot 105) in Miami/Fort Lauderdale
First, a little bit of history...
Miami is known for its surrounding blue waters, but on the radio tip, it may be soon known for its Fields, Tony Fields,
that is. He's the relatively new OM at Cox radio's WEDR-FM (99 Jamz) and WHQT-FM (Hot 105), the one-two punch in the ratings
game in a market that is multi-ethnic like no other city in the U.S of A. The Miami/Fort Lauderdale market encompasses a huge
population of Latins, about half a million Caribbeans, a large population of African-Americans and some white folks, too!
But back to Tony Fields... he started out as personality back in the day (smile... OK, he's not that "old!"),
dabbled in TV along the way and soon found himself climbing the ladder at a Black-owned radio company called Blue Chip. He
ended up second in command at Blue Chip, which at one time owned some 17 stations, mostly in Ohio and Kentucky. Then Blue
Chip was acquired by Radio One. Fields ended up in Dallas at KBFB-FM (97.9 The Beat) for about a year. Then he was out (we'll
get to what happened in a minute). After sitting out a little more than six months, he came back into the picture in Greenville,
S.C. at Cox-owned WJMZ-FM (107 Jamz) in 2002. Earlier this year he segued to Miami to oversee operations of the also Cox-owned
99 Jamz and Hot 105.
Of course Fields is busier these days than a one-legged man in a kick fight, but... he took time over the Labor Day holiday
to chat with Starpoynt magazine, his NEW, favorite online e-zine! (big smile!)
Star - So how do you like South Florida?
TF - Love it. It's a phenomenal area. Phenomenal people. Various cultures and lifestyles come together to be as one. Programming
to it is a phenomenal challenge. But it's also a phenomenal chance to use my skill set and work with some amazing people.
Star - Let's talk for a minute about your history... it's been a roller coaster the last few years. Seems you are on your
way back up, so to speak. What are some of the lessons you've learned in the time from being second in command at Blue Chip
to now?
TF - More or less, that patience is definitely a virtue you need. Blue Chip was built on a team concept, and the team
concept at Cox is huge, so it's a perfect fit. Teamwork is what makes the company go. From every faction of the radio business,
decisions are made based on the team.
Star - Any comment on the Radio One situation? Rumors were that it came down to how much control you had over your own
play list...
TF - Absolutely not. What that came down to was that we had an agreement that when Blue Chip was sold that we would stay
on until April 2001. As of April 2001 the agreement was fulfilled. Prior to the purchase of Blue Chip I was offered the Beat
in Los Angeles and I chose to stay with Blue Chip, so as you could
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| Fields' first stop with Cox... 107Jamz Greenville, S.C. |
imagine it was a bit uncomfortable.
Star - You were actually unemployed for a time... how did you stay focused and fresh as far as radio is concerned?
TF - I was consulting and also talking to different radio people. I was offered a few jobs. I was just waited for the
optimum. And that was what came with the Cox opportunity in Greenville.
Star - We'll get back to some serious radio questions in a minute, but I have to ask... what's it like working for Jerry
Rushin, who has to be one of the most amazing GMs in radio history! (For those of you who don't know, Rushin has been an icon
in Miami for like 30 years... he has gone from working for single-family ownership to corporate ownership and held his ground.
He's a major force in Miami in so many ways, including politically. On the management tip, he is one of the wisest men you
will ever meet!)
TF - It's been a total pleasure. His bulk of knowledge in South Florida, his wealth of knowledge with people... civic
leaders, community, leaders, politicians... the success of the radio stations has been undeniably
... continued top center ...
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Star - So what's in your CD player right now?
Bobby Valentino's debut CD, Barry White's Greatest Hits, AWB (Average White Band), Kanye West's new CD, Vivian Green.
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connected to him.
Star - Let's talk about urban AC Hot 104.5, which is your focus, although I do understand you also work with Cedric Hollywood
on WEDR-FM (99 Jamz). Wow. Miami is such an eclectic market with such a variety of demographics. What's the magic in Hot being
No. 1 (12+, 25-54, No. 4 18-34) in a market that is so... vibrant with ethnic differences and so young end?
TF - The true success to that formula is the company has allocated the right tools, from research from a music standpoint
and a market standpoint. Put those two together with the right people and that's half the battle. Even after the research,
we have a great team effort in implementing our game plan... the staff is great at executing the game plan. We all feed off
of each other in the Cox chain, from here in South Florida to Birmingham and Greenville and other markets. We have all the
right people in place, all the right information in place and then it's executed properly. It was winning before I got here...
Rich Reis, Tony Kidd, Jay Dixson, along with Jerry Rushin, have done a great job.
Star - What is your target demo for Hot?
TF - 25-54, leaning predominantly female.
Star - Music-wise, what does a typical hour sound like?
TF: From what I understand a hot urban AC to be (Mario and Beyoncé to Luther, Anita), Hot in Miami would be an urban AC
that is progressive. We're progressive with position
| Some of Fields' Greenville 107 Jamz crew |
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| Personality Doug Davis, APD KJ, indie artist F'Lana Star, personality Kenny Miles & OM Tony Fields |
but conservative with the music. It's not your typical urban AC.
Star - So what kind of promotions have you implemented to complement the music?
TF - First and foremeost, we are constantly putting together promotions that have an anchor with our core listeners. For
example, we did a "Success Matters" promotion... we set up a situation where individuals came in to an event to
learn from other individuals who have been successful in different areas of business, such as Magic Johnson. We tend to draw
about a 1,000+ people. Listeners come into network and then are treated to a show. The first one was complemented with a performance
by Toni Braxton. It was very successful in so many ways, from the educational level to pure entertainment.
Star - Do you do joint promotions/projects with sister station 99 Jamz? How does that work... how is it decided who's
the lead dog in those situations?
TF - If there's common synergies, then we work together. An example that goes across both demos... 18-34 and 25-54...
was the Scream Tour... both stations did promotions. Hot listeners wanted tickets for their kids, while the 99 Jamz demo wanted
the tickets for themselves.
Star - You came into a situation with a lot of veteran players, such as James T, Cedric Hollywood, even MD Karen Vaughn
has been in it for a minute... what kind of management style does it take to gain the confidence and cooperation of people
who are already winning in their market and, in their mindset, have been there, done that?
TF - Again, in order to be successful in management, you have to be able to listen and learn. I don't think any person
in this business has all the answers. You have to be willing to listen. Listening to what they already know about the marektplace
is a must. Once you take in that knowledge and add in what you know as a manager, you can all be successful. It's truly been
a phenominal opportunity to work with these individuals... they all want to win and they know how to win. My job is to make
sure we give them the tools to be great at what they do and let them do their jobs. And if I can't give them the answers,
we have great people within the Cox organization to get the answers.
Star - Do you spend time and money on internal and external marketing and promotions of your stations?
TF - These stations have been around... we have two heritage stations here, so they are known by probably 98 percent of
Blacks here. They give us an opportunity everyday
... continued top far right ...
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Star - Any truth to the rumors you turned down the V103/Atlanta PD job?
TF - Yes. I don't like to use the words "turned down," but I was with a great situation in Greenville with a great
company, and again, with Jerry Rushin in Miami, Steve Sincropi (GM Greenville) and Kim Guthrie (regional vp), Rich Reis (regional
vp) and Cox prez Bob Neill... just collectively they have done some great things for me to make me a better programmer and
manager, so there's something to say about loyalty. V103 did put the pressure on me. I gotta say this... for me, even when
I was out of a job (between Radio One and Cox), it was a matter of accepting the right offer.
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to be their radio station. The visitation is already there... WEDR is the No. 1 cume station in the market. That says that
it is getting a lot of visitors that come to the product everyday. Same thing with Hot... it has very high cume. The visitation
to the product is not a problem here. Getting recall on these two stations is not a problem. How we perform is the key. So
in essence, the billboards and TV are not a priority.
Star - 99 Jamz, especially, from way back has always been very community oriented. Has budget tightening affected that?
TF - Absolutely not. It anything it's made it greater. Having a community presence can only enhance your station. We continue
to do a lot of great things that are community driven. And Cox as a company is that way. It's not just a company mandate,
it's one of those things in the Black community you have to do to be successful. In addition, our staff for the most part
has lived here, grown up here and they want to be involved. They want to get the information, the tools out there to make
their community better. The music is still the foundation, but when you can tie the two together, that's when you can truly
be successful. Tom Joyner is an example of successfully being able to combine music and information and involvement.
Star - What's your take on research? Are you a go out in the field kinda guy, or do you rely heavily on research?
TF - You have to have research to have the big picture. There is no way you can go out and go door to door and get all
that info. The world of information is moving too fast. You have to use a lot of resources to get a real opinion that reflects
the community. There are other thing you have to do... research where to have a party or certain event.. we have so
many decisions to be made on a daily basis, I'm glad that part of it... the music... is so heavily researched.
Star - What's been key to your longevity in this crazy industry?
TF - I just have always been able to work with some terrific people in this industry. I've learned something from everybody.
I've worked with some great employees, managers and owners. I think when you are open to learn, your career can only go one
way. If you love this business and you're in it for the right reasons, you're bound to be successful. If you're in it to make
a difference in this world and the way people are entertained, you'll probably be successful. You gotta love people and care
genuinely about them.
Star - Comments on the state of the music industry today? Has the music gotten better?
TF - For what we were doing back in the day, the music was right on. Today, again, it's pretty much right on for what's
going on in the world. Back in the '80s, people thought music was out of control. Music reflects what is around us. There
have always been people challenging the music at different times.
Star - Thanks for a great interview, Tony!
Next week... Karen Jordan-Bland of 107 Jamz
Check out WEDR-FM (99 Jamz) at www.wedr.com and WHQT-FM (Hot 105) at www.hot105fm.com
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