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“ Personalities INSIDE RADIO ”
Monday, December 17, 2007
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It McVay’s Way
Charleston, WV programmer to KTNQ/Los Angeles. “He asked if
I’d be interested in being his assistant,” McVay explains. “The PD
left and Ed promoted me to PD. I got a shot at [programming in Los
Angeles at 24]. That was my big break and made my career.”
by Mike Kinosian, Personality Editor
Suspended Timetable
Much of McVay’s internal job-building was predicated on his
intense desire to be a consultant. “I’m so obsessive compulsive
I actually mapped my career and stuck [to the plan],” he points
out. “I took a $20,000 a year pay cut [as] Operations Manager
[at Cleveland’s 3WE, WWWE] to become a GM in Mobile
and, oh by the way, I wasn’t making $100,000 [in Cleveland]
so I felt it.”
“Distinguished” perfectly describes the physical appearance of
one of the most successful consultants in radio history and also
aptly summarizes his industry career.
World-class advisor Mike McVay skillfully applied formatics
gleaned as a Top 40 programmer to Soft Rock and Adult
Contemporary.
Just as McVay’s name is instantly linked to Adult Contemporary,
many automatically assume the dapper mentor is a Cleveland
native, since that’s where he enjoyed professional success and
is home for his 100+-station consultancy.
Truth is he grew up 60 miles from Pittsburgh.
Early Training
A late-1950s Christmas time trip facilitated by their Pennsylvania
Railroad-employed father saw six-year-old Mike and 13-yearold brother Jim boarding a train for downtown Pittsburgh.
Radio station WHJB was adjacent to the Pittsburgh train facility
and the first time Mike pondered about the medium was when he
stared into the studio. “As soon as he turned off the microphone,
[on-air morning talent] Cowboy Phil walked away and Jim told
me they play cards when the records are on,” McVay vividly
recalls. “I remember thinking I wanted to do that job. That’s the
moment I decided I was going to get into radio.”
Approximately eight years later, McVay indeed gained his first
on-the-job experience as a Sunday night board op – at the very
same WHJB.
It was in Wheeling, WV though where McVay, then working at
WNEU, met the person who remains his closest friend. “Charlie
Cook was at WWVA and [although] we were competitors we
became good friends,” he remarks of the former McVay Media
Country consultant. “I saw Ed Salamon when he was at KDKA/
Pittsburgh and Charlie re-introduced me. Ed hired Charlie at
WHN/New York.”
Ironically Salamon was also pivotal in providing an astronomical
market size leap for McVay, transitioning the then WCHS/
INSIDE RADIO Personality Interviews by MIKE KINOSIAN
When McVay mentions that to young broadcasters, they give
quizzical looks but he stresses it was an education. “I knew
being a major market PD was important [if I hoped] to be a
consultant. I also felt being a GM would help when I competed
against other programming consultants.”
Fascination with the consultancy world can be traced to the
mid-1970s when McVay was a Wheeling PD. “They brought
in a fellow who ran stations a few hundred miles away. I was
intrigued with the glamour of how he was treated. People
valued his opinion. He told me the average client believes every
consultant is an out-of-work program director. He said I should
[start] my consulting career in a position of strength and not
when I was between jobs. Stations I worked at were being sold
and I thought I needed to control my own destiny.”
Establishing a business was one way to accomplish that, so in
1979 McVay did some part-time consulting work.
With the hearty endorsement and encouragement of wife Doris
(who continues as the firm’s GM), WBBG & WMJI/Cleveland
GM McVay five years later launched McVay Media as a
fulltime business. “Larry Robinson was going to sell [WBBG
& WMJI to Terry Jacobs’ Jacor] and wanted me to manage his
St. Louis stations [but] I didn’t want to move,” he explains.
“Doris was pregnant with our second child; our first just began
kindergarten. I didn’t want to drag my kids across America. I
wanted them to grow up and live in one city.”
Married for six years, Mike was reticent to hang out a fulltime
shingle but Doris felt otherwise. “I had a tough time adjusting
to being gone all the time,” he admits. “Doris asked how long
I was going to [be a consultant]. I said two years and [then]
we’d see where we were.”
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At the end of the first year, she posed the same question and
Mike recounts, “I said I’d be tired of traveling after five years.
The timetable however was off at the end of the second year.”
Boundless Boundaries
Adrenaline and excitement are prominent when a person first
starts as a consultant. These days, 54-year-old McVay is on the
road 45 weeks a year. “There’s about ten years when you [dread]
sitting next to one more bad-smelling person on a plane,” he
comments. “Five years ago, I thought I’d do this until I was 55;
slow down; and have a few clients as I worked from home. I’m
now totally rejuvenated. Doris and I are empty-nesters. We have
our first grandchild and I look forward to building something
for the future. I don’t mind being on the road as much as I am.
I’m having a great time and am really in a zone. I still love
going into stations and meeting people.”
A tremendous fan of authors Jack Trout & Al Ries, McVay
was told years ago by Trout that McVay Media should be an
AC-only company. “I was doing AC; Charlie Cook Country;
Harv Blaine [now with Vallie] CHR; and Chris Elliott was my
Oldies guy. Jack said I needed to focus, focus, focus and get
rid of those other guys.”
Instead of downsizing though, the company began growing
post-consolidation as radio groups McVay dealt with in AC
wanted to hire his consultancy in other formats. “I bought
Burkhart-Abrams from Kent Burkhart [giving] us a Rock
division. We got much larger almost immediately. [Within] 90
days we went from 70 clients to over 100. My face was gray
because I was working so hard.”
Boundaries of McVay Media, re-acquired from Clear Channel
in January (2007), now extend far beyond radio station
consultation. “It’s about 65% - 75% of our business,” McVay
reports. “All the other things have made it exciting. We consult
[music artists] and their managers and still do movie soundtrack
work. We’ve been involved with [Daryl] Hall & [John] Oates
in one way or another since 1996 [as well as] with some new
[groups] like [pop/rock] Genuine Sun. We also work with the
Universal Music Group’s catalog division.”
One McVay Media staffer is solely dedicated to non-traditional
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revenue and new business development. Diverse entities such
as an Internet cruise company, an audio book company and a
magazine are clients. “They don’t have anything to do with
radio,” the author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful
Radio Stations” explains “but the connection is media and
marketing.”
Many young people are now part of the company which is
building out New Media and Network Syndication divisions.
Personable John Tesh is the most successful client on the
syndication side. “We began consulting his weekend [program]
and expanded it into a daily/nightly show,” states McVay who
typically blocks out six hours one weekend day to listen to
music and catch up on paperwork. “I intend to have this small
syndication company be a subsidiary of a larger network.”
Tough Competition
Along with Ken Spitzer and Delilah Rene, McVay is
acknowledged as originating Delilah’s enormously popular
nightly “Love Songs” show but doesn’t necessarily view Tesh as
a direct rival to her. “I absolutely continue to love [Delilah]. Her
program has always been [7pm-Midnight] whereas John’s show
can be repurposed to run in morning drive, midday, afternoon
drive or evenings. In more and more markets, John is doing a
daypart other [than nights]. There are some situations [such as
CJEZ/Toronto] where John is on in late-afternoon drive and
Delilah follows him. It’s a very good complement when we
can do that.”
One McVay specialty is coaching on-air talent and Cumulus/
Atlanta Modern Rock 99X (WNNX) morning personality
Jenners is among those capturing the consultant’s attention.
“His natural ability is surpassed [only] by [his preparedness],”
McVay declares. “You don’t find young talent today willing to
[devote] the time he puts in. [Hot AC WRMF/West Palm Beach
morning personality] Danny Czekalinski is in 24-hour show
prep mode. [CBS Radio AC WDOK/Cleveland’s] Trapper Jack
is one of the most gifted and natural talents I’ve ever run into.
He’s never allowed himself to become a dinosaur. Beth & Bill
at [Clear Channel AC] KESZ are the most `Today Show’-like
[program] out there. Their [content] between the [two songs an
hour they play] is really entertaining and compelling.”
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Respect is evident among a certain group of veteran consultants
with whom McVay will compare war stories but he stresses it’s
also a very competitive profession. “Every dollar they take from
me is a dollar my children don’t have. While I don’t want to see
those other guys lose their livelihood, I certainly look at every
dollar they have as one I deserve. Many major [consultants] such
as Dan Vallie, Guy Zapoleon, Gary Berkowitz, Alan Burns and
Rusty Walker have elevated the profession.”
Several big-box companies have given credibility to consulting
and McVay declares, “Jeff Pollack, Fred Jacobs and I have been
out there a long time and are honorable people. You won’t last
very long by [simply] wearing a nice suit.”
Another business aspect McVay wanted to experience was
station ownership since it represents something tangible. “Your
consultancy pretty much goes into vapor when you die,” remarks
McVay who has owned radio properties in Florida, Michigan
and Hawaii. “Your heirs however can sell a station or operate
it on their own.”
Seasonal Sounds
Already potent in Philadelphia (on WBEB) and Houston (on
KODA), Adult Contemporary ratings in those Arbitron PPM
markets have actually improved. “Many people listen to AC
in an environment where they are forced to do so,” concedes
McVay, who devotes some free time to taking his 1957 Chevy
Bel Air convertible (“Rosie”) out for a spin. “I can argue AC
and higher socio-economic listeners aren’t prone to take the
paper diary test. In the case of WBEB and KODA, cume went
up 33% when PPM arrived.”
Although a familiar face at Cleveland Browns home games,
McVay remains a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. “I cheer for the
Browns, as long as they don’t mess up the Steelers’ playoff
run.”
Consumer McVay would love to see XM and Sirius merge
because he’d then have all his sports from one provider. “I know/
love the guys at both companies but the model was outdated from
the minute it was launched. Internet and Wi-Fi are the larger and
more opportunistic delivery methods. To the average person,
there is no difference between satellite and regular radio. You
have AM, FM and satellite. You hit a button to change bands
and get another 100 stations.”
Drop McVay a thank-you note or Christmas card if you’re a
partisan of the month-long all-holiday music format, although
even he contends to be “shocked” the phenomenon has
performed as well as it has. “I was consulting Jerry [Ryan’s
KESZ/Phoenix] and we were going over the ratings. I thought
[the numbers for a little AM were] a fluke but Jerry said it plays
all-Christmas music every December. He said KESZ should [do
the same thing the following Christmas]. I didn’t say anything
but thought he was out of his mind.”
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Such skepticism notwithstanding, Ryan was true to his word
and KESZ wound up having an outstanding book. “All I did
was steal an idea and move it around to other McVay Media
clients,” admits McVay. “Jerry had the original concept
of putting Christmas music [on an FM AC] the day after
Thanksgiving. The six weeks ACs are 100% Christmas are
the highest-rated weeks they have the entire year. Listeners
don’t want to hear [all-Christmas music] until Thanksgiving
or the day after but we flip many stations before then to beat
the competition. It’s worth shocking an audience to go early.
Perhaps 20% of your audience will leave but if they liked you
before [this programming tactic] they’ll [return].”
Rock Solid
An extra special career highlight came in 2004 when McVay
was bestowed with The Conclave’s Rockwell Award. “I’d seen
others choked by emotion when they won it and always thought
it wasn’t like getting a Grammy, Oscar or Marconi. It was cool
when they said I was nominated. It was even cooler when they
said I’d won - until I stood on that stage and saw 200 people
standing and applauding. I’m a spiritual individual and believe
in things much greater than this life. My life will be [seen] as
having been a radio consultant but [hopefully] my spiritual life
isn’t defined that shallow. I’m egotistical enough to know I’d
be successful [but] I surpassed my career expectations within
the first five years. I’m still amazed and flattered to speak at a
seminar and see more than ten people in the room.”
Given where our industry is going McVay contends in five
years his New Media division will generate 50% of the
company’s revenue with another large chunk emanating from
the syndication arm. “Terrestrial radio will continue to be
something we’ll be passionate about and excel at and will
probably take more than 50% of our time. In about 12 years,
we’ll be media advisors, whatever that is. I enjoyed my time
being part of Clear Channel. They were very good to me,
treated me fairly and enabled me to buy back my business for
pennies on the dollar. We’re looking at our second-best year
ever in revenue. I’d be thrilled if I could still be doing this
when I’m 70 or 75.”
WHO: Mike McVay
WHAT: President
WHERE: Cleveland-based McVay Media
HOW MANY CLIENTS: 100+
Published by INSIDE RADIO.com Monday, December 17, 2007. Written by
Personality Editor, Mike Kinosian for INSIDE RADIO and M Street Corp.
All rights reserved. No alterations to the content of this story are permitted.
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