The Infinite Dial

Title: Operations Manager for Emmis Austin Radio, including stations KDHT-FM (Hot 93.3 - Rhythmic CHR), KLBJ-FM (93.7 KLBJ - Mainstream Rock), KROX-FM (101X - Alternative), KBPA-FM (103.5 BOB-FM - Adult Hits), KGSR-FM (107.1 KGSR - AAA), and Program Director for KDHT-FM (Hot 93.3).

Who is Chase? "Chase was born on September 30, 1982 in Youngstown, Ohio. He graduated Salutatorian from Struthers High School, and attended Youngstown State University and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. While in Youngstown, he was hired by Program Director Tom Pappas and started in radio at the age of 15 at WHOT-FM (Hot 101 - CHR). At the age of 18, he worked for Clear Channel in Youngstown, Ohio at WAKZ-FM (95.9 KISS-FM - CHR) where he was responsible for assisting in the programming of WAKZ-FM and creating and producing imaging for all seven of Clear Channel's Youngstown stations. In 2002, he was hired by Program Director Chris Edge as the Assistant PD/Imaging Director/Afternoon Host for WDCG-FM (G105 - CHR) in Raleigh, NC. After Chris's departure in 2003, Chase held the Program Director responsibilities for G105 under OM Chris Shebel. In 2004, he was hired by Clear Channel Regional Vice President of Programming Don Cristi as the Director of Programming for Clear Channel Tulsa, and Program Director of KTBT-FM (92.1 The Beat - Rhythmic CHR). In December 2006, Chase took on the duties of Operations Manager of Emmis Austin Radio's five FM stations, and Program Director of KDHT-FM (Hot 93.3)."

What would your dream job be? "It's hard for me to name one position as my dream job. It's changed a lot over the years because I consider myself a constant student and I'm always interested in the new things that I learn. 5 years ago, I would have never considered being a Market Manager, but as I've watched how some of my mentors handle this position, it's something I would be very happy doing. My heart has always been in programming, so I aspire to be a VP of Programming for a major broadcast company. I have even thought about becoming an owner someday. Short answer: my dream job is in the continuation of great content development, regardless of the medium."

Who has been your greatest influence? "I have been extremely fortunate to have great mentors in my personal and professional life. Personally, my mother and grandfather have contributed the most positive forces to my life. Professionally, there have been several great influences. Tom Pappas (former PD of WHOT/Youngstown) who gave me my start, Chris Edge (former PD of WDCG/Raleigh, and now Digital Media Account Manager for Emmis Austin) who brought me to Raleigh and launched my management career, Don Cristi (RVPP/Clear Channel Tulsa) who gave me amazing insight into management and the responsibility of managing multiple stations, Scott Gillmore (VP/Market Manager Emmis Austin) who wasn't afraid to hire a "kid" that he had faith in and allowed me grow both personally and professionally, Jimmy Steal, Val Maki, and Rick Cummings (Emmis Senior Management Team) who are the best leaders and team members in the industry, and have bread a supportive growth environment for me, our company, and the entire industry."

What is the one format that you can't believe nobody has done? "I think that question is somewhat flawed. A format, in its traditional connotation, is a genre of music, personality, or a mixture of both that is tailored to a specific life-group. Programmers tend to have this very inside view of our industry. The format is not the important question, the content is what matters. Anyone can spout off what they think the perfect music recipe might be, but if the iPod generation has taught us anything it is that our perception of the perfect format is far from the individual listeners' definition of perfection. If you're asking me what "content" I can't believe nobody has done, that answer is more simply stated "user generated media." I think the great minds of our industry get this and are working on it. I aspire to be part of the solution that truly puts interactivity and pull-content into the hands of the audience, despite the delivery platform."

How could radio do a better job of attracting younger listeners? "I'll restate the basis of what I said in question 3, give them control! Develop content that is interesting to this life-group and allow them to interact with it. That doesn't mean create the content you think they want, it means ask them what they want, and allow them to take part in its creation. Radio has been so focused 25-54 (and to a lesser extend 18-34) for so long that we've alienated the future generations of radio listeners. If we don't have brands that offer content to the youth audience (under 18, or imagine pre-teens!), how can we expect them to use our brands when they are of age in our targets? It's the reason the retail industry's spending targeted at kids has grown from $100 million in 1990 to $2 billion in 2000, and is well beyond that today. They know if they form the habit when they are young, they'll continue to use the brands as they grow up."

How will radio remain relevant in a digital world? "I'm starting to feel like a politician as all of my answers are circling back around to two common themes... content and control, period."