30 Under 30 Honoree Profiles: Chris Thomas
Written Jun. 24, 2008 by Edison in 30 Under 30 with 1 Comment
Title: WLVQ Program Director/On Air Mid-days, Wilks Broadcasting, Columbus, OH
Who is Chris? "My love of entertainment started as a toddler when I built my own radio and TV studio out of boxes and put on shows for family and friends. My love of music resulted in an early career as a successful jazz musician and composer. Radio became a career interest for me when our teacher assigned us a radio unit in high school speech class. I put together my project with a small mixer, tapes, and a microphone my father gave me. I voiced a couple of my first commercials along with being the host of my own "mock" radio program. My first part-time job came at age 16 when I was hired at KSEZ and KMNS in Sioux City, Iowa. In 1998, my first full-time job came as Imaging Director/On Air 7-Mid for KSEZ. I was promoted to Morning Host in 1999 and within a short time was Arbitron rated #1 Persons 18-34, 18-49, and 25-54 for three straight years. After also taking on the PD position in 2002, the station grew to an overall Arbitron rating of #1 Persons 12+, 18-34, 18-49, and 25-54 (Mon-Sun, 6a-Mid). In 2004, I added PD of KMNS to my duties. In 2005, I moved to Columbus, OH for the position of Imaging and Creative Services Director/On Air 7-Mid for WLVQ. Within one year I achieved a #1 rating 7-Mid Persons 25-54. Then after a buyout, I was promoted to PD/On Air Mid-Days. Since my start of programming WLVQ, the station (Mon-Sun, 6a-Mid) has excelled from #6 to #2 in our target demo of Persons 25-54 (Fall '07 Arbitron). We have enjoyed a #1 rating Men 25-54 for one solid year. Everyday I go to work with the goal of making a positive difference interacting with listeners, co-workers, and advertisers. I appreciate the opportunity you are giving young broadcasters to share our stories. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my family, friends, co-workers and mentors."
What would your dream job be? "To have my own syndicated radio or television talk/entertainment show. As a child, I used to beg my parents to let me stay up late to watch Johnny Carson. I love the spirit of late night TV and hosts like David Letterman and Craig Ferguson. I could also see myself branching into radio consulting or expanding my self-owned imaging/commercial production company (CT Audio Productions)."
Who has been your greatest influence? "When I was a child, someone jokingly warned my parents that they better find a way to positively channel my energy for entertainment. My parents supported all of my interests and encouraged my creativity. My wife is very supportive and understanding of my unpredictable hours. I am also very grateful to Rich Zaber who first hired me, Matt Weesner who taught me a lot, and Jeff Sanders from whom I continue to learn."
What is the one format that you can't believe nobody has done? "In a day when you can immediately buy a recording of a concert as you leave the venue, a station airing back to back live concerts would take it a step further. A daily/weekly concert line-up can be sent to the e-mail database and listeners may vote online for their favorite concerts. With the new HD stations and additional internet streams, perhaps someone is already doing this."
How could radio do a better job of attracting younger listeners? "Creativity in content is the key. When those two elements are combined, you can hold the attention of a person of any age. Engage people in thought and they will react to your passion. Whether it's imaging, commercials, promotions, shows, or an entire station; if it entertains, reaches listeners emotionally and gets your message across, it will achieve results. I am also a big supporter of giving back by visiting high school speech classes and educating them on radio. I bring along some materials and let them build audio art of their own. They love it and I'm always impressed how it re-invigorates me."
How will radio remain relevant in a digital world? "If we all change that question to "How will I remain relevant?" - radio will remain strong. Take personal responsibility to embrace new technology in a way to benefit listeners, programming, and sales. I am intrigued by the popularity of podcasts and excited to see support for iPods with built in radios. Online listening through station websites is quickly becoming not just a luxury, but a necessity."
Reader Comments
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I listened to your show every morning when you were in Iowa and LOVED every minute of it. You are completely entertaining and the entire city was sad to see you go. Congratulations and good luck. You certainly deserve it.