Brian James - Creative Services Director at The Power Pig, WFLZ-FM, Tampa, Florida
By Jerry Vigil
It's no doubt one of the hottest stations in the country, if not THE hottest. It's the Power Pig, WFLZ-FM, in Tampa, Florida. Late last year, Program Director Marc Chase began his search, an important search for the perfect production person for his promos, for his sweepers, and especially for his station's "attitude." The search ended when the tape of X100's Production Director, Brian James landed on Marc's desk.
Brian began his career ten years ago in Richmond, Indiana where he started as an overnight jock and worked his way up to Program Director. Several other small Indiana markets tasted Brian's talents before he landed a job as Production Director at then WNAP in Indianapolis. As Brian says, "I was steered out of programming because people kept coming back to me for production." Brian wrapped up his stay in Indianapolis at WIBC-AM, replacing Rick Allen who left for New York's Hot 97. After stops at B94 in Pittsburgh and X100 in San Francisco, the polished, 29 year old Brian is planting a firm foot in America's most popular pig sty.
R.A.P.: Is there any such animal as "Pig Production?"
Brian: I believe there is. I think "Pig Production," if you will, is a whole lot of attitude. We've done some pretty ferocious things here, like sweepers that say, "The Power Pig...Eat Me!" There's a lot of that attitude in the production, and we maintain that attitude in everything we do. It's a lot more aggressive stance than I've ever heard at any station. It's the most fun I've had in my time in radio, and Marc Chase is a big part of that because he really lets you be creative. He gives you the ball and lets you run with it. He doesn't hover over you. He gets good people in there and lets you do the job.
R.A.P.: Is this attitude carried over into the production of commercials?
Brian: No, not really, but there's a strange thing happening. We're starting to see a lot of the night clubs and the bars trying to follow suit. They've started having in-house promotions similar to those we run on the air. But other than these places trying to follow the radio station, the other spots are pretty much left alone as far as transferring the attitude goes.
R.A.P.: Your title is Creative Services Director. Is there a Production Director there as well?
Brian: Yes, there is. His name is Brad James. I call him my illegitimate brother. He takes care of the commercial production, and my job is doing the promos, sweepers, and helping Marc come up with the creative side of the radio station.
The station's a big one for brainstorming sessions. We'll sit around in Marc's office, and somebody will bounce an idea off of the wall. The next thing you know, we've got a promotion. Marc is a very "open doored" PD.
R.A.P.: Do the jocks help out with the dubs and tags?
Brian: Yea, they do. We also have probably one of the most overqualified Continuity Director's on the planet. He's Paul Turner, and he's got a set of pipes like you've never heard in your life. He was working at The Wave here in Tampa before he came over here. His stuff is so good that he was just hired to go to the Fox in Detroit as their Production Director. He'll be leaving us in a couple of weeks. He's around 22 years old and has a voice that everyone would kill for. He's gonna be big. Remember that name, Paul Turner.
R.A.P.: How much of a part does production play in Jacor's success there in Tampa, and is this attention to production typical with Jacor?
Brian: Our station is very highly produced. I'm on the air as much, if not more, than the disk jockeys. We're pulling the jocks down, right now, to stay with that music intensive image, so the guys have ten second breaks then boom, they're off. They're probably doing that three or four times an hour. The rest of the time, it's sweepers and promos.
All of the Jacor stations are highly produced to the extent that their format will allow. Take Joel Moss at WEBN. He's one of the best AOR production people going. You can't really call an AOR station highly produced, but I think they are as highly produced as they can be. Jacor is real good about keeping their production top notch. The way they outfitted the room down here is incredible.
R.A.P.: Tell us about the room.
Brian: It's all new. We've got a brand new Wheatstone console, the MX-70 8-track Otari, two Otari MTR-10's, the Eventide H3000 Harmonizer, two SPX-1000's, and a compressor. I've got a Roland S-10 keyboard/sampler, a Yamaha rackmount sampler, and we're getting ready to get an Emax. Then I've got a couple of my own keyboards up here for sweeps and such. I've got an Akai and a Yamaha that I use for zips and zaps.
R.A.P.: What are you using for production libraries?
Brian: I'm glad you asked. If anyone out there is looking for a library, they might want to check out Rick Allen's new library. I just bought it from him. He's got an incredible library. I use it on all our promos and sweepers, and it's very inexpensive, as libraries go. That's another nice thing about Jacor. They let me have the tools I need. They let me buy this library from Rick, and we've also got PowerPlay from Airforce. Plus, I just got in the new "Weapons" package from Brown Bag.
R.A.P.: You found out about Rick Allen's library before we did. How did you do that?
Brian: I've known Rick for several years. I finished my time in Indianapolis at WIBC-AM. That's where Rick was before he went to New York. I took his place at WIBC. Rick's a great guy. A lot of the things I know about keyboards and samplers, Rick taught me when I was in Indianapolis. There are several great production guys that came from Indianapolis. There's Eric Edwards who left WNAP to go to work for Emmis at WENS. Of course there's Rick Allen, and then there's Ron Carter who is now at KZZP in Phoenix.
R.A.P.: Do you have any formal musical education?
Brian: No. My knowledge of samplers and the way they work is honestly from Rick. I'm not a big one for making music, per se, but I love using the samplers and synthesizers for vocal effects, lazer shots, and stuff like that.
R.A.P.: Would you say your experience with the keyboards and samplers played a major part in your getting the gig at the Power Pig?
Brian: Not really because Marc is probably not the world's biggest fan of sampled sweepers. I think one of the keys to success is being able to read what that PD likes. The guy is not hovering over me, but you've got to learn what the man likes. Marc doesn't like an over-produced radio station, and he considers a lot of heavy duty sampling over-production and irritating. I think what got the job, at least what Marc told me, is that my production is very tight and he loved the attitude. He says there's a tad bit of "cockiness" in my reads, but not so much that it comes off arrogant. He said, "You're perfect for the Pig," so take that as you may.
So I don't think my sampler and keyboard experience was necessarily instrumental in getting the gig. On the other hand, there are people out there that I do sweeper packages for that just want them sampled all over the place, and knowing how to use the gear has come in very, very handy. You mention sampler and a lot of people always think of that stutter effect with the voice. They don't realize how many other ways that sampler comes in handy, as with the placement of sound effects or keying a cash register to the music bed. That all makes for a promo that sounds tight, and there won't be one thing in the course of the promo that will sound irritating. The sampler has a lot to do with that.
R.A.P.: We've had several calls from subscribers telling us how they just can't get their station to spring for a sampler so they can get the experience on the machines. Any advice to these people?
Brian: A lot of small market stations have called me wanting to know how to get the gear. If you go to your General Manager in a small market and tell him you want $2,500 for a sampler, nine times out of ten, he's going to laugh at you. But a lot of times, you can find people willing to trade out that equipment. Take my Roland S-10 for example. I got that from a guy in Pittsburgh who worked a deal with me. I only paid $700 for it. The machine listed for around $1400. Don't be afraid to go to your salespeople and have them pull a few strings. Talk to your PD or your General Manager about a trade. Show them what kind of plus the unit is going to be for the station. Don't just walk in and say, "I need twenty-five hundred dollars."
R.A.P.: Please tell the world. Where did the name "Power Pig" come from?
Brian: I'm not totally sure at this point. I can tell you that when Jacor was doing some research on what would be successful in Tampa, "Power Pig" was strictly a code name for a format. It was our format, and that was the code name given to it. When they talked about different things that would be successful, they gave each format a different code name. When the question came down as to what we would call this radio station, this format, the decision was made to just throw this format on the air under the code name. In a worst case scenario, they would just pull it off the air if it didn't appeal. The next thing you know, the people in this town are calling us the Power Pig, and Power 93 became secondary. I don't know if this was really planned or not.
R.A.P.: Aside from "attitude," what would you say is the basic programming philosophy that seems to be working so well there?
Brian: First of all, I think Marc Chase has gained the respect of his superiors in Jacor with his success at Y107. He got that by making Y107 an "outrageous radio station." He does things that are very unconventional, as radio goes. We like to consider ourselves a parody of what radio really is. We have a couple of places in the hour where we will play a positioning statement, and the rest of our sweepers are for just having fun. You don't always have to pound home that message of "the most music" or "the most variety" every time that you do something. People remember the radio station because it's fun. Chase has managed to keep it very off the wall. Nobody is more outrageous than this radio station, and I think that's the key to it. We've got people listening and wondering what's going to be next. I've had guys come to me and say, "You know, I don't necessarily love the music you guys play, but I love the things that you do." When you've got people listening to music that's not necessarily their favorite, just because you're a wild group of people, then you're gonna do it. Then add those people who love your music and what you're doing.
R.A.P.: Would you say the attitude of Pirate Radio in LA and that of the Power Pig are synonymous with each other?
Brian: I honestly don't think so. I had a chance to listen to Pirate for a while when I was in San Francisco and had to drive to LA a few times. I don't want to take anything away from anybody, but it's not the same. They're not nearly as aggressive as we are. I'll send you some of our sweepers for The Cassette. We raise a lot of eyebrows.
R.A.P.: You won last year's Firsty Award for major market promo with the "Earthquake" promo for X100. You have quite a set of pipes. What kind of processing, outside of EQ and compression, did you use on your voice in that promo?
Brian: The only place in that promo where my voice was really processed was when I actually said, "earthquake." I used the H3000 Harmonizer and dropped the voice a notch with that. It gives you that great separation and the big rumble that's in there. Other than that, I've discovered the attributes of the Symetrix mike processor, and I'm a happy guy. The Symetrix and I must be compatible because it brings out all the right tones. It's a nice piece of gear.
R.A.P.: What are your thoughts on the new hard disk recording systems that are coming out? Do you think they'll replace analog multi-tracks anytime soon?
Brian: I've seen demonstrations. I had a chance to go to the NAB engineering thing last year and saw some demonstrations there. Plus, I had the privilege of being in New York with Rick Allen when he got his system from New England Digital. I think the whole concept is a great idea, but I just don't find them very "radio ready." We're all creatures of habit, and until they make the system with the rewind button, the play and record buttons, and things that work in that direction, I think they'll have a hard time getting in the door. Everything I've seen has just been too computer-oriented. We need to go in our rooms and pound out a promo or a spot in short order, and I haven't seen a system that can do that yet.
I would like to see somebody make some serious efforts to put some of these hard disk systems in the hands of the producers. It's going to take some of those companies having the will to go, "OK Brian, here's my digital system. I'm going to put it in your room and let you use it. Put it through its paces and help us develop something that will become radio ready, if it's not already." When they do that, they'll start getting some endorsements from people around the country saying, "I use this. This thing is great!" Then you'll start seeing sales.
R.A.P.: There are a lot of people out there making production libraries for us. What is your assessment of what's out there and what would you like to see in the way of future production libraries?
Brian: I think a lot of places fall short of what I like to see in a production library. You get a library that has music beds on it, you pick a cut, and the cut has a melody. I get the impression of this guy sitting down and writing a 30 or 60 second song, as opposed to something that is going to be hot, yet not pull the listener away from what's being said. You don't want the listener to be pulled away from the copy and start humming a melody that's in the background. I'd like to see a lot of hot, rhythmic beds geared to particular formats. I mean, if you're leaning urban, you want hot, bass-thumpin' beds in there. If you're rock-40 you want a little guitar going in the background. I think where a lot of places fall short is that they're writing mini-songs as opposed to legitimate beds. In a 30 second promo, if I want to switch the music five times in that promo, I don't want people to be humming along with a melody and have to switch. If I could make a suggestion to the people that produce libraries, I'd tell them to just do hot rhythmic beds and not try to blow me away with some melody.
On the subject of libraries -- and I advise a lot of people to do this -- never ever buy a library based on the demo. I've been burned a couple of times. When you hear a demo and think it's just right for your station, you might buy it and suddenly discover that you didn't get what you thought you bought. If you're an urban station and you get this library just laden with heavy guitar riffs, your first reaction is, "this wasn't on the demo!" Then you feel bad because all of a sudden you've got this library, you can only use about ten cuts on it, and you've just spent five thousand dollars for it. Most of the companies today will work with you. I haven't run into one yet that won't let me hear the entire library.
R.A.P.: If you had every radio salesperson listening to you, what would you want to tell them about being a Production Director?
Brian: (chuckle) It's kind of neat. In my present position, I can now honestly say that I have nothing to do with salespeople, and I love that! On the other hand, for those people that have to deal with them, I'd say this: I really wish salespeople would realize that it takes time to put together a good spot. This masterpiece you want to sell your client with is going to take more than fifteen minutes in the studio. Give the producers ample time, ample information about your client, and all the information they need to produce that spot. Just do that, and you and your Production Director will get along much, much better.
R.A.P.: If you had every radio programmer listening, what would you say to them on behalf of producers?
Brian: I'm going to have to plead ignorant on that one. I have worked for some really outstanding Program Directors. When I was in Indianapolis, I worked for a lady named Mary June Rose who took WIBC to its highest level ever, and she gave me creative freedom in my department. I went to Pittsburgh and worked for Jim Richards. I went to San Francisco and worked for Bill Richards, and then came here to work for Marc Chase. I have never been in a position where I felt they were doing something unfair to me or asking something unrealistic. The only complaint I ever have, and radio seems like it is this way all the way around, is that I hate last minute things. I went in this morning and cut a promo for an event that's supposed to go on tomorrow, and they came in ten minutes after I cut it. The first words out of their lips were, "You haven't cut the promo for this yet, have you?" Everybody's heard that one. I really hate to cut something and then have it be a waste. But honestly, as far as Program Directors go, I have to plead ignorant there. I've worked for some great people.
R.A.P.: I know you're doing voice work for other stations. Do you have your own official business for this?
Brian: Yes. When I got here, I went and did the necessary paperwork to make it official. Brian James Productions does exist. I started out planning on doing sweeper packages, and what I've ended up doing the most of is just voice over work like the work I do for San Diego, St. Louis, and San Francisco. It's all just dry tracks and they have some very talented Production Directors there to take care of them. I love doing it that way because laying down voice tracks isn't very time consuming compared to actually producing a full blown promo. One thing that has really helped me is the high profile of the Power Pig. It has put my work in places that normally wouldn't hear it. I'm real happy with the freelance business. Another nice thing is that it helps keep me from getting into a rut because of the large variety of stations and formats I do work for.
R.A.P.: How about a tip from Brian James for the rest of us?
Brian: Everybody is always their own worst critic. There's one thing I think is most important: If you're ever producing something and you have the slightest question about whether you've put this in the right place or put that in the right place or breathed in the wrong place, if there's any kind of question in your mind about that promo, redo it. Fix it. Make it as absolutely close to perfect as you possibly can. For the guys in the small markets, you never know when that little bit of perfection is going to bop you right up to your next big job. Like I said, by being your own worst critic, you'll always find a lot of little things wrong. Go back and fix them. The work will sound better, and you never know who's going to be listening.
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Our thanks to Brian for this month's interview and all the best to him in the future. If you have someone in mind you'd like to see as the subject of a future interview, drop us a line with the suggestion.