Originally published on February 24, 2006

Mike Culotta

OM WQYK AM and FM Tampa
Agenda Chairman

Last week Nashville hosted a couple of thousand people at the annual Country Radio Seminar. This year's Agenda Chairman was Mike Culotta, OM for WQYK-AM & FM in Tampa.

 

Culotta's committee worked for an entire year to prepare for a record number of panels, sessions, speakers and showcases, and they threw in a little bit of fun too.

 

Getting into the business: "I grew up in the Tampa area, and I have always listened to WQYK. My grandparents used to listen to the 'cash call.' I went to school and started my own business, typesetting and publishing local and regional music magazines. We listened to a lot of music at work, and I got everybody listening to country because I loved it. A lot of them got hooked. One day someone said, 'How come we don't do a country magazine?' and I started a local country magazine."

 

Joining WQYK: "I met with the folks at WQYK. Beecher Martin was PD. He was very kind and introduced me to all the jocks I'd always listened to. I told Beecher I was going to do this country magazine and wanted to see if the station was interested in doing the back page or providing some editorial content. Beecher told me I needed to meet a guy named Tom Rivers. He said, 'You guys will get along great.' Little did I know that I would basically be meeting my brother.

 

"Tom and I hit it off from Day One. He was ecstatic to be part of the magazine. He asked if I would consider getting up at 4am, and I said, 'I guess it's a possibility.' A couple of days later he asked me if I wanted to be the morning show producer at WQYK. They were bringing in Cleveland Wheeler, and Tom said that Cleveland didn't know a lot about country and I seemed to have a wealth of knowledge. I'd come in the mornings and help out as a part-timer and then go back and run my company.

 

"I worked with Cleveland on the morning show for about 18 months, then Tom became the morning show and I continued to work with him. He also asked me to do a lot of other stuff and to help with promotions. I didn't know anything about those things, but Tom was very encouraging. For another 18 months I helped Laurie Moon, who was our Promotions Director. She wanted to go back to school and was getting married, so her job became available. Tom had me apply for it, and I was lucky enough to get it.

 

"Eric Logan eventually came aboard as PD. I worked with him until he left to go to Chicago. Just before that happened Paul Williams got a shot to work at KPLX-FM (The Wolf)/Dallas. To this day I still have an R&R Hotfax above my desk that says he was being promoted from Promotions Director to PD. Tom walked in and said, 'The door is now open.' As far as he knew, that was the first time a Promotions Director had been promoted to PD."

 

Becoming PD: "Not long after that I was lucky enough to become PD. They did a search, and the company decided that I would get the shot. I had had years of training. It was like going to four years of college because Tom, Eric and Beecher had always been so open and I got to see everything. Whatever I wanted to know about, be it ratings, hiring and firing, clocks — whatever — they were kind enough to fill me in.

 

"Tom left for Chicago, and I'm still here as OM/PD. I have worked at one station for my entire career. I have been very, very lucky to grow up here and to have listened to the station, to understand the heritage, and then to get an opportunity to work here and move up through the ranks."

 

On the station's success: "It's got great ratings. The baton has been passed from each PD or OM who's gone before me, and we move forward. We're approaching 35 years, so it's been a long run. We look at it like a marathon, not a sprint. It's a very good family; everybody's very loyal."

 

His programming philosophy: "Find great people and support them. Find people you know are good at what they do, who have character, and then support them and move forward. When we find good talent and support them, it definitely makes them feel good. Keeping this group together as a family is important.

 

"It's naive to say that it's about the clock from a programming standpoint. You've got to keep the fun in it, and that fun will translate to the radio, which will hopefully translate to ratings and revenue. That's what we have done."

 

State of radio: "I don't know that I'm qualified to comment on the state of radio, but what I will tell you is that our market rank moved from 21 to 19. We're in a building boom down here. There are more and more people moving here. Around 90% of the market listens to radio every week. I'm very bullish on radio, and we try to instill that in the people here. When you've got a positive attitude, it affects everyone. I'm very positive about radio as an industry and definitely here in our market."

 

State of Country radio: "I love it. I've been very excited over the last couple of years by the quality of the music from the people who have been around for a while. It's great to see the George Straits of the world have continued success. The Toby Keiths of the world have definitely become the superstars, and it's also great to see new stuff like Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich. I'm a big fan.

 

"Brooks & Dunn re-created themselves and are definitely staying at the top. Rascal Flatts — unbelievable. And then there are the new artists like Keith Anderson and Danielle Peck. We're putting out a lot of great music, so I'm very positive."

 

How he got involved with the CRS: "I got involved by attending it. As I attended, I made it known that if they ever needed any help, I'd be glad to get involved. My first big opportunity was to help RJ Curtis out of a bind. We were in Denver at one of the regionals, and they needed a clock for one of the sessions. Everybody was to have one minute to talk on a subject, and nobody had a clock. RJ asked me if I could help out, and I got out my computer, went into Power Point, and the next thing you know, we had 60 slides and a clock.

 

"During that time I got to meet other people who were involved, many of whom I already knew. One thing led to another. I had been on some panels and was lucky enough to have won a couple of promotion director awards too. I was on the Agenda Committee, and they asked if I would be Vice Chairman and, this year, Chairman."

 

How others can get involved with CRB: "It's incumbent on anyone in Country to do it. Let it be known that you would like to be part of it and are willing to help out. Whether you are on the board or on a committee, it not only helps your career, it also helps the seminar, which makes our industry better and stronger. The easiest way to get involved is to find somebody in CRB, introduce yourself, and let them know you've got a particular skill or desire and that you'd like to be a part of it."

 

Most influential individual: "Tom Rivers. He was an unbelievable individual who had a huge heart and was a great teacher. He was never worried that by teaching you, he would lose his job. He was very open about introducing you to contacts and helping you be a better person. That was probably the biggest gift he gave me: the opportunity. He opened the door. Then, of course, I had to go through the door, sell myself, and make myself valuable. He was definitely like a brother to me. Beyond that, there are Eric Logan, Beecher Martin, Jay Miller and Charlie Ochs — all have had an enormous influence."

 

Career highlight: "WQYK and having the family we have at the station. Winning a CMA Station of the Year award was definitely a highlight. This past year the station got the Humanitarian of the Year award for outstanding community service. Everybody at the station works together as a team, and everybody gets the recognition."

 

Career disappointment: "The biggest disappointment would be that Tom Rivers is no longer with us."

 

Favorite radio format: "Country."

 

Favorite television show: "Anything on the History and Discovery Channels."

 

Favorite song: "Garth Brooks' 'The Dance.'"

 

Favorite movie: "Austin Powers."

 

Favorite book: "Coach John Wooden's A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court."

 

Favorite restaurant: "Salt Rock Grill on Indian Rocks Beach."

 

Beverage of choice: "Water and tequila."

 

Hobbies: "Bottom line, I have way too many hobbies and nowhere near enough time. I love outdoor stuff — hunting, fishing, going out in the boat, riding horses. Outdoor activities with my son are probably my biggest hobbies."

 

E-mail address: "mculotta@cbs.com."

 

Advice for broadcasters: "You have to love music and trust your heart and your gut. We have access to some great talent, and there are some great radio stations. I am looking for a positive attitude from everybody. I think that's the real key."