646-654-4688 BYSKIP [email protected] R8tB alert Manager: MINAL PATEL 646-654-4623 [email protected] WMIB Brings A New Beat To Continued from page 1 10 Questions With... BROWN HORNHIT tions. Clear Channel saw an opportunity to noons. There's no doubt they are a better radio PRODUCTION DIRECTOR bring people in Miami together under a big station [than they were]." WPGC WASHINGTON, D.C. hip -hop umbrella." Summers says that during the on -air war, He continues, "WEDR has done a great job"WEDR changed their positioner to 'all of How did you get into production? Mac computers. I prefer Macs over PCs. At as a heritage station. WPOW superserved the today's hip -hop and R&B.' We came back with "I started out in my hometown of Grand WPGC, I can easily turn out 10-15 produced Hispanic market for many years, but no station 'the station that doesn't play all of today's hip - Rapids, Mich., out of high school as a mixspots in an hour. That's a lot of stress on a would speak to both in a market like Miami. It's hop and R&B, only the **** you want to hear.' jock at R&B WKWM. When the station machine. I have a Mac Powerbook G4, and it's such an ethnically diverse market you really These subtle shots have made them do what few switched formats, I was out of work and real-the only [computer] I haven't been able to can't speak to one and not the other. The atti-heritage stations will do-chase the No. 2 guy. ized being a jock may not be a secure career. crash yet." tude we work to project is, 'If you love hip -hop, But WEDR's younger, more relevant approach I went to college to study law How do you define good you can listen to the Beat.' Our lately shows that WMIB is being and child psychology." production? ethnic composition for the taken seriously." How did radio find you "Spots must be infectious summer book reflects the He credits WMIB's airstaff for again? and effective. The overpro- diversity. We're 50% African - the station's impact. While pop- "Four years later, I wound up duced 'balls to the wall' stuff American, 38% Latin, and ular in Los Angeles for years, as production director [with doesn't work. Listeners, espe- we're on the right track to many radio programmers and on -air duties] for a small AM cially females, should be able becoming a coalition station." executives paid little attention hip -hop station. I actually beat to walk away from your station In addition to Miami, 2003 to current WMIB morning the top 40 station in town in my with an understanding of what has seen the arrival of addi- hosts the Baka Boyz outside of time slot." a promo said." tional Clear Channel R&B out- the West Coast. Summers was Who helped you along the What's the hardest part of lets in Columbia, S.C.; Hartford, glad that was the case. way? your job? Conn.; Des Moines, Iowa; and "What's unique about [the "I met imaging talent Scotty "Balance. Production takes most recently Tampa, Fla. "It's Baka Boyz] is they're mini PDs," Webb, who later brought me to dedication. The hours don't amazing where hip -hop has he says. "I'm fortunate because Washington, D.C., to work with matter; it's about getting the come from in terms of radio," THE BAKA BOYZ I got them after [Emmis Radio him and voice-over specialist Jack Daniels. Also,job done. And that can be rough on your per- Summers says. "We all remem- president] Rick Cummings and XM Radio/Radio One's Mike Abrams, [who sonal life. I always work to stay ahead of my ber when top 40 radio was on [Clear Channel VP] Steve was] working for Cox/Birmingham [Ala] then, PD. I don't want him having to wait on me. I the fence about hip -hop. Bobby Brown at one Smith [had worked with them]. They know the was one of [Webb's] clients. He had come from listen to the station so I can stay ahead of time was considered a rapper, and he never really radio game and understand mornings. They WQHT New York and schooled me on major -what's happening." rapped. You had stations that didn't want to deal walked in the door knowing all the basics that market production. He would fax me pages of What stations influence your work? with a record with a rapper in it. Today, you've PDs usually waste time trying to teach, like time stuff nonstop." "Growing up it was WJLB Detroit, especially got R&B stations that don't want to play an R&B and temperature. That means we're spending What was your rust main production system? when Tre Black was doing nights. He did his record unless a rapper is on it. our time brainstorming ideas "I used an Akai BPS 12, a CD player and own production and was phenomenal. WQHT Hip -hop is definitely the flavor and new ways to capture the mini disk." New York is always good. [WQHT morning right now." market. They've had a serious What do you use now? host] Sway's 'Wake Up Show' during his Los Summers adds that the re- impact here already. They've "Cool Edit Pro's new version, Audition, is my Angeles days were always well -produced." cent Billboard Hot 100 chart gone from seventh to fifth and main program for promos. For remixing and What keeps you motivated? that had hip -hop songs in all top [are] now third in their target jingles, I prefer Logic Audio." "This battle between WPGC and [crosstown] MIAMI'S NNEW#I1 FORHikOP RA13 10 positions "was a great mo- demo [18-34]. They're aggres- What's your favorite toy? WKYS. It's brutal." ment to be black. [That] made sive and push the line at times, us feel great down here. All hip -hop. It's tile but hip -hoppushes the line. Hip -hop is aggres- mainstream right now." sive. They live the lifestyle. "Outside of the Baka Boyz, we've got Big Tig- CHANGING THE GAME ger voice -tracking middays and new jacks Nina If competition is good for radio overall, Sum- Chantele in afternoons and Papa Keith at night. RADIO CONCERT MONITOR mers feels WMIB is proof of that. "WEDR has On weekends, LSQ and Mr. Mauricio are doing DATE STATION EVENT PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR tightened up. You can tell stark differences that a great job, and , formerly of Nov 9 KBXX Houston Los Magnificos Custom Car Show Natalie Jones have come straight from WMIB. Beside , is one of my main swing jocks." APPEARING: Ludacris, David Banner, Youngbloodz, Chingy, B2K, Marques Houston, UI' [longtime WEDR morning host] James T being Flip, T.I., Bad Boy's Da Band, Baby Bash, Big Moe & the Wreckshop Family shifted to sister WHQT, you've got Rick Party TRUE TO SOUTH doing morning drive at WEDR. They've also While continuing to develop the station's Nov. 21 WZMX Hartford, Conn. Hot Jam 3 Tristan Korlou recently brought in Lorenzo Thomas for after- sound, Summers has worked to find local artists APPEARING: Jay -Z, Roc -a -Fella Family, Chingy, Kelis, Jagged Edge, TOK, Elephant Man that fit WMIB. "We were among the first to break artist Jacki-0, and we've got a new local artist, Nov 26 KMEL San Francisco Gobble Gizzle Stacy Cunningham Diddy Radio Dirtbag, who's due to make some noise. He had APPEARING: B2K, Marques Houston, Bow Wow a record with Monica recently, and we helped him get his springboard here." Let us monitor your event! Call Skip Dillard at 646-654-4688 or e-mail sdillard@airplaymonitorcom So what's important to right now? "So many different ethnic groups existsome, but in Miami, women pay attention to goal and focus on us, the more we can focus and here," Summers says. "You've got your African - that stuff." keep moving away from them." American, Cuban, island, Anglo and Hispanic After 200 women showed up at the station, the So what will WMIB bring to Miami in the long communities making for a sensitive balance.joke was revealed when Purdue started handing run? "We're bringing a station to Miami that's While everyone has individual issues, we work to out frozen chicken breasts. real," he says. "I was surprised when I got here bridge the gap on a bigger scale. The entire city that there was no straight -up hip -hop station off is trying to do the same." LESSONS LEARNED the hook and talking to the masses in a market as In addition to an aggressive ongoing bill- Summers credits his time battling former R&B dynamic as Miami. Our goal is to be the most board campaign, Summers sees on -air brand-challenger WXYV Baltimore as good prepara- consistent radio station for this format Our com- ing as crucial to WMIB's success. "Early on, Ition for Miami. "I'm doing the opposite now of petitors are no longer the stations they were just knew my job was to brand the station againstwhat I did in Baltimore. WERQ is to Baltimore a short time ago. My job is to make sure five years the others who both have history and heritage.what WEDR is to Miami. So when we were from now WMIB is still WMIB." Why listen to the Beat? It's a question we've got attacked through promos and imaging, my Summers adds that Miami is everything he to answer by getting into people's minds what [instinct] was to go dirty. But I made a point not hoped it would be. "I'll hit South Beach at 11 we're about. to. McDonald's doesn't use their marketing to p.m. on a weeknight and the energy is incredi- Sean "P. Diddy" Combs spent 16 con- "In terms of attitude, one promotion stood trash Burger King. We kept the high road at ble. In Baltimore, people are at home at 11 p.m. tinuous hours on the air Nov. 2 on out for us. On March 31, we had a plastic sur-WERQ, which led to WXYV flipping to talk in getting ready for work the next day. WMIB has R&BWQHT (Hot 97) New York prior to geon on the air named Dr. Purdue. He said he just over a year. to work hard to keep up with the energy of this competinginthe New YorkCity stopped by to show appreciation for the Beat, "Today, I'm the little guy; so I've had to put on place. I remember in my interview, Rob Roberts Marathon. His run raised money for and he was so happy with the station he wanted a different pair of shoes. I learned a lot from [for- told me Miami could be likened to dating a dan- area charities benefiting children, col- to offer free breasts to the first 100 women who mer WXYV PD] Thea Mitchem and how [she gerous woman. If you understand how she rolls, lecting a total of more than $2 million. came to the station at 8 a.m. the next morning. fought] in the trenches. The more we're able to you'll be all right. For me personally, it's all about Now, a free breast job may not mean much to get our competition to take their eyes off their focus and balance."

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