Radio Ink Magazine May 10, 2021

Reflecting on the marvelous talent spotlighted in this issue reminds me that those who inspire come from all walks and stages of life. Sometimes we don’t even recognize the influence until years later, when we take a moment to consider how we got to where we are and on whose wings we made the journey. It’s taken years for me to realize that the grandmother I adored as a child was also a feminist and trailblazer in her time. Her influence on me went places I didn’t understand during those precious few years I enjoyed her counsel, losing this wonderful woman as we did when she was only 58. Her name was Daisy. I don’t remember ever sharing a conversation about women’s rights or equality. Rather, she acted on them. Having lost…

Your assumptions about the intelligence of your customer will color and slant your ad writing in ways of which you are not even aware. Is the customer stupid? The writer of the 139th Psalm did not believe that customers are stupid. He said to God, “I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Harvard University Medical School made a three-minute film that illustrates the idea that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” It’s called The Inner Life of a Cell, and you should check it out on YouTube. Look for the short, three-minute version. It’s guaranteed to rock your world. In the book Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind, we read: “Wizard’s First Rule: People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will…

When I first started in radio, there were fewer women on the air and fewer in the program director position than there are today. I remember one female air talent, in the ’70s, telling me she modeled herself after men on the air as there were few women to listen to and learn from. Today, thankfully, that’s changed, and continues to change. There are still too few female program directors, and that’s a situation that needs to be addressed. But there are many successful women on-air that other young women can listen to and learn from. Hopefully, we’ll see more women occupy the PD chair in the months and years to come. Today Emily Boldon is VP/Adult Contemporary and VP/Stratus Music for Cumulus Media, and Leslie Whittle is VP/ Hot Adult Contemporary…

As chief operating officer, Susan Larkin runs the entire Audacy operation, which includes 230-plus stations in 47 markets. She’s second in command at the company, behind only CEO David Field. Following the Entercom/CBS merger, Larkin was recruited away from Cox Media Group, where she was a regional vice president in Florida. Before rising to COO with the group now known as Audacy, Larkin ran the company’s San Francisco and Sacramento markets. Then it was on to New York, where she led iconic stations WFAN, 1010 WINS, WCBS, and several others. And when, after 40 years in radio and 20 with the company, Weezie Kramer announced her retirement in May of 2020, Larkin was promoted to COO. Not bad for someone who really wanted to be a theater major until her dad convinced…

What are your hobbies? Hobbies? Not really. I love watching live sports and spending time with my family and friends. Although I haven’t done much of that in the last year. Who is/was your role model, and why? I don’t have one role model. I have a number of mentors and people I admire, including many that I have worked for. My father inspired work ethic and ambition. Weezie Kramer and Kim Guthrie are two from this business that I have looked up to and have inspired me. What are you reading right now? Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights, and Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang. I only read non-fiction. What is your favorite movie? Goodfellas. What is your favorite TV show? No favorites. I’m waiting for new seasons of Succession and Billions. However, I’m…

Back in 1998, after Radio Ink published its “40 Most Powerful People in Radio” list, then-Broadcast Programming President Edie Hilliard called Eric Rhoads to point out that featuring 39 men and one woman shed light on how few women held positions of power. That exchange led to Radio Ink’s first “20 Most Influential Women in Radio” issue. Ten thousand six hundred radio stations, 20 influential women. It was a first step, and an industry commentary that inspired action. When RAB President Gary Fries and EVP Mary Bennett hosted a luncheon for our group at the RAB Radio Show, we talked about issues women faced, discussed barriers to progress, and asked each other: “How can we use our influence to help other women be successful?” Thirteen of us met again in early 2000 at…