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Looking To Start Syndicating Radio Show

DJ Mo

DJ Mo

Leading Participant
Hi! I am looking to start syndicating my radio show.
Can anyone here help me on how to get started (create digital package, EPK, etc) before I start contacting radio stations?
I want to put my best foot forward & have the best chance of getting picked up.

The format of "DJ Mo Radio" is branded "The Hypest Jams Of The 80's, 90's, & Beyond".
It is a hybrid of Rhythmic Adult Contemporary & can be a perfect fit for AC, Hot AC, Rhythmic Top-40, College, any Gold-based format, & the new "Classic Hip-Hop" radio stations across the nation.

Download / Listen to the 1st hour of my show here:
https://app.box.com/s/m1gkmmmzdvlpmpczcz43kzuh5r2uwogt

Thank you in advance for your help!
- DJ Mo
Mix Show DJ / On-Air Personality
"DJ Mo Radio" Thursdays 10am-Noon EST
91.5FM WPRK: Winter Park-Orlando, FL
-----------------------------------------
Website: http://www.djmoradio.com
Email: [email protected]
Booking: (407) 501-6345
 
Unfortunately, recent events have made this book obsolete. Cumulus absorbed Jones, Waitt, WestwoodOne, Citadel, ABC, etc and have now fired all their network jocks, using Cumulus jocks to do double-duty as network syndicated jocks.
 
TheBigA said:
Would you be willing to pay stations to carry it? That might be your best bet.
Click to expand...

Sad that it's not even considered to be worth paying for if the show possesses quality. You'd have to wonder how AT 40 survives in this day and age.
Even just making available for free, while promising to air included spots makes sense. The advantage to the station should be that they don't have to pay for local talent during those hours. It should only be a profit centre for the provider, not the client.
 
I'm going to continue to go against the grain here, because I know the music I play on my show is a unique mix that you cannot find anywhere else.
I also produce the imaging myself & have my own VO talent.

I'm not going to pay a station to play my show until I find some sponsors who will help offset the cost.

I have R-Dub's book.
It doesn't go into much of the detail that I really wanted to read about as to how to syndicate my show INDEPENDENTLY.
I know that I am the most reliable person & very passionate about my radio show.
I don't need a big name company to create the illusion of show security to their affiliates.
Basically, R-Dub made it sound impossible to get syndicated if my show isn't as well-known as a Ryan Seacrest.
To me, ANYTHING is possible!

I perform a live version locally for Orlando on WPRK 91.5 (voluntarily), & then produce a separate syndicated show formatted to reflect the specific station that airs me.
I am currently producing shows for WRSG 91.5 in West Virginia, & doing it as a freebie (& for practice) until I get more stations to sign on.

I am currently looking to air on a radio station who subscribes to Nielsen ratings, so I can barter my show for the numbers.
That way, I can sell my show more effectively to those who are more interested in ratings than content.

For those of you who are Program Directors or know some, & are reading this, I have officially launched my website & podcast for you & them to check out.

Website:
http://www.djmoradio.com

Podcast:
http://djmoradio.podomatic.com

Thank you all for your support!
 
I think you're dreaming, but that's your right.

Here's where I see pitfalls for you:

1. Your program is not terribly unique. There are a whole lot of mixers and club DJs who hope to make it to the radio. Very few do, and some of them turn out not to be suited for it.

2. You have no "name brand recognition" outside of any work you may be doing locally, so naming this after yourself is going to look to programmers and station managers as just a vanity project that could disappear any minute.

3. Even if a station you air on subscribes to the ratings, you will be legally prohibited from using those numbers in your promotion unless you pay them a usage fee. If you go ahead and do so anyway, the lawsuit will put you out of business.

4. That's another thing: You appear to be very undercapitalized. While consultants can operate on a shoestring if they have to, they can because they have little overhead. You're going to have production and distribution costs, because no station is going to want a MP3-quality program on their air. And you're talking about customized versions for each affiliate?

5. All your experience is at non-commercial stations. That's not going to impress the owners and managers of commercial stations; to them, you know nothing about the needs of advertising-based radio.

But do let us know when (and if) you get your first station. It's the only way you will prove us wrong.
 
K.M. Richards said:
But do let us know when (and if) you get your first station. It's the only way you will prove us wrong.
Click to expand...

WRSG-FM 91.5 Middlebourne, WV / W269BF 101.7 Sistersville, WV is my first station.
I have already proved you wrong.

K.M. Richards said:
2. You have no "name brand recognition" outside of any work you may be doing locally, so naming this after yourself is going to look to programmers and station managers as just a vanity project that could disappear any minute.
Click to expand...

2. I've been doing radio since 2005. There are no signs of me disappearing any minute.

K.M. Richards said:
Even if a station you air on subscribes to the ratings, you will be legally prohibited from using those numbers in your promotion unless you pay them a usage fee.
Click to expand...

3. I know I can't quote specific numbers, but could I promote that my show is "#1 in the market" when it happens?

K.M. Richards said:
You're going to have production and distribution costs, because no station is going to want a MP3-quality program on their air.
Click to expand...

4. The only expense I have is my time right now. I produce everything myself, so there is no cost for me, except my time. I can provide a WAV-quality program if requested.

K.M. Richards said:
All your experience is at non-commercial stations.
Click to expand...
5. You are wrong. I have Programming, Production, & Promotion experience at commercial stations: WYKS Kiss 105.3, XL 106.7 (iHeartMedia), WRUF Rock 104, WPYO Power 95.3 (Cox Radio Orlando), & WLBE 790AM.
 
DJ Mo said:
WRSG-FM 91.5 Middlebourne, WV / W269BF 101.7 Sistersville, WV is my first station.
I have already proved you wrong.
Click to expand...

With a station in the educational part of the band that has a 70 dbu signal that covers 2,815 persons in total.

2. I've been doing radio since 2005. There are no signs of me disappearing any minute.
Click to expand...

Time in grade is not what makes a mixer great. It the intangibles that make Skrillex and Dedmou$ and the like famous. What major clubs have you mixed at? What credits do you have as a mixer such as special events, festivals, fairs, etc?

3. I know I can't quote specific numbers, but could I promote that my show is "#1 in the market" when it happens?
Click to expand...

If you can't source your claim, it's false advertising.

4. The only expense I have is my time right now. I produce everything myself, so there is no cost for me, except my time. I can provide a WAV-quality program if requested.
Click to expand...

The issue will be bandwidth. with a 3 minute song being 40 to 50mb in wav format, you are talking about over 1gb for a two hour show.

5. You are wrong. I have Programming, Production, & Promotion experience at commercial stations: WYKS Kiss 105.3, XL 106.7 (iHeartMedia), WRUF Rock 104, WPYO Power 95.3 (Cox Radio Orlando), & WLBE 790AM.
Click to expand...

That's not what we look for in a mixer. We look for club experience. Many stations that want mixes for party nights get the mixers at the best club or clubs in town to do them, often working a deal with the club owner that ends up paying the station back.

Of course, in Middlebourne, WV, the only "club" in town is likely to be the BPOE.

Syndication is very difficult, and the main component is sales to national accounts. To get to the level of being able to sell to them, you have to be in a significant number of markets nationally or in a region. In the meantime, you have to self-finance or get stations to pay a fee. That's the way the show called "American Top 40" began when it invented barter based syndication in 1970 and that is pretty much today's model, too.

Here's another question: how many successful mix shows are there in syndication? Once you have answered this, you have to consider why this is the case.
 
For the record, "Mo", David's rebuttal will serve as mine as well. So read his twice. And please take it to heart.

You came here looking for advice. That means taking the potential negatives along with the possible positives. I'm afraid you have a case of "rose colored glasses" syndrome.

"Proving me wrong" is something many people have attempted to do here ... without success. I have over 40 years of experience in the industry. David has more than that. My comments were based on what you had shared up to that point. No one respects "proof" that was unknown at the time of a comment.

Just saying "here I am, this is my show, please run it" is not going to cut it. As David says, you're going to have to meet the industry's expectations, and -- again, based on what you have said here -- you do not appear to have the experience program directors and station managers will look for in considering your program.

Now ... you want to prove us wrong? Fine. Let us know when you convince a commercial station, in a rated daypart, to carry your program on a regular (not limited try-out) period of time. In the meantime, you've gotten our best advice, even if you didn't like hearing it.
 
I didn't think it was necessary for me to state my Club DJ experience for a Radio job.
Ryan Seacrest isn't a Club DJ.

How else can I make it "appear to have the experience program directors and station managers will look for in considering your program", or even add me on their payroll?
Isn't a whole decade of experience enough?

Don't any of you see my overly optimistic point of view, passion, drive, & determination to be the best in radio anymore?
Think back when you were in the beginning of your career.
Isn't this what employers want in their team?

If any of you Program Directors or Station Managers are reading this with "rose colored glasses" still on, "here I am, this is my show", & if you can, please help the underdog in his quest to hopefully become the next "Ryan Seacrest". (I don't necessarily want to be like him. I just want to be successful as him.)

I will also take in more advice from you guys if you have any more to give me, even outside of this forum if there are details you would like to keep from the general public. I'm sure others who are interested in syndication will already learn a lot from reading this thread alone.

If you wish to contact me via email: [email protected].

Thank you all for your advice, especially Mr. Richards & Mr. Eduardo!
Much respect!
 
DJ Mo said:
I didn't think it was necessary for me to state my Club DJ experience for a Radio job.
Ryan Seacrest isn't a Club DJ.
Click to expand...

If you are doing a mix show, what is important is your mixing ability, with radio being quite secondary.

Ryan Seacrest does not mix, either.

But beyond that, the fact that you did not flame either KM or me speaks well of your character. As KM said, we tried to give you a reality check so that you know what the obstacles are. Your positive reaction is unusual in today's bitching-prone world! I wish you good fortune in your efforts.
 
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DavidEduardo said:
But beyond that, the fact that you did not flame either KM or me speaks well of your character. As KM said, we tried to give you a reality check so that you know what the obstacles are. Your positive reaction is unusual in today's bitching-prone world! I wish you good fortune in your efforts.
Click to expand...

I echo David's sentiment. Thank you for your politeness and for taking our advice in the positive spirit we offered it in.

You are facing an uphill battle, but I wish you tremendous luck in climbing that hill.
 
So DJ-Mo; how did it go?
:)
 
I have to give you credit for putting together 4 stations to air a few hours of your programming - you have already been more successful than most who "reach for the stars!"
That said, I have to agree with the posts above. You have picked a hard row to hoe! But who knows...the donald got elected president; ANYTHING can happen!
 
We're so glad to carry "DJ Mo Radio" Friday nights at 8 on WRSG and wrsgradio.com. Yep, we've been streaming for about a year and a half.
 
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