I will be the first to admit, Randy “R Dub!” Williams is one of the people I admire most in radio. He does radio the way it should be done on his terms and he’s got the talent, passion and the skill to go along with it. R Dub! has had an incredible time living his dream and creating an amazing vehicle to take him there. His passion for Slow Jams has never stopped him from living in great places like Brazil and syndicating his brand to over 70 stations and growing,. His ability to go where a lot of radio people never go has landed him in some interesting places and constantly reignites his brand and keeps it growing. A few months ago, he appeared on the TV show Shark Tank where small business owners and entrepreneurs ask a panel of investors to invest in their ideas. R Dub! appeared with singer Brian McKnight promoting Slow Jams and surprisingly asked for a paltry $75,000 investment to build his show and garner more markets. I initially wondered why he was not asking for more then I realized, it was a BRILLIANT marketing move. Even if he lost (and he did not get the investment) but he still won. He introduced his brand to over 8 million people in the process and the appearance helped his brand grow tremendously. He is not only a great talent (afternoon drive and syndicated Slow Jams show), Programmer (XHRM & XHTZ) in San Diego, he has an incredibly knack for creative marketing. We were thrilled to get a chance to speak to him about Shark Tank, his background,
ALL RADIO NEWS: Can you give a brief history of your background in the industry?
R Dub!: I was lucky enough to realize what I wanted to do in life at 13 years old. Growing up listening to such radio gems as WGCI-Chicago, 102 Jamz in Orlando, and 92.3 The Beat in Los Angeles—as a kid, I was surrounded by amazing radio and personalities that ignited a spark and fueled an ever-burning fire inside me to be a part of this exciting business. I could bore you with details—but the short story is, I was able to break in at 15 years old, in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona; and by the time I was a senior in high school I was the full-time late night Slow Jams host. After a quick trek to Knoxville, it was back to Tucson (which I had missed while in Tennessee), where I spent the next 11 years building my on-air and programming career, in both Tucson and Phoenix. At 32 I was lucky enough to be the youngest PD in Los Angeles, programming the legendary 92.3: the station I once wrote fan letters to as a kid—I was now programming the station, talk about mind blowing!
I also host and produce a syndicated show called Sunday Night Slow Jams (and the weeknight “Slow Jams”), which airs on over 70 radio stations worldwide. I’ve been hosting that show since I was 16 years old, and started self-syndicating it about 12 years ago. We’re celebrating its 20th year on the air. We are syndicated by Benztown Radio Networks. Dave “Chachi” Denes, Masa Patterson, and the whole Benztown crew are outstanding. They’ve really got some of the best products in the business.
ARN: Congratulations on the success of your Slow Jams Campaign for National Syndication. I know that you got an investment shortly after Shark Tank, how’s that going?
R Dub!: Thank you! Shark Tank was one of the best days of my life, and made 2013 a really notable year for me. It’s one of my favorite shows and I love all of the Sharks…I felt like I knew them, after watching so many episodes—so just making it on the show was a dream come true for me. If I got the deal, cool—but I just wanted to get on, have some fun with the Sharks, and give Slow Jams a major plug in front of seven million people. Having Brian McKnight roll with me was amazing! Since Shark Tank we’ve added a ton more affiliates, secured a deal with Wal-Mart for our Sunday Night Slow Jams compilation CD (Universal-Thump Records), and a law firm (Jackson and Associates) stepped up with the 75K to help fund our growing business. We didn’t even have to give up any equity for the deal, they simply wanted a sponsorship and endorsement deal, which we happily supplied. It couldn’t have worked out better!
ARN: You are an entrepreneur, radio show host and a PD how do you handle so many roles?
R Dub!: It’s my biggest challenge. I’d be lying if I said it was easy. The problem is—I love it all! I wouldn’t want to give any of it up, and as long as I am able-bodied, I will probably continue to take on every project that I can possibly handle! I do make sure I get enough sleep every night, so I can work a full 15-16 hour day, and when I do play—I play hard. I have an addiction to travel and I try to visit at least five new countries per year, using just three weeks of vacation. I want to see the world…the whole world!
I would be remiss if I didn’t give props to my amazing support staff here at our radio stations. I have an awesome team who I have all the confidence in, and I am able to delegate many day-to-day tasks to. From my assistant and Music Director on Z90, Kat San Andres; to Gene Knight, my MD at Magic; to Joe Lindsay, the group’s Operations Manager—I’m blessed to have a fantastic group of people working with me here at Magic 92.5 and Jammin’ Z90.
I also debated my return to “local” radio after leaving Los Angeles, and Clear Channel, after 12 years of service. I mean, where do you go after L.A? But there was something special about this small, independent group of three stations in America’s Finest City. I didn’t necessarily want to return to the day-to-day stress of managing a staff, dealing with sales and an unstable ratings system (I did NOT miss PPM while I was out of local radio)…but something seemed different about Local Media of San Diego. My hunch was right—and the “honeymoon” period here at the group has never ended. It’s simply a fun place to work and reminds me of how radio used to be. It comes from the top—credit goes to our GM Greg Wolfson who is simply the best leader I’ve ever had the opportunity to work for. ARN: How is the San Diego market different from LA? Night and day. I grew up in L.A. as a boy (from 3-13), so I’ve always had a strong affinity to Los Angeles—but between the two—San Diego all day. SD is still a large market, but better than L.A. in just about every way! Clear blue skies, amazing weather, friendlier people. San Diego is literally paradise. And while I’ve always come home, back to Tucson after every gig outside of Arizona—I am actually considering making San Diego my permanent home. It’s just too nice out here. I don’t deserve being here, I really don’t!
ARN: How important is it for Programmers and jocks to promote themselves beyond the station today?
R Dub!: It’s vital. It’s about building brand equity. If and when that fateful day comes when you lose your job—and let’s face it: you haven’t really been “in radio” until you’ve been fired—the more brand equity you have behind your name, the better chances you have of being hired by another radio station or brand. A great example if our midday host, Xavier “The X-Man.” Jeeze, this guy could run for the mayor of San Diego and probably win, tomorrow! He is so much more than just a (click “Next” see next page) 10AM-3PM shift. From a huge car show that he puts together and hosts annually (20,000 people and 12+ years now!), to his own line of fashion, books, amazing social media presence and countless community efforts—Xavier is a shining example of someone who’s built invaluable equity behind his name. He’s treated like a movie star around town, and it’s only because he earned it.
ARN: You are shopping your first movie at festivals, can you talk about your movie?
The festival circuit is finally done. You only have a certain amount of time after the film’s release to be included in festivals, and since the movie premiered in 2011, 2013 was pretty much our last year to participate. Like so many things in my life, this one sort of “just happened” by accident while doing something I enjoyed.
It all started at a long overdue station reunion for Tucson’s now defunct KJYK “Power 1490.” It was an amazing station with an amazing story—an AM radio station that played hip-hop and R&B in the 90s…and thrived! The format got flipped one sad day in 1995 with zero explanation to its listeners–and this was before internet; so no one ever knew what really happened to their favorite radio station that they loved and loyally supported—just that is “disappeared” one day. So at our reunion, 15 years later, I thought we should “roll tape” and grab some stories from the people that “made” Power 1490. I thought it may make a cool 10 minute YouTube video.
Well, after going home and looking at the footage and hearing some amazing stories for the first time, I knew this was much bigger than a YouTube clip. I launched into full movie production, including purchasing a camera and lighting rig and a putting together a huge travel budget that allowed me to scour the country to find anyone who had ever worked at, or with, Power 1490—including former GMs, record reps, and even artists. A year later we were premiering “A.M. Mayhem” in downtown Tucson at the historic Fox Theatre. The news did a piece on us. The whole town was invited. Admission was free. This was “our” chance to give listeners a proper send off. I’ll never forget that night. It was closure for me. It was closer for a lot of people.
I had no clue that any film festival would ever care about Power 1490, or my movie—but they did. In fact, it was only after a former Power 1490 colleague literally “forced” me to submit to a festival, did I. And I fell outta my chair when the film was not only accepted, but nominated for three awards. That motivated me to enter hundred of festivals in 2012 and 2013, and the result was the film being shown at over 15 festivals around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, even San Tropez and Pakistan! We have a stack of awards. They belong to the staff of Power 1490. They told the story. I simply hit “record” on the camera. You can see the trailer and order the movie at www.power1490.com I hope you’ll check it out.
ARN: You have an incredibly deep love to oldies and love songs how did that start?
R Dub!: I grew up around music. If it wasn’t my mom spinning Neil Diamond and Herb Alpert on her JC Penney record player, it was my dad’s endless Jimmy Buffet cassette collection on rotation that we’d listen to while driving around in his Caprice Classic. But it was my discovery of Urban radio in the early 1990s that really impacted me.
I had just moved to Orlando, Florida from Los Angeles, at 13 years old. I was just beginning to have an interest in current music—listening to 102.7 KIIS FM in L.A. I didn’t realize it then, but I favored all of the Rhythm-leaning stuff they played (I wasn’t aware there even such a thing as an “Urban” radio station at that age). So here I was, first night in Orlando, as I plugged in my trusty alarm-clock radio, which at the time was like my best friend. It was already set on 102.7FM, but there was no station in Orlando on that frequency. So I had to find a new one. I was faced with a choice: should I move the knob up or down the dial? I didn’t know it then, but today I realize that that one choice affected my life so greatly. I chose “down,” and the first station I stopped at was 101.9FM, or “102 Jamz.” Troop’s “All I Do Is Think of You” was playing. I froze—in awe that a “song” was speaking to me—and echoing exactly how I was feeling about a particular girl at the time. The next song did the same thing. And the next. And the next. I didn’t know it, but I had just walked head-first into theQuiet Storm. And my life would never be the same.
ARN: During your industry tenure, give me 5 songs that are always requested by listeners.
R Dub!: Keith Sweat-Nobody, K-Ci & JoJo-All My Life, Heatwave-Always and Forever, Brian McKnight-Back At One, Zapp & Roger-Computer Love.
ARN: Give me a few slow jams that you love the most.
R Dub!: My top five would be: Guy-Let’s Chill, Mint Condition-Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes), Keith Washington-Kissing You, MC Brains & Boyz II Men-Brainstorming, and ANY Al B. Sure! slow jam. Fun fact: I actually hired Al to be my midday jock at Hot 92.3 Los Angeles, in 2007.
ARN: Give me a few Rhythmic programmers that you greatly respect?
There are so many! But a handful of amazing programmers that I have been lucky enough to work for, and have impacted my life include: Bruce St. James, Mark Medina and Tracy Johnson. There are many others. ARN: What advice would you give a young jock coming into the industry today?
R Dub!: That they really must “love” the business to succeed. That, along with perseverance and a strong work ethic will take you far. Many of the failures I see stem from a lack of real “passion” for the business. That, or they aren’t willing to doanything it takes. I know people out of work who refuse to move out-of-state, or across the country. That tells me they aren’t dedicated enough to the business. That’s not a slight against them—it’s just a fact.
ARN: What unique campaign is your station working on right now
Our most unique campaigns are actually ones I can’t talk about. Seriously. We’re doing some ground-breaking stuff “behind the scenes” that we are already seeing traction on. Non-traditional promotions that have a completely different approach, seem to be working. Exciting stuff. What I can talk about? We launched a new morning show on Jammin’ Z90, “Morton in the Morning,” that I have high expectations for. On Magic our highest rated feature is our new “90s at Noon” feature. Our team does a great job at creating innovative, exciting programming, that moves the needle and makes a real difference. I think we take the right amount of calculated risks, and have been rewarded.
ARN: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Just how appreciative I am to be a part of this business. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined everything that’s happened happening. Seems like every year just gets better and I would be remiss if I didn’t thank and acknowledge all the great people that have helped with these opportunities and chances to learn. To them, I say thank you.
