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Dan Mason – Former CBS Radio CEO Tells The Inside Stories Of DC Radio (Ep 23)
Episode 23
Published 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Few people have had a bigger influence on Washington radio than Dan Mason. Mason arrived in DC in the late 1970’s to program WPGC, helping shape the station during one of the most competitive eras in the market.
He would eventually rise to become CEO of CBS Radio, overseeing stations across the country, including several major signals in the Washington market.
On this episode, Mason takes us behind the scenes of some of the biggest moments in DC radio history. He explains how WPGC found the money to hire Donnie Simpson away from WKYS, why Elliott and Woodside didn’t have contracts that could have prevented them from jumping to Q107, and how the decision was made to move WPGC toward a CHR Rhythmic direction.
Mason also dives into the corporate side of the business, including the factors that led to the end of WHFS, the strategy behind launching the all-news format on 99.1, whether CBS Radio ever considered putting that format on 94.7 or 95.5, the challenges with the 99.1 signal, and the real reason the all-news experiment ultimately shut down.
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He would eventually rise to become CEO of CBS Radio, overseeing stations across the country, including several major signals in the Washington market.
On this episode, Mason takes us behind the scenes of some of the biggest moments in DC radio history. He explains how WPGC found the money to hire Donnie Simpson away from WKYS, why Elliott and Woodside didn’t have contracts that could have prevented them from jumping to Q107, and how the decision was made to move WPGC toward a CHR Rhythmic direction.
Mason also dives into the corporate side of the business, including the factors that led to the end of WHFS, the strategy behind launching the all-news format on 99.1, whether CBS Radio ever considered putting that format on 94.7 or 95.5, the challenges with the 99.1 signal, and the real reason the all-news experiment ultimately shut down.
More from DCRTV:
DCRTV.com
Newsletter signup: https://dcrtv.com/newsletter
Follow DCRTV on Facebook
Support DCRTV on Patreon
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dcrtv-washington-radio-and-tv-podcast--6152954/support.