I kept walking and laughed, ” OK, I’ll work on that.”

I ducked into my production studio and thought about it.

OK.

Why not?

• Do I have time for this? No.
• Will I do this? Yes.

I started that day, collecting the best of Catherine.

As the weeks  went by, I added one or two moments of brilliance from her live show here and there.

Catherine is not just good, she is great at what she does.

We have worked together for ten years and know each others tastes.

She would call or text me. ” Did you just hear that on the air? Did you get it on tape?” This went on for months. ( It still goes on)

So, winter became summer and the deadline for the CMA entry loomed.

The Inside Secret

During that time I had been reading Joseph Campbell and applying his work to radio and marketing. I also found an online marketing whiz named Frank Kern. His work was all about making money on the web. But I saw a way to transfer marketing principles in the way Frank did things.

Franks’ and Campbell’s ideas inspired me to put Catherine’s entry together in a certain way.

I worked for days on what had already taken months to gather. Catherine called and said, ” I’m bringing food so we can work together. ”
“No, leave me alone. I would rather just finish by myself. Stay away.”

She knew I meant it with love.

It was tough to put that entry together. Doing a Charlotte radio midday show, even on a powerhouse  station, doesn’t rank the best interviews, the hot contests, the company support the morning and afternoon slots do.

I was busy compiling Catherine’s community involvement, bio, radio philosophy, pictures, and the actual on air sound—an eight minute presentation .

I worked late into the nights and weekends editing, adding, taking bits away, changing a picture. Finally, on deadline day, drained of energy, I hit the submit button for the online entry and it was done.

Hot Stuff

Only six radio personalities in America are selected in the Major Market CMA category.
Most nominees are morning show crews.  Next, are afternoon teams. Midday personalities are rarely considered viable for the big awards.

But I knew we had an above average entry and really wanted this nomination for Catherine.

Oh, Well…

When autumn came and the US financial crisis was hitting home, the radio industry was in a major decline. CBS abruptly fired me, and after ten years of service, gave me a few hours to get out.  Hey, thanks guys, nothing personal. Catherine was in tears.

A week later, she got the call.

We  won a CMA nomination.

Of the top 25 eligible for the Major Market category in the US, Charlotte is radio market number 25. Being last on the list of competitors and a midday show, this accomplishment was almost unheard of. Catherine was elated.

The next year, we went for it all over again, this time with me working from home, and, what do you know… she was included in the Academy of Country Music’s Radio Station of the Year winning station.

Then again this year!  February 5th, she got an ACM ( Academy of Country Music ) personality of the year nomination! One of six in the US.

And me? I took a few more tips from Frank Kern and expanded my business to include internet marketing.

So, now I use

• radio,
• TV,
• blogging,
• websites,
• and print

to serve clients including my favorite, Catherine Lane, who is likely to text me at any moment with the message, “did you hear that? Did you get it on tape?”‘
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Kyle Whitford is a marketing expert specializing in web Search Engine Optimization, Online Marketing, Radio, TV,  Multi Media and voice overs.  He is also an associate of Wach Marketing.

Kyle Whitford