This week's episode features Blair Bartrem, the program director at Toronto’s Q107. Over his 30+ years in radio, Blair has worked in promotions, and as program director at legendary brands like CHOM-FM, Q107, Mix 96 & Mix 99.9 in Montreal and Toronto. The questions we tackle in this episode range from what goes into a making a great station brand, to the formula for being married to the head of a competing station (a.k.a. Virgin Radio's Karen Steele), to how to drive a Zamboni from Montreal to Toronto.
For photographic evidence of zamboni adventures, see the picture below:
When it comes to making a great station brand, Blair boils it down:
1. to hiring great people
2. writing fun and catchy promos
3. having a passion for what you do
4. remaining nimble in a competitive industry
Blair shares parts of his personal side including how he fell in love with Montreal, the magical small town of sky-scrapers, and growing up in a household with creative siblings. Worth mentioning is Blair’s brother Richard Bartrem, mentioned in the episode. Richard is the brainchild behind Westjet’s viral campaigns like this or this.
This episode is brought to you by Nlogic.
Audiences are not what they used to be. There is more choice, more fragmentation and pretty much more of everything than ever before. Traditional ways of thinking are being challenged. New platforms and technologies are emerging and merging, and buckets of data are being produced. How do you go beyond the data to something you can actually use? How do you make sense of it all? How do you get out of the weeds to focus on the big picture? Well, NLOGIC, the sponsors of this podcast, can help. They offer strategic insights, customizable modern products, market perspectives and their personal commitment to help you make sense of your Canadian radio and television audiences. ultimately, they can help you grow your business.