GERRY CAGLE has been one of the most successful and well-known figures in the radio industry. First as an award-winning radio programmer, then as an industry writer, he has captured attention for several years with his brilliance and wit. Interestingly, Gerry came from a political family who prepared him for a career in politics. His grandfather was the Attorney General for the state of Louisiana. But in 1969 while in college studying for a law degree, Gerry decided he didn't want to be a lawyer so he took a radio class and then concluded that radio was his destiny. He got his first radio gig at WFUN in Miami that same year.
During the seventies Gerry's radio career advanced into programming for the RKO chain. From WRKO in Boston he jumped to the nation's biggest market and transformed New York's WOR FM into WXLO. Then he moved on to program the legendary Los Angeles top 40 station KHJ from 1974-1975. During this stint he actually had the honor of surrounding himself with the biggest names in music. He even hung out with John Lennon in 1974. After that success, he traveled to San Diego to program KCBQ. In 1978 he took a break from the radio business and ventured into politics as Chief of Staff for Mississippi Governor Cliff Finch. Then he ran for Congress.
From 1980 to 1984 Gerry programmed his dream station, KFRC in San Francisco, where he ushered in a rhythmic direction, which became the new sound of top 40 in the eighties. Years later he told Hitmakers Magazine in an interview "I don't know if it's a badge of honor or not, but I programmed some great major radio stations in the country and none of them came close to KFRC." In 1988 he wrote a novel about the radio industry called Payola. The book created quite a discussion in the industry at a time when the government was investigating the relationship between stations, labels and independent record promoters.
Gerry made industry headlines again in 1989 when he resurfaced as Station Manager of KWOD in Sacramento. It was a time when the top 40 format was sputtering nationally as listeners began looking for alternatives to fabricated acts like Milli Vanilli. So in 1991 he took a chance and introduced his "altergressive" mix of top 40 and modern rock. The gamble paid off, as KWOD jumped in the ratings and made industry headlines again. It also marked a period in which modern rock would finally rise to respectable prominence across the country.
In 1992 Gerry left KWOD and headed back to Los Angeles to oversee the radio industry trade magazine, Network 40. As editor of the magazine, he made industry waves again with his tough editorials that challenged the industry to redefine itself. The magazine, originally owned by Album Network, went through a few ownership changes, which further advanced his title to President. Starting in 2003 he continued to offer his industry commentaries at MusicBiz.com. Gerry's latest book is called Sheet Music: A Novel, released in 2000.
ALEX: In 1991 CHR was on the skids nationally and rock 40 had come and gone. Did you believe mixing alternative/modern rock with top 40 was a temporary band-aid for KWOD or did you think it might become the top 40 of the future?
GERRY: I didn't think we had a choice, actually. Our main competitor (FM 102) had garnered the rhythmic audience. To survive, we needed to find a niche that fit with the available audience and advertisers. I had no thought that Alternative would be the "Top 40" of the future. I've been in the business long enough to know that the "death" of Top 40 was only a rumor. I had presided over the "death of Top 40" several times in my career. I could see that most Alternative songs didn't crack the Mainstream Top 10, just those that stood on their own as great songs...not great Alternative songs. Also, the club business was huge in Sacramento. Our shift to a more Alternative lean stimulated club business and made it possible for us to do personal promotions with those clubs...important, since we had no promotional budget.
ALEX: Do you believe that KWOD's transition to your "altergressive" format in 1991 was a national trend-setter?
GERRY: I don't know. I was never one to follow trends, so I was unaware of what other stations were doing.
ALEX: What's your favorite KWOD moment from 1991 to 1993?
GERRY: My favorite KWOD moments had less to do with the station and more to do with what was happening with the people at the station. Although KWOD was never funded like a station of its stature deserved, the people really worked long and hard to make it a success. Many of the KWOD moments are only understood by those who worked there...from Ed Stolz "not having time" to fix the transmitter when we were off the air to refusing to sign certain paychecks. Through it all, the halls of KWOD spawned some really good radio people, so there is something to working under extreme adversity.
ALEX: In your view, when was radio at its most creative peak and why?
GERRY: The late 1970s and early 1980s. Programmers were still creating larger than life promotions. Radio stations then were much more than the music played. Once other factors began siphoning off listeners and offering bigger and better promotions than radio could afford, the business changed. People once talked about the fantastic promotions conceived by radio stations to attract and keep listeners...The Last Contest, The Great Rip Off, The KCBQ ARB Contest, Tickets To Paradise, KFRC Giving Away Mick Jagger's Car. Programmers swapped ideas for promotions. When was the last time you heard about a great radio promotion? Today, it's all about 10-in-a-row.
ALEX: What in your view is the most dramatic impact of corporate consolidation in the radio and record industries since the mid-to-late nineties?
GERRY: The lack of incentive for a programmer to do something great to make his/her station stand apart. Consolidation puts more pressure on controlling spending than gaining audience. The radio and record industries once attracted the brightest young people because a platform was available to create a niche. Today, it's about cost-cutting and spending controls. Creativity is not only stifled, it is frowned upon. Creativity causes waves...creates excitement and distractions...not something corporations reward.