DCRTV Washington Radio And TV Podcast

What happened to radio, and what will it take to win listeners back? Former CBS Radio President and CEO Dan Mason joins the DCRTV podcast for a candid conversation about the business, its biggest personalities, and its future.

Dan explains what’s driving layoffs across major radio companies, why advertising dollars have shrunk, and why radio struggles to connect with younger listeners. Drawing on his experience with K-LOVE, he discusses what’s behind its success and what other broadcasters can learn from it. We also examine whether CBS News Radio could have been saved.

Dan takes us behind the scenes of Don Imus’s firing and explains why he believes Don Geronimo’s dismissal from WBIG was unfair and his comments were taken out of context. He also reflects on CBS Radio’s efforts to rebuild after Howard Stern’s departure, where the company’s thinking went wrong, and what he would have done differently.

Along the way, Dan recalls his pay as WPGC’s program director in 1978, reflects on what made Scott Shannon a great DJ and PD, and shares the skills and instincts that make a great Program Director. 

Mentioned On The Podcast:

Fearless

Transcript of Howard Stern ranting on Dan Mason

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On this episode of the DCRTV Podcast, Christopher Cruise, the last anchor heard on CBS News Radio before the network signed off, joins Dan Lane as co-host. Former CBS News Radio anchor Sam Litzinger and former White House correspondent Peter Maer are the guests.

They look back at the history of CBS News Radio, the people who made the network special, and the current effort to preserve its historic audio archive. The conversation also examines the staffing cuts and business decisions that contributed to the network’s slow decline, whether it was obvious near the end that a shutdown was coming, and the broader cuts that have reshaped the radio news business over several decades.

The group also discusses ABC News Radio’s use of prerecorded newscasts during the overnight hours, some of the challenges facing that network, and whether ABC News Radio can avoid the same fate. They also offer advice on whether journalism remains a good career choice for young people today and make their predictions about the future of network radio news.

Mentioned On The Podcast:

Chasing The Story By Peter Maer

A Century Of Sound By Sam Litzinger


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WGTS is one of the most fascinating success stories in Washington radio. It’s a 23,000 watt non-commercial station, yet in the latest Nielsen ratings it pulled a 5.7 share, landing in the number three spot behind only WTOP and WAMU.

So how does a Christian music station compete with some of the biggest brands in radio?

On this episode, Rob Conway takes us behind the scenes at WGTS to break down the station’s secret sauce.  

Rob explains what WGTS is doing differently than many other stations in the market, including investing heavily in audience research, keeping live and local DJs on the air from 5 a.m. until midnight, and building a strong connection with listeners both on-air and in the community.

We also talk about the history of the station, including the transition from classical music to contemporary Christian music in 1997, and how that decision completely changed the trajectory of the station.

We dive into how WGTS raises money without commercials, who they see as their real competition in the DC market, and why the station has been able to grow while so many other radio stations are struggling.

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On this episode of the DCRTV Podcast, Intern John joins us for a candid conversation about his radio career, from his early days as a teenage intern at KDWB in Minneapolis to spending six years waking up Washington on HOT 99.5 on Your Morning Show.

John shares how he got his start in radio interning for Dave Ryan at just 17 years old before eventually landing a night show at KKDM in Des Moines.

John tells the story of how sending an aircheck to David Brody from The Elvis Duran Show unexpectedly changed his career. Brody knew Kane was searching for a new co-host and passed the tape along, ultimately leading to John's hiring at HOT 99.5. 

He talks about what it was like learning from Kane and the transition to hosting the show after Kane was fired in 2020.

We also discuss the launch of Your Morning Show, including the challenge of explaining the changes to listeners and the audience reaction in the early days.

John shares behind-the-scenes stories about how station management handled the transition, and why launching during the early days of the pandemic unexpectedly helped the show grow.

He also opens up about how he found out he was being let go, whether he sensed anything was coming beforehand, and what’s next for him moving forward.

More From Intern John:

The John Cast

Instagram

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On this episode of the DCRTV Podcast, former HFS morning host Wes Johnson and Creative Director Bill Glasser take you inside what was really going on as the station evolved from its free-form roots into a modern rock powerhouse.

They describe it as a civil war inside the building, with longtime free-form DJs clashing with a new wave of talent and a very different philosophy about what the station should be.

They also talk about the risks they were willing to take. Even something like the HFStival, which now feels legendary, started as a massive gamble that could have easily backfired. Bill walks through how the idea came together and why it wasn’t some obvious win at the time.

At the same time, they talk about the signal at 99.1… and why limitations that would become a bigger issue later didn’t seem to hold them back.

A big part of the conversation centers on attitude. HFS wasn’t just playing different music, it was positioning itself against everything else on the dial. That anti-establishment mindset didn’t just define the station, it influenced the audience in a way that’s hard to replicate today.

Bill also shares the story behind one of the most memorable radio campaigns ever, WTOP's “Your favorite radio station doesn’t play songs.”

And then there’s what happened after. Wes talks about his role today as the PA announcer for the Washington Capitals, while Bill gets into a completely different chapter… including how he helped bring Howard Stern to Richmond and Norfolk, the behind-the-scenes dealmaking with Stern’s agent, and the controversy that followed, which ended with a grocery chain spending millions to keep Stern off the air.

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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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In 2012, CBS Radio made a bold move in Washington: launch an all-news station at 99.1 FM (WNEW) to go head-to-head with market powerhouse WTOP. The station had veteran talent, strong management, the full backing of CBS, and a solid on-air product. On paper, it looked like a real fight.

But the ratings never followed.

On this episode of the DCRTV Podcast, former midday anchor Chas Henry pulls back the curtain on what really happened.

We dive into the limitations of the 99.1 signal, the ambitious signal improvement plan CBS Radio had in the works, and why that plan ultimately got scrapped.

Chas shares behind the scenes stories of the technical hurdles the station faced, the promotional limitations put on them from corporate and the last ditch efforts to save the format.

We also talk about the move to bring traffic icon Lisa Baden from WTOP to WNEW, the corporate promotional restrictions that may have held the station back.

More from Chas:

Book

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Weasel spent 33 years behind the mic at the legendary WHFS, and in this episode of the DCRTV Podcast, he takes us inside one of the most influential radio stations in DC history. We talk about how Weasel got his start in radio and landed at HFS, then dig into the station’s two very different eras: the early freeform rock days and the later alternative rock years.

Weasel explains what freeform really meant, including whether DJs truly had the freedom to play whatever they wanted. The conversation also covers the backstory of the station starting on 102.3, Jake Einstein eventually selling that frequency and moving the station to 99.1.

We also dive into the origins of the HFStival, how it started as a small event, and how it eventually grew to a large event selling out RFK Stadium multiple years.

Weasel explains that the HFStival became a huge money-maker for the radio station and unintentionally contributed to HFS’s eventual downfall.

Finally, Weasel shares what it was like being moved from full-time to part-time at HFS and his transition to 94.7 WARW.

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On October 12, 1925, WMAL signed on the air for the very first time. One hundred years later, we celebrate the station’s remarkable history with three longtime fixtures: Midday host Tom Gauger, Chief Engineer David Sproul, and General Manager Tom Bresnahan.

In this special anniversary episode, they share what WMAL sounded like in its earliest days, the revolt that led to hiring Harden and Weaver, and how the foundation was laid for the station to become one of Washington’s great radio institutions. We revisit the personalities who defined WMAL through the decades, John Lyon, Trumbull and Core, Felix Grant, Bill Mayhugh, Ken Beatrice, and of course, Harden and Weaver.

You’ll hear the inside story of the FCC fine that Harden and Weaver received, the impact of Rush Limbaugh’s arrival on the lineup, how the station changed after Jackson Weaver’s passing, and the big move from AM to FM .It’s a lively and fascinating look back at a station that has been part of Washington life for a century.

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For 37 years, Barry Lee was the friendly voice waking up the Shenandoah Valley on WINC-FM.

On this episode, Barry looks back at how he started in radio, the story of crossing the street from 99.3 WFFV to 92.5 WINC, and what it was like replacing a legendary morning show at WINC.

Barry shares the challenges of being a new morning host, working with multiple co-hosts over the years, and the secret to surviving two owners, and multiple GMs, and PDs.

Barry also reflects on the major changes WINC underwent — from the Lewis family selling to Centennial to surviving the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic.

He talks candidly about what it felt like watching the station get sold, moved, and reinvented, and why he ultimately decided to retire after 37 years.

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