Skip Cheatham is well known as the former long-time PD and on air personality of KKDA “K104” Dallas. There, he hosted nights, afternoons, and more recently, the morning show “Da Playground.” In all, Cheatham spent sixteen years at the station, exiting in the fall of 2010. Little did he know then that he’d be hosting a new “Playground” on the Internet - and finding a whole new world of radio.

Cheatham hosts weekday, two-hour show called “Skip Cheatham’s Playground” on Fishbowl Radio Network, from 11 am – 1 pm CT. Cheatham explains, “Fishbowl Radio Network is the brain child of veteran radio personality Sammi G. After working on the air for 20 years in Dallas (at stations like K104, 100.3 Jamz, and 106.1 Kiss FM) and teaching broadcasting for three years, Sammi launched Fishbowl Radio Network in September of 2009. She saw a need for radio vets who had left terrestrial radio, as well as for people aspired to get in the radio biz. After I exited KKDA, Sammi contacted me and asked if I would be interested in doing a show on her network. After visiting the studios and sitting down with Sammi, hearing her passion and vision, I thought there was a lot of opportunity for growth and it would be fun.”

We asked Cheatham about where he sees the future of Internet radio, and how radio vets might consider it as a new career path.

Cheatham says, “I believe Internet radio will continue to grow. Almost every major car maker has begun building all future cars with internet access and in most, it will be standard and not just an option. Also, with the incredible growth of smart phones, Internet radio will become a big time player in major media. Its biggest challenge is marketing - letting people know how to find you. The choices on the Internet are endless. Web broadcasters must find an effective way to get the word out. One way is celebrity endorsements. Major stars have millions of Twitter and Facebook followers who could be transformed into loyal Internet listeners. For that to happen, it would take a fair amount of capital or creative partnering with a celebrity.”

He continues, “With that said, I would like to continue in Internet radio but by no means have I abandoned terrestrial radio. I still believe it is a viable, profitable media. I am currently shopping a syndicated radio show targeted to Generation X (28-45). I've done an incredible amount of research and that by far is the most profitable demographic to target. The show I'm shopping can either be a two hour weekly show or a full Monday-Friday show. Its format is very similar to the Internet show I'm doing on Fishbowl Radio Network. I've already received some positive feedback from programmers so hopefully I can grow into a prominent syndicated show joining the ranks of Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Michael Baisden and Rickey Smiley.”


How is this different, if at all, from doing terrestrial radio?

“When I'm doing my show on the internet I do have more freedom but to be honest, I operate it just as I would on terrestrial radio. I use PPM friendly elements, I don't use profanity and the songs I play are all clean versions. I know the web does not have the same regulations as terrestrial radio but I had to make it comfortable and acceptable to listen to in the workplace. I get a tremendous amount of listenership from people at work. I didn't want them to have to turn me off when the boss was around! As far as content and subject matter, I talk about what's current, popular, celebrity news and gossip, and funny. [I recently did a bit] about "Donkey Semen" which was a story about an actual Fear Factor stunt. I used the tease ‘In these economic times, what would you do for $50,000?’ The tease eventually led to the Fear Factor stunt where contestants had to drink...well, you guessed it....Ugh! I ended the story with the punch line that ‘I would never do that for $50 thousand, but for $50 million...Bottoms Up!’ And yeah, I would have probably done that story at my former station.”

The music you play is right in that sweet spot for the next generation adult – the 25 -45 year-olds. You ran a great promo that played a current rap song and said “too young," and then an old record (The O’Jays) and said "too old," then you played Jodeci "Come and Talk to Me" and said, "that's just right!” But you definitely play more Classic Hip-Hop and more recent Hip-Hop than most other terrestrial stations targeting an African American adult listener.

“Everyone who hears my show asks the same question: ‘This format is great...why aren't more stations doing it?’ There are a few answers to that question. First, our industry is very reluctant to change. There is a lot of money riding on radio properties and many programmers won't veer from status quo for fear of the risk involved or from lack of support from the high-up executives.

“Secondly, many programmers say old school Hip-Hop doesn't test well. I have always had a question about the normal radio research methodology. They usually cold call a woman between 6 and 9 pm - after she just got home from a hectic day at work. She is trying to feed her family, make sure homework is done and at times, put up with her man (who is trying to tell her about HIS tough day). With all this going on, of course old school relaxing ballads are going to score higher in research. But ask that same woman about her music preference at 11pm on a Saturday night when she's about to go out with her girls - she'll give you a totally different answer. More importantly, ask that same woman when she's at work trying to make the day go by faster. She'll tell you she loves old school Hip-Hop.

“For several years I was trying to get my former employer to lean that way with the UAC formatted station. After I exited my former station I got a chance to be a regular radio consumer. My theory was confirmed that if you are 28-45, you spend most of your radio listening time turning back and forth from one station that at times gets too young and another station that gets too old, which would explain the lack of consistent TSL from your highest dollar spending demo. They are flipping back and forth! With the lack of PPM monitors (especially in the African-American community), TSL is vital. If you only have one (urban) monitor to every 25 (mainstream) monitors, you got to make sure the few monitored listeners you have are listening for a long time. How do you think those Christian stations came out of nowhere in the PPM era? It's not because of cume, it's because the few listeners they have listen forever!

“That's why I went in the direction I did on the internet. A format that focuses on ’90s Hip-Hop and R&B. 2Pac, Jodeci, Biggie, SWV, Heavy D - you get where I'm going. That's the sweet spot for the 28-45 year old African American. It's interesting to say I program towards African-Americans because I get a tremendous response from White and Hispanic listeners. But I'm not surprised, for many of them, that was the Golden Age of Hip-Hop. It takes them back to their high school and college days and they love it. I also say I program towards 28-45 but a middle-school teacher called me and says she uses my show as incentive for her students. She says if they do all their work they get to listen to the show...and they love it!”


Here’s First Listen to Skip Cheatham’s Playground on Fishbowl Radio Network, on Thursday, January 27:

LL Cool J - "Jingling Baby" 1990

2Pac F/K-Ci & JoJo - "How Do U Want It?" 1996

Busta Rhymes - "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" 1997

Michel'le - "No More Lies" 1990

(promo)

Chubb Rock - "Treat 'Em Right" 1991

Mary J. Blige - "Reminisce" 1992

Snoop F/the Dramatics - "Doggy Dogg World" 1994

Guy - "Let's Chill" 1991

(promo)

Too $hort - "Life Is...Too Short" 1988

Positive K - "I Got A Man" 1992

Ice Cube - "We Be Clubbin" 1998

(stopset)

Zhane - "Hey Mr. DJ" 1993

TOH ID

BBD - "Poison" 1990

Special Ed - "I Got It Made" 1989

Soul For Real - "Candy Rain” 1995

Juvenile f/Mannie Fresh&Lil Wayne - "Back That Thang Up” 1999

(promo)

Shaggy - "Boombastic" 1995

Dr. Dre - "Keep Their Heads Ringing" 1995

SWV - "I'm So into You" 1992

Nas - "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" 1996

(promo)

JaRule F/ Lil' Mo & Vita - "Put It on Me" 2000

E-40 - "Rapper's Ball" 1996

Arrested Development - "Tennessee" 1992

MC Lyte - "Cha Cha Cha” 1989

(stopset)

Tribe Called Quest - "Scenario” 1992

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Skip Cheatham can be reached by email at skipc.radio@yahoo.com.