There’s something enjoyable about watching a broadcaster make his way around the country, collect a few more call letters, learn a few more tricks, and eventually find his way back to a company where he once made his mark. That’s exactly what’s happening in Northern Arizona, where Yavapai Broadcasting is welcoming Doug Groff back to the organization as Production Director for its regional radio operations. Groff returns after four years with Zimmer Communications in Columbia, Missouri, where he served as Creative and Production Director while also handling evenings at Classic Rock 96.7 KCMQ. For Yavapai, the appointment brings back someone who already understands the region, but now has additional experience that could be particularly valuable to a group operating several distinct radio brands.
Groff previously worked for Yavapai as Music Director and morning host at 100.1 KVNA-FM in Flagstaff, back when the station featured an Adult Album Alternative format. That earlier assignment gave him experience in a market where musical discovery, local personality, and a connection to Northern Arizona’s distinctive lifestyle were important parts of the station’s identity.
The frequency has since evolved into Peak 100.1, with a more familiar-hits presentation. That’s quite a change from the Triple A format Groff once helped program, and it’s a reminder of how much can happen to a radio station while somebody is away.
Of course, he’s returning to handle something considerably broader than a music log and a morning show.
As Production Director, Groff will be responsible for creative work serving Yavapai’s Northern Arizona holdings, including stations reaching Flagstaff, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, Cottonwood, and surrounding communities.
That assignment requires more than knowing how to operate an audio workstation.
Yavapai’s portfolio includes Contemporary Hit Radio Q102.9 KQST, Country 105.7 KVRD, familiar-hits programming on Peak 100.1, Classic Hits 95.9 KKLD, and additional sports and adult-oriented programming. Each station serves a different audience, and each requires production that complements its individual identity.
A promotion created for a Country audience in the Verde Valley shouldn’t sound identical to something designed for CHR listeners in Flagstaff. And a commercial for a longtime Prescott business probably needs a different approach from an advertisement promoting a tourism attraction in Sedona.
That’s where an experienced Production Director can make an enormous difference.
I’ve spent enough years working in radio to appreciate the people who make everything sound good while the rest of us are busy worrying about ratings, programming decisions, and whatever crisis just appeared in the General Manager’s office.
Production people are among the unsung heroes of broadcasting.
They’re the ones who take an advertising concept that may have looked perfectly reasonable on paper and somehow turn it into something people actually want to hear.
They’re also the people who receive a script containing seventy-five seconds of copy and are politely informed that the commercial needs to run thirty.
And, naturally, the client wants it on the air in fifteen minutes.
Welcome to radio.
Groff brings the kind of experience that should help him navigate those situations.
During his four years with Zimmer Communications in Columbia, he worked within an operation that includes Country Clear 99, CHR Y107, Classic Rock KCMQ, and News/Talk programming. That gave him experience developing creative material for multiple formats while maintaining an on-air presence at KCMQ.
I particularly appreciate that combination.
A Production Director who has worked behind the microphone generally understands how station imaging, promotions, and commercial elements fit into the overall listening experience. There’s a significant difference between creating audio that sounds impressive in a production studio and creating something that actually works when it’s surrounded by music, personality breaks, and everything else happening on the air.
Groff also brings experience from several very different broadcasting environments.
He previously served as Operations Manager for WXOF and WXCV in Florida’s Citrus County region, handled production for Townsquare Media in Lubbock, Texas, and co-hosted mornings at Country 98.1 WWJO in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
That’s a résumé covering a substantial amount of geography, several formats, and different levels of responsibility.
And it makes his return to Northern Arizona particularly interesting.
Yavapai operates in a region where local radio still has an opportunity to become an important part of the communities it serves.
Flagstaff, Prescott, Sedona, and the Verde Valley share a regional connection, but they aren’t interchangeable markets. The communities have different local traditions, economies, events, and expectations about the media organizations serving them.
Flagstaff’s university community and mountain lifestyle present one set of opportunities. Prescott and Prescott Valley have their own established commercial and community identities. Cottonwood and the Verde Valley serve residents and businesses whose interests often differ from those of the tourism-oriented operations surrounding Sedona.
A successful regional broadcaster needs to recognize those distinctions.
And so does the person responsible for helping shape the company’s creative presentation.
A locally relevant commercial can become far more effective when it reflects the community where the advertiser operates. The same is true of station promotions, community announcements, and imaging that reinforces the personality of each brand.
That’s where Groff has an opportunity to make an impact.
His new assignment also reflects something happening throughout radio. Companies are increasingly looking for experienced employees who understand several parts of the business rather than concentrating exclusively on one responsibility.
Groff has worked in programming, operations, production, and on-air roles.
That versatility can be extremely valuable, particularly for a regional operator balancing multiple stations and the demands of local advertising.
But I’ve always believed there’s a difference between asking one person to do several jobs and giving an experienced professional the resources necessary to coordinate several important responsibilities.
The latter can strengthen an operation.
The former can wear somebody out pretty quickly.
Hopefully, Yavapai will give Groff the support necessary to put his experience to work, develop strong creative campaigns, and help the company’s stations maintain their individual identities.
Because production shouldn’t simply be the department where commercial orders go to become audio files.
It should be an important part of the station’s programming, marketing, and revenue strategy.
Good production can help a business communicate more effectively, make a promotion more entertaining, and give a radio station a sound that listeners immediately recognize.
And when several different formats are involved, maintaining that consistency without making every station sound alike becomes an art of its own.
I also think it’s encouraging to see a broadcaster return to a company where he previously worked.
Radio is a relatively small industry, and professional relationships have a way of bringing people back together. Sometimes the experience gained in another market makes someone even more valuable when they return to familiar territory.
Groff left Northern Arizona, worked in other parts of the country, and developed additional experience in creative and production leadership.
Now he’s bringing that knowledge back to Yavapai.
For the company, it’s an opportunity to strengthen the sound of its stations and the creative services offered to advertisers throughout the region.
For Groff, it’s another chapter in a career that has taken him through Missouri, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, and Arizona.
And for those of us who appreciate the people working behind the scenes, it’s a reminder that some of the most important talent in radio isn’t necessarily the person whose name appears on the morning show.
Sometimes it’s the person making sure the morning show, the commercials, the promotions, and everything in between sound the way they’re supposed to.
Congratulations to Doug Groff on his return to Yavapai Broadcasting.
Northern Arizona is getting back a familiar broadcaster with a broader collection of experience, and the company’s stations have an opportunity to benefit from that knowledge.
Now comes the fun part.
Making six very different radio stations sound like six very good radio stations.
And Doug, if somebody hands you ninety seconds of commercial copy for a thirty-second spot on your first day back, don’t worry.
Some things in radio never change.
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