Ed Salamon

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Salamon, Edward R.

U.S Radio Broadcaster and Executive

Ed Salamon was inducted into The Country Radio Hall of Fame in February 2006. Known as "Country radio’s most influential programmer", at age 27 he used innovative and controversial programming techniques to transform WHN in New York City from a failing Country radio station in into the most listened to Country station of all time. The success of WHN encouraged the establishment of Country radio stations in other urban and non-traditional Country markets greatly expanding the audience for Country radio and, in turn, increasing the exposure of Country music. He is credited as reinventing Country radio because his then radical programming techniques were emulated by other broadcasters, many of which became consultants or group Program Directors. Later Salamon would be head of Programming for a succession of national radio networks for an amazing twenty consecutive years.

Salamon began his radio career at age 20 as the Assistant Promotion Director and Director of Marketing Research at the world’s first radio station, KDKA, in his hometown of Pittsburgh. There he applied methodology being used for sales research to programming, and began his first programming job as Music Director of the station. From there, he was hired as Program Director of Country formatted WEEP radio, also in Pittsburgh, which was languishing toward the bottom of the station rankings. He was the first to research Country listeners’ preferences, and applied Top 40 radio formatics such as a short playlist to Country radio. Under Salamon’s guidance WEEP became second only to KDKA in the Pittsburgh total survey area.(1) At that time WEEP had a larger audience share than any other Country station in any top ten market.

Salamon duplicated this remarkable turnaround in America’s number one radio market when he was hired as Program Director of WHN. WHN had three Program Directors since switching to Country in 1973, and was mired in 14th position. Prevailing conventional wisdom was that Country radio could not be successful in the urban market of New York. Using the techniques that he had refined in Pittsburgh, Salamon also assembled an airstaff of personalities who were able to make Country music relatable to New Yorkers and bring context to a controversially inclusive spectrum combining more traditional Country performers George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard with Country rock acts The Eagles, Marshall Tucker Band and The Allman Brothers.

One year later, the Business and Finance section of the New York Times Bicentennial edition reported that WHN had “ skyrocketed to listenership in the number two position among competitors and its 1.5 million listeners are eagerly sought by local and national advertisers”.(2) Front page ads in Broadcasting magazine touted WHN as “ #2 Adults 25-49 all week long!” the “biggest thing since Rock’n’Roll” (a reference to the format of WABC, the only station ahead of WHN in the ratings). In 1976, WHN was named Station of The Year by Billboard Magazine. In 1977 WHN was again named Station of the Year and Ed Salamon was named “Program Director of the Year”. Salamon also produced live concert broadcasts with artists including Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams, Jr. Many were aired nationally as part of the nationally syndicated series “Live From The Lonestar Café”. Lonestar Café broadcasts originally produced by Salamon of Johnny Paycheck and Ernest Tubb later were issued as records.

At that time many Top 40 stations used sales of singles to determine which records they played. WHN fueled a crossover phenomena for when records by Country artists including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Eddie Rabbitt.

In 1978, Salamon was named National Program Director of the Radio Division of WHN’s parent company, Storer Broadcasting, supervising programming for its stations in Miami, Chicago, and most notably Los Angeles. In LA, while Acting General Manager for KTNQ (13-Q), Salamon hired high profile air personalities including Charlie Tuna and Jack Armstrong, and won the battle with KHJ for supremacy in the Top 40 format.

In 1980, WHN was acquired by The Mutual Broadcasting System. Salamon remained with the station and was given greater responsibilities at Mutual. Salamon was charged with changing the format of legendary station WCFL in Chicago from Talk back to a music format. In 1980 Salamon was recognized with Billboard Magazine’s award for National or Syndicated Program Of The Year for “The Johnny Cash Silver Anniversary Special”, which he produced for Mutual. Billboard again named Salamon Program Director of The Year in 1980 and 1981 and WHN as Station Of The Year in 1980 and 1981.

In 1981, Salamon formed The United Stations Radio Network with Dick Clark and other Mutual executives. Salamon was responsible for the creation of weekly programs including “The Weekly Country Music Countdown”, “Dick Clark’s Rock Roll and Remember”, both of which are still on the air twenty five years later. In addition to conducting the interviews used in those programs, Salamon conducted the interviews, wrote and produced specials on the Beatles, Rolling Stones and others. In 1985, United Stations acquired the RKO Radio Network, giving United Stations a 24/7 News operation. In 1989, the United Stations merged with The Transtar Radio Network to form Unistar., where Salamon hosted his own weekly series “The Stories Behind The Song” and live network interview specials with Garth Brooks and Alabama. In 1993, Unistar merged with America’s largest radio network, Westwood One and Salamon became President/Programming of The Westwood One Radio Network.

At Westwood One Salamon was directly responsible for programming by the networks’ biggest stars including David Letterman, Jay Leno, Martha Stewart and Charles Osgood. He was instrumental in bringing new talent including Jon Stewart (through Comedy Central) and brands like Fox News to the network. It is likely that every listener of the era, no matter what their format preference, has heard radio programming for which Salamon has been responsible.

In 2002 Salamon left Westwood One and became Executive Director of The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc., a Nashville based 501(c)3 non-profit organization which for which he had volunteered since 1976 as board member. Salamon also teaches as an Adjunct Professor at Middle Tennessee State University and Belmont University.

He has three children, Ed, Anne and Andy.

[edit] References

(1) “The Music Makers; Read It and WEEP”, by Mike Kalina , The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, April 23, 1974
(2) “”Nashville’s Bite of The Big Apple” by Lawrence C. Levy, The New York Times, July 4, 1976

“The R&R Interview/Country; WEEP’s Ed Salamon”, by Jim Duncan, Radio and Records, February 21, 1975
"First In Country: Ed Salamon", Radio Ink, February 27, 1995
“Ed Salamon, Country Radio Cheerleader” by Carrie Borzillo, Billboard, March 2, 1996
“Publisher’s Profile: Ed Salamon” by Erica Farber, Radio and Records, March 2, 1999
“The Wisdom of Ed Salamon” by Bob Shannon, Radio and Records, September 7, 2001
“For Salamon, A Transition, Albeit A Natural One” by Angela King, Country Airplay Monitor, September 27, 2002.
“Reinventor of Country Radio Format Acknowledges the Power Of Giving”, by Dimitri Vassilaros, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 15, 2003
“Country DJs Move Wall of Fame to Downtown”, by Jeanne Anne Naujeck, November 5, 2003