Chris Stevens is best known these days for jingles and other radio production, but he’s been working in the radio industry for more than a quarter of a century.
Starting his career at small commercial station SUN FM in Sunderland, one of the many stations that pre-dates community radio as we know it today, Chris went to run Chris Country, owning audio production firm Devaweb and co-owning jingle company TM Studios in Dallas.
Joining Steve Randall on RADIO CREATORS podcast, Chris’s passion for radio is evident as he recounts his early days at SUN FM: “It was my lowest pay, but my highest fun in radio and really enjoyed it,” he shares.
One of the key takeaways from our conversation with Chris is the significance of community engagement. Whether it’s a geographical community or a community of interest, understanding and serving your audience is paramount. Chris emphasizes, “You’ve just got to really know why you’re on the air and why people should tune to you.”
Chris’s experience with Chris Country is a perfect example of building a community of interest radio station. Initially started as a fun project for friends, Chris Country quickly grew into a beloved station for country music fans in the UK. Chris attributes this success to understanding his audience and catering to their specific tastes.
Of course the discussion included a lot about audio production including the role of jingles and imaging in creating a cohesive station sound. “Having a cohesive sound that weaves through all of that, I think, is really important,” Chris says.
Chris also touches on the challenges and opportunities in commercial production for community radio stations and some of the mistakes that stations make with commercials made in house or by not getting the necessary clearance for certain ‘special’ categories of advertiser.
