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Whitney Allen
Biography
Whitney Allen is the host of "After MidNite
Weekends with Whitney Allen". She started her career in Eureka, California,
and has worked at several popular stations in San Diego and Los Angeles, including
Top-rated KIIS-FM and Pirate Radio, where she was hand-picked by legendary
Program Director Scott Shannon to do mid-days. She also frequently sat in for
"Rick Dees in the Morning".
Besides work, Whitney enjoys hiking and other outdoor activities. She currently
lives in Los Angeles.
History of After
MidNite with Blair Garner
We've all heard the phrase,
"Necessity is the mother of invention." It's certainly true in the history
of After MidNite. However, there were two necessities that needed to be met in this
instance. First, was radio's need for an answer to the problem of staffing the overnight
shift. Second, was Blair Garner's desire to work for himself.
When Blair first moved to Los Angeles, he had just left a lucrative, high profile job at
ABC in New York City. There was one thing he knew for sure: He didn't like working
under someone else's direction. Like his schoolteacher might have said, "he's a
good kid, but doesn't play well with others." Sure enough, Blair wanted to
strike out on his own. Over dinner, a close friend suggested that Blair try
syndication. It seemed easy enough, and his track record of success almost assured
interest from potential syndicators. Through the ensuing conversation it became
clear that every radio station shared a significant problem: Staffing the overnight
daypart. Usually, the d.j.'s that work the overnight shift are those that are still
developing their craft. As they improve, they seek out jobs during daytime hours
that command higher salaries. As a result, the program director is often left with a
revolving door of d.j.'s that host that shift. Their time is better spent working
with the morning and afternoon talents. After all, that's where the money is. So
there was the need. The question then became "Is anyone listening?"
In doing some research, Blair determined that nearly thirty to forty percent of a single
station's daytime audience share is retained overnights. For one station, those
numbers were hardly enough to set the sales force on fire. But, if you took that
thirty to forty percent from a station in Pittsburgh, and added that to one from
Milwaukee, and on and on, you would have a huge listenership before long. That was
the idea at least. But, would it work? T he first call Blair made was to a trusted friend
back at ABC Radio Networks. It was Rod West, Casey Casem's boss at American Top 40.
Over lunch Blair ran the idea by Rod. Try as he may, however, Rod couldn't think of
a reason it wouldn't work. Over the next month the two consulted regularly.
Finally, Blair convinced Rod he should leave ABC and join him to launch this new company.
On November 13, 1993 After MidNite aired for the first time to its initial affiliate base
of 12 stations. Soon, word spread about the show from station to station. For
its first year, After MidNite was adding up to ten new stations a week. Within four
months, there were over 100 affiliates. One month later, there were 133. It
tracked to be the fastest-growing show in radio history, even outpacing the growth of
industry veteran Rush Limbaugh. After owning the company privately for three years,
Blair, Rod, and their other two business partners accepted a proposed merger agreement
from Premiere Radio Networks. Their hard work was truly paying off. After
risking it all, they were each well rewarded for their efforts.
Today, the show boasts just under 300 affiliate radio stations, with Blair being the only
remaining member of that original team. And his dedication to the show and its
development is stronger than ever. Fortunately for Blair, Premiere has allowed him
to continue operating as if he were his own boss. After all, "he's a nice kid
that just doesn't play well with others."
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