Zapoleon Media Strategies

25/06/2026

𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱: 𝗛𝘂𝗲𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹

My friends 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗸 interview the l𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱ary Huey Lewis who talks about his music career and how Top 40 radio helped make him a #1 artist in the 80s.

Key Highlights:
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 : Huey discusses how "radio was king" in the 80s (0:00). He explains how bands relied on Top 40/CHR radio to build momentum for their hits, noting the strategic challenges of releasing singles that would get play-listed (10:00-13:00).
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀: Huey details the production of his landmark album Sports. He shares the story of how they self-produced the record in Marin County, experimented with drum machines, and eventually recut tracks like "I Want a New Drug" to get the right sound (24:00-28:00).
• 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: He reflects on the massive success of "The Power of Love" for the movie Back to the Future, noting how the song's radio success actually forced the movie release to be expedited (35:40-37:00).
• 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 & 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀: Huey opens up about his ongoing health challenges, specifically his experience with Ménière's disease and how it has affected his hearing and golf game (4:30). He also shares his passion for fly fishing in Montana and his efforts in fish conservation (2:17).
• 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆: The group discusses the decline of the "hit" culture as radio became more corporate and music listening shifted from communal to individual (49:00-51:00).
• 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱:: Huey discusses the transition of his musical The Heart of Rock and Roll to regional theater and his upcoming charitable projects (44:50).

In this episode, legendary hitmaker Huey Lewis sits down with veter...

22/06/2026

𝗔 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀: 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝟵𝟰

Clive Davis, the legendary record executive and four-time Grammy-winning producer who helped launch and shape the careers of Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Sly and the Family Stone,Janis Joplin, Aerosmith, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood , Laura Nyro, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Donovan, Bay City Rollers, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Loggins and Messina, and Ace of Base and countless other superstars, has died at age 94.

Clive forever changed our industry memorably from 1961 when as young staff attorney for Columbia he kept Dylan signed to Columbia,

From 1967 to 1973, Davis was the president of Columbia Records. He was founder and president of Arista Records from 1974 through 2000 until founding J Records. From 2002 until April 2008, he was chair and CEO of the RCA Music Group (which included RCA Records, J Records, and Arista Records), chair and CEO of J Records, and chair and CEO of BMG North America.

He touched so many artist's careers as well as the thousands who worked for him or worked with him in the music industry and radio(including me)

R.I.P Clive and thank you for what you did for all of us in our wonderful business

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee fostered the careers of icons including Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin and Aerosmith.

16/06/2026

𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱
𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀

My friends 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗸 interview l𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱ary Michael Ellis who is the former Associate Publisher of Charts Chart Editor for Billboard Magazine and original Z100 and WKTU Music Director. Michael shares his experience in the music industry, specifically his role in revolutionizing the Billboard Hot 100 chart methodology in the 1990s.

Key Highlights:

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 (2:30-9:15)Ellis explains the transition from the old, manual system—which relied on phone reports from record stores and playlists from radio stations—to the high-tech, data-driven systems of SoundScan (for sales) and BDS (Broadcast Data Systems) (for airplay). This change made the charts more accurate and resistant to manipulation.
𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆(10:18 - 14:10): Ellis explains the complex formula used to weigh radio airplay (measured in audience impressions) versus sales. He notes that Billboard maintained transparency by allowing labels to see their point totals, though this often led to intense pressure regarding the placement of "bullets"—the symbols used to indicate a song's upward momentum

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 "𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀" (16:53 - 19:22): Ellis discusses the significance of "bullets" on the Billboard chart, which served as a roadmap for industry professionals to identify songs gaining momentum. While rankings were strictly data-driven, chart managers sometimes exercised subjective judgment regarding bullet designations.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 (29:38 - 36:04): Ellis shares his thoughts on the current state of the music industry. He expresses concern that the modern Hot 100 formula is flawed because it is heavily weighted by streaming, which he believes can lead to an inaccurate representation of a song's true mass appeal, particularly when artists have many tracks from a new album appearing on the chart simultaneously.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗭𝟭𝟬𝟬 (40:03 - 45:12): Ellis reflects on his time as Music Director at the legendary New York radio station Z100, working with Scott Shannon. He details the pressure of creating a "rhythmic" and "New York-style" flow to maintain the station's success in a competitive market.

Ellis concludes by noting that while he is currently enjoying life and working on various projects, he remains open to the right opportunities, emphasizing that his career has been built on credibility, loyalty, and honesty (45:52 - 46:20).

Former Associate Publisher of Charts at Billboard Magazine, Michael...

13/06/2026

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗻 𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲
by Matt Bailey GraphsAboutSongs

While I do see some hopeful signs of a positive change in the Music Cycle, Matt Bailey of GraphsAboutSongs..Com does an absolutely brilliant job of analyzing hit music's musical slowdown using a comparison the number of hits per year that made the Top 10 on the Hot 100 in 2026 vs the last decade

So its important to note that in 2026 it takes 10 times longer than a decade ago for a song to get the exposure needed to reach that saturation point with music consumers needed to be a hit
For radio it used to be about reach That begins with the # of plays on your station needed to reach a majority of your listeners a minimum of 3x…the old Optimum Effective Scheduling(OES) concept.

But now with so much shared listening with streaming platforms and apps consumers, attention is dramatically to all platforms individually and you need a dramatically greater amount of exposure and for much much longer to see if a song is a hit

So it takes do much longer for a song to become a hit AND much longer for it to lose its popularity(Teddy Swim Lose Control was in the Top 10 Billboards Top 100 for over a year …

Even with Billboards rule changes to prevent a repeat of Lose Control occuring to clog up the charts there are still very few true consensus hits a year..

Thats why its Important to figure out the hits early, give them max exposure and stick with them longer so they become the future powers.

https://open.substack.com/pub/graphsaboutsongs/p/2026-the-worst-year-for-hits-this?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=8a6m0s

04/06/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼'𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿

A presentation that has insights and action steps for all radio not just Country

Serving as a targeted follow-up to the perceptual study presented during CRS 2026 in March, the webinar dives deeper into country listeners’ passionate feelings surrounding the role of live, human on-air personalities in country radio. Findings reveal that relatability, companionship, and authenticity continue to resonate strongly with listeners, while AI-generated voices and music curation received significant pushback from the surveyed audience.

The discussion will further explore why the human connection remains one of radio’s most powerful differentiators, extending beyond air talent to playlist curation, imaging, and overall station identity.

"Country radio has always thrived on connection and companionship,” CRS/CRB Executive Director RJ Curtis said in a release. “This CRS360 conversation will reinforce just how important authentic human voices remain in building trust, loyalty and emotional connection with listeners

The panel, moderated by Justin Chase and Clay Hunnicutt, features researchers Hal Rood and Kevin Cassidy as they discuss the critical role of live personalities and human connection in maintaining listener loyalty.

Key Takeaways and Discussion Points:

Listeners are Multi-Platform Users: The data reveals that 80% of regular radio listeners also use streaming services (DSPs) (4:41, 7:50). Consequently, radio needs to position itself differently than algorithmic streaming services to remain relevant.

The Power of Human Connection: A major theme of the discussion is that radio’s "superpower" is its human element (11:21, 21:59). Listeners value real, local, and relatable personalities over AI-generated content (12:54, 19:18, 27:17).

Combatting Ad Fatigue: While listeners recognize the value of free radio, excessive commercial loads are cited as a vulnerability (23:05). The panel suggests exploring non-spot revenue and the "creator economy" to mitigate this (23:29).

The "Fun" Factor and Community: Radio is most successful when it fosters a sense of community, provides local companionship, and remains "fun" (12:03, 18:07, 28:51). The panelists emphasize that local connection is more important than the host's physical location (20:05).

Actionable Strategies for Radio:
Promote Human Curation: Explicitly highlight that playlists and on-air content are human-curated to contrast with AI algorithms (16:04, 38:11).

Optimize Contesting: Move away from "one-and-done" large cash prizes toward consistent, fun, and time-specific engagement (36:51).

App Engagement: Actively push for app downloads as a way to maintain daily habitual usage (25:41, 37:32).

Champion New Music: Radio still holds a credibility advantage for new music discovery; personalities should use their influence to "plant the flag" for new artists (22:49, 49:11, 52:48).

The presentation concludes with a call to action for broadcasters to foster a culture of authenticity, ensuring that every element—from imaging to promotions—reflects a "live, local, and human" brand identity (34:01).

https://youtu.be/cHdqsp8YRKc?si=39MJLj7xAlOZf3AR

30/04/2026

𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗝 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗮

My good friends Dave and Rick sit down with Radio Hall of Famer and legendary disc jockey and programmer Scott Shannon fpr an incredible interview to trace the career of the man who helped revolutionize the airwaves.

This episode features stories never told before from Scott’s decades in the trenches of radio, as he pulls back the curtain on the true reality of the business. From the sheer hustle required to climb the ranks in the early days to the high-stakes pressure of reinventing entire formats

Scott shares what it really took to win.
Scott also opens up about his early “baby DJ” days and the legendary influences that helped him craft his one-of-a-kind style.

The conversation dives into the creation of the Morning Zoo concept and the massive gamble of launching Z-100 in New York City, taking it from “Worst to First” in just 74 days while broadcasting from a basement in the New Jersey swamps.

1 like. "Radio Legend Scott Shannon: From "Baby DJ" to Radio Legend"

19/04/2026

𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗜𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

A cautionary tale from Hal Rood of Strategic Radio Research.. really really excellent advice

The media is all about streaming and we know radio programmers are falling prey to it

Now Im not saying big streams cant indicate a hit generally they do but even the biggest streaming songs don't always work for formats like CHR/Top40

With Stream farms that Hal identifies polluting Streaming data as well as hyping from large fan clubs who use the 50 streams a day 350 per week rule to goose their artists it's so important to trend and crossreference streaming data with traditional music reaearch data.

Hals advice is critical for all Radio programmers, over focusing on Streaming not following this advice is making a huge mistake

Stream fraud and manufactured fan campaigns are creating “Fake Fans” of songs and corrupting the numbers programmers use. What broadcasters need to do and how radio can benefit.

04/04/2026

𝗔𝗹𝘁-𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗜𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲 ‘𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗻’ 𝗕𝗮𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘂𝘀𝗫𝗠’𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘂𝗺

Gene “Bean” Baxter, the longtime co-host of Los Angeles-based KROQ’s seminal “Kevin & Bean” show, is launching a new show on Lithium (Ch. 34), bringing decades of alt-rock stories and perspective to the channel.

Gene is one of the most brilliant minds and great ears ever on radio, so proud that he was MD and did afternoons when I was PD of KZZP..that was before his legendary run with his great partner also ex KZZP Kevin Ryder

Kevin & Bean's Gene Baxter Hosts SiriusXM Lithium Show

Tune in to Bean’s show every Sunday from 12–6pm ET on channel 34 on car radios and the SiriusXM app.

04/04/2026

𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗴 "𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗼" 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗥𝗢𝗤, 𝗞𝗟𝗢𝗦, 𝗦𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘂𝘀𝗫𝗠, 𝗞-𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗭𝗭𝗣 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅

Here's a great article on my dear friend brilliant funny creative Doug Roberts who was part of the greatest radio team in radio history that made KZZP Phoenix #1 in the 80s.

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/siriusxm-host-sluggo-recalls-growing-up-in-phoenix-40656222/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ-KCBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6cVunF0G3jhZOS8kj2yB5AQW9JiE9v_TPmk4f1WAl4OeVinks7zruBnTQS_w_aem_qICEPOUjxVfcxWWSabJjWA

Long before he was on the air, he was shopping at Tower Records in Tempe and hanging out at Metrocenter.

13/03/2026

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 "𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱" 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻

Its the 2026 Oscars this Sunday Night and my good friends and industry legends, renowned radio programmer "Your Duke" Dave Sholin Sholin and veteran record executive Rick Bisceglia , bring you their new podcast featuring an interview in Episode 1 with first guest Oscar winning Grammy winning legend, songwriter Diane Warren

The "For the Record” podcast provides an insider’s look at the industry’s most influential people and events. Moving beyond the headlines, Sholin and Bisceglia leverage their decades of experience to reveal the real stories behind the hits and the people who shaped music. They do this through candid interviews with artists, industry executives and the behind-the-scenes architects. The show explores the authentic, often unrevealed, history of the record and radio business.

Episode #1 with Diane Warren is here:

https://youtu.be/0iyQkw9DwpM