Why Me
A High-Profile Show Deserves a High-Profile Talent Coach.
A relationship built on trust
that everyone (myself included) works at earning.
OK, But What Makes ME that Coach?
So why hire me, Steve Reynolds? Well, I know talent, because I was talent. I’ve helmed morning shows. I know exactly what it’s like to get up at 3:30 in the morning and to be tired by 11. I remember—all too well—what it’s like to sit in creative meetings (where everyone usually spins their wheels because the focus is on the wrong things) while trying to find that special something about the hot topic of the day. I get talent, I get audiences, I get strategy, I get radio.
But maybe I should back up a little . . .
Once Upon a Time, a Nice Little Jewish Boy Named Steve Lived in Newburgh, NY
I grew up listening to WABC in New York. The DJs there were (and still are) my idols. They were personable, funny, and superstars. I’d write fan letters and run to the mailbox each day to see if they replied. I befriended one when I was a senior in high school, and he let me come sit in. I nearly vibrated out of my body. I loved winter because as the sun went down, I could listen to the other station I adored: WLS, Chicago. It was all so magical to me. Playing the hits, talking on the microphone, and becoming popular because of it.
Once Upon a Time, a Nice Little Jewish Boy Named Steve Lived in Newburgh, NY
I grew up listening to WABC in New York. The DJs there were (and still are) my idols. They were personable, funny, and superstars. I’d write fan letters and run to the mailbox each day to see if they replied. I befriended one when I was a senior in high school, and he let me come sit in. I nearly vibrated out of my body. I loved winter because as the sun went down, I could listen to the other station I adored: WLS, Chicago. It was all so magical to me. Playing the hits, talking on the microphone, and becoming popular because of it.
My First Radio Gig
When I was 15, my father got me a job at a local radio station where I did everything for free—I even cleaned the walls and vacuumed. I was thrilled just to be around all of it. The next summer, I worked at WBNR and WSPK, Poughkeepsie. One of my jobs was reading obituaries on the air. (The owners got $4 per obit – ah, revenue!) I was a kid, so this felt weird. I laughed nervously every time I did it. One day, in an act of rebellion, I decided to play the disco classic “The Hustle” by Van McCoy as I read the obits. I was in the owner’s office within two minutes. But I was NOT fired. What did this tell me about going rogue?
Good Morning, Springfield!
After college (Skidmore), I worked at KWLO, Waterloo, Iowa, until 1981. Then, I went on to my first morning show at WMAS-FM, Springfield, Mass., where I was fired after two years and rehired nine weeks later. This is where I met Kevin Silva, who’d been hired to replace me. Kevin was the big brother I needed then. He taught me so much about radio—and life.
Good Morning, Springfield!
After college (Skidmore), I worked at KWLO, Waterloo, Iowa, until 1981. Then, I went on to my first morning show at WMAS-FM, Springfield, Mass., where I was fired after two years and rehired nine weeks later. This is where I met Kevin Silva, who’d been hired to replace me. Kevin was the big brother I needed then. He taught me so much about radio—and life.
And Raleigh!
In 1983, Kevin and I moved on to the very first morning show for start-up station WRDU, Raleigh (“Reynolds & Silva”). This is where I learned the most, because I was surrounded by the most talented people in the industry. Kevin and I remained on the air for nine years.
In the mid-nineties, I programmed WRAL in Raleigh and helped (i.e., “coached,” even though we didn’t call it that) the morning shows in the company at that time. I officially caught the coaching bug!
Making the Shift to Full-Time Talent Coach
In the late ’90s, radio consolidation was happening more and more, and Raleigh was no different than anywhere else. My friend Jon Coleman (whom I consider the smartest man in radio) was a visionary. He knew there’d be a need for talent coaching in the industry.
One day in 1998, Jon asked me to do a presentation for a bunch of his stations on how to strategically do a morning show. He knew I could speak to it, since I’d done it and since I’d helped other morning shows. Jon saw the reaction in the room and offered to help me get started with talent coaching. I began peddling my services in earnest in 1999.
And honestly? It was the best move I could have made. I LOVE teaching and helping talent grow and reach their full potential. That might be the singularly most rewarding thing: when the personalities tell me they look at radio much differently today because of the conversations I forge each week and how I challenge them.
Making the Shift to Full-Time Talent Coach
In the late ’90s, radio consolidation was happening more and more, and Raleigh was no different than anywhere else. My friend Jon Coleman (whom I consider the smartest man in radio) was a visionary. He knew there’d be a need for talent coaching in the industry.
One day in 1998, Jon asked me to do a presentation for a bunch of his stations on how to strategically do a morning show. He knew I could speak to it, since I’d done it and since I’d helped other morning shows. Jon saw the reaction in the room and offered to help me get started with talent coaching. I began peddling my services in earnest in 1999.
And honestly? It was the best move I could have made. I LOVE teaching and helping talent grow and reach their full potential. That might be the singularly most rewarding thing: when the personalities tell me they look at radio much differently today because of the conversations I forge each week and how I challenge them.
So, what’s it like to work with me?
Here’s what to expect when you choose me as your talent coach: