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WE CALL Tim Richards, The DJ whisperer. He was able to take a fast moving, meteor of show with nuclear personalizes like ours from 1 to 11 markets and stay focused on the show, and how it connects. We are all as on-air talent, a hot mess… Tim was able to channel that into success stories and relationships.

Over the years I have turned to Tim for not just career advice but life skills. These skills are the reason I’ve been able to get through numerous challenges both professionally but more importantly personally. What companies sometimes don’t understand is when you have your talent happy in their personal life, they will be more productive for you in both ratings and revenue. Tim is the talent coach you want on your team!!

Jimmy Steal is not only an incredibly talented music and radio programmer, but also one of the brightest minds when it comes to understanding the evolution of broadcasting across all spectrums – traditional, digital, social, mobile, streaming and beyond! Jimmy knows how to create platforms that act local but think global and his DNA in the radio and music business is always evolving and visionary, making him a constantly relevant thinker and doer.

You’re given only a handful of opportunities in life to find “your people”. After meeting Tim Richards many years ago, I instantly knew we were brothers. Tim is smart. Tim is strategic. Tim knows the importance of a positive team culture and how to build it. Because Tim focuses on the biggest asset he has to win: his people. All of that is secondary to my relationship with Tim, who teaches and challenges me and provides friendship not seen often enough in any of our lives.

When I tell you that I owe my entire career to Tim…I do. This man was one of the only people in this world that saw potential in me and had such a good eye for it that he was able to see it through a crusty audition video I submitted on YouTube. But from there, I was led by one of the strongest leaders I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Not only did he see the potential in my talent, but he guided me in a way that allowed me to develop the way I wanted to. He’s the first leader I’ve worked with that asked me what I thought of his work and how he can improve, that took the boss hat off and spoke with me as a friend that genuinely cared for my well-being. He’s also THE reason I got to be in the same room as Britney Spears 2 months into my career… so like, Tim is literally everything and more.

Heidi is an enthusiastic leader who trained our sales team in understanding a brand new tool kit of new digital products.This training brought digital revenue growth to our team. Clients alike benefitted from the depth of digital knowledge Heidi exhibits as she can explain digital media better than anyone in the market. She is extraordinary at connecting people and making the connections valuable to businesses represented. An entreprenuer at heart, Heidi is great at coming up with innovative solutions and ideas for projects.

Heidi possesses a drive, enthusiasm, and an unmatched attention to detail that is rare in today’s marketplace. She fully invests herself in each of her market’s and clients’ projects. Good is not an option that Heidi considers. Excellent is the only outcome she will accept. Friendly and approachable, Heidi is great to work with, and an asset to those around her.

I have had the opportunity to work with many dynamic and successful content leaders in my career. I would put Jimmy at the top of that list. His balance of having an analytical mind capable of analyzing data and implementing effective solutions driven by that data, and his ability to “hear” more than what is coming through the speakers, all give him a perfect balance of art and science. Jimmy’s strong business thinking and his high sense of responsibility drive his personal accountability to succeed for others more than himself. Couple all of that with his strong competitive nature and you have a force rarely seen in the media industry. His type of innovative thinking while still being grounded in both the positive and challenging realities of “radio” make him an important person to our industries futures. It has been a pleasure working with Jimmy and I hope to continue to work with him, in some capacity, for years to come.

I am writing to offer my recommendation for Tim Richards. I had the opportunity to develop a partnership with Tim’s station through Tim’s efforts & in 50 years of purchasing advertising and media, I have yet to encounter a more honest, motivated & helpful station representative. He is an amazing problem solver, not only through the analytical process but also by motivating all parties to help find solutions for any issue. In my experience, Tim was great at keeping the partnership on track & keeping everyone well informed.

Jimmy is one of the most talented programmers in the business and I’ve immensely enjoyed working with him over many years. He has done an outstanding job protecting the tremendous Power 106 franchise he was put in charge of and he has made major contributions to many other Emmis stations that we have collaborated on.

JImmy is one of the most creative people that I know, and he uses facts and numbers to direct his creative energy to solve problems. It was a complete pleasure to work for him and I wish we could find a place in our company so he would come and work for us. He quickly gains the respect of his direct reports as well as his peers.

Partnering with Tim Richards and his team at CBS/Entercom will easily go down as one of the best decisions I made during my tenure as the Chairman of the Bird’s Nest. The partnership that we developed with Tim helped The Thunderbirds and the Waste Management Phoenix Open take this event to the next level and for that, we will be forever grateful. More important, even, than his contribution to the Bird’s Nest, is the friendship that has been developed between Tim, myself, and the rest of The Thunderbirds.

I remember telling Tim years ago how lucky radio was to have him and that he should consider a career with the UN, because he possesses the people skills strong enough to bring warring nations together. I’ve worked closely with Tim since 1997 and he is one of the special ones, with the ability to lead a team through the toughest of times and bring them out winners, every time. Tim’s intelligence, strategic mind, warmth, compassion, humor and wit all come together to make one amazing and one-of-kind programmer that anyone would be blessed to work with. His track record speaks for itself, but when it comes to Tim, his ability to cultivate genuine and memorable relationships with employees, colleagues, clients and listeners is something you can’t measure with numbers.

Heidi is one of the most talented marketers I have ever encountered in my 25+ years in marketing. She is knowledgeable , passionate , and brings a level of professionalism second to none.

Tim’s ability to be open to new ideas for radio allowed me to have a successful talk show. Tim made himself available to me to discuss what needed to happen on the show. Tim was an integral part of creating the original talk show I hosted and getting management to back it and put it on the air. I love Tim’s enthusiasm, dedication to his industry and his ability to connect with a wide variety of personalities. I would work with him again in a heart beat!

Jimmy is that rare combination of committed music lover and insightful business analyst. He gets the music, the numbers, the audience and where all three are heading–and always way ahead of the pack. Whenever I need to get a better understanding of radio and radio audiences, I always start with Jimmy and I’m always glad I did.

Jimmy’s guidance played a key role in helping our afternoon show reach #1 in target demos. Jimmy has a genuine passion for helping talent grow and excel, he was instrumental in developing segments and bits that significantly strengthened our show’s brand. Working with Jimmy has been an invaluable experience, and his impact on our team is undeniable.