INVESTING IN THE REGION
By Debra Solomon Baker
John Sheehan
St. Louis Senior Vice President
and Market Manager,
CBS Radio
While some entered 2009 still clinging to their trusty old radios, John Sheehan knows that the digital explosion is only getting louder.
And it’s not going to quiet down anytime soon.
Through his position as St. Louis Senior Vice President and Market Manager for CBS Radio, Sheehan, along with 145 employees, operates KEZK, KMOX and KYKY radio stations.
“More and more people listen
to radio online at work and at home,” says Sheehan.“ It’s vital for us to have a strong brand online just like we own the position on the radio dial.”
In fact, within five years, Sheehan expects high-definition radio receivers to be standard in all automobiles, which would give consumers double or triple the format choices. He also envisions broadband in car radios, which would give consumers access to all online radio stations. This, he says, is an opportunity for stations and companies that are well positioned online.
“CBS Radio’s commitment to winning on the web is exciting,” says this father of three. “We are now the leader not only on the air in St. Louis and most of our other markets, but CBS Radio is now the leading online radio streaming platform in the world…we’re capturing an entirely new audience with the same big brands people already know and love.”
As far as his own leadership skills, Sheehan believes in empowering talented people to do a job that they love.
“I think I’m consistent, fair and a problem solver by nature, but also don’t want to solve all the problems myself. I prefer to have strong leaders around me who are capable
of moving fast and making good decisions.”
Sheehan knows that the stations, themselves, are leaders because of the long-term relationships they have developed with the listener and the community.
“I would like our listeners to know just how many things we do to give back to the community off the air,” he says. “Beyond the business aspect of what we do, Y98, KEZK and KMOX do so much to raise awareness and money for so many worthy causes and that’s what makes radio such a special medium.”
Personally, Sheehan volunteers for March of Dimes, Heat Up/Cool Down St. Louis, the United Way and is a new member of the RCGA Board. He also has big dreams for next April, when he plans to run 26.2 miles, in the Go St. Louis marathon.
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE INSIGHTS
IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING A COMPANY CAN DO TO
ADDRESS SUSTAINABILITY?
“The most important thing I can do is to engage our faculty, staff, and students in the effort to become a sustainable enterprise. We have formed an SIUE Sustainability Advisory Group, which is supervising a sustainability audit and has undertaken initiatives in sustainable energy, invasive species control, water quality, and recycling. Sustainability is the topic of our 2009 all-faculty meeting where we will discuss utilizing the creativity of our faculty in research and integrating sustainability into our course content.”
Vaughn Vandegrift
Chancellor,
SIUE
“Create and support a company culture committed to sustainability. More than words, this integrated approach requires a commitment at all levels of a company to make a real difference.”
Derek Glanvill
President & COO,
McCarthy Building Companies Inc.
“The most important thing a company can do to address sustainability is to look to its values as a company and make sure they are aligned with sustainability for the community. In our case, one of our core values is enhancing the community. How can we enhance the communities we work in if we don’t practice sustainability? The answer is we can’t, so our very values require us to practice sustainability for the community, which is so much more than green building.”
P. Joseph McKee, III
President & COO,
Paric Corp.
For more information on the Leadership Circle, please contact Colin Stahlhut, vice president-membership Services, (314) 444-1145 or cstahlhutf@stlrcga.org.
