Experiences at WorldSpace Satellite Radio

It's given me the opportunity to work in a business that conducts itself in the global arena. That has opened my thinking a great deal and has given me the first-hand opportunity to understand how business, especially the entertainment business, operates in various markets around the world. The way it's done in other places isn't necessarily better or worse than the way it's done here - it's just different. And the ability to understand that and to adapt to that is a key element to succeeding....

Where do I begin? After I was here for only three months I realized that I learned more in those three months than I would have learned in 5 more years in another job. I've learned a great deal about a lot of things, but if I had to pick one (or a few!) I would say that it would be the importance of building and executing strategic plans. And not just any strategic plans, but on plans that have been built based on valid and reasonable assumptions. Others are the importance of discipline - in management, in focus, in thinking....

It's a complicated business with a steep learning curve, due to the fact that we do business in many different markets around the world and each market has its own unique circumstances. Although on the plus side, no matter the market there are certain things that relate to content that apply across the board no matter what. These things have to be stressed in each of the markets in order to build a fundamentally sound content lineup that will win in that particular country/market....

The man who hired me had been my boss at CBS Radio in New York. He was the VP of the CBS FM Radio Group and became the first "radio" hire for this brand new satellite radio company based in Washington D.C. When they were ready to start building the content department he called and asked me to join.