T-Bone! Programmer Mike Tierney, Class of '91 and '93
Mike "T-Bone" Tierney may have known more classes in JPZ's history than anyone - having worked at Z89 as a high schooler, undergrad, and grad student. So it's no surprise many of his contemporaries consider him one of WJPZ's greatest program directors.
T-Bone went to Nottingham High School, and saw a recruitment flyer for summer staffers while visiting Bird Library. He walked in that day, was immediately training, and worked his way up from overnights to the Top 8 at 9 that summer.
You'd think this would have led him immediately to SU, but he actually spend at summer at Fordham University downstate. But pull of the atmosphere and people at WJPZ brought him back to the 315. And he's quick to point out how the lessons he learned served him well in his illustrious career.
At the station, he worked with Carl Weinstein, Scott Meach, Gigi Katz, Hot Shot Scotty Bergstein, E Double R, and so many others. These were truly the "flamethrower" days of the late 80's and early 90's - with Janet, Michael, U2, LL Cool J, INXS, and more. And while 93Q was making headlines for not playing George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" and LL Cool J's "I Need Love" - Z89 was banging out the hits. In fact, T-Bone has a great story about how WNTQ called the University to complain about Z89 kicking their asses - and a hilarious conversation that followed with Dr. Rick Wright.
After receiving his Masters, Mike followed Carl and Kevin "Tippy" Martinez to Seattle, where he lived on their couches before landing gigs at KPLZ, then the legendary KUBE. There, he'd meet one of his great mentors, Jerry Clifton. T-Bone, the 25-year-old wunderkind PD, learned how to balance his programming chops with people skills. Despite being a ratings leader. his station was too buttoned up, and he needed to rekindle some of the magic he was part of at WJPZ.
Following his run in Seattle radio, Mike went to VH1, where he learned the limitations of television. He also had a stop at Epic Records, and at one point tour managed for a band.
Later, his former intern, Julie Pilat, recruited him to Beats One, before it merged with Apple Music. An online music platform in its infancy, it had hired a bunch of influencers to be air talent. Through airchecking, T-Bone found out who had the skills, and who was not interested in learning the formatics.
Mike's now been at Amazon Music for 4 years, the longest tenure he's had anywhere since Syracuse. He loves the gig because of the ability to change jobs under the umbrella. And rather than a program director, he considers himself an "off air music director" - yes, they still exist in the digital space, if extinct from radio.
We spend some time talking about the new life cycle of music - breaking at streaming then going to radio. And how to reach Gen Z - a generation that did not grow up listening to the radio. Their behavior as music consumers must be catered to. And how does radio need to reinvent itself? Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLM's) are changing every industry; music and radio are no exception.
We wrap with a hilariously off-color story about T-Bone handing the controls over to E Double R for Zappy Hour one Friday afternoon.
The Book T-Bone Referenced: Range by David Epstein: https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214506
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.
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