SMITH MEMORIAL TO BE HELD SUNDAY
UPDATE: Memorial services will be held for influential broadcasting veteran Steve Smith at 11am Sunday at Gilbert Memorial Park in Gilbert, Ariz. Smith died 7/7. Flowers are welcome, as are donations in Smith’s name to Musicians on Call.
Following the 7/7 passing of hugely influential broadcasting veteran Steve Smith, 62, his family has issued the following statement:
The industry is mourning the devastating loss of veteran programmer and broadcast executive Steve Smith. Steve unexpectedly passed away peacefully at home, in his sleep, on July 7th, 2022. Steve's highly successful career spanned 40 years and broke countless records. He won countless awards and has irrevocably changed the landscape of American radio for the better. Details regarding the celebration of his life will be forthcoming.
Smith’s four-decade-long career in radio included turning Power 106 into top-rated stations in New York and Los Angeles and creating winning stations in more than 50 markets for AM/FM, Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia), CBS (now Audacy) and Cox Media Group.
It started in San Jose, Calif., where he moved after graduating with his JD from Pepperdine School of Law in 1986. Just three months after Smith launched rhythmic KQHT (Hot 97.7) in San Jose, he had the #1 station in the market.
After two years with KQHT, Smith was named VP of Programming at KKFR-FM in Phoenix, where he stayed until relocating to New York in 1993 to work at Emmis Communications. As VP of programming, he created the hip-hop format on Hot 97 NY, turned Hiss-WRKS NY into a smooth R&B/classic-soul station and oversaw the two Power 106 outlets.
Smith bounced between Clear Channel and CBS before founding his own company, Steve Smith Talent & Consulting in 1998. He moved to Cox Media Group as VP of programming in 2011. He created Smith Richards Collective consulting agency with partner Tim Richards earlier this year.
During his time with the major radio companies, Smith helped develop some of the biggest names in radio: Ryan Seacrest, Johnjay & Rich, The Brooke & Jubal Show, Dave Ryan, Jamie & Danny and Sinbad, among many others.
Richards remembers: “I first encountered Steve in 1992 at the MTV Awards in L.A. at a Westwood One broadcast. I was there producing for Gary Spears and B96 and he was there with Super Snake and Power 92. Even back then I remember thinking, ‘Who’s that guy?’ He had a rock-star presence.
"Steve was—that’s so hard to say—an incredible man. He was a radio innovator and one of the kindest and most creative programmers I’ve ever learned from. Most of all, he was a great person. I’m so blessed to have known him and the world will definitely be a different place without his presence.”
Smith was part of the team that hired Richards in Tucson at Clear Channel in 2003, where they launched the popular morning show Johnjay & Rich in 2006.
P1 Media Group President Ken Benson, who first worked with Smith at Chancellor/AMFM, remembered in a Facebook post reuniting with him 20 years later: “Steve was still as brilliant and passionate as ever, and he hadn’t aged a day. He had an extraordinary gift for working with talent. I remember being in the studio one night at Mega 92.3 in Los Angeles with Steve and Smokey Robinson. Steve was coaching Smokey through his nightly radio show in the most gentle, kind and effective way. It was beautiful to watch the two of them make magic.”
Radio veteran David “Hurricane Dave” Smith wrote on Facebook: “Steve was our morning-show consultant, but our goal was always to work directly as a team. He was someone I admired for many years. He was a pioneer. Even though he held a lofty position, he was never afraid to get right into the hip-hop streets.”
Bob Lawrence, GM/market manager for New South Radio/Digio Strategies, posted: “He was so bright and his influence was truly on a global scale. His unassuming manner and skills made scores of industry people better in many ways. We worked closely together, as he brought my research company into some projects of his in New York City. Steve will be greatly missed but his presence will live on and be felt for generations.”
