Radio Programmer ERN Celebrity-Surfing to Success

After managing the characteristically short-lived careers of teen idols such as Rick Springfield, Andy Gibb and Corey Hart, Dana Miller has found a job he can do in his shorts.

Miller is the co-chairman of Entertainment Radio Networks, a fast-growing syndicator of radio programming based in Malibu. His casual beachfront office is a place where the Endless Summer meets endless ambition--a place where people still find time to catch the perfect wave when they’re not busy running a company that expects $12 million in sales this year.

ERN has 27 shows on the air worldwide. Its bread and butter is personality-driven programs such as “Entertainment Tonight” and “Blockbuster’s Top 25 Countdown,” both hosted by Leeza Gibbons. The company also produces “Countryline USA from Disneyland,” “Fight Back! With David Horowitz” and the talk show of conservative commentator Ken Hamblin.

Miller’s attitude about his work is as casual as his lifestyle. “Radio gets no respect,” he observed over lunch in Malibu recently. “But that’s OK, because we’re quietly making tons of money.”

Executives attending this week’s National Assn. of Broadcasters annual Radio Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center might draw some lessons from Miller’s story. His formula for success is surprisingly obvious: celebrity sells.

“In national radio, we’re becoming more star-driven,” says Miller, 39. “The reason stations take my shows is I give them something they can’t do themselves.”

Analysts agree. Jeff Pollack, chief executive of Pollack Media Group, says the airwaves are already cluttered with syndicated shows. Building programs around brand-name talent is one of the only ways of breaking through, he says.

“It’s unbelievably crowded out there,” Pollack said Monday. “These days, you either have to have a remarkably fresh perspective to your show or a host that is extremely desirable.”

Miller, who grew up in Southern California and graduated from USC, started Entertainment Radio Networks in 1986 after stints as a disc jockey, concert promoter and manager. His work on behalf of the Beach Boys led to deals with teen heartthrobs such as Springfield, Gibb and Hart, which in turn led to promotional campaigns that exposed him to the world of radio.

ERN’s first program was “Hitline USA,” a weekly celebrity call-in show that ran for eight years. From there the company formed relationships with personalities such as Gibbons. But not everyone on the air is a known commodity. Miller hosts some of the shows himself, including its monthly country program from Disneyland and live shows from the Roxy.

Miller manages the day-to-day operation with a staff of 27. His co-chairman, James-Paul Brown, plays more of a background role but is still remembered fondly in radio circles for creating the psychedelic “Earth News” feature that ran twice daily on stations in the 1970s and early ‘80s.

Miller points to the company’s relationship with Gibbons as one of the keys to its success. He met the perky TV hostess when she filled in to host one of ERN’s country shows, and he convinced her to do a radio version of TV’s venerable “Entertainment Tonight.” The popular show, which Gibbons tapes from her home, is projected to gross $2 million this year.

Miller says one key to getting and keeping talent is sharing the wealth. Gibbons and other ERN personalities are partners in their shows. “If I had given Leeza $500,000 a year in salary and the show succeeded, she would have come back for more money anyway,” he reasons.

Analysts say ERN is still small potatoes next to syndicators such as ABC and CBS or Infinity Broadcasting. But the privately held company gets points for creating shows that play well in major radio markets, thereby attracting big-name sponsors.

“Hitline USA” was backed by Pepsi. Blockbuster Entertainment, which recently merged with Viacom Inc., sponsors the “Top 25 Countdown.” Quaker State, Sharp and Reebok have also supported ERN shows, and Sony Electronics recently signed a $1.5-million deal with the company.

“If you have the right properties is what it boils down to,” said analyst John S. Reidy of Smith Barney. “If you have a Howard Stern . . . you can make a profitable business. It’s like anything else. It depends on the names you attract and what people will pay . . . “

Miller says radio is a natural outlet for sponsors who can’t afford TV anymore but who still want to be affiliated with a particular person or show. It’s also a natural outlet for Miller, who loves the freedom of piloting his satellite truck from one location to another.

He predicts that the company’s annual sales will reach $20 million by decade’s end, and laughs off suggestions that new forms of media will eventually erode radio’s audience.

“As long as people get in their cars and drive to work, we’re going to be in business,” Miller says.

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Stand tall time: Sony Corp. of America President Michael P. Schulhof is spending at least part of the week at the company’s Sony Pictures lot in Culver City. Sources say Schulhof is in from New York on routine business. He’s said to be going over film and TV projects with senior executives in the wake of Chairman Peter Guber’s recent departure.

Jeffrey Sagansky, Sony Corp. of America’s new second-in-command, is expected to join Schulhof in Culver City today. Entertainment executives look for Sony to ramp up production in a bid to reclaim its lost market share and attract the attention of investors.