Rob Wagman “Talent From The Heavens”

Within the last year, I have witnessed young talent who arrive on the air of radio fully seasoned as if they had been doing this their whole lives and careers.  I have also witnessed, newbies who had never graced the inside of a radio station who get on the air, and within short time, again sound as if they had been doing this since birth.

I liken this to the times we are living in where the promise of the Holy Spirit will be poured out and sons and daughters will prophecy, old men will dream dreams and young men will see visions.  There is no explanation for the abilities that have been showing up ready for the mainstage

I know this is of God, because there has NEVER BEEN A TIME where a glut of specific and purposeful talent has just shown up, almost unannounced, but ready like the five of ten virgins who go out to meet the bridegroom with lamps full of oil, while the other five who do not show up prepared are described in the Word as foolish.

In past stories, I have highlighted talent such as Justin Paul in St. Louis, Carlos Aguiar, CJ and Lauree at K-Love and Chad Bradley in Columbus, OH.  Except for Lauree, the others were written about before they had landed in those present roles, but look at Lauree’s story and you will see that she fits the description like the ones who show up equipped.

What Is Done in Darkness May Get You to Number One

I shine the spotlight back to Chad Bradley, who has done something recently that I had only seen done by Justin Paul before him, and that is to share content so transparent, that the audience not only tunes in, but is passionate enough about what they’re hearing that they report their listening to Nielsen or Eastland in a way that reveals an unheard of #1 in the market result.

Justin Paul did this numerous times at WAY-FM, in several markets simultaneously when he was the night talent there, and Chad Bradley has recently pulled off the same difficult feat in Visalia; #1 at night.

We’ve covered the sons and daughters who prophecy and the young men with visions, lastly time to conquer the old men who dream dreams.  Listening to a fundraiser on KTDD Seattle, Worship 24/7 recently, the familiar voice of David Harms was succinctly sharing God’s work and hand in the shaping of the young worship based ministry, and along side him was a talent I had only heard in voice track form, whose faith is so strong, but what I was about to be exposed to was the greatest off the cuff, on the spot, impromptu giftings I had ever heard in the Christian format.

I couldn’t help myself, I began writing emails to anybody and everybody who would listen about the talent in the Pacific Northwest named Nelson. 

Whose Faith Is It Anyway

What I heard on the radio that morning with David Harms was a talent whose first commitment was to Jesus, faith and the ministry but what came after that base that he created was humor to the level of Robin Williams, but remarkably clean and joy giving, never compromising the Word, nor the ministry, but always giving it his all, as though to do all things as if unto the Lord.

I wasn’t privy of Nelson’s resume or his past but as the stations I reached out to begin sharing back what they knew about him, it became evident that his giftings had been revealed, but that his past in the format had not yet been maximized, and that no one had yet put him where his talents would scream off of a page.

I typically smile at good radio.  Nelson had me LOL’ing beyond the fake response of three letters to indicate I had done that very thing, and I indeed had, not once but about six times within 40 minutes.

I am adding him high on the list, not an actual written down one, but etched in my head on future talent to steal and because I want to set him up for success, he’s a co-host, probably best with another male, who is a great host, funny in his own right, but not one who can go off script like Nelson, bringing hilarity while never losing the point.

People With Names That Make You Think They Build Furniture

Lastly, I didn’t know Obadiah Haybin in his long-term role in AM Drive in Columbus OH, but CMB was gracious enough to allow me the privilege to aircheck with him at the last Orlando gathering, and I said something to him privately that I will now reveal through my respect, which is that Obadiah is ready to own a drive time shift anywhere in America, in a great city or on a nationally syndicated stage.  His instinct is content, with the meter to know what will hit this audience in the heart and what will bounce off with no effect. 

He’s not interested in the latter.  The part of this man that blew me away was that with all the experience he has, he continues to humbly seek ways to get better still, to reveal blind spots in his own life that may hinder his future production, yet there was an ingredient that was most obvious over all of the ones listed so far.  Faith.

As we step into the darkest times we have ever seen in our lifetime, these are not times to seek gold out of the world, but instead to invest in Brasso or polish, and let the gold that is already here, shine in the way God had originally intended.

Invest, and indeed it will.

Since 1991, Rob Wagman has been known first by his faith, and then by his skills in the secular side of this Industry, and now is known by his versatility, having succeeded in both radio and records in multiple formats from Christian Contemporary, Rock, Alternative, Top 40, Rhythm, Urban and Hot AC, in various roles from On Air to Programming to Marketing and Promotions. Wagman has worked in all of the Top 3 markets, LA, NYC and Chicago, and returned to LA in 2012 as his entry way into CCM, in PM Drive at KFSH, 95.9 The Fish before becoming the Network PD for WAY-FM.

In 2013, Wagman launched Straight Path Media + Entertainment, a consulting firm which hyper focuses on talent and each station’s greatest need for growth, supplying a la cart programming services for branding, from music strategies, promotional and marketing think tank brain storming, promo and imaging creative, talent coaching and airchecking. Wagman presently coaches 27 air talents, consults 13 stations plus 4 clusters. Contact Rob Wagman at StraightPathMandE@gmail.com