The segment of the Nov. 9 Philly EDGE cover story on Q102 FM's Chio.- ED

Game on : Vote for "Chio in the Morning" as your favorite morning show.

By Ryan Alan

The big guy has taken his stick and ball and gone home.
Tim Acosta, the "Chio" of "Chio in the Morning With Diego" on Q102-FM, returns to his childhood in Brooklyn to offer this analogy as to what is taking place in Philadelphia radio right now.
"Imagine you’re playing street ball and there’s this kid who is six feet, six inches tall, and he’s no longer playing any more," Acosta says. "You start thinking, ‘Now we can win this game!’"
You always want to be number one if you can, he reasons.
"Howard Stern’s leaving will change the whole landscape for a lot of morning shows to try to grab the number one slot," he says.
It very much is viewed as an opportunity, he assures.
Even without Howard in the mix, Philly already is a very competitive market, he says. "It’s a typical major market. Some people say it’s an urban market, some say it’s a rock market with some legendary stations which have been doing their thing a long time. And I don’t think it will be too long until a Spanish format hits the FM market."
Acosta has been with Q102 for eight years, and broadcasting mornings since 2002.
He loves radio, a medium in which he has worked since graduating from high school.
"I feel fortunate. I don’t look at it as a job, almost like my hobby," he says, laughing. It may be comparable to playing professional sports, he theorizes. "How cool is that?" he asks rhetorically. "I do feel fortunate."
That’s the sentiment that those who are able to capitalize on Stern’s departure will feel too, he suggests.
"It will open up lot of opportunities for other morning shows. He has been dominating this market."
"(Stern)’s been in this market since 1986 and he just dominates in the demos I go after: 18-34 adults. He has been number one since I’ve been here, and probably number one before that. He dominates a lot of the demos. His leaving will open the door for someone else to be number one."
There are several reasons for that possibility, including the low percentage of the overall audience who has satellite radio.
"Obviously, there will be a lot of people who buy satellite radio. But he won’t have the number of people he has now (on terrestrial radio)," Acosta said.
As Stern perhaps breaks new ground, he is giving up a significant audience, Acosta says.
"It’s like cable is to TV. He will have a following, but it will be interesting to see how big his numbers will be."
He feels a lot of people won’t pay for radio when they can get it for free.
Acosta predicts that Stern’s replacements will not have the numbers he has had in Philadelphia. "They were used to him in Philly for 20 years," he says.
The competition will be spirited. "There’s always competition when there are (ratings) shares to band," he reminds.
As for his program’s approach, Acosta says, "We do not plan to do anything really different. We do a different show than Howard. It’s not the sex talk and women coming in to the studio that he does. We target more women (listeners). Top 40 is different. We hope people who were stuck on him may check us out now and we might grab some of them."
Acosta describes his show as "pretty upbeat." "We talk about our lives. It’s real people, real problems," he says.
On a recent visit to a nightclub, Acosta says someone approached him and said, "I love the show. You guys seem so real. I feel like I know you guys."
He appreciates such reaction.
"We are a lighthearted show. We don’t get into too heavy topics and we talk about what is going on with the audience. We target what’s important to them."
That includes pop culture and a lot of entertainment.
It is an up-tempo approach that tries to make the listeners the stars as much as possible. "We incorporate the audience into the show," he says.
It is a strong morning team with Lisa Paige and Diego, he says. "We put Diego on the street in some crazy, wacky stunts."
Relationships are a frequent topic on the show.
"We are a big believer in relationships. When we talk about them they cross all demographics, all groups, all backgrounds: white, black, Spanish, gay, straight. We all have relationships. They are all relatable."
Acosta believes the fact that he does not take himself too seriously is one of the show’s strengths.
"We’re having a good time and always messing around. We try to make the commute to work and school little more bearable."
Acosta thinks Stern has been testing just how much his current company, Infinity Broadcasting, can bear as he turns his show into a virtual "non-stop commercial" for his move to Sirius.
"What Stern is doing on air pretty much pisses off Infinity. He makes them so much money they almost have to deal with it. They don’t want to give up money in this fourth quarter. If he was a regular Joe, he would have been blown out a long time ago."
Acosta says that while Stern may be "a little dirtier" when he goes to satellite, he does not think he will "go crazy."
While the FCC currently does not control satellite, he envisions somebody may do exactly that "depending on how far it goes, how far the Howard Sterns of the world take it… It seems somewhere down line, there’s got to be some guidelines."
Meanwhile, Acosta does not believe satellite will take over terrestrial radio.
"Terrestrial is a lot bigger," he says. "There is so much technology. There weren’t computer Ipods 30 years ago. Now options are cut 100 ways," he says.
"Terrestrial radio’s answer to satellite radio will have more frequencies and free high definition," he says.