“In today’s world, the business of operating and programming a successful radio station is more complex than ever,” says Lorraine Bergman, Broadcast Architecture’s Director of Programming. “Broadcast stations are seeing so many new competitors who are aggressively looking to tap into their markets. In this era of on-line news and music; iPods; cable; satellite, and HD radio, listeners have so many choices that they can easily customize what works best for them. That’s where we come in. With the way the industry is going, it is our obligation to make sure that our clients have a solid read on their market so they can present a product that will retain their current audience and engage new listeners.”  

Bergman, who grew up in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, is a graduate of Philadelphia’s Temple University. Her foray into professional broadcasting came by way of WMMR-FM in the City of Brotherly Love, where she began her career as the promotions director for the station’s wildly popular Morning Zoo.  She then moved into the programming department and was elevated to assistant program director.  After establishing a solid foundation in radio, Lorraine went on to serve as a program coordinator for Sony Warner EMI Cable Radio. Her work with SWE seasoned Lorraine with knowledge and experience in a wide variety of formats including Blues; Rap; Reggae, and Urban. She credits that exposure to format diversity as having been monumental in establishing her skills in product assessment.

In 1994, BA enlisted Bergman as a project coordinator and by the following year she was named the company’s music director and director of affiliate relations. In her current capacity as director of programming, Lorraine works with Smooth Jazz Network stations providing air check critiques; selector reviews; marketing and promotional advice, and new music recommendations. She’s also been instrumental in helping to launch more than a dozen new Smooth Jazz stations since 1995.

Lorraine is the writer for a program BA supplies to J-WAVE in Tokyo, called Smooth Air.  She also programs Legends Of Jazz, a two-hour weekly traditional Jazz program that airs coast-to-coast on 52 stations, as well as The Dave Koz Radio Show, a two-hour weekly syndicated program carried worldwide in over 100 markets.