Stephen Hill '80
Stephen Hill ’80 once assumed he would be a statistician like his father. He even majored in applied mathematics and economics at Brown, and taught math at Groton for three years.
But music was a persistent companion, almost an obsession for Steve, who is now President of Music Programming & Specials at Black Entertainment Television. “Looking back, I realize my enjoyment of and my intellectual curiosity about the entertainment industry and music was outsized,” says Steve. “Music had to be a constant part of my life.”
His break into the industry came unexpectedly: one weekend, while teaching at Groton, he substituted for a DJ at Brown’s radio station. By luck, or destiny, a program director from a Boston station was driving through Providence, heard him, and offered him a job. “This was the luckiest break ever in the history of ever,” Steve says.
That meant Steve was teaching and coaching weekdays and Saturdays, but charming listeners with his gregarious personality and musical knowledge at the now-defunct WILD on Sunday afternoons. And he continued at WILD once he left Groton in 1987 for a position at the Bank of Boston in what he affectionately refers to as its “Yuppie Training Program.” At the radio station, he wore jeans and a polo shirt—a much better fit than his banker’s suit. Steve was 27 when he left the bank to work full-time at WILD. “I took a pay cut to live my dream,” he says. Five years later, he moved to Dallas to help launch the nationally syndicated radio program “The Tom Joyner Morning Show,” then, in 1995, landed the music director position at MTV.
Since joining BET in 1999, Steve has influenced numerous programs, including the annual BET Awards, BET Honors, and Black Girls Rock. However, he is particularly proud of 106 & Park, which he conceived about 12 years ago. “I’m most proud that it is an extra-long-running show and that it takes a daily look at African American culture,” he says. While others are the hands-on writers and directors, he sees his role as “setting the rudder of the show.”
Though Steve often is photographed with celebrities, he admits that the glamorous hobnobbing is a small piece of the job, which can include everything from managing employees to generating ideas for new and existing shows. Still, the man who saw Radiohead, Bow Wow, and Nelly before they were famous tries to keep up with emerging artists. “I want to know what’s out there,” he says. (Steve’s prediction for the next up-and-comer: Luke James.)
At Groton, Steve remains involved as a trustee and never misses an alumni basketball game. He says he still uses many of the lessons he learned in Groton classrooms, particularly in his logic and creative writing courses. Bob Gula’s Logic class, he says, “really taught critical thinking, deconstructive thinking. I use the principles of that course to this day.” Ed Yasuna’s creative writing class “turned the light on,” allowing him to express himself as he hadn’t before.
That light now radiates for the public: just turn on 106 & Park, the BET Awards, or any number of BET programs. Steve’s creative expression is on display, in front of and behind the scenes, a remote control click away.
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But music was a persistent companion, almost an obsession for Steve, who is now President of Music Programming & Specials at Black Entertainment Television. “Looking back, I realize my enjoyment of and my intellectual curiosity about the entertainment industry and music was outsized,” says Steve. “Music had to be a constant part of my life.”
His break into the industry came unexpectedly: one weekend, while teaching at Groton, he substituted for a DJ at Brown’s radio station. By luck, or destiny, a program director from a Boston station was driving through Providence, heard him, and offered him a job. “This was the luckiest break ever in the history of ever,” Steve says.
That meant Steve was teaching and coaching weekdays and Saturdays, but charming listeners with his gregarious personality and musical knowledge at the now-defunct WILD on Sunday afternoons. And he continued at WILD once he left Groton in 1987 for a position at the Bank of Boston in what he affectionately refers to as its “Yuppie Training Program.” At the radio station, he wore jeans and a polo shirt—a much better fit than his banker’s suit. Steve was 27 when he left the bank to work full-time at WILD. “I took a pay cut to live my dream,” he says. Five years later, he moved to Dallas to help launch the nationally syndicated radio program “The Tom Joyner Morning Show,” then, in 1995, landed the music director position at MTV.
Since joining BET in 1999, Steve has influenced numerous programs, including the annual BET Awards, BET Honors, and Black Girls Rock. However, he is particularly proud of 106 & Park, which he conceived about 12 years ago. “I’m most proud that it is an extra-long-running show and that it takes a daily look at African American culture,” he says. While others are the hands-on writers and directors, he sees his role as “setting the rudder of the show.”
Though Steve often is photographed with celebrities, he admits that the glamorous hobnobbing is a small piece of the job, which can include everything from managing employees to generating ideas for new and existing shows. Still, the man who saw Radiohead, Bow Wow, and Nelly before they were famous tries to keep up with emerging artists. “I want to know what’s out there,” he says. (Steve’s prediction for the next up-and-comer: Luke James.)
At Groton, Steve remains involved as a trustee and never misses an alumni basketball game. He says he still uses many of the lessons he learned in Groton classrooms, particularly in his logic and creative writing courses. Bob Gula’s Logic class, he says, “really taught critical thinking, deconstructive thinking. I use the principles of that course to this day.” Ed Yasuna’s creative writing class “turned the light on,” allowing him to express himself as he hadn’t before.
That light now radiates for the public: just turn on 106 & Park, the BET Awards, or any number of BET programs. Steve’s creative expression is on display, in front of and behind the scenes, a remote control click away.
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