"Super-serve" has become a mantra that Nathanson and his colleagues work in to conversations with almost alarming frequency, which is understandable, given that it's the nub of Mapleton's philosophy for catering to advertisers and listeners in markets like San Luis Obispo and Chico, both in California, and Medford, Oregon. And super-serving is an approach that seems to be working. Since the company was founded, in 2001, it has grown to become the second-largest radio group in California, exceeded only by industry goliath Clear Channel Communications. Mapleton's gross revenue in 2006 was $21.5 million, and some of its stations saw a doubling or tripling of revenue. While radio is not exactly a Wall Street darling these days - which is understandable, as the advent of iPods and digital music certainly poses a threat to the industry - last year, the Lazard Alternative Investments' Corporate Partners II Fund purchased a 39 percent stake in Mapleton, giving it the kind of cash it needs in order to continue expanding.

IT WAS PROBABLY inevitable that Nathanson would carve out a career for himself in radio. For one thing, his grandfather Don Paul Nathanson was the publisher of Radio Showmanship Magazine and even owned a radio station. When Nathanson was growing up in Los Angeles, he was neighbors with Irving Azoff, the manager of bands such as the Eagles, Journey, and Van Halen. Not surprisingly, he developed a passion for music early on, and after attending Tulane University in New Orleans - where he was introduced to that city's vibrant live-music scene - he got what he describes as a dream job: working for MTV in London.