This is my tenth year of blogging and I've been going through the old archives of 30,000+ posts to highlight a few of my favorites. One of the best parts of this gig has been the chance to interview some of Chicago's radio pros. The top-rated personality radio show in Chicago for the past decade has been the Eric & Kathy show. I've interviewed everyone on that show mulitple times, and here are a few highlights...
The stars of the show...
Eric Ferguson: I’ve always believed that you should find out what people are good at, and then get out of their way and allow them to do it. That’s how we approach the show. We’re actually, believe it or not, one of the least structured shows out there, in terms of everyone knowing what is coming up next. I do the lion’s share of the show prep, Swany has a lot of organizational duties, and Kathy does too—she’s got a good eye for it. But once the show starts, somebody has to be driving the bus, and that’s my role. I like it that I’m getting real reactions from people that way, and I think it’s one of the reasons the show sounds so authentic and unscripted. It took awhile for everyone to buy into this approach because they’ve all been taught not to do it this way, but it’s the way I’ve always done it. Kathy had a hard time with it at first, but if you’re too prepared, you sound too prepared. I pointed out to her how great she was at reacting when she was just having a conversation. “Do you realize when you talk with your friends you don’t prep?” This is the same thing. We’re friends talking to each other on the radio.
Kathy Hart: The program director fired the morning show (Patterson and Faulkenberry) while I was doing PT/vacation fill-in. They put me in mornings while they looked for a replacement. They decided I “would do” in the meantime, but eventually I asked for a partner. I got into radio because it wasn’t a lot of work. Doing mornings by myself, I was waking up at 2:50am. That’s STUPID early. I was thrilled when Eric came on board because it meant less work for me and he grew up in Chicago. Bringing on a local boy meant not having to ‘explain’ Chicago to him. As much as I would like to take credit for our talent being the reason for our success, I believe our early success was a result of good timing. When we were finding our groove, Brandmeier and Wendy & Bill left the airwaves. It seems we got a few listeners ‘by default’ early on but eventually it was our incredible talent that kept them around. (Laughs) The sarcasm doesn’t translate on paper, does it?! In all seriousness, I believe it was as simple as our ability to relate to the audience and include them in the show.
Melissa does the traffic on the show...
Melissa McGurren: The Chicagoland area, which includes Northwest Indiana, has the most dedicated listening audience, which keeps me employed. Thank you, everyone!! I grew up in the Portage and Valparaiso area. Now I get to come to work and embarrass my friends and family from these cities by talking about them on the air. That means many people in the region walk around knowing I’ve shared some of their private moments. Okay, okay, so I haven’t been that bad. I at least ask before I tell! I’ve found everyone has a funny story.
Swany is the show's Executive Producer (and yes, the co-author of the Radio Producer's Handbook)
John "Swany" Swanson: I love all of our shows in front of live audiences. We've had some incredible ones. I totally dig meeting the people that listen to the show. That's the best. Probably the most memorable moment for me, though, was the time we appeared on the Today Show. They were doing a segment about "work spouses"--people who are together so much at work that they actually spend more time together than they do with their spouses. It was great exposure--Matt Lauer interviewed Eric and Kathy live on the air. Overall though, I have to say that building a morning show from the ground up, bringing it to the top, and keeping it there has been the greatest highlight of my career. Now, I just hope I can keep doing it so Eric & Kathy can make enough money in this business to retire.
Whip is the current newsman on the show...
Brian "Whip" Paruch: I really just try to write the news the way I speak, and try to think in terms of what our listeners would care about when I select stories. When there's an obvious lead story, like the elections, for example, I'll do that; but on other days, I'm not afraid to lead with, say, Charlie Sheen....while giving the "important" stuff its due, too.
Barry was the newsman on the show for the first decade. He sadly passed away last year...
Barry Keefe: I told our then-PD Barry James on the Friday of Eric’s first week that this thing was going to blast off. I still remember walking into the traffic office and seeing him and making sure he knew that. When Eric arrived, he and Kathy ignited the phones. And the targeting of women over and above what people had ever imagined before! What the hell did your average radio programmer out there THINK women talked about everyday? Purses, lipstick, cosmetic surgery, celebs and goofy domestic stuff. That’s especially true pre-parenting.
Mark Suppelsa did the news for a few years while also doing television news. It finally became too much for him, but he still appears on the show often...
Mark Suppelsa: My favorite part of the job is uncovering new information for a story you’re working. The chase is the challenge. The least favorite is the concept developed by consultants of selecting news story topics that supposedly attract a particular audience demographic. I’ve always felt, a good story, told well, will attract anyone.
Barry James is the man who put the show together, and served as the program director as it grew...
Barry James: A half-dozen people can take some credit for Eric & Kathy? So, that's where my share of the kitty went! I was their PD or Station Manager for their first 8 or so years. I've been asked a number of times about their success. My answer remains true to this day; they are where they are first and foremost because of their talent. My part in the process was to (a) identify talent, (b) nurture that talent through support and guidance and (c) step back and watch it grow. "C" is the hard part. Most program directors can't do that. It was the most difficult aspect of the process, but the one that reaped the greatest rewards.
