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10 Questions with ... Branden Rathert
November 3, 2009
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1. How did you get your start in radio? Why radio?
I went to a preparatory high school in St. Louis to study law because I always wanted to be an attorney and a great "debater." After a short stint in college, I did a long stint trying to find out what I really wanted to do. Radio was something I had always thought about. I’m ashamed to say, I went to a school of "Broadcasting" and took my first job at WNJY in a cornfield in northern Indiana.
2. About what are you most passionate these days?
I do get really passionate about questioning everything and encouraging listeners to do their own research on stuff before they make decisions. Do you want to get the Swine Flu Vaccine? Don’t take everything I say as fact. Do your own research. When we discuss Healthcare Reform and I'm talking with a listener who is against it, I ask them to tell me three things specifically from the bill they don’t like. They can’t name three aspects they disagree with because they haven’t read the bill. Do all of your research before you complain about something.
3. You were a military brat moving around the country with your parents; how did that shape your world view? Do you think that you have a different perspective on things because of that experience, as opposed to those who grew up in one place?
Moving around a lot, I was constantly forced to make new friends and I learned to see the best in people. I also became very accepting of people who had differing points of view. Does this make me different than a talk show host who did not grow up in the military?
4. You were most recently in Boise before coming to Pensacola; what, besides the obvious weather change, strikes you as the biggest difference, if any, between the two places? What's surprised you about Pensacola?
Being in the capital city of Idaho made it much easier to get elected state officials on. Here in the Florida Panhandle, it’s much more difficult to get lawmakers from Tallahassee to be on some talk show in Pensacola. Boise and Pensacola are both pretty conservative markets. What surprises me about Pensacola is that when it comes to things like... religion for example, is that here people seem fearful of god. That’s not the case in Boise, even though a good segment of the population there is religious.
5. What's harder, standup or talk radio? Why?
They’re both very challenging. Talk radio forces me to do a tremendous amount of research so I know what I‘m talking about and so I can answer intelligently when challenged by a listener. But more importantly, it requires that I spend a considerable amount of time exploring what I feel and think about topics and issues so I can speak passionately about them. But standup comedy is much more difficult. Writing new material, testing out new material to live audiences, and enduring when your humor is not well received takes its toll on you. It’s one thing to bomb on a talk show, it’s quite another to bomb in front of a live audience. Which I have done. More than once.
6. Who are your mentors, influences, and heroes?
My grandfather always told me, "Branden, I don’t care what you do for a living. If you want to flip burgers, that’s fine. Just enjoy it and do it better than anybody else." I liked what JC Corcoran did in mornings on KSHE-95 in St. Louis back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. And I hate to admit it, but I was influenced by Howard Stern. Not his content, but his philosophy. This is what I’m going to talk about, this is the WAY I'm going to talk about it, and if people respond, great. If they don’t respond, I guess I won’t have a job... I still have job!
7. What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?
I was swapping stories with Phyllis Diller during a live interview and she was telling me how great of a kisser Lee Marvin was. I tried to be funny and asked her to tell me a story that involved her, Lee Marvin, and a horse. She hung up on me, but not before telling me that I was an ass. She did say goodbye after calling me an ass at least. To this day I have no idea why on earth I would attempt to ask her something like that. She gave a phenomenal interview though. Until she hung up on me.
8. Of what are you most proud?
Professionally: Beating a long running, #1 rated syndicated morning show after only one book and then maintaining that top spot while working with Wes Bennett at WDDD Marion/Carbondale Illinois.
Personally: I have a 17 year old son that I adopted and he is an amazing kid. Everything a father could hope for, plus he’s really cool and the breadth and scope of our discussions are pretty impressive. I’m proud that I have had a part in helping to shape a kid into a fine young man.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _______________.
... naming something that I am grateful for.
10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?
Best advice was from Rick Dees: "Just talk about SOMETHING and the humor and entertainment factor will come".
Worst advice: "You should use a different on-air name."
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