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10 Questions with ... Robin Marshall
June 18, 2007
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NAME:Robin MarshallTITLE:Voice TalentSTATION:JAYNE FMMARKET:Syndicated through Jones Radio NetworkCOMPANY:Marshall Arts Communications, Inc.BORN:Pittsburgh, PARAISED:Pittsburgh and Chicago
Please outline your radio career so far:
WAPP/1986, HOT 103 1989, WPIX 1989(same time), WQCD 1989, (don't ask)
KJOY 1991, dead air, 2005 WQCD dragged back in kicking and screaming.1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
My first job in radio was at WAPP in NYC. Incredible right? My earliest influence and probably the longest lasting influence was my dad. He was on the air at KDKA for 25 years as a Talk show host.
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
Well actually, I was a singer/songwriter in a rock and roll band. We had a record. Yes, back then that's what they were and we couldn't seem to get airplay. My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) had been on the air in Massachusetts many years prior. He suggested I get a job on the air and try to sneak my record in the back door!
Back then I always thought he was right...notice the "back then" comment. So I did what he said to do! He wrote me up a bogus resume, and my friend Bob Shannon of CBS-FM had a little studio in his apartment in the city and he invited me to come in and make a fake air check. I'd never met Bob before, but it seems when people from Pittsburgh, run into each other outside of their home city, they become fast friends and bend over backwards for each other! (We're both Pittsburghers).
So long story short, I walked into NYC's WAPP (with the confidence of someone who just doesn't know any better) the day Mark Coppola walked out! I don't think Mark even knows that! I was hired on the spot. They put me on in the overnights. Thank GOD! I'd never seen a board before, the only pots I knew of were in my kitchen. And didn't even know how to thread a reel-to-reel machine. I called my husband/boyfriend when I went on the air that first night, and he explained to me over the phone what buttons to push and how to turn on the microphone! I don't think I'd have the nerve to do that today! Six months later, I told the PD about my record. He listened, and put it on a steady rotation. Unfortunately, we had no proper distribution, so it went nowhere. But I stayed for the radio ride!
3) What makes the Jayne format unique?
What makes it unique, is that the imaging I write for Jayne is meant for REAL EARS. It's all real issues presented with a twist. No one else has a Variety Hits musical format that includes the thoughts of a woman meant for other women. Well, and guys that get it. There's no talk about "10 in a row...your favorites songs," or "Bright contemporary music for your work day, etc." You might hear Jayne talking about menopause. You might here her talking about a new guy... maybe her kids, maybe even a sex toy! The fun of it is, she's totally unpredictable, but classy. So the FCC can relax, but still be on guard!
4) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?
I see Jayne everywhere. Maybe I should rephrase that, I'd LOVE to see Jayne everywhere! The thing is, I believe people are going to think to themselves, "Why didn't this happen sooner?" It's refreshing, honest, and sincere radio. Not affected and something women truly have needed for a long time.
5) Tell us what music we would find on your car or home CD player (or turntable) right now and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?
I've always been a "Rocker," but as of late I spend so much time writing, producing and thinking for the Jayne format that I've begun to really enjoy female artists such as Norah Jones, India Arie, and Corrine Bailey Ray.
6) How do you stay in tune with your audience?
Talk about what they're thinking about. It might be something they're afraid to say, so I'll say it for them!
7) What was the biggest gaffe you've made on air? (dead air ... forget a mic was still on ... etc.)
I was doing the news and I pretty much DESTROYED Martin Scorsese's name! I still can't say it, and I can't spell it! Just started laughing out loud!!!
Another time I was on the air, and spiders started falling down from the ducts in the ceiling, onto the board. I told my PD he best find someone to do my shift or I QUIT!
Wait there's another one! My husband brought my five-year old in while I was on the air, and on the back of the uncovered board were multicolored buttons that she took a liking to. She pushed one and said, "Mommy! Pretty color!" She shut the whole damn station down with one finger! My PD was furious! The funniest part of all is that he's now my partner with Jayne-Fm!!! (Tony Florentino). Tony shakes his head a lot too. It's funny how all the men in my life seem to do that...
8) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
"Honesty is the best policy." If people choose to not believe me, I can't stop them, but I'm comfortable in my own skin because I know I've told the truth. Jayne was created because I wanted women to be able to relate to each other and put an end to at least some of the backbiting. Women need to appreciate each other and stop competing against each other. It's my contribution to add humor to what women might be sweating over on a daily basis. "I spent more time today picking my thong out from in between, than I did relaxing knowing my panty line wasn't showing." Simple things like that, to make someone laugh at themselves.
9) Describe the relationship you have with your fellow co-workers? How do you motivate your staff to do better? How do they motivate you?
I adore the people I work with. My partner Tony has an inner eye that helps me to see more clearly. Mike McVay has a world full of radio insight, and the staff at Jones Radio is so in tune with what we're trying to accomplish, that at times I feel like they're reading my mind.
10) How do you keep tabs on the competition? When your competition attacks you on the air, how do you react?
Well the best advice I can give my listeners is, when you go to sleep at night, leave Jayne on, and Jack off.
Bonus Questions
1) What singer/performer/artist really inspires you and why?
Gato Barbieri. Not what you expected right? He's the most soulful sax player you'll ever hear. I used to listen to him as a teenager with the black lights on and the incense burning. He would just mellow me out and allow me to breath. He still does!
2) What is your favorite TV show?
I love 24. It's so exciting!!!
3) Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____?
VALIUM!! (Just kidding). I enjoy walking. I walk about 4 miles a day. That's when I get my "thinking cap" on, as my mom would say!
4) What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you at a remote?
I was hosting at Jones Beach. I'd done many many concerts before. But I almost had a full-blown anxiety attack when I hosted the MONKEES! Why? Because when I was younger, I thought I was destined to marry Mickey Dolenze! I was in LOVE with him. So when I got the opportunity to meet him as an adult, I couldn't even talk!
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