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10 Questions with ... Sheri Lynch
February 28, 2006
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NAME:Sheri LynchTITLE:Nat'l Syndicated HostSTATIONS:WLNK (LINK 107.9)COMPANY:Jefferson-Pilot CommunicationsMARKET:Charlotte, NCBORN:PhiladelphiaRAISED:Philadelphia, NJ, Wyoming, NJ, Philadelphia - (parents a little unstable). Can you tell?
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
I actually still have my first job in radio, believe it or not. I was working in television when I met Bob Lacey. He happened to be in the middle of a nationwide search for a partner for his morning show. We just really connected off-air. He invited me to do a guest shot, talking about my TV job. A few days later, he asked me to join him fulltime. Now, getting that past corporate took some real effort. But within a few months of our meeting for the first time, the Bob & Sheri show was on the air. That was just over 14 years ago.
2) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?
I'm so glad that I didn't know then what I know now. First of all, I was so young and idealistic and insane. I thought, "Women need to have more power and more presence in morning drive. Why don't I single-handedly get out there and make that happen!" If I knew then what I know now, I might have passed on Bob's offer and gone back to grad school as I'd planned. And I would have missed the chance of a lifetime. The radio business is tough, complex, and increasingly unforgiving. But at its core, radio for me is the most fundamentally human of all the mass media. We're storytellers, fulfilling a basic human need for information and narrative that goes all the way back to our cave dwelling days. Having the opportunity to do real radio is worth suffering for. So yeah! I'd do it again!
3) You've just released a second book, "Be Happy or I'll Scream!" (St. Martins Press) How does your writing fit into your radio career? Conflict or overlap?
The two really go hand-in-hand. It's about telling stories. The disciplines are very different, but for me, the radio show has helped me to sharpen and focus the ideas I use in my writing. It's all about language: manipulating, coloring, and economizing. I swear, every writer should have a radio show because in radio, you don't have the luxury of backspacing, deleting, and rewriting. It has to come out of your mouth fully formed. Doing totally ad-libbed comedic talk radio for so many years has been like enrolling in a mental gymnastics camp. You have to be fast and focused for hours on end. You'll use those same creative muscles when you sit down to write. Plus there's so much input coming from your partner, your audience, and your guests…just a constant stream of input and inspiration. It's a feast for a writer, and a killer workout at the same time. From a business standpoint, the books, (written for the same target audience we speak to on-air) help expand and extend my brand with listeners. Add to that the simple fact that the radio show offers an unbeatable marketing opportunity for the books. It's great synergy!
4) If you are voice tracking shifts or syndicating for stations outside of your market, how do you get familiar with that marketplace/community?
We actually travel to many of our markets for appearances and client events, which is tremendously helpful. I like having a sense of place. Small details that give an idea of what your listener's lives are like. The markets that carry our show are so diverse, from Savannah to Santa Rosa to Quincy, Illinois. We have listeners who tune in while doing morning PT with the 82nd Airborne, and listeners who tune in on their way to work at a winery. And while people are pretty much the same everywhere you go, there's no arguing that Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is very different from Daytona Beach. It's fun to visit local landmarks, restaurants, etc and then have those shared experiences in common.
5) How do you stay in tune with your audience?
This one's pretty effortless. I live their life! Work, family, marriage, "American Idol…" I've always been in sync with my listeners, which is a lucky thing. I haven't had to rely on generalizations or assumptions; I know my people. I'm one of them. I sometimes think about how exhausting it must be to "keep it real" on-air when you're squeezed into a role or character so different from your authentic self.
6) What was the first song or full-length release you purchased?
Do I really have to admit that it was a Brady Bunch album, bought with my birthday money? I was like, seven, so forgive me for not wanting something totally cool like Steppenwolf. You've got to admit, though, that when Peter Brady belts out, "When it's time to change/you've got to rearrange/who you are into what you're gonna be", it's as good a rallying cry for radio in 2006 as any.
7) Have you listened to Sirius or XM yet? How does it compare to what we're doing on the commercial side?
I've listened to both, and actually subscribed to XM so that I could really investigate the competition. From a music standpoint, we're in trouble. While XM is far from perfect, it offers a universe of choices far superior to the strangled playlists running over and over again on too many commercial radio stations. Consumers like choices, and as network television learned from cable, choice trumps loyalty. We can't afford to be smug or complacent. Now, from a talk standpoint, satellite still has a long way to go. Yes, a couple of big, expensive names have been signed. But it's still too soon to say what kind of long-term impact Stern's move to Sirius, or Oprah's move to XM will have. And, even with all of the dire news coming from Wall Street about the financial health of these two satellite providers, it's probably premature to celebrate their demise. I think we can say that we're now beginning to operate in a universe of consumers with little or no nostalgia or loyalty to AM/FM radio. For them, the delivery system is far less important than the content. Satellite, FM, Internet, iPods, whatever. It's all about give me what I want, now! We can be gloomy, or we can rise to the challenge and innovate. It's a nervous, scary, but exciting time to be in radio.
8) Do you read…..everything? Books, Magazines, etc. Nothing? What's your favorite reading material?
I read everything; two daily newspapers, one business weekly, and whatever parts of the Wall Street Journal that I can decipher. I subscribe to eleven or twelve magazines right now, and generally read a book per week. I'm all over the Internet, blogs, news sites, etc. I'm lucky to be able to read and absorb material very quickly. It really helps with show prep. Ideas can come from the strangest or least likely places, so the more you take in, the better.
9) What's the best piece of advice anyone's ever given you? The worst?
The best advice: Never buy anything because you're "pretty sure a bonus is coming". The worst: don't quit your day job. Women hate other women on the radio.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Have a vision, and then have the guts and integrity to pursue it. Take the risks, and stand up for the things you believe in. Who wants to crash to earth strapped to someone else's rocket? I'd much rather ride my own.
Bonus Questions
What "reality show" could you see yourself appearing on and why?
"COPS." I'm descended from a pack of trashy criminals. I'm bound to follow in their footsteps sooner or later.
What is your favorite TV Commercial? Radio Commercial?
Favorite TV commercial will forever be the monster.com campaign featuring little kids saying stuff like, "When I grow up, I want to be downsized." Favorite radio commercial is anything with my voice on it. That's how the bills get paid at my house.
Peanut Butter; Smooth? Crunchy?
Smooth. Crunchy weirds me out. Those little chunks could be peanuts. Or they could
be anything. You really want to take that chance?
You just won the lotto and you have your boss on the line. What's the first thing that you would say?
Now can we pay for new publicity photos?
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