10 Questions with ... Cindy Barton

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I was at CBS for eleven years, and I did mornings for eight years. I'm currently hosting the syndicated "The 70's and with Cindy Barton" which airs in the US and across Europe, and I recently launched ChickRadio.net in 2009.

1) What Got You Interested In Radio?

I was a talker the minute I escaped from the womb. My family could not get me to ever shut up. I had three older brothers and the only way I could get a word in edgewise was to talk really fast and loud. My mom swore she heard me yacking to myself in the uterus. When I was four, my dad taught me how to play chess and we'd play for hours listening to WCCO. It was a pattern for years and in the 4th grade I decided I wanted to yack on the radio like they did.

2) How would you describe your first radio gig?

I was very lucky. I was among greatness. I started as a researcher at KDWB when I was still a teenager. I was just a baby and surrounded by these great names in programming and on air personalities. Dave Hamilton, Bob Lange, Smokin' Joe Hager, and Tim Kelly. I'd play a tape of about 40 song hooks to listeners over the phone and they would rate them. I had to call about 200 people a week if I remember correctly. Don't ask me if I ever fudged the numbers because there were a couple of songs I really loved. Rupert Holmes owes me one... for the extra check marks on "The Pina Colada Song." Don't judge me, remember I was just a teenager and it's a great song!!!!

3) How do you position the show to prospective clients?

The 70's show is a feel good program that plays music that either our audience grew up with (or for the younger people, continue to discover). We bring back memories of when they bought their first car, went to the prom, went to high school, did stupid things, had their first date, or their first love. People love memories and that's what we give them with the music, along with interviews of artists from the 70's like Rod Stewart, Gene Simons, Bob Seger, Donna Summer, Captain & Tenille etc. It's three hours of fun and connecting with the listeners. And by the way, if any stations want to give the show a trial run, they can run the program for a month commercial free. Just contact me at cindy.barton@rocketmail.com.

4) How do you feel about the new royalty rate increases for Internet radio and proposed royalties for terrestrial radio?

You do not want to get me started on this one! Artists need to come to the realization that we are playing their music and that's a good thing for them. That's a plus not a negative. Stations make profits off the music and musicians make money off their sales. But if we don't play it and introduce their product to the masses, they won't make millions from it. It's a two-way street. They need us, and we need them so they need to be reasonable.

5) What is the biggest misconception about your show/station?

That the 70's show is just for the older demo. Not true. I've found over the years that just how the decades of fashion come back around, the music does too. College kids and up, really love the disco and dance songs and about 40% of the E-mails and request calls I receive come from them. They remember the music too from their parents listening to it. Our 18+ numbers have always been great, especially with women.

With ChickRadio.net some people have already formed an impression before they have heard it. They think it is all about slow, man bashing songs like Alanis or Tori Amos. Again not true. The music is up and bouncy and we love men in general. It's all about playing music and talking about issues that women care about. I have talked to thousands of female listeners over the years and I have listened to every word they said about what they like or don't like when it comes to radio. I have combined all that into developing Chickradio. It seems to be working. The response has been good.

6) How do you feel terrestrial radio competes with the satellite radio and Internet these days?

Well, it's changing faster than most of us thought possible. When I was hosting mornings in Minneapolis and CBS decided to stream us on the web, I was worried very about it. I know they wanted the revenue and I get that. But streaming opened up a Pandora's box. My concern then was if we get people used to listening to radio on the web, then they wouldn't need us as a regular radio station anymore, and people would start broadcasting and be our competition without even owning a radio signal. Running thousands of liners and promos basically saying "hey don't turn your radio on when you get to work today" doesn't seem good for the radio industry as a whole.

We would be opening ourselves up to actually training our listeners to listen to us in a different forum, but unfortunately, a forum that others could also use and we would lose some of our audience.

Here we are several years later and terrestrial radio has done just that...trained people to listen on their computers, and now it's a wide open door for competition. Every person that listens to Chickradio.net or any other Internet station is one less person listening to terrestrial radio and there are millions and it continues to grow. I'm sad about that because I love everything about radio. It's been my life love and I don't want to see anything about it diminish. But the door was opened and we can never go back. Internet radio would have happened anyway of course, but maybe not as quickly and in such enormous numbers. My point is that anytime you tell people not to turn on their radios, it's not good for terrestrial radio, and yet that is what happened in the industry.

7) What is the current state of radio's "talent pool"?

Radio's talent pool is an ocean of great talent now because so many really gifted, creative people have been let go for nothing other than budget cuts. There are so many legendary jocks in markets where listeners have loved them for years and "poof!" They're gone! It's disturbing and really sad. It seems like every few weeks I hear of somebody really talented being wiped out and I'm shocked and saddened by it. I guess I shouldn't be at this point, but I am.

8) What techniques do you use to get a celebrity to open up in an interview?

I don't treat them as a celebrity at all. I think they get bored with that after all the interviews they do. They are so used to people complimenting them and kissing their butts. I think they really like something out of the blue so I'm just honest. I told Gene Simmons I never liked him until I saw his reality show on A&E and the interaction with his daughter and he loved it. He cancelled his next interview and just stayed on the phone answering questions for me. Michael Bolton came in the studio to do the show with us and I mentioned that thanked God he had finally cut his long hair because it was terrible. He was so shocked at first, but he really thought it was funny and we're still friends today. I can't say that Martha Stewart found me as entertaining. I made a remark about her turning an old turkey carcass into a Thanksgiving Day centerpiece and she called me "the B word" and hung up on me. You can't win 'em all.

9) Name the artist/act (living or dead) you'd love to meet and why?

Jay Leno and Cher. I have always wanted to meet Johnny Carson, but for obvious reasons I wouldn't want to come face to face with him now. But what a legend!. So now that Jay Leno took his place, he'd be the guy. I want to ask him what the deal is with that spot of hair in the front? Why do we never see pictures of him and his wife together? If he could only keep one of all those old classic cars he owns, which one would it be?

Cher is a music legend! She could very well be the only person that I'd ever interview where I would probably just stand there and stare when time came.

10) What advice would you give people new to the business?

A) That certain things and situations will happen in this career field that will shock you.

It's not these situations that will define you but how you handle them.

B) You don't have to give up your right and wrong beliefs and principles.

C) Expect at some point to lose your job if you stick to your beliefs and principles.

D) Always believe in yourself because there are many times no one else will.

E) Find a really good pair of headphones and then buy six pairs because when the first ones wear out you'll never be able to find that exact brand and model again.

1) Which new artists do you expect to still be playing in five years?

Lady Gaga hands down! She's so bizarre and extremely talented. I think we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg with her. When everyone tires of the weird costumes, she'll come up with something else. Hopefully we will not be playing John Mayer five years from now, or as I like to call him "crazy eyes".

2) What's your favorite junk food?

Pickles and peanut butter.

3) What are your hobbies?

Travel. I'll travel anywhere at anytime.

4) What "reality show" could you see yourself appearing on and why?

"Survivor" or "The Amazing Race." In all honesty, I would last longer on "The Amazing Race" because I'm used to traveling to odd places around the world. On survivor all that sleeping in the rain and people playing mind games would wear me down.