10 Questions with ... Jonathan Hood

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Jonathan Hood has worked in broadcasting since 1991. For the last decade, Hood has hosted the "Jonathan Hood Show" on ESPN Chicago. He expanded his sports talk to a worldwide audience with the ESPN Network as one of the hosts of the "Dickerson & Hood" show, heard weekends on over 350 affiliates in the U.S. and on-line on espnradio.com Hood also hosts shows on the Sirius/XM NBA Radio Channel with various partners and former NBA players and executives. He has also covered sporting events such as the Superbowl, NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four Tournament and the World Series.

Previous to his ten years at ESPN, he worked as a producer and on-air personality (The J-Hood Show) on WSCR (The Score) in Chicago, the first all-sports radio station in the city from 1994-2005. At The Score, he was an innovator, providing the audience with non-flagship post game content and interacting with calls on Chicago sports.

1. First, the beginning: How and why did you first get into radio? What appealed to you about radio as a career?

I grew up with my grandparentsm and one of the forms of entertainment they enjoyed was listening to the radio. My grandparents instilled in me to listen to the news and talk shows at an early age. They were politically inclined as well, so many of the discussions around the table, were about the topics of the day. Reading the newspaper and listening to the radio for news, sports, music helped me fall in love with radio.

2. You went from producing to hosting after a few years in the business. How did you make that transition -- how did you get your station (The Score, at the time) to give you a shot as a host?

I was an intern when WSCR came on the air in January of 1992. The Score had a daytime signal. (AM 820, sunrise to sunset); I became a producer there in 1994. When the Score moved to a 24 hour format at AM 1160, there were many "TBAs" on the schedule for weekend work. I pointed out to Program Director Ron Gleason that I wanted the opportunity to host, along with my producing duties, to help our station. I went from part-time producing and hosting Saturday late nights to hosting my own weeknight show in 2000. If I didn't suggest to Gleason that I wanted to host, the opportunity would have gone to someone else.

3. You host both local and national shows, but let's talk about Chicago for a moment -- it's one of the handful of cities (like, say, New York, Philly, and Boston) where sports is, shall we say, more intensely followed than in the average city. How important do you think it's been for you hosting local Chicago shows to be a native of the area? Do you think someone coming in from outside the market has a bigger hill to climb to be accepted on Chicago sports radio than someone like you who's obviously got local credibility from day one?

The markets you mentioned are provincial. But there are many examples here in Chicago, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Los Angeles etc. where hosts aren't from the area, but eventually are accepted by the audience. Jody McDonald, from Philly, worked in New York, Bob Fitzgerald from Chicago works in San Francisco. I think there are a section of fans in some markets that feel that hosts should mirror the fan base and area. Being a Chicagoan, I can speak to the heartbreak and great moments, specifically and have a greater understanding of the pulse of the sports fans in my hometown. I believe that gives me an advantage.

4. You host your own show and you've co-hosted a lot of shows, too, including the current national show with Jeff Dickerson. As a co-host, how do you approach the two personalities' duties -- do you prefer to set up boundaries and duties for each co-host in advance (like good-cop/bad-cop, or one handling formatics more than the other, or each host focusing on particular topics or areas of expertise) or is it more of a general chemistry thing?

I prefer hosting solo shows because it's something I've done the majority of my career; but working with Jeff in a combination show is always fun. Jeff and I are friends on and off the air. We have produced other shows together and hosted shows for over a decade. I am in the second chair for our program, and, in the beginning, it was an adjustment to not be the initiator for topics/conversation. However, working with a partner helps me listen to the ebb and flow of the conversation and enhance the show with satire, stats, or info, along with opinions on the subject matter. On our ESPN National shows, we arrange our topics and give our natural reactions on the air.

5. You've served as a mentor and teacher for budding sportscasters. What are you telling them these days about the future of the business? Are you optimistic or not about the future of sportscasting?

I am optimistic about the future because broadcasters of today can do a lot more than I could in the early '90s. Present/future broadcasters can blog and produce/host their own podcasts as often as they'd like; also, the advent of social media is huge. The advantages to have your skills displayed to a broad audience is key. I also tell them that I have noticed that some millennials are eager to have a career in the business; they're very aggressive and know exactly what they want to accomplish. It's a great quality to have, along with tough skin.

6. What kind of prep do you do for your shows? What's a typical day of prep like for you?

I work primarily at night with my ESPN Chicago show, so I'm usually the first to talk about the sports headlines for the following day. I log on and read for 3 or 4 newspapers and websites, listen to local and national shows off and on for the majority of the day. From there, I start stacking topics and every day I have a treasure trove of topics, ideas, and bits that I utilize for my program.

7. Who have been your influences and mentors in the business?

The late Doug Banks- I learned that being yourself on the air works.
Dan Jiggetts at NBC Sports Chicago: I learned business acumen and to never confuse activity with accomplishments.
Ron Gleason, PD at WBBM AM: Listened to him on the radio when I was younger, helped me with pace/style in my broadcasts.
Peter Brown: Listened to his talk shows over the years. He knew how to capture an audience and see both sides in his commentary.
Tony Schiavone, Gwinnett Braves: I admire his play-by-play style. I try to implement some of his qualities and info on my broadcasts.

8. Of what are you most proud?

There was a time that I had the phone number of all the African- American sports radio hosts in my phone. That wasn't many. I'm happy that the numbers are increasing for many, including women and people of color, to making a living in sports journalism. I am proud to be in a position to help those reach their goal of one day being in the business I love.

9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________.

Okay, I'll keep it clean. All Access is a family site after all...

Email. As a child, I would ask my grandmother, everyday, if I received mail. She would give me junk mail or old magazines and said it was for me and I'd accept it with pride. I love getting mail or e-mail. So to this day, I check my e-mail constantly.

10. What's the most important lesson you've learned so far in your career?

Maximize your minutes. In anything I do, I realize that tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. It's important for me to get the most out of every show and every opportunity on-air. Talk shows are part of what I do, it's not who I am.