10 Questions with ... Larry Gifford

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

12-years as a news & sports anchor/reporter at WTVN-AM & WBNS-AM (Columbus, OH), WHIO-AM (Dayton, OH), WWDB-FM (Philadelphia, PA), XTRA 1150 (Los Angeles, CA), Fox Sports Radio, KIRO-AM (Seattle, WA).

15-years as a Sports Director/Program Director at Fox Sports Radio, ESPN Radio, WBNS-AM (Columbus, OH), KIRO-FM & KTTH-AM (Seattle, WA), CKNW-AM & CHMJ-AM (Vancouver, B.C.)

International Radio Consultant and Talent Coach since 2010.

Host of Radio Stuff Podcast and When Life Gives You Parkinson’s Podcast

1. Let's first talk about your "day job": With so much experience in U.S. radio, what have been the primary differences in working at a Canadian news-talk station? What things do talk radio in the two countries have in common and what are the differences?

A few obvious differences: Canadian music radio stations must air a certain percentage of songs at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from Canada. It’s called Canadian content, or CanCon. The rules on talk radio are more ambiguous, though most talk stations offer local or regional talk programming. At Corus, we have created two daily nationally syndicated shows based around Canadian conversations that serve late-night and overnight audiences instead of pumping in U.S. content. On the AM side, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh are rarely picked up by Canadian stations. On the FM side, U.S. personalities are rare; Jump! In Ottawa just flipped to Brooke & Jubal in the morning, but they’ll supply custom breaks and the music will still reflect CanCon regulations.

The governing body over radio in the U.S. is the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Listeners can complain about stations to the FCC, but unless there is a deluge of complaints about a certain broadcast the complaint falls on deaf ears. In Canada, the governing body is the CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission) and the broadcasters created a coalition called the CSBC (Canadian Standards Broadcast Council) which fields each listener complaint. Each single complaint is formally delivered to the radio station and stations have a finite period of time to respond to each complaint. If the listener remains unsatisfied by the response, the CRTC can make a ruling on the matter.

Based on my experience, talk radio listeners are more assertive when it comes to expressing their views about what the radio station is doing. They believe they are “owners” of the station and they call and email constantly... and expect personal responses. Hosts are more balanced. They still hold opinions, but it’s less about bluster and more about having a conversation, seeking to understand issues, and adding perspective and context to big stories of the day. Trump divides the audiences here too, but neither side is interested in a non-stop Trump-a-thon.

As a programmer, the big markets have PPM and smaller markets are still on diary, but PPM is different. There are three distinct differences though. 1) Nielsen (in the U.S.) is a private, for-profit company that monopolizes broadcast ratings data. Numeris (in Canada) is a not-for-profit, member-owned tripartite industry organization. If you want ratings, you become a member. If you are a member, you’re part owner. 2) In the U.S., radio stations are battling for quarter-hours. If a listener tunes in for five minutes in a quarter-hour it counts as 15 minutes of listening. In Canada, it’s minute-by-minute. Five minutes of listening is worth five minutes. 3) We also are receiving overnight ratings in Canada. So day-to-day you get a snap shot of listening patterns in the market. It was terrifying at first, but really quite useful. Knowledge is power.

2. Okay, now about Parkinson's and the podcast: First, why did you decide to do a podcast about Parkinson's -- why a podcast? What about the podcast form lends itself to a show about a single disease?

There are really two reasons I decided to do a podcast. When I was diagnosed in August 2017, I was craving information about Parkinson’s. The podcast offerings were few and far between. What was there was clinical in nature featuring wonky interviews with researchers and neurologists. I saw a hole in the market. I was also listening to these podcasts. One episode, in particular, of the Michael J. Fox Foundation podcast was the catalyst for me. Dr. Ray Dorsey talked about how Parkinson’s disease is becoming a global pandemic and if people with Parkinson’s don’t start telling their stories, there is no way enough money will be raised to do the research that is needed to find a cure. I immediately thought, hmm… I have a story to tell and a media company behind me that will help share the story on radio, TV, and online. Up to that point, it had been a private journey, but the reality hit me -- if I’m not willing to be vulnerable and share my story, how can I expect others to share theirs?

There are many great thing about podcasts. Through the Radio Stuff podcast, I’ve learned that they create connection and community. Podcasts have a long tail, so my story will continue to impact people for years to come. They are intentionally consumed. We also know from documentary style podcasts like Serial and S-Town that a great story can cut through the clutter and capture the attention of the public.

Audio storytelling is also what I know how to do. It would have been ridiculous for me to choreograph a Parkinson’s dance instead. I’m really not a great dancer. Though maybe I can blame that on the Parkinson’s.

3. As you deal with Parkinson's, what are the things that you've learned that most people don't know about the disease? What SHOULD people know about Parkinson's and how it affects the daily life of people with it?

Most people, like me before I was diagnosed, know next to nothing about the disease. You hear “Parkinson’s” and you immediately see a picture of Michael J. Fox or Muhammad Ali shaking on your brain’s big memory screen. Surprisingly, some Parkinson’s patients don’t have tremors at all. The rolling, jerky movements Michael J. Fox has? Those are not tremors, that is dyskinesia, which is a reaction to the medication we all take called Levodopa-Carbidopa. That medication is the gold standard for treating Parkinson’s symptoms. It has been since the 1950’s. Everyone has a different collection of symptoms. Symptoms can include a shuffling or freezing gait, difficulty with fine motor skills, loss of your sense of smell, voice and speech issues, swallowing challenges, rigidity, slowness, stiffness, tremor, clumsy movements, muscle and join pain, exhaustion, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, bladder control issues, hallucinations, and the list goes on. People should know people with Parkinson’s are slow to get moving. The loss of dopamine (by diagnosis we’ve lost 80% of dopamine producing cells in our brains) makes it difficult to engage movement. In my case, my right side is slower than my left side, so I’ve had to adapt my pace, learn to use my left hand for certain activities and adjust my personal expectations for what I can accomplish in a given day.

4. A lot of people keep their health issues as hidden as they can, probably in fear of the possible reaction, but you've taken the entirely opposite position, using your situation as a way to not only raise awareness but raise funds and make an impact. How did you get to the point where you felt comfortable taking it public? Was there hesitation or did you immediately want to get going on making a difference?

In the initial stages of diagnosis, I turned to comfort foods, alcohol, self-pity, denial, etc. It was tough to come to terms with. When my symptoms provoked questions from my co-workers, I realized it was time to start letting people into the circle of trust. The more people knew, the less I felt I was hiding something.

5. Corus appears to be very much on board with you, distributing the podcast through its network and covering you on Global BC's nightly news. How important has it been to have your employer's support? And what kind of reaction has there been from your co-workers and staff?

Trust me, telling your bosses you have a degenerate brain disease does make you pause and gives you sweaty palms not knowing how they’ll react. In my case, Corus has been 100% supportive since the beginning. I’m really blessed in that regard. From my colleagues in Vancouver to the front office in Toronto the support is amazing. The company is not only supporting the podcast and conversations around Parkinson’s, but have been accommodating and understanding as it pertains to doctor’s appointments and time away from work for other PD related activities like support groups. We are also exploring technology that may make doing my job easier as my symptoms escalate over time.

6. Let's go back to regular talk radio stuff: It's a big midterm election year in the U.S., but how much interest is there in Canada in general and with Vancouver/CKNW listeners in particular in what's going on down here? How much does the NAFTA intrigue register as an issue in that regard? How much difference does Trump's personality make? Or is what happens in the U.S. not that compelling to the CKNW audience?

There is a lot of interest in US politics in Canada. Trump is loved by some and loathed by most. His tweets are followed closely, his comments especially those about Canada are discussed and debated. NAFTA is a big deal, as you can imagine; the US is a big, important trade partner for Canada. The intricacies of the Congressional races are not discussed much. The typical Canadian is reasonable, rational, open to dialogue, nice, polite, and intelligent, so Trump is confusing and rather an assault to Canadian senses. NOTE: That’s my perspective as an American in Canada and is not necessarily the opinion of all Canadians.

7. At this stage in your career, of what are you most proud?

I guess I’m most proud of the way I’ve approached my career. I’ve had some terrific mentors who taught me early on that we are in the people business. We work with people. We talk to people. We entertain and inform people. We sell to people. So, while I worry about ratings and revenue, I find if I worry about the people first -- supporting them, empowering them, engaging them, challenging them, rewarding them. The rest takes care of itself.

8. Oh, all right, one last Parkinson's question. As someone who's been there, what would you advise someone who's just gotten diagnosed to do first? What have been the most helpful things for you to get support and guidance once you knew what was going on with your health?

Take a deep breath. Talk to family. Talk to friends. Know your life is going to change, but it’s not over. Parkinson’s won’t kill you. And I reached out immediately to the Parkinson Society. There are local chapters and in U.S. there is Parkinson.org or the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Educate yourself on the disease, treatments, and symptom management. I’ve also benefitted a ton from going to counseling and support groups. And whether you like it or not, find a way to exercise. Exercise is the only thing that you can do that doctors know will keep the symptoms of the disease from advancing as fast as it would without exercise.

9. What's the most important lesson you've learned in your career?

When you look at your list of stuff to do each day… do the stuff you don’t really want to do first.

10. And in lieu of a typical radio question, let's tell people where they can go to donate and find out more about Parkinson's and how they can help fund research.

Thanks, Perry. Through December 2018, you can donate to my Parkinson’s SuperWalk Team at http://superwalkbc.kintera.org/vancouvergiffords

I’d also recommend going to and donating to Parkinson.ca, Parkinson.org or the Michael J. Fox Foundation. These organizations are doing great work in care for people with Parkinson’s and in terms of research.