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10 Questions with ... Jake Asman
February 5, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I've learned a lot from being in this business, but one of the most important lessons I've learned is that not everything is going to go 100% as planned, and crazy things can happen when you are doing live radio so you always have to be prepared, stay calm, and do your job at a high level no matter what the circumstances are
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Internships at Fox Sports Radio, NBC Sports, WABC-TV/New York; Hosting at SportsOnTheGo1 Radio; Producer, WFAN-A-F/New York and CBS Sports Radio; Houston Texans reporter for KFNC (ESPN 97.5)/Houston and host, SB Nation Radio.
1. You got into radio in high school -- what prompted you to go into radio? What appealed to you about radio? And did you know right away that it was what you wanted to do for a career?
I was in 8th grade at South Woods Middle School in Syosset, Long Island, talking to a teacher of mine after a class, and he knew I was a big sports fan and loved listening to sport talk radio, so he mentioned to me that the high school I was going to the following year, Syosset High School, had one of only three student run high school radio stations on Long Island. I was a huge sports fan and grew up always listening to sports talk radio on both WFAN/ESPN New York, and I realized very early on that I had such a passion for radio and an interest in learning more about it. The appeal of radio for me early on was how conversational the medium is. I loved the way you can interact with a listener and take the listener into your life, so they feel like they really know you. I knew after doing my first sports talk show on WKWZ 88.5 Radio when I was in 9th grade that this was something I wanted to make a career in.
2. Your career path so far has been unusually swift, from part-time board op work and internships to being on the air nationally. To what do you attribute the speed by which you've achieved your goals? What advice would you give others looking to get where you've gotten?
I’ve been lucky enough to have had many great internships and part time broadcast positions in my career before I was hired full time to host on SB Nation Radio. Each of my jobs or internships has helped me learn more about industry and become a better broadcaster. I’ve always been willing to take coaching and feedback from others, as my end goal has always been to become a better talk show host. I get asked all the time by aspiring broadcasters for advice and the biggest thing I tell people is to be willing to do any type of role. It doesn’t matter what it is when you are first getting started, but just do it and do it well. A lot of people tell me they want to get into the industry, but when you get to talk to them, you realize they aren’t willing to put the time in and sacrifice in the short term for their long term goals.
3. You went from behind-the-scenes to fill-in and reporting to hosting. What about the hosting job was the most surprising or difficult-to-adjust-to part of the job? What were you ready for and what required adjustment?
So, after I graduated from Ithaca College, I took a job in June of 2017 hosting the morning show on the SportsOnTheGo1 Radio on Long Island. I was on the air every weekday from 8-10 AM hosting my own show, so I was still able to get daily hosting reps, even though I was not full-time at the station. I also worked at WFAN and CBS Sports Radio behind the scenes as a Producer, Board Op, and Tape Editor before I took the job with SB Nation Radio last July. I honestly never felt there was a big adjustment when it came to hosting, because I have always prepared myself as if I was going to host. I pride myself on my preparation, so when the opportunity came to host on SB Nation Radio and do fill in work on ESPN Houston, I never really felt that it was a huge adjustment for me. The one thing that did require some adjustment was getting used to the SB Nation Radio and ESPN Houston clock, but after a few shows, it wasn’t hard to feel comfortable with that.
4. Who were and are your inspirations and influences in radio? Growing up in the New York area, who did you listen to and how did they influence you?
I grew up religiously listening to both WFAN and ESPN New York so I would say all of the shows on both stations have had their influence on me. I loved driving into school growing up listening to Boomer and Carton and driving home listening to both Mike and The Mad Dog and The Michael Kay Show. Michael Kay has been a huge inspiration to me in my career. I’ve been listening to him call Yankees games on the YES Network my whole life and I think his show on ESPN New York with Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg is everything you want a great sports radio show to be, with a mix of sports talk, humor, and banter. I’ve had the chance to meet Michael a few times and he even came on my show when we broadcasted from Radio Row in Houston during my senior year at Ithaca College. Michael couldn’t have been more gracious with his time. He’s been a huge supporter of my career and we keep in touch to this day.
5. You're one of the, if not THE, youngest hosts on national sports radio. How is your age an asset, or a hindrance, to what you do on the air? Or is it irrelevant?
Well, I think my age can be an asset because I am a lot cheaper to an employer than someone who has been in the business 30 years! But in all seriousness, I honestly don’t think my age is that much of a hindrance. I’m thankful I have a Program Director in Craig Larson and a CEO in David Gow that were willing to listen to my tape and take a chance on hiring me. I have people all the time that are stunned when they find out how young I am. It’s all about how you present yourself to your listeners on air. I’m as prepped on stories/topics as any host out there doing national sports radio so despite being young, you can count on me doing my homework and having sharp opinions on the topics that matter. I also think that being close to the age of most of the current players in sports, that I offer a unique perspective that someone in their 40s or 50s maybe wouldn’t quite understand as much, since they haven’t grown up in this age of social media like I have.
6. How do you use social media in conjunction with your show? Is it primarily a way to connect with listeners, show prep, a way to find and book guests, promotional, personal... how do you use Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram?
I use social media for my show every single day and I have since I was in high school hosting sports talk shows. It’s so important to connect with your listeners and to try and grow your audience through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I use social media to help with show prep and to stay up to date with the news, but I also use it to post announcements of guests that will appear on the show, podcast links to anything we did that day, and much more. I try to use my Instagram feed as an outlet to take listeners behind the scenes. This past week, I used my Instagram story to update photos, videos, and other cool behind the scenes content from my time spent in Atlanta broadcasting my show from Radio Row and attending Super Bowl LIII.
7. In a short time, you've done a lot, from working on the Rio Olympics to interning with major national shows. Among all the things you've done so far, what's the most memorable moment, the moment when you thought, wow, I can't believe this is happening and I'm part of it?
I’ve been so fortunate to have been involved in plenty of memorable moments, including spending six weeks in Rio as an intern with NBC, so it’s hard to pick just one but I think it was the first time I got to broadcast my show at Radio Row when I was still a senior at Ithaca College. We had Joe Buck on our show two days before he was calling the game on Fox, and he only did a handful of interviews the whole week but he was nice enough to spend 15 minutes with us. I’ll always remember the feeling of going live for the first time that week in Houston and thinking to myself, “wow, I can’t believe this is happening and it’s real life.”
8. Of what are you most proud?
I’m the most proud of the fact that I come from a great family and have a great group of friends. My family and friends have supported me since Day 1. My entire family has always encouraged me every step along the way and have always wanted me to follow my passion for sports talk radio. I wouldn’t be where I am right now without my parents and younger brother Zach. The incredible support I get from my friends means the world to me.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without __________.
...talking to my family and friends in our group chats!
10. What would you say is the most important lesson you've learned in the business so far?
I’ve learned a lot from being in this business, but one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that not everything is going to go 100% as planned, and crazy things can happen when you are doing live radio so you always have to be prepared, stay calm, and do your job at a high level no matter what the circumstances are.
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