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10 Questions with ... Mark Kaye
November 5, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Morning Show Host on WAPE-FM (The Big Ape!) Original Morning Show Host on HOT 99.5 in Washington, DC. Host of "The B Nut Hut" (Actual show name) on B98.5 on The Jersey Shore.
1. First, how did you originally get into radio? Why radio?
I studied film production and political science at NYU, which is a very unique combination. Basically, I spent 4 years debating which "Godfather" movie was best and whether or not Spielberg was helping or hurting American Cinema. By the time I graduated, I was uniquely qualified to do two things: wait tables and board op. I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and started doing both. Kip Taylor at G105 gave me my first job running "The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40." Eventually, I got more air time, and gave up all my shifts at the restaurant. It's working out okay so far!
2. Okay, this time around, we're focusing on your talk career, so, how did the WOKV talk show come about? Was doing talk radio always the plan?
Plan? Ha! That's a good one. I've always been a fan of talk radio. I think every Top 40 DJ who has ever been yelled at for "talking too long between records" has a secret fantasy of hosting a talk show. Luckily, CMG had a Talk Station right across the hall from WAPE, so I pestered management relentlessly for 3 years to give me a shot. They finally did, and evidently they liked what they heard. So now I get to do it every day.
3. Do you find that your Top 40 morning show and your political talk show have very separate audiences or is there overlap? How does the political stuff play with the morning show crowd -- do you think they're aware of it, or is there more compartmentalization (is that a word?) between the two shows?
The audiences are about as polar opposite as you can get. I have dudes come up to me and say, "You've really brought my teenage daughter and I together. She listens to you in the morning and I listen to you in the afternoon." I think very few people know that I have two different shows. Also Jacksonville is a pretty conservative market, so even if some of our morning show listeners bleed over to my talk show, they tend to enjoy what they hear.
4. What's the process of preparing your talk show -- since you follow the morning show on WAPE with the talk show right away, what are you doing to get your topics together for the WOKV show and when do you do it? (How early DO you get up?)
The last hour of our WAPE show is basically automated, which allows me to prep. Plus, I have a solid support staff on both shows that help curate content. And we are call-heavy. We take a lot of phone calls. So, as long as the phone works and I have had enough coffee, the show tends to come together pretty well. Benchmarks help too. We've established some pretty solid benchmarks, which keep us from having to scratch our heads and say "What should we talk about today?"
5. What distinguishes your talk show from other, more typical radio talk shows?
It's fast, funny, there is a lot of debate, but way less yelling than most shows. It's political talk that's built on a Top 40 Morning Show chassis. I do a lot more banjo-playing on my show than most political commentators. We sing songs. We play games. I don't think Rush and Hannity do that. Also, we have found inspiration from SNL and Comedy Central. We prefer to inform and entertain instead of inform and enrage.
6. You're known for your effective use of social media; what one piece of advice (just one, they have to pay for more) would you give other radio talk show hosts on how to use social media to their benefit?
Thanks! My one piece of advice is try everything. We've been able to boost our brand significantly through something I like to call "Instant Digital Syndication." Simply put, we stream and repurpose everything we do on as many platforms as possible. It allows us to become an international talk show even though we broadcast locally in Jacksonville. In fact, we stream on 5 different channels simultaneously. It's easy and fun to do. That's my free tip. Venmo me to learn more! ;)
7. Who have been your influences, mentors, and/or inspirations in the business?
Herman Cain, of course. He was nice enough to hand me the keys to his show whenever he took a trip to Vegas to play cards for a few days. Neal Boortz is a huge influence. Some of his monologues still give me chills. Plus, I've been lucky to work with some really forward-thinking people. Producing for Bob Dumas on G105 helped me immensely. He showed me just how powerful this medium can be. Seriously, one Christmas he was able to get 14 moms to wrestle in cole slaw for the chance to win a Furby. That's inspiration.
8. Of what are you most proud?
My family, duh. But also, my patience. When I got my first radio job I doodled out a little logo for "The Mark Kaye Show." It took me about 23 years, but now The Mark Kaye Show logo is on T-shirts, mic-flags, step-and-repeats, beer mugs, etc. Vision, plus hard-work, plus patience, plus alcohol, plus coffee is a winning combo!
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.
...wiping down everything in the studio with disinfectant wipes. Twice.
10. What's the most important advice you've gotten in your career so far?
When I worked for Jeff Wyatt he once exploded on a part-timer for saying he was working an air "shift." "It's not a shift!" he yelled. "It's a show! This isn't a factory. We aren't paying you to assemble toasters. Nobody wants to listen to somebody working a shift. They want to hear a show! You're here to put on a show!" Best advice I ever got... indirectly.
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