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10 Questions with ... Kate Delaney
October 11, 2005
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NAME:Kate DelaneyPOSITION:HostSHOW:America at NightMARKET:National Show syndicated on 80 stationsCOMPANY:Golden BroadcastersBORN:Woodbury, New JerseyRAISED:Cherry Hill, New Jersey
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started as an intern at K-WINK 670 AM which was an all-sports format in the San Fernando Valley. From there I went to what was at the time "Sportsradio 1150 AM" which is now XTRA Sports AM570. I produced many sports-talk shows--From Joe McDonnell to Ben Maller and Dave Smith to Arnie Spanier before moving to ESPN Radio when they launched here in Los Angeles to produce the "McDonnell-Douglas Show" with Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian and do field reports from games. Currently, I am a full-time reporter for XTRA Sports AM570.
1. How did you get into radio?
I got started as an intern at K-WINK 670 AM in the Fallbrook Mall in the San Fernando Valley. Since I was a very young I've been in love with sports on the radio, mainly because I had great broadcasters to listen to like Chick Hearn, Vin Scully and Ross Porter and that inspired me to want to be in sports broadcasting.
2. What are you passionate about?
I'm passionate about everything I do because I want to excel, and if I'm not passionate about it, I won't achieve the goals that I've set for myself in every phase of my life, whether it's relationships or my career.
3. You've produced several major sports talk shows in L.A. From a producer's standpoint, what makes a great sports talk radio show?
What makes a great sports talk radio show is having an opinion and being yourself as a host... I've worked with the most opinionated sports talk show host in Los Angeles, Joe McDonnell, and he has an opinion about everything, and that's what triggers people to listen. Another important thing is not to fake an opinion just to get a reaction, or just to take the opposite side of your partner, because that's phony and listeners can detect that most of the time.
4. If you hadn't gone into radio, what would you be doing today?
That's a tough question, because radio has always been my career focus. Maybe working as a salesman in the trucking industry, since my family has been succesful there.
5. You do more on-air work these days- ultimately, what's your goal- where do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully, I'll be fortunate enough to be hosting my own talk show, and one thing I've learned in broadcasting is that things change in a heartbeat, so I'm not worried about 10 years from now, I'm just working on tomorrow- I just want to keep having fun!
6. You've dealt with a lot of on-air talent- have there been things that you've had to do for them that you just hated? Having done both, how do you think on-air talent treats, or should treat, producers?
I think the worst thing a producer has to do is be a gopher for their talent. If you like the talent you're working with, and they appreciate that you're going above and beyond, it's fine, but if it's a talent that doesn't really appreciate it and takes it for granted, that is the worst. I've been lucky to produce shows with talent I've liked, for the most part. The second part of that question is very interesting, because sometimes talent takes out their frustrations on their producer, even though he/she has done nothing wrong except for being there. Talent should always realize if they trust their producer, that they are trying to make the show just as good, if not better, as the host and when things go wrong, it's not because the producer did it on purpose, especially when it's out of their control (i.e., a guest not calling on time). I think the most important thing a talent can do is to say thank you to the producer once in a while for trying to make them look good. The two that did that best were Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian, and I appreciated that.
7. Of what are you most proud?
I would say the friendships I've made in broadcasting and sports.
8. What do you do for fun?
I love to play basketball with my friends on the weekends or whenever I have a chance.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.
...smiling.
10. What's the best advice you ever got? The worst?
I've gotten so much great advice from so many people in my life, but the best advice I got was from my family, and that was to always be loyal. The worst was from a couple of people that told me I would have to leave Los Angeles to be on the air... Obviously, they were wrong!
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