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10 Questions with ... Phil Hendrie
October 20, 2009
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
1973-1990, MOR and AOR disc jockey in Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Orlando...from 1990 to present, host of the Phil Hendrie Show, a satirical review of radio and the world...
1. The obvious question is to ask what brought about the return of the satirical character-laden format. So... what brought about the return of the satirical character-laden format?
There remains nothing like it on the radio dial. That and the extreme loyalty of our listeners... there wasn't a day that went by I didn't hear someone reminiscing about different show bits. It felt as if the show's relevance had remained very strong. Plus, there were so many questions about "what's there left to satirize now that Bush has left office." I felt a show of cutting edge humor like ours could answer that.
2. While you were doing "regular" talk radio, it was clear that your political views are not easily pigeonholed like most syndicated talkers that fit "conservative" or "liberal" formats. Did you find this a hindrance or help in syndication; did you feel resistance from programmers and managers because you didn't fit the mold? Is there room in talk radio for "a pox on all their houses"?
Well, my point of view is an honest one. So the show was not so much looking for a niche as it was an attempt at commercial success by way of expressing what most people feel. If honest expression is the most compelling, and if that expression is a reflection of what people are feeling, then it's a win. The problem arises when we in radio get comfortable with these labels of liberal/conservative. We stop looking for great performers and broadcasters and instead focus on making sure we have the right ideology represented.
3. You've been using Facebook and Twitter as a means of... well, maybe it's better to ask you what you feel you get from using the social networking sites. How are you using them, and how is it working for you?
I can stay in touch with that segment of my audience using FB and Twitter. But more importantly it's a quick and easy promotional tool. I can remind people daily... hourly if I want to… when the show is on, what we might be dealing with... and if I decide to do a videocast on the website, which can happen anytime, I'll post a status or comment letting everyone know when it's coming up. Using those sites is an extension of the show. If I feel particularly creative and it isn't showtime, I can comment there. People who follow your show want to know what you're thinking all the time. People who don't can get an idea of who you are.
4. You were ahead of the curve with a subscription website offering audio and video. Because other media people are trying desperately to find other sources of revenue, some are looking at doing some kind of subscription sites; how has the model worked for you? Would you recommend radio people with a following try putting material and premium content behind a paywall?
If you have content you feel people will want to hear again then it's very much worth it. You can get an idea by just checking around and seeing how much of your stuff is being posted different places. If it's everywhere, like ours was, then it makes sense to want to control that. We offer not only archival audio and audio downloads of our daily show but videocasts that are available live and on-demand up to five days after. We also have a weekly webisode on video that features me in character at the radio console. The money that we have made from the website is, frankly, significant.
5. Are there characters for whom it's easier for you to develop material? If so, who? Or is it dependent on what's in the news?
Well, as the saying goes, story follows character. So I usually go into character to see what that person might have on his or her mind. So it works the opposite of what some people might think. If, for instance as part of show prep, I go into character as Margaret, she will have read the news and so on and might want to talk about some of the Tea Party people supporting a pro-choice Republican. And that might bug her a little. Maybe she'll get high and mighty about "hypocrisy." Or if it's Larry Grover, he might want to talk about the brutality being visited upon Rush by the liberals. You always have to work them through with the audience in mind. Talk radio audiences tend to be conservative. And they might agree with Larry. So, to make him more contrary, I'll make him extra-stupid that night, which naturally might offend those people.
6. What makes you laugh these days (intentional comedy or otherwise)?
What makes me laugh unintentionally is listening to a lot of talk radio to be honest. It's approaching... well... self-parody... only unintentionally, I guess. But frankly I avoid watching or listening to "comedy shows," for want of a better term, because I have a point of view that I don't want influenced unconsciously and because I want to remain as original as I can. So, as sad as it may sound, when I want a laugh I usually watch old Python stuff or a couple of Honeymooners episodes.
7. Why do you think there aren't more talk shows on radio that are designed as pure entertainment rather than the traditional forms (political shows, advice shows)? Why aren't there more shows that are more about making people laugh than pushing a political viewpoint?
You ask me an honest question, I have to give you an honest answer. The industry does not seem to have the ability to discover or develop those shows. There just isn't a talent pool of programmers capable of that right now. Liberal/conservative is probably the worst thing that could have happened to our business, because it became too easy to just plug in the ideological host. So programmers lost their creative instincts.
8. Had you not made that change in Ventura years ago -- had you not come up with Raj Feneen and started the character material that led to your talk show career -- what do you imagine you'd be doing right now?
Had I not taken that turn in the road, I suppose, I wouldn't have had the guts I needed to have to do that. In that case, I would probably have taken a gig doing an AC midday show or something. I hate to say that because there are people doing that who are great at it and make it a real radio experience. But for me that would have been the fall-back solution since I was terrible at the "morning zoo" thing and really had no future as any kind of "breakthrough" disc jockey.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ________________.
...coffee.
10. What in your private life would surprise people the most about you?
I think people would be surprised by the fact that I am a traditionalist, a corn-ball middle-class guy, a suburban guy. I like car washes, picnics, seeing dads and moms getting their kids at bus stops... Americana.
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