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10 Questions with ... John Kobylt
September 15, 2009
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NAME:John KobyltTITLE:Co-Host "The John and Ken Show" (with Ken Chiampou)COMPANY:Clear ChannelBORN:Paterson, NJRAISED:Saddle Brook, NJ
NOTE:
We're marking the tenth anniversary of "10 Questions With..." in September 2009, and we'll be occasionally be visiting with some of the interview subjects from 1999 to mark the occasion. Since the first interview, John Kobylt, with on-air partner Ken Chiampou, has returned from KABC to KFI, where the team has continued to garner strong ratings and create havoc with state and local politicians. The show has been picked up in a simulcast by sister Clear Channel talker KNEW in San Francisco. And, full disclosure, the editor and John worked together at New Jersey 101.5 before John and Ken left for their first run at KFI.
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Solo: WKAD-FM, Canton, PA (1983-85); WSID, Sidney, NY (1985); WENY-AM, Elmira, NY (1985-87).With Ken Chiampou: WOND-AM, Atlantic City NJ (1988); WMGM-FM, Atlantic City, NJ (1988-90); WKXW-FM/New Jersey 101.5, Trenton, NJ (1990-92); KFI-AM, Los Angeles (1992-99); KABC-AM, Los Angeles (1999-2000); KFI (2001-present).
1. You first appeared in "10 Questions" ten years ago. What's the biggest change for you, professionally, in that time? Or are things essentially the same for you?
For the last eight years since coming back to KFI, things have been the same. We've had virtually complete freedom to produce the show the way it needs to be to attract a large audience. If you go back ten years ago this summer, we had just begun our short stay at KABC and had to deal with tremendous interference from the general manager, which resulted in a much smaller audience. Also, I think we gradually evolved from within. We started out flying on instinct and riding on whatever natural talent we had. Eventually we began to understand HOW and WHY it works. When you get to that point, you're in a whole different world.
2. You and Ken have been catalysts for several high-profile political upheavals in the state of California, driving the governor and legislature crazy and making headlines. But there aren't a lot of hosts doing that nationwide. Why do you think that is? What does it take for a host to get that kind of reaction?
Most hosts aren't on the side of the listener. They're on the side of a political party or philosophy that some people subscribe to. Big difference. They often sound like party hacks speaking in cliches. These hosts (including some big names) have terrible demos and revenue numbers. Telling the truth about everyone gives us much more credibility and a much larger audience. Telling the truth about the whole system, every day, in detail, is what eventually causes the upheaval.
3. One of the things that's happened since the last time you appeared here is that you bought into a minor league baseball team. Why did you do that and what's it been like for you?
I've been in love with baseball since age 7. Buying a piece of the Orange County Flyers was a decision made by my inner 7-year-old. I promised my wife that this would be the extent of my mid-life crisis. We have an annual KFI listener day, I have my own bobblehead, and my sons get to be batboys. I help out with the business by getting some KFI advertisers to be Flyer sponsors.
4. How do you approach deciding what you're going to talk about on the show -- what makes a perfect John and Ken topic?
For Ken and I, it seems obvious most days, we don't even talk much in advance of the show. We look for stories that will last weeks and months, a story that will have a narrative arc, with a cast of characters -- something that will make good theater. It could involve an abusive tax increase, the dramatic way immigration has changed California, a sensational murder trial. But it's not just the topic -- it's a way of looking at the world. Ken and I both find the world absurd, and we're not constrained by pretending it's not.
5. Over the past ten years, what's the most memorable moment you had on the show? Best guest, hottest topic, most entertaining incident?
My favorite moment was a show we did in Modesto in front of Scott Peterson's house, before he was arrested for his wife's murder. Live on the air, I was standing in front of his driveway, while he was standing on the back of his pick-up truck. I shouted through a bullhorn, "Nobody believes your story, Scott!." He glared so angrily at me --- I knew right then he was guilty. That scene made it into some of the cable documentaries and they re-created it for a TV movie.
6. Who are your heroes?
My television hero was Johnny Carson --- I stayed up late to watch his show from age 11 -- sometimes all the way to 1 am --- and then slept through much of school. But his program was my school --- how to peform and last a long time. My radio hero, like many who grew up in the New York area, was Dan Ingram from WABC. I really miss hearing radio personalities on music stations.
7. Of what are you most proud?
That I have a great marriage with my wife, Deborah and three great sons -- Justin, Jordan and James. We have a happy, stable family, which isn't easy in radio. I wanted very much to settle in one city so their lives wouldn't be disrupted. So far, so good.
8. Is there anything you've done so far in your career that, if you had to do it over again, you'd change? Any regrets?
No -- because if your change one decision, it will unknowingly impact dozens of other decisions. I'm happy where it all ended up. I don't have a parallel universe to compare it to.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ______________.
...checking baseball scores -- which makes winter seem much longer than it is.
10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?
I don't know how this is going to look in print, but I don't ask for or listen to advice. Look at how this industry is run. Who is there to talk to?
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