10 Questions with ... Jeff Katz

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

After serving as a police officer in Philadelphia's public housing projects, I found my calling in radio and tv. Initially worked as a salesman for an easy listening station, then transitioned to the programming side. Worked the overnight shift from 10pm to 6am six days a week on WFPG-FM in Atlantic City playing easy listening tunes from Drake-Chenault reels and once an hour I got to read the tide heights from the Ventnor City fishing pier! Thanks to my then General Manager, Dick Taylor, I was allowed to host a two hour talk show on the AM station and that was the start of my talk career. I have hosted drive time talk shows in Indianapolis, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Boston. Have appeared extensively on CNN and Fox News. Multiple guest hosting appearances on national radio shows, including Jim Bohannon, Bob Grant, and Glenn Beck. Also have worked extensively in the world of professional wrestling -- usually as a bad guy manager.

1. How did the move back to Boston come about? What's it been like so far returning to Boston -- what's the town like for talk radio?

While we have not lived in Boston for about ten years, we were here a couple of times each year to visit family. So, I felt like we never really left. Being closer to family who could "lend a hand" is something that has really become very important to us. I've spent a lot of time studying financial planning. I actually have a number of my professional licenses and an advanced insurance designation, as well. Over the years, I had even thought about opening a practice in New England. I was approached by Bill George (PD - Rush Radio 1200) who asked whether I would be interested in chatting with him about a new conservative talk station he was building in Boston. Bill and I hit it off, and over a glass of chianti in the North End, we sort of fleshed out what the vision for the morning show would be.

It has been wonderful being back in Boston. I have been amazed, and rather humbled, by the number of people who have let me know how much they missed hearing me on the radio on a daily basis. Of course, I had also been one of Howie Carr's regular fill-ins for a couple of years, and many of those listeners have also welcomed me back to Boston. Boston is probably the best town I've ever seen when it comes to talk radio. You think about legendary talkers such as Jerry Williams, Jess Cain, Gene Burns, and Larry Glick when you think of Boston talk radio. It is not just giants of talk radio past either. On any given day, you have super talented talkers like Michael Graham, Dennis & Callahan, Glenn Ordway and the best of the best... Boston's gold standard for talk radio, Howie Carr. Boston is the sort of town where you need to bring your A-game everyday.

2. Boston, and Massachusetts, have an image as a liberal enclave, the "Don't Blame Us, We Voted For McGovern" state, yet conservative talk radio has been able to thrive there and the state recently elected a Republican to the Senate. Would you say that the area has gotten more conservative since you were at WRKO, or has there always been a conservative streak in the state?

I think there has always been a very conservative streak in the Commonwealth, but not really a huge number of people who would identify themselves as Republicans. There are very strong family-oriented communities which have always embraced many conservative values while at the same time they voted Democrat because that's just what you did. While there are plenty of true uber-leftist towns, many populated by the trust fund babies, there are also plenty of middle class towns whose residents work hard and just want to be able to keep a little bit of what they earn. I think that conservative talk radio helps to validate what those folks are feeling and thinking.

3. You don't shy away from controversy; do you encounter any hostility or negative reactions from people when you're not at work? How do you handle it when someone lets you know they're not a fan?

It is simply part of the job. I have certainly encountered folks who have made clear that they are not fans, but those same people often make it clear that they are listening! I think, as I have gotten older, I've learned to handle that sort of interaction. When I was younger and single, I defined myself purely and strictly in terms of radio. Now, I am a suburban married dad. My focus is my family. Taking my boys Harry and Joe to Junior Congregation at Chabad, Cub Scouts, and volunteering with disabled children like my daughter Julia are the most important things in my life. I am constantly reminded of true priorities, so I don't lose any sleep thinking that there are some who disagree what I said on the show. My wife and my kids keep me completely grounded.

4. Your new station's positioned as "Rush Radio," a name some Clear Channel talkers are using to position the stations in Rush Limbaugh's image. What does the name mean to you as the local host in an otherwise syndicated lineup? Do you feel any influence to be "like Rush," or talk about what he's talking about?

Well, it is a pretty cool situation, actually. Every one of us who is doing talk radio today owes a huge debt of gratitude to Rush. I am honored to be part of a station with that label. For most Americans, conservative talk radio is Rush, and Rush is conservative talk radio. We have the biggest names in syndicated talent with Rush, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. They do a tremendous job of tackling national concerns and issues, but mine is the first voice that Boston listeners hear each day. So, while I am quite comfortable dealing with national issues, I am always looking for that local hook, and, of course, always seeking out the local stories that won't get addressed on the national shows.

5. The tea party movement points to a widespread dissatisfaction with America's status quo at the moment; do you think this portends a swing back to conservatism nationwide? Make a prediction: How will the 2010 elections change Capitol Hill, if at all? How about for 2012 -- two years early, do you see a challenge to the President forming yet? Who's it going to be?

I don't think that conservatism ever really went away. I think many people were blinded by the hope-and-change mantra and that, combined with the worst Republican presidential candidate in history, gave us the current administration. There were many of us who did warn about the dangers of an Alinsky acolyte but there was a rock-star vibe associated with Obama. True conservatives were warning about the dangers of an Obama presidency at the same time that McCain was promising voters they had nothing to fear by voting for his opponent.

I think the midterm elections will bring about some changes on Capitol Hill. You've already seen quite a few of the long-term Democrats step aside because they knew they would be unable to win re-election, so we'll definitely see a number of new faces. I think the GOP will pick up a good number seats in the House and Senate but I don't know about recapturing control of them. I would not be surprised to see Hillary Clinton contest the Democrat nomination. I also think there will be an even more openly far-left-winger emerging to challenge Obama in the Democrat primaries. On the Republican side, I really don't think we've seen the candidate yet. I love Sarah Palin and was flattered to be a speaker along with her at the Tea Party on Boston Common a few weeks back, but I have a feeling she is enjoying her life without holding office or running a race. Mitt Romney is obviously running but his Romneycare here in Massachusetts is seen as just a state version of Obamacare, and he'll have a tough time explaining that away. I think some serious consideration will be given to Bob McDonnell, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Allen West, and Jim DeMint. I am looking forward to watching this one!

6. Scott Brown didn't come to the Tea Party in Boston and holds some views that aren't as conservative as many other Republicans' opinions. Charlie Crist was widely perceived as too liberal for the Republican core in Florida and is now an independent. Is there room for divergent opinions in the Tea Party/conservative Republican tent these days? Can a politician, say, be a fiscal and military conservative and a social liberal and be accepted by the Republicans? (And can a conservative survive in the Democratic Party, keeping Joe Lieberman in mind?)

Well, Scott Brown is a good guy I don't think anyone would classify him as a Big-C conservative. He is a traditional Massachusetts Republican, which is one who is conservative on fiscal issues and perceived to be much more liberal on social issues.

I think the Tea Party movement is motivated by a core set of beliefs that revolve around a love of country and a passionate desire to protect this country from enemies foreign and domestic. I really do feel that while Tea Party activists will find more friendly ground on the Republican side of the aisle, they are not bound by any real party affinity or loyalty. Republican Party officials would be well served to remember that.

Overall though, I do believe that the GOP is much more welcoming of people who may not agree with all of the stated platform than the Democrats. I grew up as a Democrat and truly watched that party leave me. I don't think I am alone in that assessment. Charlie Crist is, and always has been, an egomaniac, motivated solely by what is best for him. He was a Republican when it was convenient and now is running as an independent because of pure expediency.

7. You get out in front of a lot of news events and issues. What's the most fun you've had leading a campaign or taking charge of a particular issue?

There have been a few that i remember quite fondly. "Bras for Boobs" was an effort I spearheaded to get listeners to mail bras to their Congressmen and Senators to protest proposed cutbacks in the funding of mammograms to women under the age of 50. That was a great success, and I will be forever grateful to another host on that station (WFTL/FOrt Lauderdale), Joyce Kaufman, for her tremendous help in publicizing that effort. I recruited volunteers to display blue ribbons in memory of two heroic police officers who were murdered in North Carolina. The entire city became a sea of blue ribbons and even today, three years later, you will find them on homes and cars. Once again, one of my on-air colleagues, Al Gardner, jumped in 110% to help me with that. "Hoorah for Heroes" is a campaign that I run every year to collect, and ship, comfort items for US Marines deployed overseas. The most dear to my heart is the work I have been able to do on behalf of disabled children. "Julia's Smile" is what I have dubbed those activities, in honor of my daughter.

8. You've long been interested in, and a guest on the radio in, Canada and the U.K. Do Americans pay enough attention to what's going on in other countries, other than when we're involved in a war? Should we be following, say, the U.K. election more closely?

I follow politics the way that many others follow sports. I find it fascinating and enlightening. I do think that watching the events in other parts of the world can be rather eye-opening. I enjoyed appearing on Gerry Ryan's show in Ireland and having him on my show here in the states. He was a brilliant man with a razor sharp insight, so it was always great fun to hear him weigh in on American issues of the day from his perspective. I know that I always learned a lot from those exchanges. I've also participated in numerous radio shows in other parts of the world (Canada, Israel, Jamaica among others) and I always came away from those exchanges with some new angle that I did not have before.

9. You last did a 10 Questions interview almost a decade ago, and you've moved a few times since then. How have things changed in talk radio since then, and what, if anything, have you learned in that time?

That's true, Perry. When you get your census form then you know it is time to reach out for me :)

I think that talk radio is still about connecting with your audience and revealing the true you to them. I think it is still about offering a consistently entertaining program. It is still about tackling big issues, addressing major stories and also about finding the common small kernels of life. Research is more readily available now then it was ten years ago. PPM is affecting the ways in which content is delivered. We obviously have more national products these days then we did a decade ago.

I think we also need to be aware that the delivery platform for content is changing with handheld devices and internet platforms like Shovio which my friend Leslie Gold is pioneering. I'd like to think that I have learned a lot. I have come to value friendships and family much more than I did before. I've seen some good radio friends and bright radio minds pass away (Tom Severino , Steve Nicholl, and Gerry Ryan come to mind). I have come to appreciate great local radio stars like Howie Carr, Dom Giordano, Bill Handel, John & Ken, Al Gardner, Joyce Kaufman, John Hancock, Dave Elswick, and Jon David Wells, to name a few. I have learned that a supportive program director is a treasure (I measure everyone against my mentor, Ken Kohl). I have learned that I simply do not know everything, and that is why I am fortunate to have Eric Weiss and his team looking out for me and doing their best to guide me.

10. Critical question: Montreal smoked meat sandwich or Philly cheesesteak?

Well, I was born and raised in Philly, so I have probably eaten thousands of "cheese withs" over the years. That being said, unless I can get my buddy Joey Vento, who runs Geno's, to add poutine to the menu, I will have to go with smoked meat! The best comes from Schwartz's on boulevard Saint Laurent (aka The Main) in Montreal. You must order it "plus gras" for the full flavo(u)r! And after you have had smoked meat for lunch, head on over to Gibby's in Old Montreal for what I promise you will be the best steak you have ever had.