10 Questions with ... Shan Shariff

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I graduated from American University in 2003, then drove across country to Rockford, IL in order to do play-by-play and color for the Rockford Lightning of the CBA. During the offseason, I took a job in my hometown hosting my own three-hour show for a new ESPN affiliate. Over the next five years, I also did weekend shows in Baltimore and Washington, DC. I was eventually given my own show in DC on 106.7 The Fan (WJFK) before being hired by KCSP in Kansas City in April of 2010.

1. How did you get started in radio -- what drew you to radio?

I was never the biggest fan of school work. Instead of paying attention, I was usually yapping in class so I knew I could talk. Initially, my dream was to be a hoops play-by-play voice, but that changed when I realized I couldn't really state my opinions while calling a game. I've always wanted to be on television, but they're given even less time to talk than radio!! That led to exploring my own talk show.

2. You worked in a small market -- Delmarva -- as well as weekends and fill-ins in D.C. and Baltimore, and now you're in Kansas City. Are there differences in how you approach hosting in a market like K.C. as opposed to small market radio? What differences have you found so far in Kansas City that you didn't experience on the Eastern Shore or, for that matter, D.C.?

The approach always changes, based on being knowledgeable about your audience. In Baltimore, Cambridge, and Kansas City, I don't talk very much NBA -- why would I, since they don't have a local team? In DC, even though the Terps and the Hokies are in the surrounding area, I ventured away from college because there was not a true "home team."

I've found that my approach to youth sports has changed in KC. In Delmarva, youth sports were ALWAYS a hot button issue. Whether it was little league or the drama surrounding the high school football coach, it always seemed to touch a nerve with listeners. In Kansas City, there seems to be less of a demand for youth sports compared to MD and DC.

I also approach callers differently. In a smaller market, I would let listeners go a bit longer with their calls because if I hung up on them too soon, they may never call back and I didn't want to alienate many people. In a larger city, I don't ever worry about that because of how crucial it is for me to keep the show moving forward and the positive reponse I've received so far.

I will say that whether I was in market 142 or 32, I ALWAYS approached every show like I had a nationwide audience. I always believed that I could make it to a major market so my preparation reflected that attitude. I was taught from the beginning that you never know who's listening and when that lucky break could come.

3. Your show's called "New School," a term that brings with it a distinct set of expectations. What makes you and your show "New School"? Is sports becoming a generational thing -- do people under, say, 30 have a different perspective on sports than do older people?

New School is defined by outside the box thinking that is as CREATIVE as possible. The greatest compliment I've received in KC was an email that read, "I don't always agree with you but you make me think." That made my week. I believe that we ALL have unique/weird thoughts on a number of different issues. The key is taking the time to realize that thought, develop it and support the argument, especially if it happens to go against the grain. Some of my "New School" ideas include John Daly being banned for weight loss surgery (no different from steroids as a performance enhancer) and solving the Rooney rule by rotating races among coaches and general managers in the NFL.

I go on the air each day believing that the die-hard fan will be there. My goal is to hook the peripheral sports fan, who could just as easily be listening to music in their car.

In terms of the age question, I do think there is a different perspective from various age groups. How could there not be? I've never spent too much time thinking about appeasing one segment of my audience vs. another based on age. The goal for me has been to inform and entertain. If I take care of those things, the ratings and success should follow.

4. If you hadn't gone into radio, what would you be doing today?

Something related to cooking. I have an undercover obsession with food shows: "Kitchen Nightmares," "Top Chef," etc. My mother also forced (she likes me to say "encouraged") me to cook when I was young, so I have some skills in the kitchen.

5. Who's been your best interview subject so far? The worst? Is there someone you haven't yet interviewed but would love to get?

Those are really tough questions. I love talking to Jim Brown about social issues. It doesn't matter whether I agree or disagree, I'm always entertained by his passion. I feel the same way about John Wooden. Just talking to him about his principles for life and coaching was very refreshing in a sports world filled with so much negativity.

Michael Irvin was phenomenal. To me he's an entertainer and he gets it. He has natural energy that is magnetic and his interview ended up on my resume tape.

My favorite media personality to interview is Sid Rosenberg. HE IS AWESOME. Between his electricity, opinions and propensity to say anything at anytime, Sid has always provided my show with "edge of your seat" radio.

Worst interview? It was probably my fault, but Earl Weaver was a train wreck. I went in fearing his temper because of all the games he had been tossed from and I let that psych me out. It was my first year hosting a show, and I thought it was disrespectful to call him by his first name. I knew I couldn't address him as "manager," so I kept calling him coach. Earl finally cut me off by saying "Son, coach's work for me. I'm a manager." He wasn't a jerk by any means, but by then I had sweated out my lunch.

The one guy that I'm still trying to track down is Barkley. I believe Charles is the most entertaining person in all of sports. A restraining order should be coming to my door any day now with all the times I've reached out to him.

6. Who are your mentors, inspirations, and/or heroes in the business?

My mentor is David Brody of BMS. He is a talent coach that specializes in developing hosts. I consider him my secret weapon in the field. We have worked every week over the last three years with setting up hours, voice inflection, sounding more natural, interview technique and now topic development. You name it, he knows it. I also look up to Bruce Gilbert. While I was still in MD, I signed up for an ESPN tour in Bristol. The ONLY goal of the trip was to meet Bruce and convince him to hire me for the network. When I arrived on campus, I snuck away from the tour group, past security and walked straight into the radio GM's office. It turned out that Bruce had JUST taken a job with ESPN 980 in DC, but the trip was not a waste. I met his replacement Scott Masteller, who turned out to be a great guy. To this day, Bruce continues to take the time to review my tapes, and I pick his brain whenever I'm around him.

I don't really have any heroes in our field. Dick Enberg was my favorite announcer growing up. In terms of inspiration, and I know it sounds corny, but I want my family to hear me on air at the highest level. My parents enabled me to chase my dream through a lot of financial and emotional support. There is nothing they haven't tried in order to establish contacts for me over the last ten years. My dad has even tried to buy a station to put me on the air (and he thinks Arbitron is the name of a robot). My most dedicated listeners are my aunt and my mom. They are not sports fanatics by any means, but they give me support. There were many times in Cambridge when the phone lines weren't ringing off the hook. My brother would always recruit his buddies to call the show in order to get the ball rolling on listener interaction. He has also served as my Facebook PR rep to spread the word about anything I do. I want to achieve the greatest level of success not only for myself, but for them.

7. Of what are you most proud?

My work ethic. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I pride myself on not being outworked. Whether it's reading for hours, studying other hosts, or paying to be coached (and CRITICIZED), I need the self-reassurance of knowing that I'm the most prepared host there is, and that no one wants it more than I do. Before I was hired in Kansas City, I worked six days a week for eight months driving two hours back and forth for different shows. I'm proud of that, because I don't think many others would make that type of consistent sacrifice. My new PD (Ryan Maguire) says what we do is not a job, it's a lifestyle. He's right.

8. What do you do for fun?

Socialize. Obviously I like to talk, but I like hearing others talk more. My friends will often remind me that I'm not on the air interviewing a guest but I can't help it, my curiosity just takes over. I really have fun studying people: what makes them tick, what ticks them off, how they react to certain situations. Most people naturally like to talk about themselves, and I like to conduct interviews so it's a natural fit!!

As I said before I like to cook and because of the eating, I have to play sports. Whether its pickup hoops, tennis or golf, I usually have to try and compete at something. It's not the most relaxing way to approach life, but its fun for me.

9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ____________.

...tv, cell or internet (sad, I know).

10. What's the best advice you ever got? The worst?

My mother once told me "before you can move on, you have to be content where you are." That was nearly impossible advice to follow in a market with 10,000 people which also happened to be my hometown. It took my girlfriend's influence to balance out my priorities between work and play.

My talent coach also told me to keep working, and the next step would eventually come. For YEARS he would say, "I don't know when, Shariff, and I don't know where, but your time will come." Because of my lack of patience, I never truly embraced this advice, but it turned out to be correct.

The best advice that I practice on a daily basis came from John Wooden -- "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail."

The worst advice? "You may want to get out of this field." This came from two hosts in Sarasota, FL. I remember going down there with my dad while in college to have some tapes evaluated, and these guys shredded me. I can thank my stubborn nature for not listening.