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10 Questions with ... Josh Innes
April 16, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I would have given anything to have talked up records on Z100 or KIIS FM. I spend way too much time listening to old airchecks from legends like Dees, Big Ron, Scott Shannon, George McFly and my favorite, Greg Thunder. Hell, I have listened to my dad's airchecks hundreds of times. The closest I've come to playing the hits was spinning Warrant on my 1.21 gigawatt station in my bedroom
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- I spent five years at Clear Channel (now iHeart)/Baton Rouge.
- Afternoon drive at Sports Radio 610 Houston from Dec 2010-Dec 2013
- Nights/afternoon drive at 94 WIP/Philadelphia from January 2014-August 2016
- Afternoons/mornings at Sports Talk 790/Houston from October 2016-March 2019
1) How did you begin your career in radio?
My dad has been in radio since the early '80s. I've been around it my whole life. My first actual job was doing play-by-play for the Baton Rouge Kingfish of the ECHL. I was 15. I was the voice of the Baton Rouge Riverbats of the Southeastern League professional baseball when I was 16. My first full-time radio job was as a board op at iHeart in Baton Rouge. It's actually a pretty good story. I was working part time in the same building my dad worked. I was the board op for Saturday morning shows on The Score 1210 AM and WJBO-A. I ran SWAC football shows. I ran high school football shows. I ran a gardening show. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina was making her way towards Southeast Louisiana. My dad told me that they probably needed extra bodies to help work the phones for our News/Talk station. He told me that would be the only way that they'd see my worth. I went to the station and started calling different parishes to inquire about school closures. Before I knew it, they were sending me to press conferences and having me on the air. I didn't really know what I was doing. I just did it. I've been a full-time employee in radio ever since. Well, minus now.
2) Was it always Sports/Talk for you?
It's pretty much always been sports. That said, I did voice track for WYNK/Baton Rouge.
3) Did you spend any time at all playing the hits?
I would have given anything to have talked up records on Z100 or KIIS FM. I spend way too much time listening to old airchecks from legends like Dees, Big Ron, Scott Shannon, George McFly and my favorite, Greg Thunder. Hell, I have listened to my dad's airchecks hundreds of times. The closest I've come to playing the hits was spinning Warrant on my 1.21 gigawatt station in my bedroom.
4) Have you ever thought about doing play-by-play?
Play-by-play was my goal for a long time. My hero was Jack Buck. I read his book when I was 13. I have listened to countless highlights of his. My last foray into play-by-play was doing live high school football on Cox 4 in Baton Rouge. That was in 2009. My dream is to call one inning of a MLB game.
5) How's the podcast going?
I enjoy it. My previous attempts at podcasts failed because I had a hard time doing another show after my actual show was over. This is like doing my show. It's doing pretty well. We are about a month in and we are close to 70,000 downloads/listens.
6) Do you find that social media is helping you to stay connected with your fans?
Yes. I don't see any other way to do it. People are finding me. They are finding the podcast. It's funny; when I had a job I saw nothing but negative messages. Now that I'm on the beach, everyone seems to like me.
7) Who's your favorite sports team? Favorite player?
The St. Louis Cardinals are my favorite all-time team. Albert Pujols is the greatest hitter of this generation.
8) What's the greatest sporting event that you've ever attended?
I attended Game 5 of the 2017 World Series. It was an epic. I attended the Super Bowl in 2018. The most recent NFC Championship Game in New Orleans was amazing ... until the refs cost the Saints the Super Bowl.
9) Who would you say that your mentors have been?
So many. My dad, Scott Innes. Andy Bloom, who was my boss at WIP. We talk all the time. Gavin Spittle, who was my boss at Sports Radio 610 in Houston. I also spend a lot of time talking with Marc Vandermeer. One of my best friends is Brian Haddad from WKQX in Chicago.
10) What's next?
I've spoken with some people about potential gigs. I have a lot of time to think of the next thing. My fiancé Jilly and our dog Luther have gone on some road trips with me. I'm going to St. Louis to see the Cardinals. My hope is that someone will give me a chance to go out and prove that I can generate ratings and revenue for a station.
Bonus Questions
If you could choose any beach to hang out at while on the beach, where would we find you?
Key West, FL
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