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10 Questions with ... Franklin J Brinsley II
November 29, 2016
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1) What was your first job in radio and early influences?
I was 15 years old; Mommy had to drop me off and pick me up at Love 1040 WOKT, a daylight-only Christian AM in the basement of a tri-level home, at the end of a steep gravel road, in rural Boyd County, KY. The switch to power up the transmitter was right next to the laundry room. I could get a Twila Paris or Steve Camp record on and do a load of whites. Convenient! Owned by the fabulous Baker Family Stations out of Blacksburg, VA. They were very proud of the call letters and sold them as Love 1040 WOKT - West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky in the tri-state. After I'd managed to get all the basics of board opping, I was allowed to cart up my very own Love 1040 WOKT weather forecast. But never live. As for influences? None. A completely sheltered preacher's kid. Growing up in rural Appalachia in the '80s didn't exactly give one access to the industries best talent.
2) Was there a defining moment that led to your radio career when you realized this is what I want to do for a living?
Well like I said, sheltered preacher's kid. Always moving to a new town every two years. The towns and the people changed, but the radio was always there. I was eight years old and falling asleep with an earplug in listening to Marty Breneman and Joe Nuxhall call Cincinnati Reds games on WLW. I had a Vietnam vet Marine father dealing with what we now know to be PTSD. So that earplug at night was my passport to another world. Later I would discover music radio. My first memories of thinking, "I have to do that," was listening to Q102 and WEBN slug it out in a good old fashion early '80s radio war in Cincinnati when I'm an 11-year-old little dude. I spent the remainder of my education and five years at university taking courses not related to broadcasting, because even then we all knew a broadcasting degree was a waste.
3) What were the origins of The Frank Show? How did you and the other players all meet and form the show?
Origins lie on Beale St. in Memphis, TN. I met a dude named John. We became buddies. We were roomies for a year. I take off for Tampa radio, then New York; my buddy John takes off for Tucson. One day in NY I get an AOL IM asking if I'd be interested in doing morning radio in Tucson. I drive a U-haul truck out of lower Manhattan to Tucson in three days in the summer of 2000. I have a numb toe for two years. We launch the John & Frank show. After two years, John departs for the West Coast with visions of striking it rich with a multi-level marketing company selling knives. The Frank Show launches summer 2002 after a root canal from a neglected cavity.
4) How long have you been doing mornings for KLPX and give us some of the ratings highlights during your time there?
Did mornings on Alternative KFMA from 2000-2010. During that time, KLPX had undergone close to eight different morning show variations with nothing sticking. Meanwhile, monetizing ratings success on a low-watt Alternative during that time was close to impossible. So we swapped studios and mornings on KLPX from 2010. For 16 years, I've been extremely fortunate to be a #1 men show and top 3 persons 12+. I don't ever take good numbers for granted and know fully that my ratings success is my job security. I endured quite possibly one of the most toxic GM/morning host relationships anyone in this business could go through, for well over a decade. Without solid, consistent ratings performance, I'd have been shown the door long ago.
5) Are there any local Tucson listeners or characters that contribute regularly to the content of The Frank Show?
Yes, of course. There always have been. The frequency of their appearances coincides with whether or not they're on their meds or not. It's a lot of mentally unstable or brain-damaged people. They come to us, we embrace, and they get recognized in the community. I, in turn, will drive some of these people home after the show. I've had birthday cake in a trailer with 30 cats.
6) Describe a typical morning show for you guys. a) What is the process? b) You're known for your strong Midwest work ethic; when do allow yourself some down time and what do you do to relax? and c) what are some of the key benchmarks of your show?
- Our first segment can be a fave for a lot of listeners. The first 6a segment is completely unplanned. You really never know what's going to happen in that first segment. It could range from LOL'ing so hard you're snorting, or it could be the biggest fight you ever heard, usually over something so painfully stupid you can't believe adults would actually be bickering about something so stupid.
- Thank you, it's true, life is show prep for real. Married with two boys, eight and nine, two dogs and two kitties. I've also cobbled together two co-ed soccer teams in a local adult league so every Friday night we get together and have a kick about. I like to golf and dabble in some photography and I'm an obsessive Arsenal supporter in the English Premier League.
- I'm really good at awkward interviews. We have some silly benchmarks. It's all a bit embarrassing really.
7) Tell us some of the best and most memorable moments to date on The Frank Show?
A long time ago, and this is the kind of radio that really gets programmers weak in the knees, but I used to play a game called "Guess what I had for dinner?" The night before I would record the sounds of air escaping, and play it the next morning and listeners would try and guess what I had for dinner. One blessed evening, the sound of air escaping sounded like a mini-trumpet playing the Price is Right theme. Playing that clip back and forth with the opening of the actual theme from PIR was about 80% of all show content for a good 16 months. The answer was always Salisbury Steak.
8) You are very active with social media like Facebook and Twitter. How has that benefited your morning show?
The show and the social media activism are not mirror images. Nor could they be. Working-class Rock radio users don't wanna hear some douchebag guilting them for their different world view. There is real, palpable rage happening with working-class white men, the western world over, and I've got to navigate through that, while maintaining my authenticity and sanity.
9) Speaking of social media, I know that you personally are very opinionated about your political beliefs on your Facebook page. Are you ever concerned that one of your listeners might disagree and stop listening to The Frank Show?
Not concerned that one might disagree. If they stop listening and don't tell me. then I don't know about it. The social media may create a false impression that the show is like that, but c'mon, I got Mannheim Steamroller tickets to give away. It's a no-win spot to do bed-wetting liberal radio on a Classic Rock station. Not here, not anywhere. So that stuff on social media doesn't really reflect the show.
10) Finally, who is funniest person on The Frank Show and why?
I have no idea. I'm really not tuned into if I'm funny or not. When a listener is on the phone and I illicit a laugh the sound of that is mysterious to me. My producer is a shy Minnesota farm boy who is excruciatingly dry. It's probably a wash in the end.
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