10 Questions with ... Roger Luce & John 'JP' Parise

1) What was your first job in radio?

Roger: (roger@wbab.com) Part-time Overnight (Thursday - Sunday /12am-6am $4.25/hour)

JP: (jp@wbab.com) Driving the "Rock Van" for WBAB

2) What led you to a career in radio and was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?

Roger: I went to Connecticut School of Broadcasting in their first high school class to see if I should go to college for it...one week into it, I knew; I had "the fever." Loved every minute of it, went to Long Island University/CWPost for 4 year degree.

JP: I loved the music. I have ZERO musical talent so being a rock star was out of the question. I figured working in radio was the next best thing. I got lucky and got a job at the station I grew up listening to. I literally had the WBAB bumper stickers in my lockers.

Roger, Dee Snider and JP

3) Before we talk about your morning show, can you give us some of the highlights of your radio career to this point?

Roger: Interned at WPLJ/NYC right when it changed from AOR to CHR in Fall/1983 then at MJI Broadcasting(Gary Katz)/NYC Spring/1984. Then WBAB until hired parttime in August 1984. Promoted to full-time Overnight in 1985, in 1986 got the 7-Mid shift/Promotion Director position at WCCC/Hartford w PD Harve Allen. After 3 months moved to mornings to replace Rick and Suds and was then hired away by WBAB a month later as Research Director/Image Voice/Swing Jock/Intern Coordinator. January 1990 promoted to full-time Afternoon Drive, October 1999 promoted to morning drive replacing long-time host Bob Buchmann. JP joined January 4, 2000 and the rest is history.

JP: It would have to be September 11th. Being in the shadows of NYC, we, along with our audience, all have friends and family that worked in Manhattan. When the attacks happened, we were on the air. We immediately went all talk. We had listeners that were first responders that would call us from the WTC and tell us what supplies were needed. We'd put that over the air and the next thing you knew, at any given time we had hundreds of listeners loading tractor trailers sending supplies into ground zero. No matter what I do in my career, It will NEVER top what we did in the days and weeks following the attacks.

4) What was the origin of the Roger & JP show?

Roger: I paired with Tracy Burgess (WBAB and Imus/WFAN) for a few months when PD Eric Wellman (now Q104/NYC) said, "Let's add a character, who do you want?" I said, "JP from promotions, he's my total opposite and we make each other laugh." Kim Guthrie(Cox Media Group President) was then our GM, she gave us her blessing and off we went. JP sat third chair, but then Tracy moved on to WFAN and JP moved up to the #2 seat. We had instant chemistry, improved over our rookie years and have achieved solid ratings over the past 17-18 years.

JP: Long story somewhat short... Roger was doing afternoons and I was the promo guy. We would do a Friday Afternoon Happy Hour every week from different bars around the island. Once everything was set up and his show was underway, we had time while the music played and I guess I made him laugh a bunch. When Mornings opened up, the bosses gave it Roger and they asked him what he needed and he told them "I want JP." Something like that. We've been married ever since.

5) A big congrats on 20 years working together. That's quite an accomplishment. What do you think have been some of the keys to your longevity?

Roger: We worked hard from the beginning, took direction well from our amazing consultant Lorna Ozman, grew and tried new things, and most importantly, we have never mixed the show with family life. I've always felt that we shouldn't have the same weekend plans with each other and, keeping families separate is a good thing in case there are any conflicts among wives or kids. It's hard work just to manage our relationship in a show setting so we don't make personal plans outside work, as a rule. That doesn't mean we're not close, we're like brothers from different mothers. And we're still together after 20 years so I think we found the secret to morning show survival!

JP: Respect for what each of us brings to the table. I think we're both pretty good at checking our egos out the door. He's better at it than I am. He's the calm to my crazy.

6) Now let's talk about the show overall. If you were to describe the show to someone who's never listened...what would you say?

Roger: I've always used this phrase: 2 guys walk into a bar and start a radio show. It's just us being ourselves, talking like we would with friends (listeners) while having a drink. And it's really unpredictable where that will go on any given day.

JP: No bullshit! No one is trying to be anything that they're not. Just a bunch of guys (on Long Island we have our producer Brett Fiumara and out news/traffic guy Ted Lindner that are both a part of what we do on-air) breaking each other's balls incessantly. Our audience LOVES to get in on that action as well. Most importantly, we're not afraid to make fun of ourselves.

JP, Lou Ferrigno and Roger

7) Who else is on the show with you guys and what are their roles?

Roger: Ted Lindner is our Traffic/News guy for the last 10+ years. He's quirky, a savant with remembering dates and events and does an amazingly spitty Rudy Giuliani impression. He has also drunk live goats milk on-air, been hunted by listeners with paint balls while running through the woods in a deer costume and was down to his torn underwear in our studio for his on-air bachelor party. He's a real team player and the best Traffic/News guy I've heard.

Brett Fiumara is our Producer. He was with us early, then went to tv and returned years later. He's taken us to the next level in show structure and efficiency, organization and, as an on-air presence, is a killer character voice guy - Gene Simmons/Paul Stanley from KISS, the POPE, Guy Fieri, DJ Funk Flex and so many more. His audio drops are perfectly placed by his impeccable timing and funny sense of humor. These two guys have completed our show and helped take it to the next level.

JP: On Long Island we have our producer Brett Fiumara and out news/traffic guy Ted Lindner that are both a part of what we do on-air. Brett does a ton of impressions and great production work. Ted is an idiot savant but definitely NOT an idiot.

8) Describe a typical morning show for you guys. a) What is the process? b) How much show prep do you do and what are some of the key benchmarks of your show?

Roger: All 4 of us prep the night before (1-2 hours each) by email, each using our own preferred websites for stories and writing out our ideas/angles for each. 5am we get it all together, 530am on-air. We pick what topics we want to cover as we go, feeling the flow and mood. Daily, we play Dead Guy in the Envelope at 7:05(guess the celeb whose name is in envelope by asking questions after hearing our clues) and at 8:20 it's our daily Top 10 List (guess what's on the list, win the bounty prize attached to one of the answers). Both benchmarks test very well.

Then off-air at 9am, and JP, Brett and I prep again, this time for our midday show at 102.5 THE BONE in Tampa. An hour and a half of prep, quick break and we're back on at 11am until 2pm. All talk, no music. Both benchmarks from our morning show are also used on the Tampa show and yes, they work really well there too. We usually are out of the building by 3pm, then prep that night around 6pm for the next morning. We've done both shows with this process since July 2015 and it works!

JP: Tons of prep!!! I would say a couple of hours a night. Then, about another hour or more between shows. We also do a midday all talk show every weekday on WHPT 102.5 The Bone in Tampa. We really have two benchmarks -- "Dead Guy in the Envelope" and our "Top 10 List."

9) Tell us some of the best and most memorable moments to date on the Roger & JP Show?

Roger: Sadly, September 11th, 2001 and, more recently, Superstorm Sandy are two VERY memorable events in our show history. As a suburb of NYC, 9-11 crushed our audience of first responders and their families but out of that came an unbreakable bond. That bond was formed when we asked for our audience's help for the first responders in Manhattan by sending tractor trailer loads of supplies, as ordered by them, as needed. It was a 6-day effort, all talk on-air, no music. Much sadness but a bond that will stay between us and our listeners for all our lives. We repeated that experience but in a different way during Superstorm Sandy. Those were 2 major disasters in Long Island's history and both happened during our show history. In between those tragedies, we've helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of thousands of toys for hospitalized children along with The John Theissen Children's Foundation; that is one of our proudest accomplishments. And then there are the memorable radio moments when a bit about the reality of Santa Claus went all wrong and a week later, someone transmitted a racist song into our microwave link and we had no control of our on-air content. Needless to say, after the Santa incident, not many believed we had nothing to do with the racist song. Both incidents made the front page. Funny memories include Ted drinking milk directly from a live goat as punishment for drinking directly out of the station milk carton; listeners licking between Ted's toes as part of qualifying for a trip to Vegas with us; and a guy shaving one eyebrow only, who then ultimately LOST a trip to Vegas.

JP: Again... unfortunately 9/11. Musically for me, Warren Haynes reeking of weed playing "Soulshine" and "Beautifully Broken" (If you don't know those tunes, go find em) live in the studio. Still makes the hair on my arms stand up. Comically... Every Time Jim Breuer comes in the studio.

Roger, Jim Breuer and JP

10) Finally, who is the funniest person on the show and why?

Roger: We all have a sense of humor and get in our shots but JP is consistently the comedian. It's his personality which was developed by the people and events of his youth on the rough and tumble streets of Deer Park, NY. But on any given day, whoever is the "target," can be mercilessly hammered by the other 3; we laugh every day, no exception.

JP: The audience!

What do you like to do for fun and excitement when you're not in radio mode?

Roger: I play competitive No Limit Hold 'em tournament poker. I've gone to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas every year since 2012. I've been fortunate to have won several times and won big in 2018; my wife travels with me during the rest of the year for poker as well. It's my main hobby but it doesn't stop me from hanging by the pool, reading and playing the guitar. My wife and I also love to travel to warm places, take cruises and visit our daughters in Baltimore and Miami; and we never turn down a night at a great restaurant.

JP: Anything on the water. The beach. Fishing. Boating, etc. I also LOVE to travel as often as possible. Usually to places where I can do the above. I also love watching my kids do what they do. My son is big into soccer and my daughter plays field hockey. I get off on being a sports dad.