10 Questions with ... Rob 'A-Game' Acampora

NAME:Rob 'A-Game' Acampora POSITION:Afternoon host / station whipping boy STATION:WSTW MARKET:Wilmington, DE OWNER:Delmarva Broadcasting

Please outline your radio career so far:

I began this radio ride at WHTG, one of the 1st Alternative stations in the U.S. out of Eatontown, NJ, on Halloween night of 1988. Rich Robinson of AAA-formatted WBJB gave me my first job;former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield gave me a leg up into programming. After over eight years there, I served most of the time as APD/afternoons.

I floated through two Nassau Broadcasting stations (WBBO and WJLK in the Monmouth/Ocean market) in various shifts in mid-'97, and I parlayed this into a three-year run with WAEB (B104) in the Allentown/Bethlehem market.

I returned to WHTG in the fall of 2000 to help re-launch the station as G Rock. I took a change in the summer of 2001 to write for FMQB and do part-time WSTW -- took over the night show in 2003 for STW and have been anchoring afternoons for about two years.

1) How would you describe your first radio gig?

What a crazy ride it was! Broadcasting from a ranch house in a residential area, with an independent owner (Faye Gade), two house cats who both weighed about 30 pounds (don't ask about their occasional dander), making at my peak $9 an hour, juggling some sort of second job, and looking back right now with a smile. The people I worked with were some of the best you may have never known (find out more at altrok.com).

2) What led you to a career in radio?

The sheer fear of being in the real world to work in the actuarial field with my degree. Yes, my background was Mathematics!

3) Who is your favorite air personality not on staff and why do you like them?

If I don't start with morning host Paula Ryan of WXCY in Maryland, I'll be in big trouble! Johnny B at KLAK in the Dallas suburbs because he is so natural and relatable. Former morning guy Ken Matthews of WAEB because of his charisma and sarcasm (plus he owned the area), and Joe Beningo of WFAN in NYC (I'm a sports junkie).

4) What music do you listen to when you're not working?

I'm all over the map, from Split Enz and Squeeze to Seether and Linkin Park, to Maroon 5 and One Republic to ELO and Pink Floyd. Yes, my iPod is crazy!

5) Do you have a hobby outside of radio?

Playing Texas Hold 'Em. I blame my bud Brian O'Halloran (Dante of Clerks and Clerks 2) for this addiction!

6) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

Being real, being myself, and always willing to learn something new in this business every day (Oh, sorry - that's three.)

7) What is it about our industry that keeps you wanting to do it for a living?

Well, I can't sing, I'm not good enough at poker, I can't hit a golf ball straight, and nobody is offering me the hosting job at The Price Is Right (watch out, Drew!).

8) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?

WNEW-FM in NYC (the Rock station).

9) What advice would you give people new to the business?

Have a fallback and learn every aspect that you can!

10) What is the current state of the radio "talent pool"?

When people like Ken Matthews, Eric Summers, Kenny Holland and Bart Cross-Tierney are not hosting morning shows, the word I'd use is available!

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A sports writer for the New York Post and play-by-play man for the New York Mets (still could happen).