We're in sunny Florida today with legendary Burkhart/Abrams radio consultant and author Dwight Douglas . From his first job working at WQED with Fred Rogers on the famed 'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood' television series, to radio programming gigs at WDVE in Pittsburgh and DC 101 in Washington DC, the media loving consultant talks about switching over to television and Turner Broadcasting (remember 'Night Tracks'?) and how he helped design radio music scheduling software for RCS. Dwight also discusses...
Jun 16, 2021•26 min•Ep. 47
Steve Reynolds, part of the infamous WRDU 106 morning team known as 'Reynolds & Silva' stops by the studio to talk, well - radio! Now owner of ' The Reynolds Group ', a radio consulting company, Steve tells how listening to legendary stations like WABC in New York and WLS in Chicago inspired him to work in broadcasting; his storied career spanning from Iowa to Connecticut to eventually Raleigh, NC; and how he met his talented co-host Kevin Silva and why their unique personalities brought tog...
May 26, 2021•30 min•Ep. 46
Loving Los Angeles today as I catch up with voice actor Anthony Mendez, known as the Latin Lover narrator from the television series ' Jane the Virgin ', and the voice behind the mini-series ' Wonders of Mexico '. The three-time Emmy nominated voiceover veteran talks about his move from New York to Hollywood; how he started in the world of voice via the music industry; tips on how to break into the voiceover business (and understanding the 'timeline' with voice success); and all about his new gi...
May 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 45
Today I'm broadcasting across the pond in Sussex, England with New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter Jenny Lecoat , as we talk about her first novel 'The Girl From The Channel Islands' , the story of a young Jewish girl living through the German occupation in the Channel Islands in 1940. Jenny discusses how growing up in the Channel Islands, her family history - and her love of research - all contributed to the book; how her feature film 'Another Mother's Son' (available now on Amaz...
May 05, 2021•22 min•Ep. 44
There's a lot of good country music coming from from Poetry, Texas - and one resident of this small town outside of Dallas - singer/songwriter Scott Sean White - proves it with his new CD 'Call It Even'. A veteran songwriter (and 'writer's writer') this native Texan talks about working within the Nashville songwriting community; his musical career which started with gigs in R&B and disco to eventually country music; his songwriting inspiration, and why country singer (and Houston native) Jac...
Apr 28, 2021•25 min•Ep. 43
It's all about those early radio days in Houston as I sit down with one of the first members of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame - Andy Waldrop. Working all across the big state ofTexas - including legendary stations KIKK AM/FM and KULF to his current gig at Houston Radio Platinum (and his show 'Solid Gold Sunday') the man with nearly 50 years of broadcasting stories talks about those first days working at the college station at the University of North Texas to landing his first radio gig at KIKK in...
Apr 21, 2021•25 min•Ep. 42
My guest today talks about his very storied media career which started in the military, then over to news radio, and eventually led him to his new job as a screenwriter. J. Scott, an award winning broadcast journalist for WQDR 94.7 in Raleigh NC, has written a very special screenplay for the movie Koko (available on Amazon Prime), about a man who wants to marry his dog. I know, right? But the challenge to write this screenplay was worth every moment for J., a former US Navy journalist who left a...
Apr 13, 2021•31 min•Ep. 41
Heading over to San Marcos, Texas today for my interview with base player Bill Whitbeck of the Robert Earl Keen Band. Bill is in the studio to talk about his Texas roots - growing up in La Porte, how he was inspired to play the bass; and later to jamming with John Lee Hooker, George Strait and Steve Marriott, frontman for Humble Pie; how he joined Robert and his legendary band and the band's new music. Bill also talks about his work with the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame House Band - and jammi...
Apr 12, 2021•23 min•Ep. 40
I finally get a chance to sit down in the studio and talk all about music with singer/songwriter Rod Abernethy . The former guitarist for Raleigh based rock group 'Arrogance' talks about what inspired his new CD "Normal Isn't Normal Anymore" (written ironically before the pandemic) and about winning at both the The International Acoustic Music Awards and The Bob Dylan Contest from American Songwriter . Rod also talks about his transition from touring with a band to scoring music for gaming compa...
Mar 31, 2021•23 min•Ep. 39
The always entertaining television and radio personality Ernie Manouse of Houston Public Media is my guest this week - and with his many broadcast stories, he really is 'King of the Houston Airwaves'! The multiple Emmy Award winning broadcaster talks about his new show on Houston Public Media called ' Town Square with Ernie Manouse ' - a program developed as a result of COVID 19; his 15 year run with television program ' InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse '; along with a few interesting backstories f...
Mar 23, 2021•28 min•Ep. 38
Are you a voice talent? A podcaster? Both? Join me in the studio as I talk with Canadian voice talent Matt Cundill, owner of The Sound Off Podcast, a successful podcast about broadcast. We talk about social media, talent agents and industry leaders...but we don't stop there - we also discuss the changing world broadcasting, his personal start as a voice talent (and his early mentors like voice talents David Tyler, Jamie Watson and Broadway Bill Lee of CBS FM in New York); transitioning from the ...
Mar 10, 2021•31 min•Ep. 37
This week, it's all about the business of radio with legendary broadcast executive Phil Zachary, Market President of Saga Communications in Portland, Maine. From his early days as a DJ at college radio station WAAF in Boston (a station he later managed for Entercom), to programming gigs across the country including Voyager Communications' WRDU and Curtis Media's WQDR in Raleigh, Phil not only gives his own personal view of the changing broadcasting business, but we also discuss his career with t...
Mar 03, 2021•26 min•Ep. 36
Today I'm in the studio with singer/songwriter Thad Cockrell and his amazing story of how one song, heard at one moment in time - in a hardware store no less - by The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, brought Thad's song "Swingin'" to the number one spot on iTunes, and introduced millions of new fans to his CD ''If In Case You Feel The Same". A North Carolina native who attended Wake Forest Seminary, this down to earth musician talks about making music during the pandemic; the day he heard he was ...
Feb 24, 2021•21 min•Ep. 35
It’s life in Hollywood as I visit the vivacious team of Drake & Gelder - actually entertainment journalist Grae Drake and actor Steve Gelder - talking about all things showbiz and working together in the entertainment industry. Both discuss what brought them to Los Angeles: Steve and his stand up comedy, acting ( Mixed Nuts; The Interview ); and filmmaking; and Grae working as a movie reviewer for CNN, Rotten Tomatoes and MovieFone . Find out about their take on the "art of being creative", ...
Feb 17, 2021•33 min•Ep. 34
Today I'm in sunny Galveston, Texas talking about baseball, voiceovers and radio with legendary Bob Ford - the voice of the Houston Astros! From his early days as the teenage announcer at Pony Colt Stadium and Sea-Arama Marineworld; to those first radio DJ days in Houston; how he got his start into the promo voice world with advice from then co-worker (and now ESPN sports journalist) Hannah Storm; along with stories from inside the Astros' Public Address Announcer booth. Bob also talks about his...
Feb 10, 2021•28 min•Ep. 33
This week I'm in Dallas visiting with New Country 96.3 radio personality Al Farb - and we talk about all things family, radio and country music! As grandson of bigger than life Houston real estate developer Harold Farb, Al fondly recalls a home life filled with not only music, but how his grandfather's sense of show biz inspired Al to follow a career in broadcasting. Currently a morning show radio host, Al sits down and discusses fave country artists like Luke Combs, Locash and Priscilla Block; ...
Feb 03, 2021•24 min•Ep. 32
Hanging out with television spokesperson and legendary WRDU 106 rock radio legend Bob Robinson this week. Bob talks about how he used those oh so famous words of "radio transferable skills" to become a brand spokesperson for television commercials - and creating his own video company Blade Brilliant . With a unique perspective about art and life, he discusses the challenges of working from home and being a stay at home dad; how he got the name "Bob the Blade" (even I was surprised - and I worked...
Jan 27, 2021•21 min•Ep. 31
Remember record stores? Spending days on end crate digging for your fave vinyl album? Listening to a special in-store concert - with a limited edition vinyl release party afterwords? Meet Michael Kurtz, co-founder behind Record Store Day , an annual event of independent record store owners who celebrate this unique culture of music listening worldwide. The Billboard Magazine's Executive of the Week talks about putting his ideas in motion for the first Record Store Day with Metallica (at their ne...
Jan 13, 2021•23 min•Ep. 30
Launching Season 3 of Spotlight Conversations is Billboard (and Radio and Records) music journalist Sean Ross, who has covered all genres of music and radio formats in the broadcast industry. The current VP of music and programming at Edison Research talks about his weekly online newsletter on Radio Insight called " Ross on Radio " (and discusses a topic called the "Lost Factor" - why some songs are hits for radio for a short time, and then never heard of again). We also talk about what he has i...
Jan 05, 2021•20 min•Ep. 29
With the hospitality business struggling because of COVID19 - and restaurants closing across the country, today's episode talks about generosity, a world renowned chef and helping others. In the studio with me this week is CultureMap Houston Food Editor Eric Sandler. He gives the inside story about celebrity chef David Chang winning the $1 million prize on Who Wants to be a Millionaire , and how David's win benefits the Southern Smoke Foundation (the nonprofit created by Houston chef Chris Sheph...
Dec 30, 2020•13 min•Ep. 28
This week my guest is the always entertaining Doug Harris, CEO of Noisemaker Communications in Houston. A master of promotion, branding and marketing worldwide, Doug talks about growing up in the Lone Star State, his love of performing from an early age (including - true story - beating out another Houston legend, childhood friend Dennis Quaid in a talent contest); creating legendary events as Promotion Director with Rock 101 KLOL, along with branding and developing the stations' equally legenda...
Dec 23, 2020•35 min•Ep. 27
Versatile composer Joe Wehunt talks about creating and writing the theme music for the Carolina Panthers; writing music for televised sports, football stadiums and the truth behind sonic branding. He also describes film scoring, music for commercials and political ads; plus how his inspiring new jazzy holiday CD ' Guitar for Christmas ' began in his studio during the pandemic back in March. Tune in - and bring eggnog! About the Spotlight Conversations podcast: Tune in as I invite friends inside ...
Dec 15, 2020•21 min•Ep. 26
Today I'm talking with author Holly George Warren, about a rock and roll story that lives on in her book called 'Janis: Her Life and Music'. From Holly's home in upstate New York, the North Carolina native talks about growing up in Asheboro, listening to rock music during the early days of radio, her love of history; writing for Rolling Stone magazine and her many books about music. She also discusses how and why she wrote about one of the most famous women in rock and roll - and what she discov...
Dec 09, 2020•24 min•Ep. 25
We're in Tulsa today with country music radio personality and Houston native Jenny Law, who talks all about radio, community, family and music; her 'I'm packing it all in and moving to Los Angeles' story; her eventual return to radio; her love of the Astros and the Dodgers (yes, you can love both teams - she has the stats); plus what it's really like to be on a tour bus with kids while sharing a meet and greet with country stars. She also talks about the very cool 'Bikes for Kids ' event this Ch...
Dec 08, 2020•16 min•Ep. 24
Today I'm in the studio with actor and television journalist Jake Reiner - and we talk about his beloved grandfather, Carl Reiner; Dodgers baseball, his move to Los Angeles from Houston to pursue his acting career; his ongoing web series called 'Beyond Hope' and his new baseball podcast 'Meeting on the Mound'. Jake discusses covering Hurricane Harvey while at KPRC TV in Houston; news and sports reporting at CBS Los Angeles; his work on 'Investigation Discovery'; shooting a movie on Zoom and co-h...
Dec 02, 2020•35 min•Ep. 23
I'm calling it a 'retrospective resurgence' this week with Nashville's Emmy winning video editor Steve Boyle. He stops by the studio to talk about the legendary musicians from one of his earliest video making venues - Raleigh, NC. Steve, who makes a living making very cool videos for rock stars, sits down and talks up everything from new music from Raleigh music makers Jack Cornell, Gardners of Soule, The Spongetones and The OAK Team; to the Georgia Satellites and their ties to the Raleigh music...
Dec 01, 2020•24 min•Ep. 22
Today I'm in the studio talking with Gloria Zenteno, founder and president of Barrio Dogs in Houston, an animal welfare group whose goal is to not only help stray and neglected animals in the city, but also offer resources to help the people who care for them. Stressing the importance of education and community, Gloria talks about the many ways her group reaches out to the communities in the Greater East End; of her dedicated staff and partners who work tirelessly with www.barriodogs.org ; about...
Nov 25, 2020•21 min•Ep. 21
Guess I can say this television reporter has just about seen it all! I'm in the studio with NBC News Channel reporter and producer Mark Barger, who is celebrating his 30 years covering news. I mean, he's got stories! He talks about covering some of the biggest stories in television news and entertainment since starting his career with the network in Charlotte, NC; his early beginnings of news reporting in the Raleigh-Durham market with WQDR FM and WPTF TV; his fast thinking backstage maneuver on...
Nov 17, 2020•28 min•Ep. 20
This week I'm with the very entertaining Emmy nominated actress and North Carolina native Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue/Sylvia Sipowitz; Grey's Anatomy; Desperate Housewives) as we talk about her growing up in Raleigh with her parents (her dad, Tom Lawrence, was a television reporter for then CBS affiliate WRAL TV5) to her years working in New York on Broadway, to her successful career in Hollywood; plus all about her new movie 'A Christmas House' premiering this month on Hallmark Channel USA! The ...
Nov 17, 2020•29 min•Ep. 19
Kicking off Season Two of Spotlight Conversations is producer, radio host, podcaster and morning show guru Jim Beazy - also known around Houston, TX as 'Jimbo' of the Madd Hatta Morning Show on KBXX 97.9 The Box. The multi talented master of parodies sits down in the studio and talks about making the successful transition to the world of podcasting, including his new podcast creation 'Crispy Coated Robots; a new morning gig called 'The Jimbo Show' on internet station 'Houston Radio Platinum'; pl...
Nov 10, 2020•23 min•Ep. 18
