Radiogirl

Ken Smith was known as "Al Roker Jr." on the Mancow show, and now does sports updates on Jonathan Brandmeier's show and has his own show on The Game Chicago. He talks about how he got his nickname; why he got gastric bypass surgery; the south side and living near President Barack Obama; working at V103/WVAZ-FM with Richard Steele, John Davis, George Willborn, John Monds, and Bonnie DeShong; meeting Ray Charles and James Brown; working at white and black radio stations; being a Rush and Duran Duran fan; how he got on the Mancow show; being the only black person around white people; working for Mancow’s show at Q101 and Rock 103.5; naked adventures; the Howard Stern/Mancow rivalry; his podcast, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG127.mp3

Bernie Eagan is on the air afternoons/evenings at B105.7/WYXB in Indianapolis, and has spent his entire career in Indiana. He's amazingly been with Emmis Communications for over 30 years. He talks about his start in radio when he was 14; working in Hartford City, at WERK in Muncie, and at WENS; what it's like to be blind; how people have responded to him and helped him; braille; how he successfully studied in school; Eric Garnes and Paul Mendenhall; how radio has changed; getting fired; famous people he's met; his DJ business; why he loves radio; advice, perseverance, and more. I got to know him when he contacted me after he listened to the Greg Brown interview I did. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG126.mp3

Marcus Leshock hosts segments on the WGN­-TV Morning News, and fills in for the "Around Town" segment (hosted by Ana Belaval and produced by Tom Barnas). He started in television hosting the "Metromix" show on CLTV, and talks about being a pop culture geek; his Fantasy Football Festivus podcast with Steve Lippo (a WGN sports producer); talking sports on The Game radio station with Harry Teinowitz and Jarrett Payton; doing TV vs radio; how he got into TV; advice for getting in the biz and on his segments; what makes a good story, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG125.mp3

Dan Levy is a producer and does audio production for the new sports station, The Game, where he also works with Mark Carman & Connor McKnight; he talks about working at WSCR The Score; what's wrong with sports radio; being on Sirius XM's Howard Stern channel with the Gabe Kanan show; how they got on the Howard Stern channel; what Gary Dell'Abate (Howard Stern's producer) is like; why the Abe Kanan show was cancelled on Howard 101; Tim Sabian, and more. He was also one of the first people to be on this podcast. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG124.mp3

Glen Kozlowski hosts Sports Central on WGN Radio with Jim Memolo, and he played with the Chicago Bears from 1984-1992. He talks about getting drafted by Mike Ditka after he was a successful wide receiver at Brigham Young University; his helpful Hawaiian-Samoan mother and Polish father; his brother, who played with the Miami Dolphins; how Polish was his first language; working in pineapple fields; how he made it to the NFL; problems in school; Jim McMahon; injuries; leaving the Bears; how football has changed; the media; how Bob Collins helped him; volleyball; coaching high school football; what he thinks of college players being paid; football dangers; advice; what he misses about his pro days, Harry Caray, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG123.mp3

Bionce Foxx was on the air at WGCI in Chicago for several years and now does mid-days at Star 92.7 in the Cayman Islands (Caribbean and urban music). She talks about how she got into radio; working in Bermuda at a hip hop R&B station; voicetracking; meeting famous people; stalkers; John Legend; her Foxx on the Box show on WGCI; hearing Ordinary People live on the air; working at WGCI's gospel sister station; Steve Harvey; why music radio is still vibrant; meeting Rihanna, Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z; voicetracking for Clear Channel in Tyler, Texas and at WKKV V100.7 in Milwaukee; doing TV at CLTV, WGN and NBC-5; advice; mid-days in Las Vegas at a hip-hop R&B station; helping other people; volunteering at Pacific Garden Mission, LaRabida Hospital, the Jordan Boys & Girls clubs, Changing Life Education, and Top Box Foods; racism; what it was like to work for the Kennedy family and Chris Kennedy at the Merchandise Mart, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG122.mp3

Courtney Stewart, Tamara Berg, and John Comerford host very popular podcasts at AfterBuzz TV, created by Maria Menounos and Keven Undergaro. They started there discussing the shows "Beyond Scared Straight" and "The Game" and now they do a "Downton Abbey" podcast together. Courtney also does "Real Housewives" and "Celebrity Apprentice", plus hosts "Black Hollywood Live Fashion 411" and "Black Hollywood Live This Week" at Black Hollywood Live. And she's in the web series Not Quite Fabulous. Tamara appears on TV as a lifestyle expert. They talk about what they do in Los Angeles, haters in the entertainment industry, watching TV, their success, doing the red carpet, and more. (A slightly different version of this interview airs on Rivet News Radio.) Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG121.mp3

Roy Leonard has had a long career in media: radio, TV, and online. He talks about his start in the 1940s; his radio work in Salem and Framingham Massachusetts; army radio in Nome, Alaska; his theater background and meeting his wife, Sheila, there; working at WHDH and WNAC in Boston; finding out about WGN from sportscaster Curt Gowdy in the late 1960s; filling in for Wally Phillips; moving to Chicago in the late 60s; broadcasting Chicago Bulls home games with Vince Lloyd; living in Kenilworth; how he helped get Johnny Mathis exposure; the early days of TV and heydays of radio; why he likes Garry Meier's show; how he was the first theater and movie reviewer and interviewer; Kathy & Judy; Larry Lujack's real personality; his good attitude; interviewing John F Kennedy, John Cleese, Timothy Dalton, Henry Fonda, and Tippi Hedren; celebrity worship; his passion for theater; knowing Pearl Bailey, Marcel Marceau and Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits; hosting Family Classics; why he talked about his family on the air; his son Kelly Leonard (a Second City executive); why he retired; what he thought of Garry Meier and Steve Dahl making fun of him on their show; why he put Nick Digilio on the air, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG120.mp3