Spotlight Conversations

Studio session is all about the biography 'Have A Little Faith: The John Hiatt Story', and author Michael Elliott talks about researching and writing about the singer-songwriter's success and substance abuse; along with Hiatt's resilience and eventual recovery. Michael discusses his early days in radio; how working around music eventually brought him success in writing for onli...

Versatile singer songwriter Kaya Black is in the studio today and we talk about the reggae music scene, recording music in Nashville and Jamaica, his family, his new single "Missing You" and more! Named after a Bob Marley album (and song), and musically inspired by both his mother and his father, entertainment photographer Johnny Black (who's photo credits include Bob Marley and Bla...

Today's show is about media, but also has a spiritual spin to it, as veteran radio broadcaster Stefan Rybak and I talk about his personal memoir "The Shadow On My Heart - Faith. Family. Forgiveness." ,  a Top Ten Best Seller on Amazon. Stefan discusses his 40 years of success in radio, starting from his early days working at his hometown station in Waterbury, Connecticut  (where he...

Visiting Raleigh, NC today with 94.7 QDR Country morning guy Mike Wheless - and yes, he has a lot of country music radio stories! Heading up the two time Country Music Association (CMA) and one time Academy of Country Music (ACM ) awarded station (plus mixing in his 30 years in the broadcast biz) is no easy feat, but this radio personality makes it all so easy. The veteran broadcaster talks about...

It's all about the world of voiceovers with voice actress Liz Fodor ! The New York based performer, currently nominated for this year's One Voice Awards UK and the One Voice Awards USA , discusses everything from her background as a busy producer at Nickelodeon; dubbing her voice for character Poison Ivy in Harley Quinn: Blazing Shadows, to writing for Hobby Kids TV and more. She also ta...

One of my fave places for original rock music is in North Carolina, and today I'm in the studio  with Jamie Hoover of The Spongetones ! Jamie talks about the band's musical start in Charlotte (complete with the jangle pop riffs and their Beatlesque vocal style); to his current work in Nashville with Bill Lloyd (of Foster and Lloyd) and the rest of The Long Players . We also discuss nearl...

Spending studio time in Houston today with media blogger Mike McGuff. His knowledge of just about everybody in media, keeps everyone 'in the know' about their fave Texas media celeb! Mike shares how and why he got started covering the Houston and Texas media scene, beginning with his first days as a reporter and producer at media outlets KIAH 39, KTRK and KXXV; covering Hurricane Harvey...

Swingin' up to Dallas/Fort Worth for studio time with Mark ' Hawkeye ' Lewis, morning show host at New Country 96.3 KSCS ! With over 30 years of morning radio experience (all at New Country 96.3 no less!) this guy knows audiences, marketing, branding and what it takes to make a successful career in radio. We talk about radio consultants (Mark is probably the only person who has work...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with radio station 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard (regarded as one of the most influential rock radio stations in the country) has made Cleveland a rock music destination for fans and artists alike. I'm in Cleveland today with the original WMMS Buzzard Morning Zoo host and self-proclaimed radio junkie Ed 'Flash' Ferenc to find out more about the statio...

Remember record stores? Finding that special piece of vinyl; maybe hearing your fave band in the store on a Saturday afternoon? The podcast today is all about those things and more as I talk with Carrie Colliton, co-founder of Record Store Day. Along with Michael Kurtz, Carrie has worked with independent record stores worldwide since 2008, helping to bring new business ideas to store owners in nea...

Celebrating the milestone - a one year podcast anniversary! -  with my very first guest, fellow podcaster Adam Boardman, known also around the radio dial as Adam 12. Since leaving radio he's become a runner and started his podcast ' Pushing 50' - where 'Hedonism Meets Healthy Aging' . Adam joins me in the studio to talk about everything from his unique podcast to serving b...

Love a good mystery novel? Ever wondered where crime writers get ideas for their stories? Listen in on my  conversation with WRAL TV 5 television reporter Amanda Lamb as she talks about her successful 'true crime' writing career. In addition to over 30 years of television news experience, this hard working, detail oriented reporter has authored 10 books; four memoirs, three true crime bo...

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 Broadca...

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 t...

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...

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 he...

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...

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...

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 cha...

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...

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 Cont...

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 1...

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 voic...

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, Phi...

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...