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Straight From The Mouth
The Morning Mouth's January Interview with Steve & Joey
(Reprinted by permission; Copyright © 2007 Talentmasters Inc.)

Steve Fisher is the host, sports anchor and executive producer of "Steve & Joey." Born and raised in Chicago, he's worked at Q101, The Mix, and The Zone. He graduated from The Second City Improv Training Center, the same improv training ground for comedic legends John Belushi, Dan Akroyd and Chris Farley, Stephen Colbert and many others.

Joey Fortman co-host, news anchor, entertainment guru and producer of Nine FM's morning show. Joey graduated from Murray State University with a degree in Theatre and a minor in dance. After college, she moved to LA to act. Appeared in a movie called "The Bartender." Started in radio at Froggy in Murray, KY, then to The Bull in St. Louis. After a weekend getaway to Chicago, she quit her job, went back to Chicago without a job! Within a month filled in with Mancow and was hired at The Mix. After hearing about what a the job!

Help me out here, how does Nine FM fit into the Chicago landscape?

S: 9 FM is a trimulcast on 92.5, 92.7, and 99.9 FM which covers all of the Chicagoland area from Kenosha, WI, to Kankakee, IL, and Rockford, IL, to Merrillville, IN. 9 FM has the largest coverage of any Chicago radio station with it's trimulcast, and it's strength are in Chicago's suburbs with booming growth in Naperville, Aurora, Joliet and Orland Park.

By the way (Joey), congratulations are in order. I hear you're getting married in March. Does he know you get up at 4am?

J: I actually get up at 3am, we live a very boring life. He is on the phone 24/7 in his work and I'm an Internet junkie but we totally get each other! I have dated some losers in my lifetime and they hated what I did for a living. The last guy (a cop in Virginia) would get so mad at me when I talked about our lives on the air. He just didn't get it.

Let's talk about the show. Your station's pitch is "We Play Anything 9 FM." Are you a Jack type format?

J: The big difference about us and Jack -- we are live! Jack is fine and all... but there is no 'life' to the format, I think. I love to hear personalities talk about real life things!

How do you compete on the guests front?

J: I book all the guests. With all due respect to the Nick Lachey's -- Suzanne Summers -- Paula Deens -Ty Pennington people we have on, the local interviews are the best! Why? Because they don't have something to promote. They are just fun! For instance, I found a story of an 80-year-old couple in the burbs who got married! They were in a retirement home - and were sooo fun! The hubby was a Sox fan and the wife a Cubs fan. To hear their interaction was awesome and sooo sweet and genuine! Us chics love to hear love stories! We also interviewed a guy who owns a furniture store wayyy out in the burbs that promised shoppers if the Bears beat the Packers their

furniture would be free! He ended up on CNN and "The Today Show," all over because he gave away thousands of dollars in free furniture! I can't forget to mention the guy who was driving his horse and buggy across the country to protest gas prices. The next day he was on the Today Show! Very fun!

Other examples of some of your best stuff?

S: I think the things that stand out are when we try things that don't always work out. We were nominated for "Best Morning Show Bit" by you guys (MSBC) for trying to bail a guy out of jail. This Romanian immigrant was living in a terminal at O'Hare airport just like Tom Hanks character in the movie "The Terminal." He came here to find an American bride and got scammed, so he was sent to McHenry County Jail because he didn't have proper documentation and no money or way to get back home. We called McHenry County Jail to bail him out and it was the being put on hold and transferred from the operator, to the deputy and finally to the sheriff that made the bit funny. Even though we weren't able to bail him out of jail, the voice-mail we left for the sheriff was what made the bit work.

J: Yeah -- I kinda got nervous because Steve told the officer the Romanian guy was a good friend of his and does great floors! To a police officer!

All-time favorite stuntage? Phoners? Guests? etc.?

S: The best guests have been Jerry O'Connell, Wanda Sykes, Larry the Cable Guy, and the 29-year-old virgin who was going to give away her virtue through an online contest with Jane magazine. I tried to convince her to save herself.

J: Steve wanted her to save herself... and I wanted to hear how she was doing the selection! Not sure if she ever lost 'it'. Another fun stunt was when we sent our street guy, named "Mega 9 Boy" out to the Middle Of Nowhere to ask this woman if she would marry her boyfriend. The 'theatre of the mind' was so fun! You could her her back porch door opening and the nervousness in Mega -- it was classic! Hey -- we may be in market 3-but we still have country folk! (The town they were in by the way was called PawPaw, Illinois - right next to Sandwich!)

Steve, having grown up in Chicago, which personalities, and you had so many to choose from, influenced you the most?

S: I grew up listening to all the Chicago legends, Steve & Garry, Jonathon Brandmeier, Tom Joyner and Doug Banks. They were all influences as was John Lisle of "Lisle & Hahn" at KISS-FM San Antonio. The thing I learned from each one of them is be yourself. No one can ever take that away from you!

J: I didn't grow up here, but I remember as a kid listening to Steve & DC in St. Louis. I also love catching up with JC Corcoran. When I worked at the Bull, we became buds. He comes to Chicago for all the Cards/Cubs games. I took him out and got him highly intoxicated with my girlfriends once and he hasn't called back since... hmm... I wonder why?

Who would say are the top 5 jocks in America today?

S: Fook at Q101. He's intelligent, funny and real. News/Talk radio: Roe Conn at WLS. He's a regular guy who is once again, intelligent, humorous and real. He misses Garry Meier, but comedian Bill Leff is a natural fit to his afternoon show. Sports radio: Boers & Bernstein on The Score: these guys can talk about anything and make it entertaining. Morning radio: Dave Ryan in Minneapolis. He's consistently funny and he's humble. Religious/Inspirational radio: Dr. Tony Evans. He is as real as they come. When helping husbands understand their wives, he simply says, "Your wife ain't yo momma!"

J: I would say Ryan Seacrest. Many people hate him -- but they are just jealous. I think he is great. I love listening to him on Kiss L.A. and love watching him on E! Ryan, if you read this -- know that I am sucking up. I would love to fill in for Ellen K any day! I also love to check up on Ace and TJ. When I was in Bristol my dream show to be apart of was their show! I love how fun they are! I also check out Dave Ryan, Mojo in the Morning and Cindy and Ray in Atlanta. All of those shows totally talk to me! A 'hip chic in a cubicle'.

What do you think of our business today? Political correctness aside, will the next 5 years be better or worse?

S: I think radio is and always be the most intimate form of media. iPods play music, CD's provide music. Radio provides a way for listeners to connect with the personalities and vice versa. Hopefully, GM's will get this and allow radio to be what it once was, a viable local entertainment venue rather than voicetracking, syndication, or jockless jukeboxes.

J: If I had a dollar for everytime I heard 'radio just isn't the way it use to be'. I'm really getting tired of hearing our business complain and rip on each other. Just focus on you and what you can bring to the business. It makes me nuts to sit around chatting with jocks and all they do is rip on other jocks saying how they can do it sooo much better... and saying 'how did they get that job'. Yuck! Shut up and do your job. I've worked in non-rated all the way to market #3 and I will tell you-the biggest egos were in the smaller markets. That's where I heard the majority of the nagging. There should be no egos... anywhere. Sorry, but to me if you are arrogant and cocky, how does that relate to the person you are talking to?

The Mouth hits the newsstands (so to speak) in the first part of 2007. Give us your top predictions for the New Year?

J: Um. Britney will be pregnant again, Mayor Daley will win re-election, I will be married... and football will be obsolete. Ok, so maybe the last one is a bit far fetched... Us football widowers can only dream!

Read previous Morning Mouth interviews.

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