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Straight From The Mouth
The Morning Mouth's July Interview with Rover's Morning Glory
(Reprinted by permission; Copyright © 2005 Talentmasters Inc.)

Let's get right to the Cliff Notes.

My career started as a bunch of B.S. I wanted to get into radio badly, but had no experience. I was living in Las Vegas, where I grew up, and saw an ad for a brand new station in town that was looking for weekend DJ's. I quickly faked a tape and resume, and sent it to Mike Stern, who had just launched KXTE (Xtreme Radio). I felt I had to show I had some prior experience in radio, so I said that I had worked at WLZR in Milwaukee. When I sat down, Stern said he was familiar with the station (maybe he consulted it), and didn't remember me. I was caught in a lie. I sheepishly got up to leave, but he liked my gumption and I got the gig. After that I left to go to WNFZ/Knoxville to launch another Extreme Radio format, where I was APD/MD/nights. Then Stern invited me to work with him again in Denver at KXPK when he relaunched it as a hard-alternative. I did afternoons at first, but was bumped to nights after the PM drive jocks at our sister station (KALC) threw a fit when I broke into their studios when they were live on the air about me on their show, so I figured I'd give them shit right back). KXPK was

sold and flipped formats, and I ended up at a little syndication company in Los Angeles called Comedy World that provided programming to AM stations. That was my first foray into an all-talk format. They went belly-up, and I ended up doing nights at KISW/Seattle. Then it was on to mornings at WXTM/Cleveland, where I've been since March of 2003.

Were you always Rover?

No, I started on the air using my real name, Shane. At the time I was preparing to leave KXTE/Las Vegas and start a new job in Knoxville, my good friend Michael Strohman was also leaving KXTE to take a job in Pittsburgh. He had to choose a new on-air name, so we were tossing some ideas around. I first suggested he use David Hasselhoff, because I thought it would be funny when a bunch of 40-year-old women would show up at a remote broadcast when they heard "David Hasselhoff" would be at the local 7-11. He didn't see the humor. We were watching National Lampoon's Vacation, as the wife always called Clark "Sparky," so I suggested that as his on-air name. He said it was the worst on-air name ever, and that one might as well call themselves Rover if they were dumb enough to use Sparky. I guess I was dumb, and started using Rover from then on. At first, it was a memorable name to get noticed. Now I'm stuck with it whether I like it or not. For the record, the name we chose for Strohman was "Mike Crank," and he's now imaging KROQ/Los Angeles - still using that name.

Was there a show you grew up listening to that helped shaped your own?

I don't know so much about shaping my show, but I have to admit I listened to Rick Dees on KIIS/Los Angeles when I was a kid. All the people at KIIS seemed to be having so much fun, and they made everything sound larger than life. They made even the smallest promotions or giveaways sound huge. It's something we still strive to do on the show everyday. I listened to Howard Stern when I worked at KXTE, which was both a blessing and curse. He puts on a fantastic show, which was great to learn from 10 years ago. But for a while I was stuck in the rut many other morning shows have found themselves in - trying too hard to emulate him and his success. A few years ago, my show

simply veered off into its own direction. People always say "be yourself" on the air, and it's true - but it takes time to be able to break out of the mold everyone else has created. You will not breakthrough or be successful trying to emulate Howard Stern, myself or anyone else.

How would listeners describe your show?

I've heard a lot of people describe their morning shows as "Maxim magazine on the radio." We don't quite fit that analogy. Maybe Maxim magazine meets Fox News Channel. We get a lot of press over some of the crazier stunt-like bits we've done, but that's only a very small sliver of what the show is actually about. I think the thing that would surprise most people who have only heard about the show (as opposed to actually listening to it) is how topic-driven and phone-intensive we are. We easily navigate from weightier topics such as politics, the war in Iraq and current events, to juvenile things that may make your mom blush. On an average day you could hear discussion ranging from a Supreme Court ruling, to wondering why women stop giving it up after they get married. It's very diverse, very broad - we're not a one-trick pony. A lot of shows got stuck in the "sex, sex, sex" groove. Don't get me wrong, guys still love to talk about sex (and have it!). But there are a thousand other things that interest them as well. We're tapping into all of it. If AM talk stations were targeting 30-year-olds instead of 50-year-olds, they'd sound like us.

As an edgy rock morning show, how has it changed, if any, in post-Janet life on the air?

Anyone who tells you it hasn't changed their show is lying, or they're just plain stupid. The filter things pass through before they get on the air has been tightened. Whether you like it or not, you have to think more about what you can and can't do. Honestly though, it's actually been a positive in some ways. Rather than sitting around thinking how you're going to out-shock the other shows in town, you have to think about how you're going to put on more compelling radio, no matter what the subject matter, and that's a good thing. It's also separated the men from the boys, so to speak. The shows that only had sex and shock to rely on have tanked since the FCC crackdown, while shows like mine have flourished. We're enjoying our best numbers ever.

What bit/stunt etc. will you take with you to your grave?

There are so many! A lot of people remember when we purportedly flew a cat over Cleveland by accident. The premise was that we were doing a contest to see how many helium balloons it would take to lift things off the ground, one of which was a kitten. The kitten got loose and floated away, starting a 3-hour journey spanning two counties. Traffic was tied up on the freeways as people got out of their cars to look up and try to rescue the cat, 911 was jammed, and the studios were invaded by the police. When kids were arrested for stun-gunning unsuspecting homeless people in the area, we sent someone out to offer homeless men pizzas in exchange for letting us stun-gun them. Dieter once made national news by putting his tongue on a plugged-in bug zapper (which hospitalized him). Thing like these may only represent 5 to 10% of the show, but they're what people often recall.

Which of them caused you the most grief?

We once had a girl who was tired of bad relationships artificially inseminated. We took votes potential sperm donors on the air. A black homeless man garnered the most votes. As far as internal fallout, you name it. Infinity once claimed we broke their ban on firearms in the workplace when we repeatedly shot Dieter in the ass with a high-powered air rifle. I argued it wasn't a "firearm," since there was no fire. It became very contentious.

Wasn't there also a billboard?

There have been a couple. We used to have porn star Carmen Luvana give daily love, sex, and relationship advice on the show. So we put up billboards and busboards with her wearing a see-through white tank top with her "excited" nipples showing, and the slogan "Perk Up With Rover's Morning Glory." Honestly, it wasn't that bad. But once the mayor of one of the towns here claimed that the ads prompted child abductions and rape, the issue exploded. A campaign by our show ultimately got her booted from office. And after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl incident, we recreated the "wardrobe malfunction" on a billboard with me in a tight leather corset. It may seem harmless now, but you have to remember how sensitive Viacom/CBS was at the time. They weren't too happy.

So how does your show get put together? Who does what?

It's really a team effort, and we're a small team! Duji, Dieter and I put everything together ourselves. We're currently searching for the world's best off-air producer to take over some of the responsibilities, so if that's you, get me your package now! I focus on the content - gathering topics, mapping them out on a daily basis, scouring news sources, etc. Duji does most of the behind-the-scenes work - dealing with sales, scheduling guests, and general organization. Dieter edits segments from the show on a daily basis for Best-Of material and our daily 30-minute replay of stuff from the previous day we do every morning at 5:30. We meet weekly, and everyone associated with the show (the main players, phone screener, etc.) are required to bring various elements to the table, such as topics, game ideas, etc.

The Cubs hat. Is there a story?

I'm 29 and going bald. I like the Cubs. Simple as that!

You've just started being syndicated. How's that going?

So far, so good with syndication. We're excited that we not only have Infinity stations on, but Clear Channel as well. We didn't really have to make a big adjustment as far as content goes. There were some technical hurdles and changes, but other than that it's been business as usual. I've always been a believer that you should talk about the most compelling content, whether it's happening locally or in Des Moines, so we've always been very broad with content, not micro-targeted on Cleveland. Other markets are definitely in the works.

Younger audiences seem to be the most vulnerable to the iPod culture/ What do you think radio needs to do to not lose its grip on this demo?

With a show like ours, which is so dependent on demos that are getting harder and harder to reach, it a real challenge. Radio stations need to stop being jukeboxes. The only thing that separates radio from other new media forms is compelling content (or sometimes lack thereof). Put on a good morning show that you can't get elsewhere. Put on exceptional promotions that excite your local market. Nurture jocks in other dayparts and force them to be more creative - do a show, not a shift! Anyone can play the same 200 songs over and over, probably even better than radio. Radio needs to expand the entertainment content it's offering.

We shared a panel recently at the R&R convention and when asked what advice you'd give to young up-and coming jocks, you said "Be careful." Expand on that.

Well, that was in regards to one particular issue, which was FCC content violations. They're serious now. No one is so big that they can't be iced by one of these companies when things heat up. Just ask Opie and Anthony, Bubba the Love Sponge, etc. Those guys had great ratings and were pulling in great revenue, and they were kicked to the curb. So be careful that you avoid the same fate - it can happen to anyone.

But, more generally, I'd say don't be afraid to take risks. "But wait, you just said to 'be careful!' How can both be true?" you may be asking. I know it may sound counterintuitive, but "Be Careful" and "Take More Risks" go hand in hand. I mean take more risks when it comes to the type of content you're delivering. If you're a music jock, think outside the box. Talk about more than just the music. Try some crazy games. When I was doing music, I used to go out and take the station van out and record the show driving around talking to people. In other words, do something that make people sit up and take notice, not the same crap everyone else on every other station is doing. Not everything will be a gem, but you'll learn what works for you and what doesn't. Some Program Directors will freak out if you start doing things like that. If they don't let you try new things and spread your wings, get a new job. Seriously!

Do you think, as some have suggested, jocks should be subject to FCC fines, the same as their licensee?

Jocks should start paying fines when the companies they work for start sharing the revenue they make from their shows.

This is a monthly question: For anyone reading this, give them an idea they would be nuts not to do on their show?

Here's a freebie. Poker is hot right now. We do an annual poker cruise to the Bahamas, where we have a Texas Hold'em tournament onboard the ship. Give away some trips, then enter an agreement with a travel agent for revenue-sharing on purchased trips. And your morning crew gets a free vacation out of it!

Read previous Morning Mouth interviews.

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