Straight From the Mouth

Did anyone come in and suggest you leave?

Scott: Nobody knew we were up here. The station was evacuated, all but us. As the drama continued to unfold, the saddest part came when we saw the first building collapse and had to describe that on the air. I mean to see an entire 110 story building just collapse before your eyes, knowing how many people were in it. It was pretty frightening and very sad. It got worse, when the second one came down.

How difficult is it now to drive to work and not see the Towers?

Scott: Everyday that I come in, I still have to run it through my mind that those two huge buildings and New York landmarks are gone. It is still mind boggling to me that it took place.

How helpful was having a TV affiliate?

Scott: That was very valuable because they had local coverage and ABC News nationally. We mixed in both. We would go to them for like 10 minutes out of the hour and then we would go back on. Our phones, all 15 lines, were jammed from 8:48 until we signed off at 7:00. Then you had the report coming in from the Pentagon that there was an attack and then the other plane had been hijacked that went down in Pennsylvania. At that point it was just a difficult story to follow. Obviously, because of the fact we are right here in New York, there was a lot of panic and concern.

Todd: Our studio was pretty much an active news room. We were using stories that were coming across the wire. We were watching what the other TV channels were doing. We never really took a break, other than for five or ten minutes. No music and no commercials.

Scott, you have always been known for your meticulous planning. What was it like in a situation where everything was free form?

Scott: We really had no problem with it what so ever. I remember there was a moment after it happened I looked at Todd and Patty Steele and said, 'You know something, this is going to be a day that we and our listeners will

communicate the sequence of events as accurately as possible.'

What did you do after you finally got off the air?

Scott: ...all seven members of our morning show stayed in the city that night and I'll never forget walking out of this building after broadcasting for 13 straight hours, describing the most horrific event in American history, as we walked out the door for the first time that day the smell of the night air was so powerful, it almost knocked you over. You could smell the smoke. It was a very strange smelling smoke. There was a horrible cloud in the air. The streets were just deserted.

Todd: If you ever have been in New York during a blizzard, it becomes a ghost town. It was like a blizzard without snow. You could walk down the middle of the street and not a single car would come by.

Scott: No cabs on the streets, no police cars. It was deathly still.

It's been over a month. How long did it take your show to get back to some semblance of normal?

Scott: We are still not back to normal. There are still 4000 people at the bottom of that pit. There are funeral services every single day. We lost 323 fire fighters, numerous police officers. All of us, everyone in the morning show and at the radio station knows somebody who died in that tragedy or have close ties to people who's fathers or husbands or wives died. We became almost one big therapy session. The second day was really more emotional than the first day, because we had time to reflect on it and watch television that night. The next day we were on from 5 am until 3 pm. At that time there were many hospitals in the New York Metropolitan area who had received injured and unidentified victims. So, there was the assumption that many of the people who had loved ones who had not returned home the evening of the 11th; their hope was that they were in the hospital unconscious. What happened was that we put at least a hundred calls on the air from people who wanted to describe their husbands, their fathers, wives, where they were, what they looked like. Day two was probably harder to do and sadder than day one. Most of the people had trouble getting through the calls without crying, just like we did. composure. Given the amount of hours you spent hearing these stories, how did you manage your own?

Scott: It just ripped you apart inside. I played golf with a fellow by the name of Frankie McGuiin and his brother Eddie, that Sunday afternoon, September 9th. It was Frankie's last round of golf ever. He went to work Tuesday morning and never came home. Just about everybody in the show had terrible losses either at their churches, in their neighborhood, or at their kids' schools. It was just pervasive all through the communities. You have suburbs and little towns that lost 20 and 30 people.

Being a entertainment show, at what point did you decide it was time to start interjecting lighter news, jokes, etc.?

Scott: We kind of eased into it was after about a week and a half. We have always been very capable of finding humor in just about any situation, no matter how bizarre or sad it was. There is always an angle that lends itself to a smile or a little comedy. We talked about the Mayor's posse and the people who followed him around. We noticed that the same people were always standing behind him and they would get their faces up in the air so you could see them on TV. One morning we were talking about the irony that America was dropping bombs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Todd would say, 'Bomb, bomb, bomb, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, peanut butter and jelly sandwich.' We just hope they could figure out which one was coming down next.

In looking back over the events of that day, what are some memories that will never leave you?

Scott: I was proud of our entire staff because we handled it like human beings and no one was afraid to show their emotions. They were a part of the comforting process for people who called in who really and desperately needed people to talk to. It was just done in a very professional and sensitive manner. I remember we received one call from a guy who worked in an office building across the street. And he said, 'Oh my God, there are people jumping out of the building.' Then there was just dead silence on the air. There was nothing we could say.

Todd: We spoke to a man who was trapped on the 85th floor of Tower 2 behind a firewall with another co-worker. He was calm and trying to let rescue workers know they were there and couldn't get out. 13 minutes later the Tower collapsed. His voice remains a part of my life.

Scott: As long as I live, I will never ever forget looking up at that television screen and seeing those towers crumble and thinking of all the people inside of them.

It's been about six years since we featured your show in the Mouth, the industry has changed quite a bit since then. Being a longtime part of the business, what do you like least and most about our industry today?

Scott: The thing I like most is that I was lucky enough to get into the business when it was an art and not just a business. I'm so thankful that I got in before the Age of Consolidation. I understand and accept the new royal order and who moved the cheese, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I accept it and I am willing to operate in new realm, but no matter what anyone says, radio has been dehumanized to a certain extent. You'd have to be blind, stupid or crazy not to see that radio is more sales-oriented now than it is program oriented. The emphasis at almost every radio station has been placed on sales, value added, promotions and revenue. That cart comes now comes before the horse rather than what is right for the listeners.

If you ran a group today would you utilize voice tracking?

Scott: I think in many small markets, it's become the prudent, economical thing to do. In certain day parts I think it's perhaps a necessity.

If you could sit down with a group of radio's most powerful operators what would you tell them?

Scott: I would say at a time when there are more choices, it appears as if we are deliberately doing things to run listeners off. If you had to put together a check list of things to do to discourage people from listening to radio, I think number one would be, run more commercials; two, run more needless sale's promotions; three, market and advertise less. What is radio doing across the board right now? Running more commercials, running more needless promotions and spending less on marketing and promotion. Instead of making radio more attractive for listeners, we are making it less attractive at a time where there are more distractions and alternatives becoming available.

Do you consider Satellite radio as one of those distractions or alternatives?

Scott: I'm not a believer in satellite radio.

Why is that?

Scott: I just don't think that it's going to be a threat for quite some time.

As a personality, how have you changed most?

Scott: It's quite a bit different. I always ran a Top 40 DJ morning show with some talk. Now the show has become more of a Top 40 talk show with some music.

When did you make the change? the table, I was able to widen the appeal of the show. We still play two to four records a show, but obviously, what's takes place between songs has changed considerably.

Is there any accomplishment that escapes you?

Scott: I don't really think so. My success has wildly exceeded any expectations that I've ever had. I never wanted to be an actor. I never wanted to be a TV star. I never wanted to be a General Manager. My goals and aspirations were pretty modest. I just wanted to be a deejay that had a job, and station to broadcast on.

Who else is on the show?

Scott: Patty Steele, who has been with us for just under three years. Executive producer Bruce Goldberg, who has been with us for two years. We have two assistant producers, Joe Pardivilla and Diana Ferrito. We have Joe Nolan, our traffic reporter. Bill Evans who handles the weather and has a pretty extensive radio background and Y107 in Dallas. And then there's our production engineer, Louis Diaz.

Do you ever drive through small towns, or places where you began and visit stations?

Scott: Yes, I've been known to do that. I have been spotted several times while away on vacation while traveling. If I see a tower, I'll stop in. I've done it numerous times...

Todd: Take that as a warning for all broadcast facilities.

Do people come out immediately and ask you to go on the air?

Scott: No, I usually ask them before they offer. The problem in the small markets, I can't operate the equipment. It's all computerized.

Do you still find live personalities?

Scott: It's funny. A friend of mine, Terry Meiners, does afternoons on WHAS in Louisville and they'r part of a Clear Channel cluster. Last year, we just finished a round of golf on a Saturday afternoon and Terry suggested we go by and check out the new Clear Channel broadcast center. When we finished the tour--about seven stations--I realized there were only about two live people in the building. I walked out, shaking my head.

Is there someone in radio that you would like to spend some time with, pick their brain, go golfing?

Scott: I would have liked to spend more time talking to Bill Drake. I have always considered him my mentor. I had to learn from afar. I talked to him about twice in my life, but never in-depth.

Is there anything about you that people would be surprised to know?

Scott: Well, I'm a very shy person. I don't like big crowds.

Todd, what about you?

Todd: I'm the acting President of The Martha Raye Memorial Fan Club. We currently have three members, but the hunt for new members is underway.

Is there anything else about Scott that people would be surprised to learn?

Todd: That he has two functioning penises.

A few months ago Scott McKenzie of WOMX Orlando was talking with me about golf. He said that he had played a couple of rounds with you. I couldn't help but to ask what you shot. He said, 'In the words of Scott Shannon, somewhere around 80.'

Scott: That's definitely a misquote. Sometimes it's somewhere in the 80's!

Of all the things you have done in your career, is there one thing you are most proud of?

Scott: I have to say that I am most proud of the fact that after 30 years in broadcasting, I still feel like I am making a viable contribution to the business. I started in 1969 and here it is 2001 and I still look forward to getting up in the morning and going to the radio station. I've got a wonderful wife (Trish), a beautiful daughter (Kathleen) and a job on the air in New York City. And they pay me to do a radio show in New York City. It doesn't get better than this.