Straight From the Mouth

DC: I believe you do that whether you want to or not. Everything that happens after 10 am turns into a bit or story the next day. It's funny people tend to remember those things more than the bit you planned for 7:15.

S: We have gone through periods with preshow meetings, post-show meetings, and hour-long planning sessions. Lately, we find that "living" is the best show prep. Relaying a family experience, a moral dilemma, something we witnesses, a movie/concert/TV review, etc. is most effective. That's what our listeners respond to best. We still write and produce bits as a group, but we like showing up each morning with our own stack of stuff to talk about. Our producer, Jim Manno, schedules potential break topics with free-form breaks included too. Life is show prep. Always take good notes!

Who does what on the show?

S: DC and I host the show, segueing from topic to topic. Kristi Carson does news and traffic. Dan Duffy does sports. Jim Manno is our executive producer. Rere is assistant producer. Rob Matt handles our production and serves as floor director during the show. We have three interns. Mr. Myagi is our show webmaster (www.steveanddc.com). Rick Wilhelm is our syndication director. EVERYBODY participates on air, coming in and out as the show unfolds daily.

This year at Boot Camp you got rave reviews for your session on crisis management. What were the key points?

S: Thanks. The bottom line was: think about potential consequence before opening your mouth. When and if you screw up, develop a damage control plan quickly. Don't hesitate to utilize pros when in hot water. There are PR firms and folks that specialize in cleaning up and repairing our messes. Dwyer & Michaels shared their "war stories" too. It was a humbling session that I hope will help somebody keep their job!

DC: We were stupid so you don't have to be. We already made the mistakes for you. Morning Shows can be very powerful and everything we say is analyzed. So be careful. When you do make a mistake handle with care. You can say just about anything as long as you choose your words carefully. When newspaper and TV stations show up in your lobby make sure your statements are wise. Don't be afraid to just say, "I was wrong and I'm sorry." Most

By now, most everyone in radio is familiar with your infamous "N" word experience, along with being blamed for someone's suicide. In a business known for living on the edge, how have those incidents altered your own approach?

DC: We were trying to be outrageous shock jocks back in those days. I realized that wasn't me. I made a decision to stop doing someone else's vision of my show. I started doing the kinds of things that interest me and being DC instead of Howard Stern. That is when our show really began to take off. We started being Steve and DC.

S: Consider the consequences before airing anything questionable. Bounce those ideas off people you trust. Call Don Anthony! Really, evaluate the risks before opening the mic. Don't become weak or wimpy, but play smart. Remember, life will go on without your show. We learned that lesson the hard way. We are now stronger and better because of that lesson.

When you began to syndicate, did those issues ever come up?

S: Actually, those issues did not come up. Our competition in St. Louis does try to keep those controversies alive. The two experiences you cited happened almost 8 years ago.

How's your syndication going?

S: Our syndication is growing. We are now in 25 markets. Recently, someone was hired to pitch the show on a fulltime basis. He is consistently signing new affiliates. Ratings are good for our current affiliates. Our show is unique when compared to the other syndicated shows available for morning drive.

DC: It's really beginning to take off. We just signed our 25th station today. We've added 17 stations in the past few months. It's finally starting to pay off after a few years of trying to put it together.

What's the best and worst part of syndication?

S: The best part of syndication is obviously the financial potential, show exposure, and diversity from callers nationwide. The downside is not losing your impact LOCALLY. We reserve one hour just for our hometown market, St. Louis. We also use our network cutaways to localize the show.

DC: Having 25 PD's with 25 opinions. The best thing is seeing your show succeed in places like Saint Louis and at the same time in Pennsylvania and way down south in Georgia. Some people said we were mainly a southern show. That's why it's so great to see success up in Minnesota, Ohio, Maryland and other areas where people thought our show might not win.

What's the business set up of your syndication? Is it sold on a cash basis? Is there barter involved?

S: There is no barter. It is cash only. DC and I own half of the syndication company. Our parent company, Emmis Communications, owns the other half of the network. We split all profits fifty-fifty.

If someone reading this is considering syndicating their show, what advice would you give them? At what point will they begin to see real monetary results?

S: If you sound like everybody else already in syndication, then think it over long and hard. If your product is unique, then get as much info as possible from anybody currently in syndication. Most days I enjoy it, other days I find it restrictive. Station fees roll in as affiliates are signed. Structure your syndication deal so that you own as much as possibleSthis is how Oprah got rich!

DC: Just give the show a chance, you may think it is a little weird at first, but it will eventually win. I tell people to give us 6 months and I believe you will see results. I think if we can get in your door you'll let us stick around for awhile

Speaking of money, when you were hired back on St. Louis Radio after nearly a year on the bench, you reportedly came back for substantially less money. Given the ego check along with obvious other pressures, how were you able to maintain your drive?

S: We were so thankful to be back in radio after our 1993 firing in St. Louis. We were out for 8 months, including a brief stint with Jacor in Denver. It meant a lot to us to come back in St. Louis. We managed to become #1 again and remain on top. We are truly blessed. We are so passionate about the show that drive has never been an issue. We would stay on the air everyday till noon if we could. We both love what we do!

DC: Just our love for the business. You don't realize how much your gonna miss it until it's gone. We were motivated to come back and succeed in Saint Louis. We knew if we could re-establish ourselves here that would send a message to the industry. Money has been a wonderful blessing, but I still had just as much fun 15 years ago doing nights and making $12,000 a year. Plus I didn't have as much pressure then and there was no consolidation.

What's been the secret to your success?

S: Being real, when others sound phony. Keeping the show fresh. Constantly looking for compelling people, topics, and bits. Treat your audience like a best friend. NEVER go through the motions.

DC: Staying fresh. Never getting in a predictable rut. Steve and I both have short attention spans and get bored doing the same thing twice. That's why we are so bad at doing bench mark bits. We always forget to do the 7:15 joke of the day. I also think that if the audience gets to know you and likes you they give you some latitude. I think we've found that in St. Louis. We've definitely married the market.

What about the moves. How many stations and formats have you done in St. Louis?

S: WKBQ-Q106.5 CHR, WKBQ-Q104.1 CHR, WKKX-KIX 106.5 Country, KIHT-K-HITS 96.3 Classic Hits. Our audience has moved with us each time. We have been lucky enough to move morning ratings from almost non-existent to the top when changing stations. We are blessed with a loyal audience.

I'm curious about the Southern thing, too. How did a couple of guys with "accents" make it above the Mason-Dixon?

S: I don't know! Everybody needs a niche. I guess that's our niche. Actually, I have the "twang." DC is from Pennsylvania Damn Yankee!

Who were your radio heroes?

DC: I grew up loving Coyote McCloud in Nashville. His morning show made me want to be in radio. He was doing the kind of personality radio 30 years ago that's so popular now. I wanted to be the host of a show like his.

S: They are: Randy Michaels, Marc Chase, Scott Shannon, Walt Sabo, Phil Hendrie, Rush Limbaugh, and of course Ric Cummings and Jeff Smulyan.

Is there anyone in the business that you'd like to spend time with, but haven't?

S: I would treasure the opportunity to pick the brains of any of the guys I mentioned. They are all brilliant. Randy, call me!

DC: Rush Limbaugh. He has been on my mind a lot lately with the news about his hearing. I would love to pick his brain for awhile. You have to admire, whether you agree with him or not, a guy who has no co-hosts and no guests and still entertains millions everyday. I'd love to meet him.

What do you make of the recent adjustments at Emmis?

S: There is great potential. We have an option as contracted employees to participate. Others receive a 10% salary reduction. That is replaced with stock shares that are sellable immediately. There is a 1-year deferment with great money-making potential. Emmis Communications is the most employee/people oriented company I've ever been involved with in radio. Owner Jeff Smulyan is a big-hearted, descent guy that truly cares for people. John Beck, our St. Louis boss, is a genuine guy too. Those traits are prevalent in upper management throughout the company. We are really fortunate.

DC: Emmis has been very good to us. Everyone is having a tough time right now and Emmis is no exception. I think they are handling it as well as any major company could. Thank God we signed a contract.

What's going to happen to radio in the next five years?

DC: I'm not sure but it kind of scares me. I miss the days of going after your competition. Now I have to share the bathroom with them. Consolidation is of the devil. I hope there's a return to personality radio and not voice track radio five years from now. If not, we're all dead.

S: Maybe consolidation will run it course. I miss the competition. We have 5 stations in our building. The "enemy" is now our "stepsister" station across the hall. This weakens competition. I despise consolidation For talent, the ability to negotiate is limited by so few owning so much.

If you hadn't gone into radio, what do you suppose you'd be doing today?

S: I attended the University of Alabama. I was interested in law school, but got bit by the radio bug. I majored in sociology and political science, never taking a broadcasting class.

DC: Believe it or not I would be a preacher. I know that's kind of hard to believe but that's what I wanted to be when I was a little kid. Now I have a platform, a pulpit and a large congregation from 5 to 10 am every morning.

Leave us with a bit that's guaranteed to be a knock out for anyone reading this.

S: We do "Moral Court" every Monday. A listener writes/ calls with a moral dilemma. We offer advice, then open phones for listener advice. People talk about it all week. Try this bit and watch it become a benchmark for your show!

DC: I'm still very high on something that happened this week. We have always had great success with females and this was a home run for any female based morning show. This month is national adoption month and we had a guy that recently won a Congressional Award for adoption. He and his wife adopted a 2-year-old little girl from China who would have been killed otherwise. He also is a musical artist and wrote a song through the eyes of his 2-year-old daughter and how she was dreaming of having a place to call home one day. His name is Steven Curtis Chapman and the song is called "When Love Takes You In." He sang it live in studio and for the next hour and a half we had some of the most emotional phone calls ever. Parents who had adopted children called in, children who had been adopted called in to thank their parents. Women were in tears and a few grown men as well. It's a guaranteed knock out for anyone reading this that is trying to win with adult females. If you want a copy of the song and an interview with Steven feel free to call me or our Producer, Jim Manno. I rarely offer such a home run segment like this to a Don Anthony publication!

Now you have and we thank you.