Loudmouth: Tales (and Fantasies) of Sports, Sex, and Salvation from Behind the Microphone by Craig Carton

Author:Craig Carton [Carton, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2013-06-04T04:00:00+00:00

Tom Bigby was a lunatic, and every bit as powerful as the station he created. He considered himself a superstar, and acted as such. Once when I was traveling with the Eagles for a playoff game in Dallas against the Cowboys, Tom wanted me to do a three-hour show on the Saturday before the game. The only problem was, he never set up a radio station for me to broadcast from, so I had to do the whole show from the phone in my hotel room.

The show was minutes from starting. I asked the hotel to put a “Do Not Disturb” note on my room phone and dialed in to the radio station. There would be a cohost in the studio to help take calls, and I would host from my bed, essentially. Just as we went on-air, there was a knock on my door and the muffled sounds of someone saying, “Room service.” I hadn’t ordered any room service, so I ignored the knock and started the show.

“Live from the Hilton in Dallas . . . ” Knock, knock. Again, “Room service . . . ”

I reached over to the door with the phone in one hand. I opened it and in came Tom Bigby. He sat down on the bed and just stared at me while I tried to start the show. After a few minutes he gave me the sign to wrap up the segment and take a break. The whole time he never moved from my bed.

When he finally got up from the bed, he looked me in the eye. The smile disappeared. “Remember this: I am the star of WIP, and nobody else.”

O-kay, got it, Tom. He was right. We all hated him, but every one of us who worked for him and had success has always pointed out that without Tom’s insight and direction, none of us ever would have gotten as far as we did. Tom taught me that callers should be treated in the same way music stations use songs—only the best songs should ever make the air. Callers should take the conversation to another level. They should be entertaining; they should bring out the best in the host, and you should never take a call just for the sake of taking a call. Less than one percent of your audience will ever pick up the phone to call you, so be very careful in screening calls so that every one serves a point. Whether it is confrontation with the host, information, or entertainment, the caller should be used for a precise reason.

I also learned that you need to know your audience. Know who you’re broadcasting to. If you’re in Philly, you need to know that the Eagles are the most important thing in town. If you’re in New York, it’s the Yankees. Also at WIP, more than anywhere else, I also learned that you need an angle, and you need to live, breathe, and sleep the topics you’re talking about with the same passion that your listeners do.

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