Jessica Curtis is a radio legend. Well, legend may be a strong word, but she is a pretty big deal. People know her. She started her radio career with WABC in New York before eventually moving on to Fox News Radio working with their many affiliates, where she is to this day, and where we crossed paths while I was working in Milwaukee. Oh, and her husband John and I were basically separated at birth.

Keith: What made you choose broadcasting as a career?

Jessica: Quite seriously, I went into college undecided… a typical teenager… stuck between education, law enforcement and broadcasting… three very different directions… until one day, someone came up to me (one of my parent’s friends – and I can’t for the life of me remember whom it was) but they said after a conversation with me “Hey, you’d be great on TV on air…” and BAM. Major declared! The rest I fell into along the way, with a lot of perseverance and persistence!

Keith: After being behind the scenes for a while, could you ever see yourself doing anything on the air?

Jessica: I would love to be on air, and yes, that is one of my goals. Working on it. I’ve dabbled with on air stuff in college and at my previous job and loved every minute of it!

Keith: It seems like over the past year you’ve done a ton of traveling. A trip to Africa with President Bush, both conventions, the inauguration. What was your favorite?

Jessica: I have done a lot of traveling… It’s been great. For scenery I’d have to say it was my first international “Pool” trip to Rostock, Germany. What a beautiful country Germany is.

For “learning experience” I’d have to say Africa… my partner Kirstin and I flew on the press charter, which doesn’t normally happen. We had to carry hundreds of pounds of gear with us, and literally, we’d hit the ground and run down the stairs and across the tarmac to the busses, and once we’d get to the site, we’d run to the workspace, and immediately start setting up because just behind us running in is all the White House Press Corps… and if you don’t have your gear set up by the time they are ready to go, they aren’t happy. Same deal with leaving, speedy breakdown, and we’d run back to the planes with all the gear… headed to the next stop!

Don’t get me wrong, all of my trips have been great and really amazing experiences… Indonesia, Singapore, Africa, Germany… I even spent a few hours in the airport in Tokyo!

Keith: Have there ever been any “Wow. I can’t believe I’m traveling with the President” moments?

Jessica: I had one of those moments when I was sitting in a hallway sheltered from all windows while working in Bogor, Indonesia. We were working in the hotel directly across the street from the Presidential Palace, and had a car bomb scare come in. We were ordered away from the windows, and into a dark hallway to sit and wait for the all clear. At that point, at 26 years old I certainly did have the “Wow… I can’t believe I’m traveling with the President”.

Keith: Even though your about as enthusiastic a runner as I am, you decided to run a half marathon at the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. You’re raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but is this something you’re doing to raise money for a good cause or is it something you’ve always wanted to try? Has Todd Starnes given you any training tips?

Jessica: I’d say I’m doing this ½ marathon for both reasons… A) It’s for a great cause, and really; cancer(s) of all kinds effect so many people. It’s tragic. B) I am a very active person, though NOT at all a runner, so this is a huge challenge for me, and I’m really excited to take it on! Todd has definitely given me some pointers. I’m actually running a 5K on Sunday, and I’ve coaxed Todd into running it with me!

Mike Conti is the morning news anchor on 640 WGST. Before making his way to Atlanta he worked for WWL in New Orleans. While he was there, he won the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for best newscast while covering the city’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina. In addition to being a big Philadelphia sports fan, Mike may be the only person in the world who knows more obscure Simpsons and Anchorman quotes than I do.

Keith: What made you choose broadcasting as a career?

Mike: It’s interesting because as far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to work in broadcasting. I’m guessing that ties back to my love of sports as a young child, and always watching or listening to Flyers and Phillies games, hoping that one day it could be me behind the microphone describing the action. I guess, over time, my career path has evolved further away from sports and more into the news side of things; but, at heart, I’m really a sportscaster masquerading as a newscaster.

Keith: What was the most challenging part of covering the aftermath of hurricane Katrina?

Mike: The sheer volume of news was overwhelming and almost impossible to keep up with. We had an excellent, but very small staff after the storm at WWL. On any given day, we could be dealing with a Presidential visit, a major decision by the state to throw people out of their FEMA trailers, an insurance company announcing that they’re dropping coverage to the entire state, and five murders in New Orleans… all on the same day! Any of those stories would lead a newscast. We’re trying to get all of that in a three minute window. And the challenges were complicated because we were also handling so much of that for the network, so it almost amounted to twice the work.

However, that was also an extremely rewarding experience. For one, I got to ride in a few Presidential motorcades as a pool reporter. I don’t care how many times you’ve done it… if someone is stopping traffic for you, that’s pretty cool. The other big challenge was avoiding going insane living in that city. It was very depressing there for the first year after Katrina. Rebuilding had not yet begun, crime was extremely high, stores and restaurants were either not open or running on very limited hours, and the French Quarter was desolate. That was very hard to enjoy. Fortunately things are a lot closer to normal now.

Keith: During the aftermath of Katrina we heard that many people were never going to look at the Louisiana Superdome the same way again. You’re a big sports fan who lived there during that time, is that something that’s always on your mind whenever you see the Superdome?

Mike: Since I was not living in New Orleans during Katrina, and since I was not trapped in the building during the storm like some of my co-workers, I don’t know if I immediately associate the Superdome with all of the suffering that happened there.

However, I will never, ever forget being in that building the night it reopened in 2006, when the Saints played the Falcons. That was a very emotional night. I thought it was very cathartic for the city and Saints fans to be able to gather in that building and enjoy football again, rather than dwell on all of the suffering that city had been through over the previous 13 months. When Allan Toussaint played the national anthem that night, I’m not ashamed to admit I had a few tears in my eyes.

But when I see the Superdome, I’m more inclined to think of all the Final Fours, Super Bowls and National Championship games played there, rather than Katrina. Interesting fact: my alma mater, Penn State, had its biggest football win ever in that building (their first National Title in the 1983 Sugar Bowl), and also its biggest basketball win ever in the building (beating North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament in 2001)

Keith: You’re a big Phillies fan, and you were in Atlanta working when they won the world series last season. What advice do you have for a poor Cubs fan who may also be “abroad” when they win it all?

First of all, be patient. I never thought I’d be alive to see a Philly team win anything, so it was especially sweet when it finally happened. The Cubs time is coming, and soon. But more importantly, do whatever you can to be around fellow Cubs fans when it happens. I’m fortunate enough to have my brother also living in Atlanta, so it was a very special experience to share with him, since we had both suffered through so many long, difficult seasons. The $10 champagne from the Peachtree Package Store we drank that night was the sweetest champagne I’ve ever tasted.

Keith: You’re a very young guy but you’ve already had a pretty successful career. Looking back now, what are some of your proudest moments, and are there any moments that you would handle differently in retrospect?

Mike: It’s funny because I don’t feel the words “young” and “successful” apply to me. Winning the National Edward R. Murrow award for best newscast last year was pretty cool, but I try not to get hung up on awards. Landing a job in New Orleans, and later Atlanta, were major professional accomplishments. But I think the moments that make me most proud are when I’ve either broken a big story or reported on something that is hugely significant. Getting a chance to do a lot of sports play-by-play over the years has also been really gratifying, and I’m proud of the work I did there.

As far as things I would handle differently, that’s a really, really long list. I really wish I would have been more patient with my fledgling sports career and would have waited longer before deciding to abandon sports to go into news. Also, I can often be very intense at my profession, so I really regret upsetting anyone I’ve worked with along the way. And finally, I really, really regret attempting to do a talk show at such a young age. When I was still in college, I thought I was capable of hosting my own talk show on an AM station I worked for in Pennsylvania. It was a hot mess. I was arrogant, unprepared, and very, very negative on the air. I later learned that people don’t want to tune into someone being cranky and whiny all the time. I feel like I may have sabotaged a potential career as a talk show host because of my young foolishness.

Darla Jaye and I worked together during our time at WVNN in Huntsville, AL. Not only was she patient with me as I learned how to be a producer, but she has also continued to put up with me since. That alone should qualify her for some sort of medal. Today Darla hosts “980 Live” on KMBZ in Kansas City.

Keith: You worked in music radio for many years before you got into talk radio. Was the switch to talk something you always wanted to do, or was it something that your radio career evolved into?

Darla: I had always wanted to have my own Talk Show, but had gotten some bad advice from some people I trusted, telling me I needed a partner to succeed. I let that seep into my brain through a couple more morning partner shows, and realized that advice was a load of HOOEY!

Keith: What was the hardest thing about making the switch from music radio to talk?

Darla: Having only myself to rely on. The ideas were mine, so the success and failures were totally mine. Once I realized I could do this, and do it well, I was fine. It was getting over that “If you bomb, you can’t throw a record on and re-group” You must regroup as you go!

Keith: A co-worker and I were talking the other day, and he said that a theatrical background is pretty crucial to success in broadcasting, because you can always teach people the technical parts of radio but a
theatrical background really helps you connect with the audience. Do you think that’s true?

Darla: I think my theatrical background, and in particular my work in Improv, have truly helped me be quick on my feet, more expressive then most host I know, and the ability to argue passionately and get people to buy in to what I am saying. Each show is a performance, even though I am known as a regular gal

Keith: I’m a big web geek, and I think that really helps me as a producer… both for tracking down info for the host, and also just promoting the show. It’s certainly changed the way everyone does show prep, but have you found yourself running across material and thinking “This would look really cool on my website” instead of just “This would make a great topic on the air”?

Darla: As a matter of fact, while I’m doing daily prep, I do find myself checking out stories or youtube videos, that I just want to share, so slap them on my show notes page. They aren’t always topic material, but something I want listeners to see, because they’ve made me laugh, or are unbelievable, and need to be seen.

Keith: Looking back over your career now—what are some of your proudest moments, and are there any moments that you would handle differently in retrospect?

Darla: I have many moments that have made me proud in my career. While on a very successful Rock Morning show in Michigan, we had an unheard of 50 share in demo. Our station was making huge $$$ off of us, and we weren’t seeing any of it. I negotiated a deal with a competing station for double our Money and the security of a contract. We took our former station down in less then 6 months.

I am also proud of helping a young woman get her baby back from the Al. Dept. of Family services. Some old biddies had decided they could take cre of this baby better then the mother, and illegally took him from her.

I am also proud that I proved many radio people wrong, and can do my own Talk Show, and do it well.
That has lead to being named 3 years in a row to Talkers Heavy Hitters.

As for handling anything differently? I was offered a talk show in Milwaukee in 1998, and let those voices in my head (from radio guys-not because I’m psychotic) convince me I wasn’t ready. I could have been in Talk a lot earlier, and who knows where I would be today?