Sykes: Radio Needs To Nurture Young Talent

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In part two of our interview with retiring conservative talk show host Charlie Sykes we asked him a host of questions about the radio industry. Having been wildly successful at WTMJ in Milwaukee for over two decades, surely he has some advice for younger broadcasters looking to make a name for themselves. We also asked him which talk show hosts he respected the most, how he got into radio and what the industry needs to do better to build up the farm system. Here’s what he had to say.

RI: So how did you get into Radio?
Sykes: I pretty much got in by accident. I was a freelance writer working on some books and one of the local talk shows asked me to participate in his Friday afternoon panel. One day I got a call from the program director who said that the midday host for the station had just been busted for soliciting a prostitute. They asked whether I would be willing to fill in for him for a few weeks. I thought that sounded like an interesting adventure, and then I just pretty much stayed around. Ultimately shifting from one station to another in 1993.

RI: Why do you think your show was so successful for so long in Wisconsin?
Sykes: A lot of it had to do with WTMJ being the powerhouse that it is. I think we have a very loyal listenership. But I also think that there is something sort of distinctive about the southeastern Wisconsin market that was interested in something new. A candid, lively exchange of views about local affairs, which we had really never had before. And because the nature of my show was always local in Wisconsin, I felt I had more impact and more knowledge. The national shows have become kind of generic. They are all talking about the same thing. We were able to do something distinctive here is
Wisconsin by focusing on the community. Had it been a national show, I would’ve just talked about national issues all the time and probably would not have been able to have the impact locally that my show had.

RI: Which hosts on the radio now do you respect the most?
Sykes: Let me think about that. Of course, I try to avoid listening to talk radio because it gets in your head. I have a lot of respect for Hugh Hewitt. I have a lot of respect for Dennis Prager. We don’t always agree on these things, but I have a lot of respect for Michael Medved. I know those all work for the same company, but I think there’s a different culture there. I do enjoy listening to them. I think particularly Hugh Hewitt, I think has really elevated the level of the conversation and the seriousness. And I am hoping that he plays a significant role in whatever comes next.

RI: You’ve written 8 or 9 books already. Why do you like writing books?
Sykes: It is the opposite of radio. Radio is immediate. You have a thought, you say it and it’s out there. Books are the absolutely opposite of that. Of course, it is the ultimate deferral of gratification, because it may not come out for a year. But, I like being able to get into an issue and an idea in depth and be able to explore that and to research it and to build a case. I try to write books about subjects where I think I am identifying a major cultural of intellectual shift. For example, back in the early 1990s, I wrote a book called A Nation of Victims. We are all becoming victims. I think we’ve seen how that’s played out. Dumbing down our kids, the lowering of standards for education, which again is a problem that is still with us. I wrote a book on the decline of privacy and all of the ways in which technology was violating our privacy, and of course, that seems very timely again today. My next book is obviously going to be more personal, because it’s going to look back on what just happened with the conservative movement and the conservative media. I don’t have all the answers at this point, but I am hoping that I will be able to take some time and frankly look in the mirror and say “What did we
miss? What did we not understand?” And, going back to your question, “How did we get here? How did this happen?” Something that would’ve been inconceivable if the conservative movement and the conservative base would’ve been who we thought they were.

RI: What advice do you have for others looking to get into talk radio?
Sykes: The main thing is, don’t try to fake it. Be genuine. Talk about what you want to talk about, what you’re interested in. Don’t try to be interested in things that you’re not interested in or that you don’t know anything about, because you will never be able to pull that off. And think of your shows as creating an ongoing conversation and relationship with the listeners. And frankly, what I would also urge them is, put not your faith in princes. Don’t become a water carrier for some politician’s ambitions. Stand for something and be willing to draw some lines. You won’t regret that.

RI: What can the radio industry do better?
Sykes: Nurture young talent more effectively. I think radio tends to be a “let’s take someone and throw them in the deep end of the pool and see what comes out the other end.” I guess I would like that a little more. And also, to be more open to the idea of bringing people who might not have been in the radio industry and encouraging them to do the kind of things that I was doing. I was not a radio guy. I was completely outside of the radio world. It took me a while to become comfortable doing it. I would hate to listen back to some of my tapes back to 1993 to hear what I sound like. It would be kind of tough. But there are a lot of people out there with a lot of interesting personalities and ideas, and I think good radio ought to tap into that.

RI: What are you going to miss the most about radio?
Sykes: I think it’s going to be the relationship that I have with the listeners. It is fun when something big happens to be able to know and go and get the comment on it that I have a 50,000 watt radio station. I will miss that. I will miss the longer format. Television, you have to speak in sound bytes. I have to do an interview later this afternoon—if they use 15 seconds of what I say, it will be successful. To be able to develop a full thought and argument is really a luxury in the modern electronic media. I think I am probably going to miss that. I am not going to miss the alarm clock going off at 4:15 every morning.

RI: What are you going to do in retirement?
Sykes: I plan to stay active. I am going to continue the website that I run, RightWisconsin.com. I hope to be able to travel more and to pursue other writing opportunities. Mainly, I would like to get back to writing and write as much as I can.

RI: What’s your prediction for November?
Sykes: I think Trump is going to lose, and he’s going to lose badly. I think that the people who are responsible for enabling him are going to have a lot to answer for.

Check out part one of our interview HERE

2 COMMENTS

  1. Charlie Sykes is unique as a radio talk host, because he’s truly more than just that.

    What sets him apart from many, is his rich background which preceded his great radio career and continues to grow.

    Instead of first simply learning presentation skills of the “craft,” Charlie had actually established himself through many life and work experiences – and THEN took those to radio to learn the “easier part.” Furthermore, he’s never stopped building his life experiences, relationships, interests, political & community connections and influence – while radio serves as the base for many things. That’s what makes Charlie an IMPORTANT voice.

    Charlie is actually not a “radio talk show host.” He is a BROADCASTER in the truest sense.

    Charlie has always been true to himself. It serves him well. It serves his audience well.

  2. Mr.Sykes, a great talent, is correct about recruiting and encouraging young talent. The business has never been good at either. Most of us hounded a station to let us hang out and then someone there took pity on us and answered our questions until they got annoyed. Hmm it’s still like that when I go to a station. Breaking in is MUCH harder now. Much. Intern laws and rules have been tightened so that opportunity is gone. Security often makes it hard to just walk in, walk around an hang out. On the weekends, when school isn’t in session, too many stations are automated so there is no one there. And the worst law ever, Sarbannes Oxley compounds the challenge being at a station

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