Donna Halper: Rush and Radio

Donna Halper is best known for bringing Rush to the USA, but she's had a long career in radio. She talks about the radio business; her start in radio at Northeastern University, where she was the first woman on the air; her consulting biz; if radio can be revived; overcoming obstacles; her books and essays about baseball and the media; women in radio; being weird; how she got on the air; Arnie Ginsburg; why she hated Cleveland; getting fired for not doing drugs; sexual harassment; being persistent; WMMS in Cleveland, where she introduced Rush to the United States; why Rush is different; her friendship with them; why it took a long time for Rush to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; what Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are like; the Alex Harvey Band; Bruce Springsteen; WRNW in Briarcliff Manor, New York, where Howard Stern started out; being a Mercury Records talent scout; WLIR in Long Island; WRVR in New York (a jazz station); Barney Kessel; Phil Woods, who played on a Billy Joel song, Boston, and lots more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG119.mp3

Kipper McGee: management talks

Kipper McGee is best known for being a Program Director at WLS in Chicago, but has worked in radio all over the country, doing music radio in Wisconsin towns and Milwaukee, Santa Fe, Rochester (Minnesota), then as a Program Director and General Manager in Milwaukee, Des Moines (Iowa), New Orleans, San Diego, St. Louis, and Orlando. He's now a radio consultant and runs America Weekend syndicated programming. He talks about what makes good talent; how to tell what listeners want; advertising and marketing; being a GM vs PD; corporate radio; if consultants are a waste of money; older listeners; why WLS got rid of Jerry Agar, what's happened to talk radio; Rush Limbaugh, Don Wade, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG118.mp3