Stories About Women and Played Numerous Female Artists Less

584 FEMALE RADIO PERSONALITIES AND DISK JOCKEYS WOMN -AM debuted in January 1979. It aired several news was selected as Billboard Magazine's Small Market Local Air stories about women and played numerous female artists Personality of the Year in 1999. Emulating their male predeces- throughout the day. The short -lived effort paved the way for sors, many of these shock jockettes featured the same type of less stereotypical advertisements and created a demand for locker-room humor, but from a female perspective. more female artists by radio stations across the nation. Karin Begin (a.k.a. Darian O'Toole) has been billed as America's First Shockette. Although Carolyn Fox is her prede- Strong Talk in the 198os cessor by more than a decade, the press and the radio industry has portrayed Begin as an American trailblazer for female Music -oriented stations decreased their news and public ser- radio broadcasters. Begin was born and raised in Nova Scotia vice commitments and increased the number of songs played and worked at a number of small Canadian markets before per hour. Still, there were signs that "chick" talk would landing in the United States. become a valuable commodity in the industry in the years The turning point in her radio career came when she met ahead. By the late 19705, Sally Jessy Raphael had established Program Director Shawn Kelly, a big Howard Stern fan, who herself as a popular radio talk show host, broadcasting her encouraged Begin to seek opportunities in the United States. advice on love, family, and relationships to a late -night audi- Some of her early gigs included on -air stints in New Jersey, ence at a time when talk radio began to boom. Concurrently, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Sacramento. In San Francisco, she television talk shows began to attract large female audiences would become known as Darian O'Toole-the "Caustic Cana- away from radio. With every station playing the same songs, dian Swamp Witch." Her morning show skyrocketed to num- personality once again became an integral part of the program- ber one in San Francisco, climbing from 23rd to 1st place in ming mix. the market in only three years. She left San Francisco's KBIG in Strong female personalities, such as Washington, D.C.'s 1997 to take her show to New York. In September 1999 she Robin Breedon, soared in their ratings, past their white male returned to San Francisco to work at KSAN. competitors. With a decade of television broadcast experience and a degree from Howard University, Breedon became the Alternate Models for Female Personalities number -one Arbitron- ranked morning personality in D.C. She proved that many listeners were seeking personalities with The ability to move merchandise, whether soap or soda, will compassion and community commitment. The Washington always remain an essential part of commercial radio, for obvi- Post referred to her as the "Queen of Radio." During her ten - ous reasons. With every product sold on radio, early female year radio stint, she won seven Emmy nominations and two broadcasters knew that their bargaining power would increase American Women in Radio and Television National Awards; tenfold. Some commercial gimmicks to market the female then -Mayor Sharon Pratt -Kelly even proclaimed a day named experience, such as the rise and fall of "Sexpot Radio" or the in her honor. Breedon left radio in 1998. all -women radio station WOMN, have quickly failed within By 1988 Howard Stern was on his way to becoming a the past 4o years. On the other hand, the Seattle -based syndi- national icon. Robin Quivers, Stern's articulate sidekick, cated nighttime personality Delilah, a 25 -year veteran, is tak- became a dominant part of what was becoming known as ing a new spin on an old formula -a mix of advice and "shock radio." As early as the 198os, many women entered inspiration to a predominantly female audience, with listeners radio as sidekicks who typically read the morning headlines calling in to her show from more than zoo affiliates around the and provided a laugh track for male- dominated morning nation. Reminiscent of Casey Kasem's long- distance dedica- shows. In some cases, these women also became the targets of tions, but a bit more personal, she is very much like Mary sexist jokes told by male hosts. Margaret McBride in her desire to chat about love, family, and relationships. In October 1998, she announced her pregnancy The Rise of the Shockette Jock and promised to share her experience with her listeners. Many American listeners seem comforted by female radio personali- The real revolution was happening in Rhode Island. Carolyn ties who symbolize traditional family values. Dr. Laura Fox, Providence's number -one afternoon personality, spouted Schlessinger, a controversial conservative talk show host in the her liberal views on everything from sex to politics- before 19905, starts her weekday show by saying "I'm my kid's Howard Stern even gained national prominence. Fox paved the mom." In the final analysis, there has never been one personal- way for a number of women, such as San Francisco's Darian ity style that has worked for all female broadcasters; rather, the O'Toole, Austin's Sara Trexler, Denver's Caroline Corley, and means of success has been their ability to connect to the listen- Detroit's Kelly Walker, who became the new shock jocks of the ers -both men and women -in some unique way. 199os. Many of these women began their careers as sidekicks or night personalities. Trexler, who began her career in 1986, PHYLIS JOHNSON .

Load more