Episode Notes
Join us for an electrifying episode of La Pizarra as we dive into the dynamic world of broadcasting with none other than Sam Malone, a trailblazer in the radio industry and CEO of 512 New Media. Get ready to be captivated by Sam’s remarkable journey from finance whiz to radio icon as he shares his invaluable insights, hard-earned wisdom, and unforgettable experiences.
Key Highlights:
- Discover Sam’s exhilarating leap into the world of radio, sparked by a fateful encounter with a legendary DJ.
- Explore the thrilling evolution of media and the groundbreaking innovations that have reshaped the broadcasting landscape.
- Gain exclusive access to Sam’s secrets of successful interviewing, including the art of active listening and the power of authentic storytelling.
- Be inspired by Sam’s resilience and determination as he overcomes obstacles and navigates the ever-changing currents of the media industry.
- Uncover expert tips and invaluable advice for aspiring broadcasters, from harnessing the latest technologies to staying true to your passion and vision.
Don’t Miss Out: This electrifying conversation is a must-watch for anyone with a love for broadcasting, media, or storytelling. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding enthusiast, Sam’s words of wisdom will inspire, educate, and entertain. Tune in now and embark on a thrilling journey into the heart of broadcasting excellence!
Connect with Sam Malone:
- Website: sammalone.com
- Business: 512 New Media
This episode, as well as most season 9 was recorded on SquadCast, the best platform for podcasts or meetings with up to nine guests with professional sound and video quality. You can choose your membership level after trying it free for seven days at: https://squadcast.fm/?ref=lapizarra
Subscribe to La Pizarra so you never have to miss an episode. Feel free to download and share them on social media, your comments are well received!
** Visit https://www.nickymondellini.com to learn about the work of actress, host and voiceover artist Nicky Mondellini.
Nicky Mondellini is an internationally known artist with more than thirty years of artistic career. Her voice is heard in commercials on television, radio and digital platforms worldwide. She has been the host and producer of La Pizarra since 2020.
Her work as an actress includes more than a dozen telenovelas, and drama shows, classical and contemporary Spanish plays, shorts and feature films, and the hosting of morning shows in Mexico and the United States, as well as on camera commercials, and promotional and corporate videos.
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Transcript
Sam Malone: How do you get into radio? There’s medical school, dental school, accounting school, whatever. He told me, he was all slurred, but he told me these four things. I ran to my car, popped open the glove box, took out the insurance card, and wrote it down. I’m not making this up. Six weeks later, I was on the radio in Philadelphia doing mornings.
[music]
Announcer: La Pizarra, the Slate, exploring creative minds in the entertainment industry. Here’s your host, Nicky Mondellini.
Nicky Mondellini: Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of La Pizarra. We’re here continuing with Season 9. Can you believe it? Today, aside from thanking you, I also want to say that I’m super happy that you’re joining me because I’m very excited to share this interview with you. My guest has been inducted in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. He has interviewed countless celebrities and politicians and everyone in between. Today, he’s also the CEO of his own media company. His name is Sam Malone.
Sam earned his BBA in finance from Temple University in his hometown of Philadelphia, but he started working in morning radio soon after graduation. He worked at legendary stations like Eagle 106 in Philadelphia and Kiss 98.5 in Buffalo, New York. Later, he arrived in Houston to take over the morning show at 104 KRBE. The Sam Malone Show hit number one and became a staple of morning drives for more than 12 years.
Clear Channel Radio made him an offer in 2005, and The Sam Malone Show then took Mix 96.5 all the way up to number one in the ratings. Clear Channel also offered Sam something that he couldn’t get elsewhere, his own talk show on 740 KTRH. From 6:00 to 9:00 AM, he hosted a top 40 morning show, and then from 10:00 to noon, talk radio, all in the same building. I really don’t know how he got the energy to do all of that.
Then Sam quickly realized the importance of video in today’s media landscape. He developed a video streaming platform, becoming the first radio host to televise his own show on smartphones and laptops on demand 24/7. He’s the permanent fill-in for nationally syndicated host Mike Gallagher, and he can be heard on over 300 radio stations with over seven million listeners.
In 2014, Sam opened Houston’s leading media marketing company, 512 New Media, which develops, creates, and delivers new media services, including website construction, email marketing, social media content and strategy, and video production. Then he also produces commercial content for clients nationwide in a variety of industries. Now, let’s explore the creative mind of Sam Malone. Hey, Sam. Welcome to La Pizarra. How are you?
Sam: Outstanding. Thank you for the invite, Nicky. It’s wonderful to be here.
Nicky: Well, I was super excited to do this interview because you have all the experience in the world with broadcast, radio, with interviewing people. Now, as a matter of fact, I wanted to say congratulations because you are celebrating this year 30 years of radioing, right? Of Houston radio.
Sam: 30 years. Believe it or not, 1993. February of 1993 is when I was shipped down here to take over KRBE, the morning show. It’s hard to believe it was 30 years ago. That is just unheard of.
Nicky: It just flies by, doesn’t it?
Sam: Yes, it does. It’s a good thing I was five when I took the job because I’m only 35 right now.
Nicky: Of course, you are. Nobody’s going to question that.
Sam: I’m only 35.
Nicky: Nobody will question that, Sam. [laughs] Anyway, let’s go a little bit into your background, into your history. I’m super curious to know how someone who goes from a BBA in finance suddenly decides to start in radio. How does that happen?
Sam: In this case, a true story. I’m not making this up. Yes, I was getting my degree. I was a senior in college. I was doing casino analysis, and I was an arbitrage specialist. That’s just, I love numbers. There was a pretty girl, a very pretty girl I asked to date. She wouldn’t date me. She literally said, “I’m not going to date you. You’re poor.” That’s what she said.
Nicky: Oh, come on.
Sam: Total truth, but she was so damn pretty and smelled so good and looked so good that I would drive her around. If she was going out, I’d be like, you need a ride? Just so the guys in the hood can see me with a really pretty girl, okay?
Nicky: Okay.
Sam: She says, one night she’s “Listen, I’m going to go meet my boyfriend.” I’m like, “Who’s your boyfriend?” She said his name, and I’m like, “That’s the guy on the radio. He’s a very famous disc jockey in Philadelphia.” She says, “Yes, do you want to meet him?” I’m like, “Of course.” I drive, of course, any chance to drive her around. It was about one o’clock in the morning in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which is outside of Philly, my hometown.
The DJ was doing an appearance. I’m like, “Oh, my God, listen to this guy. He was so cool.” He was very chemically enhanced in the parking lot. I’m bringing a pretty girl to meet him. There’s already six girls lined up to meet him as he’s leaning on his Mercedes. I’m like, “What is wrong with this picture? I have to work.” I literally walked up to him and I said, “I have to ask you a question.” I’m like, “How do you get in the radio? How does one?” Because here I’m doing casino analysis.
You can’t open up a casino. There’s rules and regs. It’s called barriers to entry. You can’t open up a bank if you want. You can’t open up an airport. How do you get into radio? There’s medical school, dental school, accounting school, whatever. He told me, he was all slurred. He told me these four things. I ran to my car, popped open the glove box, took out the insurance card, and wrote it down. I’m not making this up. Six weeks later, I was on the radio in Philadelphia doing mornings.
Now, I still had a semester or inside of a semester to go. I had to figure out how I was going to make my classes. I was running back and forth. I graduated, got my degree, kept working in Philadelphia. I was 22 years old. I was a knucklehead. That’s how I got into radio. It had nothing to do with– I don’t have a marketing background, a communications background, a radio background, a media background. All I wanted to do is have a gift for gab, but I just asked the right question at the right time and he answered the right question at the right time.
Nicky: Okay. I think that’s incredible because the first thing that got you into radio, it’s just like a little door that opens something that was just there for you in your destiny, I would say because nobody tries it out just to get that kind of a life if it’s not something that is really within you, if you’re not really destined to do that, if you don’t have that gift of talk, of knowing how to ask the right questions and everything.
I think it’s amazing how it all developed for you. You’ve been in this business for such a long time that it’s crazy how you started it without even that being your intent from the get-go, right?
Sam: Right. You’re spot on. I just asked that question because I’m very inquisitive. I had no idea about radio. I didn’t know nothing about radio. In fact, when I got the job, and I got into the radio station in Philadelphia, I didn’t know how to operate the board, the big control board that the DJ sits behind. I had to come up with a plan to take– there was an engineer. Engineers fix things at the radio stations. There was an engineer that nobody talked to.
He was a loner, weird-looking dude. I said to him, “Look, I will take you out to the finest restaurant in Philadelphia, or I’ll give you the cash. Can you sneak me in at night and show me how to turn on the microphone? How do you make a commercial? How do you play the music?” He was like, “What?” I’m like, “Dude, I’ll give you $200, whatever you want.” That’s like $450 today.
Nicky: Yes.
Sam: I came in at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning one day. He was there in another studio, and he said, “This is how you hit this button. This is for the mic. Hit this button. This is for the music. If you want to make a commercial, you hit record. It goes to the reel, whatever.”
Nicky: Wow. Oh, my gosh. That’s amazing. Would you say that’s one of the biggest obstacles that you’ve had in your career, just to learn that technical aspect?
Sam: Oh, there’s been a lot.
Nicky: Yes.
[laughter]
Sam: Listen, I’ll be real quick. I tell everybody, I sound like a nice guy on the radio. I was not a nice guy growing up in inner-city Philadelphia. I got thrown out of public schools for fighting in the eighth grade, and I had to stay home for a while. Then I had to go to school outside the city. That was an obstacle.
Nicky: Yes.
Sam: I didn’t have the grades. I got into Penn State first, but I failed out because I just was not academically suited at that moment. That was an obstacle, getting thrown out of a school like Penn State on grades. There’s been a lot of obstacles. Then I had to work to pay for college. My parents were blessed, gave me 25% of the tuition. That’s what they had saved. The other 75% was up to me.
Now I had to work to fail out of college, which is not a good idea. Anyway, there’s been a lot of obstacles. The technological or learning, you know how you get a new iPhone? You’ll ask one of your kids if you have children or something, how does this work? That was that equivalent back then in 1986.
Nicky: Got it. Got it. Well, that’s incredible because now you do so much. You’ve been learning on the job and because you’re just naturally inquisitive, like you said, and you know how to ask the right questions. It’s just also the gift of your personality. Not everyone can just be like that in front of a mic. Many people just freeze. You’re going on, and you’re talking, and you’re making this happen and then you develop the first streaming radio, video streaming.
Your show was the first one to be on video, which I think that’s amazing. Now, of course, a lot of people in that, we have this podcast on YouTube, and many people do that, but definitely, I would say you have evolved and transitioned so many times in your career. What is now one of the things that you wished you had done? You’ve been learning and doing so many things, but something that would have made it easier for you?
Sam: That’s a good question. I’d say that’s a wonderful, wonderful question. I don’t know. I always, and people who know me know, I don’t sit still. I got, at least I call it ants in the pants. Being the first to broadcast a live morning show in 2013, fully produced, I don’t know what would have made it easier. Maybe I should know. It was God’s plan. It was God’s plan to get to where I am because radio and getting to that job in Philly is what led me to meet my now wife.
I wonder if that’s the path it’s meant to be. If there are other paths and I could have done them better, who knows, but I’m blessed at being on the radio in Philly and asking the emcee. There was an event for Bon Jovi. She brought Bon Jovi to town for a fundraiser. I guess there’d be other paths. That’s a wonderful question, Nicky, but maybe I shouldn’t know what they were, or what could I have done to speed it up or slow it down?
Nicky: In another instance, if someone comes and asks you, “Hey, I want to get into radio,” what is the best tip that you can give me? Just don’t.
[laughter]
Sam: This is a hand signal for dangerous. I was at a wedding at the Houstonian Hotel, my wife and I. The woman next to me on my right side, her daughter, was, I think, called UCLA Film School or something like that. She went, “My daughter wants to be a news anchor and I want you to talk to her.” I’m like, “Why?” Well, because I worked on Channel 2 and Channel 11 and all that. She’s like, “Well, we want insight and advice.” I said, “Here’s the best advice.
Get out. Don’t go into radio and certainly don’t go into local news. They’re dead. Just get away. Take your talent somewhere else. Radio is not what it used to be. There’s hardly anybody left in the business. It is what it is.” When Maria Todd and I were at KRBE, KRBE was a standalone radio station. It was by itself in this town. Now, there’s a lot that are in clusters of multiple stations. We had 44 full-time employees. Our promotions department, I think, got up to 16 people.
Today, there’s not 16 people in the radio station. My advice is, if you have an urge, do you think you’re funny and you want to be heard and you want to broadcast, go to Best Buy. Get your podcast equipment for $500. Plug in your room and go, because local radio is no longer a factor. Local TV news, as you all know, is no longer a factor. This is, podcasting, what you’re doing is the factor of the future.
Podcasts don’t require overhead. They don’t require much of an investment. It’s just persistence and hard work, determination, clarity, and delivering on your message and platform. This is, if anybody says, “Hey, my kid wants to go on the radio like you.” I’d be like, “See what Nicky’s doing? Do that”
Nicky: Here I am in my 4×6 booth in my house. [laughs]
Sam: I wouldn’t know. The good thing is that looks as professional as anything.
Nicky: It looks as though it’s like, “Wow, state of the art,” but it’s cool. I can be here recording with you, even if there’s a lawnmower outside. I’m blessed to have that because that’s amazing. Anyway, let’s now dive into the mechanics or the wonderful world of interviews, because you have interviewed amazing people, like high profile people, Sir Paul McCartney, I know Kevin Costner and Senator John McCain. How do you prepare for such amazing interviews?
Sam: Well, add to that list, by the way, Barry Manilow.
Nicky: Barry Manilow, yes.
Sam: Michael Bolton, Cher.
Nicky: Wow.
Sam: You name it. Here’s the secret, I’m going to share with you.
Nicky: I’m going to take that on my notes.
[laughter]
Sam: I got this from Larry King. If you remember Larry King, my earpiece is moving out. Do you remember Larry King from CNN?
Nicky: Oh yes, of course.
Sam: When I was in college in Philadelphia, his show would run from midnight to 3:00 AM or something and 3:00 and 6:00. It was the overnight show. Larry King would interview all these people for a long period of time. I flew out to LA on business, and I bumped into Larry King. I’m like, “Dude,” it was the first time. I bumped into him again, but the very first time. I bumped into him. He was eating a blueberry muffin. I’m like, “Dude, I just got to ask you a question really fast.” He’s like, “Yes, what is it?”
I said, “You interview people with books like this thick, right? You interview people with 10 movies. You interview people with all kinds of credentials. Do you read the books? Do you watch the movies? How do you prepare?” I asked Larry King, the king of all interviews. I said, “Do you read the book?” He says, “Of course not. I don’t have the time.” I’m like, “Well, do you watch the movies? If they’re plugging a movie, and they won an Academy Award, or they got famous movies?”
He goes, “No.” He’s still eating his blueberry muffin because I’ll never forget it. I’m like, “Well, then how do you do the interview?” He says, “All I do is ask them questions that I think regular people would ask them if they bumped into him somewhere.” I went home and pondered it. I’m like, “Oh, that makes a lot of sense.” You could say to the guy, “Oh, I love –” I interviewed David Bowie. Anyway, I end up interviewing David Bowie on a TV special. I’m not a Bowie fan.
I don’t really know his music, other than the number one or number two hits. Not knowing, but I applied that to David Bowie and started making a conversation, but we didn’t say, “Hey, man, on the seventh song of your third album, you used the word cricket, man. What’s that mean, dude?” You could sit there and go deep and spend hours prepping. When you think about all the guests who’ve been on the show, the Rock, I’m looking at all my wall outside the Rock, from Chuck Norris to Beyonce, had been on the show a lot in Destiny’s Child.
You just ask them questions like you’re doing. You don’t have to dive too deep. Obviously, get the person’s name right and where they are. If you said, “Hey, Stan, welcome to the show.” I’d be like, “Serious?” Anyway, Larry King said, I don’t read the books. I don’t watch the movies. All I do is think of questions that regular people would ask if they bumped into them at a place, like an airport. I bumped into Larry when we were eating.
Then I saw him again in San Diego with his family, but it was like, “That dude is on the money.” If Larry King, who’s interviewing five, six, eight people a week when he was on CNN, he doesn’t have time to read the books?
Nicky: Of course not.
Sam: Brilliant. Anyway, that’s my tip.
Nicky: Wow.
Sam: Whether it works or not is another story.
Nicky: That’s amazing. Okay, you do, but don’t you get the fanboy effect or so jittery nervous to be interviewing those people, to just calm yourself down and then have those questions come into your mind? How do you go past that part?
Sam: That’s a great question. The last time I got nervous, maybe it was two, I don’t know, two, three years ago, President Donald Trump called me on the radio three times in five months.
Nicky: Wow.
Sam: Three times in five months, and he wanted to talk. He liked my wordsmithing, whatever he said, I’m a wordsmith. The very first time he called, I actually got nervous because-
Nicky: Well, who wouldn’t?
Sam: -I’ve never talked to a– I’ve met living Presidents. I had the chance to spend time privately with President Bush when he was President in 43. Met Clinton, Carter, but I never had them on the radio. Trump calls, and I swear, I did get a little, it’s like, “Oh my God, I got nervous.” You could feel it. How do you do it? Just do it, you know what I’m saying? It’s like, are you nervous about skydiving? Well, then skydive. Are you nervous about singing in public? Sing in public, get it over with.
Nicky: Yes, you just go for it.
Sam: You know what? Just dive in, get a good night’s sleep, get a workout in before you go to work.
Nicky: Yes, definitely.
Sam: After that, everybody would come up and play. Aerosmith came up three times to join me. Bon Jovi came up three times to join me. I didn’t listen to their music, I didn’t look into that. I was like, “Hey, John. Hey, Rich here. Hey, Steven Tyler, what’s up man? [unintelligible 00:20:20], what’s up with you? Where you been recently? You been on vacation? I love that jacket.” Then you just start building this rapport. Yes, it’s pretty easy.
Nicky: Wow. It’s easy to you.
Sam: You too can make a million dollars.
[laughter]
Nicky: Okay. I still think I’m like an interviewer in diapers, but here we go, just moving along. This was a bit of an agenda to interview you about this.
Sam: No, no, no. You know what? Ask away. If I can help you or if I can help anyone get better, like I was offered the opportunity, then go for it. Ask any questions that can help you because who else will promote this? Other radio or TV people may be watching.
Nicky: Yes, no, absolutely. One of the things that I like to do in this podcast is for people in the industry that want to learn how to do a lot of things, whether it’s in front or behind the mic or the camera. That’s why this is golden advice. Definitely, I love it. What do you think in the whole context, makes a great interviewer? Talking about making the good interview or just going for the questions. When you listen also to other interviews or when you interview someone and you feel, “Okay, this is a good one, I’m happy about this interview,” what are the elements that you think are most important?
Sam: The most important thing to be a good interviewer is something I was speaking about today. We have a big marketing firm here. We deal with a lot of clients who come up and candidates and CEOs and everything. When somebody vomits on me verbally, and that means they just talk and talk and talk and talk and talk, and I said this to a woman here today who came up. I’m like, “Ma’am–” and this is about being a good interviewer.
I said, “Ma’am, God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we may listen twice as much as we talk. A great interviewer, STFU, okay, knows how to STFU, and listen. In the very beginning of my career, my first big guest was Carl Weathers, who was Apollo Creed in Rocky. Remember Carl Weathers?
Nicky: Yes, of course.
Sam: He came up to the studio and I met him. He was a very nice guy. Shorter, I thought he’d be taller. He was shorter. Anyway, I was so nervous that I kept talking over him, that everything he said, I talked over. I was just nervous. I just wanted him to know I was there, right? There was a guy working at the radio station. He said, “Hey, what, Sam?” I’m like, “What?” “You’re on for four hours a day, and Carl Weathers is going to visit one time in your life for 15 minutes.” I’m like, “Yes, so what’s your point?” He says, “STFU, let him talk.” The best interview is he doesn’t feel like you’re going to step on him. when you step on someone?
Nicky: Yes.
Sam: I was then at like, so now all my interviews, I’ll say to you or President Trump or Sting came up twice to hang out. I’m not a big fan of Sting, but it was cool. He played his keyboard. I’m like, “Sting, what do you want to play? What’s your favorite song?” Then he just hung out and played another song and asked me. Def Leppard played for us. Came up in complete setup, and played at 8:30 in the morning.
I didn’t even know the guy. I knew their songs. I just didn’t know everybody’s name. I’m like, “Okay, wait. Joe Elliott? Jim Elliott? What’s the guy? Def Leppard, you guys are great. What do you want to play? Then they just started talking, and I started talking. You want to be a great interviewer? Be quiet. Let the guest be the rock star superstar, Okay? If you’re talking 50/50, it’s a bad interview. Let them feel it.
They can express themselves, tell a story without being interrupted. Let’s just say Sting is up here, and he goes, “Oh, Sam, I just came back from Hawaii.” I go, “Oh, Hawaii. I was just in Hawaii. Love Hawaii. Oh, we were at the best hotel.” Why have Sting here?
Nicky: Yes.
Sam: If Sting says, I was in Hawaii, you go, “What was your favorite part? Did you do any fishing, sailing? I bet you were scuba diving. Tell me, what did you see? Were you nervous underwater to see any sharks?” Let them tell the stories. Bon Jovi and Stephen Todd of Aerosmith, they had such a good time. Todd was like, “I’m coming back,” and he did. Three times he was hanging out with us.
Nicky: That’s so cool.
Sam: Anyway, that’s why I pass along to you and everybody else. I learned the hard way. I don’t think Carl Weathers– Well, I think he’s passed away. If he was alive, would never come on again.
Nicky: We’ve reached the end of part one. Please join us next week for part two and the conclusion of this interview. In the meantime, if you can think of anyone who might benefit from this information, please, go ahead and share it with them. Thanks for being here.
Announcer: Thanks for joining us. Don’t forget to subscribe on your podcast player or YouTube if you haven’t done so. Share what you liked about this episode on social media and tag us @Nickymondellini.
