Episode 186

TJ's Excellent Adventure: Podcaster to Z100 & AMP to Network. HOW?

TJ Taormina started as a podcaster who became an intern and later, a producer for Elvis Duran at New York's Z100!

Later, when his show on Boston's AMP Radio ended due to the pandemic, TJ decided to create his own podcast called "The TJ Show Until Further Notice." The podcast gained attention, and soon other radio stations started reaching out to him, but instead, he is now in a nationally syndicated show partnership with Gemini 13.

On "The TJ Show, he unvails his method to connect with a broad audience through relatable content that appeals to both parents and kids, focusing on the human experience.

Experience The TJ Show

Hear TJ's Podcast

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Transcript
TJ:

I'm not sure if anyone can predict exactly what's coming next.

TJ:

Right.

TJ:

And there have been so many unknowns even in the last five or 10 years, where if

TJ:

you would've had this interview 10 years ago, I don't know that anyone could have

TJ:

guessed that the world would look like this as far broadcast radio is concerned.

TJ:

So I'm always just thinking about how do we not wasting a listener's

TJ:

time if they're turning the radio on.

TJ:

So our goal is to not do that.

TJ:

And thankfully we have the freedom to not do that.

VO:

Welcome to Brand

TJ:

With On Demand, your Guide to Rebooting Radio.

TJ:

There have been times where I hear the mic opens up and you have 45 seconds

TJ:

of go to this Facebook page, go to this Instagram account, call this phone number,

TJ:

join this contest, that one person's gonna win out of 50 radio stations.

TJ:

And then they go, okay, second 45.

TJ:

So can you eat marshmallows?

TJ:

Is that a real food?

TJ:

Can you have 'em for dinner?

TJ:

And it's like, okay, is this what we're this what we're using the radio for?

TJ:

Really this is the radio.

TJ:

This is the awesome radio that we all grew up and fell in love with.

TJ:

And this is what we're doing with this time.

:

BRANDwidth on demand.

:

Rebooting radio with a different take on all radio can be.

:

Now your guides through the metamorphosis.

:

David Martin and author of the book, BRANDwidth , Media

:

Branding, coach Kiper McGee.

Dave:

Remember that kid who walked to school with their headphones

Dave:

plugged into the radio and not cassettes or CDs or MP3s?

Dave:

Well, depending on your demo, well, maybe that was you.

Dave:

Another guy like that is TJ Taraina.

Dave:

Who discovered radio and instantly became hook In high school, he called

Dave:

countless radio stations asking to intern.

Dave:

He organized CDs, sweat floors, anything, just to get his foot in the door.

Dave:

And finally, fairly Dickinson University gave him a chance in 20.

Dave:

Oh two.

Dave:

After getting accepted into their broadcasting department, he landed

Dave:

an internship with New York's Elvis Duran in the Z 100 Morning Zoo.

Dave:

Wow.

Dave:

Can't make this stuff, huh?

Dave:

During his 10 years plus there, he learned as much as he could, and eventually,

Dave:

believe it or not, became a co-host on Elvis's, nationally syndicated radio show.

Dave:

In April of 2013, TJ began hosting his own morning show, the TJ Show

Dave:

on Boston's 1 0 3 0.3 AMP Radio.

Dave:

After seven years, TJ signed off AMP Radio saying that collecting socks for

Dave:

Boston Rescue Mission, the Boston Homeless Shelter in the TJ Show Sock Drive.

Dave:

Was the highlight of his career now.

Dave:

Well, he has his own network show.

Dave:

Bramwood On Demand is proud to welcome tj.

Dave:

Hey, tj.

Dave:

Hey

TJ:

Dave Kipper.

TJ:

It's so great to be on with you guys.

TJ:

Thank you for inviting me to be a part of this.

Kipper:

Oh, we are so glad to have you.

Kipper:

So obviously we've got a lot of questions about you rolling out a new

Kipper:

network show that's gotta be exciting.

Kipper:

But first I gotta ask.

Kipper:

What's this I'm hearing about iguanas in Key West?

TJ:

Oh yeah, that's a whole long story.

TJ:

One of our affiliates, our first affiliate actually sign on is

TJ:

uh, a radio station in Key West.

TJ:

Buddy Shula is the owner of the radio station, and I happen to be

TJ:

catching up with him and he said, you know, you're not gonna believe it.

TJ:

I did the wildest interview over the weekend during our public

TJ:

affairs programs and he said he interviewed an exterminator.

TJ:

About how there's an iguana problem.

TJ:

They're infesting homes in Key West.

TJ:

And so I was like, where is that interview?

TJ:

And I, we went and found it and we wound up playing a bunch of clips

TJ:

on our show, on the national network because it was such a wild interview.

TJ:

You just think you have control and then of iguanas are taking

TJ:

over and you go, what's next?

TJ:

Now we've got Killer Iguanas and I, nothing is surprising me anymore.

Kipper:

Iguanas ai, you don't

TJ:

know where it's gonna end.

TJ:

Right?

TJ:

Yeah, I'm, I'm frightened of the AI iguanas.

TJ:

I don't know what that's gonna look like.

Dave:

Well, you know, it sounds like you got a lot of great experience at

Dave:

the college station, and of course, interning at the world Famous Z 100.

Dave:

For someone just starting out today, or in their first or second job,

Dave:

what would you say are the most important skills, attitudes, and

Dave:

characteristics that'll really set a person apart from all the other guys?

TJ:

Well, I could just speak on my experience.

TJ:

I think one of the greatest things that has helped me stay in the industry

TJ:

is that I became a producer first, and I didn't know it at the time.

TJ:

I just thought that was an entry way to get on the radio.

TJ:

But after learning pro tools and how to edit audio, that's always been this

TJ:

foundation in my career that has gotten me through the whole stretch of it,

TJ:

and it's been such a huge part of me being able to continue to do radio.

TJ:

So I think production is incredibly important, especially today.

TJ:

If you know how to be your own producer, then you're not dependent

TJ:

on if somebody's gonna give you a job on a microphone or not.

Kipper:

So you must have had some pretty incredible experiences working with Elvis

Kipper:

and then the network show, and then moving into Boston, having your own morning show.

Kipper:

And unfortunately we all know kind of what happened to the.

Kipper:

AMP series of stations and, uh, sorry about that, but if you would

Kipper:

tell us how you handled that, what you did next, and then how you

Kipper:

ultimately got to a network show

TJ:

now.

TJ:

Yeah, we actually had a great experience with AMP Radio and it

TJ:

was CBS Radio turned in ACOM then.

TJ:

Odyssey.

TJ:

Yes.

TJ:

And as far as our situation was concerned, I'm not sure how the

TJ:

rest of the amp radios were doing, but um, as far as our station, we

TJ:

were talking about renegotiating our deal and we were ready to do another

TJ:

contract and very excited for it.

TJ:

And then C Covid 19 hit and turned our industry upside down.

TJ:

Mm-hmm.

TJ:

And so I got a surprise phone call from our management

TJ:

saying that the show was done.

TJ:

And I actually felt peace about it because the people that I

TJ:

was working for were so great.

TJ:

It was Mark Hannon, Steve Sal Haney.

TJ:

They were really good to me, and I just thank them for the opportunity

TJ:

because I walked in as a different broadcaster than when I left.

TJ:

And they were really gracious.

TJ:

They gave me a good goodbye show, and I was on the radio for four hours straight.

TJ:

I think we took two song breaks.

TJ:

We were taking phone calls the whole time.

TJ:

And so that experience was wonderful for me and.

TJ:

Then I was thrown into this period of time where I was like, wow,

TJ:

okay, well what do I do next?

TJ:

I don't know.

TJ:

Is there a place for me in radio anymore?

TJ:

I don't know.

TJ:

I know how to edit podcasts.

TJ:

I know how to produce, so I'm just gonna start making podcasts, and

TJ:

then maybe at some point someone will wanna partner up with me and

TJ:

do something with these podcasts.

TJ:

But my main focus was.

TJ:

To just consistently create content and stay sharp in doing that.

TJ:

So I started a podcast, I called it the TJ show until further notice.

TJ:

And it was, it was just me stuck in an apartment during

TJ:

the pandemic with my wife Jess.

TJ:

And we just started recording weekly episodes.

TJ:

And my commitment was, I just wanna make sure I'm doing this

TJ:

every single week no matter what.

TJ:

Um mm-hmm.

TJ:

And I wasn't really thinking about, well, am I gonna advertise, sell advertising?

TJ:

What am I gonna do?

TJ:

It was just, let's just create content.

TJ:

And so we did that for a while and I was really flattered that I got a bunch of

TJ:

phone calls from a bunch of different radio stations and a lot of them were

TJ:

asking me, Hey, what are you up to?

TJ:

Do you want to host a morning show for us?

TJ:

And I said, sure.

TJ:

Well, what does the staffing look like?

TJ:

And a lot of the phone calls, it was some version of, well, we want to, uh,

TJ:

you know, make sure that you're the host and we're gonna have a co-host.

TJ:

They're gonna do all your social media.

TJ:

And then one radio station said, and we've got a shared producer for you.

TJ:

And I was like, well, what's a shared producer?

TJ:

Correct.

TJ:

And they said, we've got, uh, one producer doing three different

TJ:

shows at once in the same building.

TJ:

And so I have to turn my head and ask, well, how is that

TJ:

working out for you guys?

TJ:

And they said, well, we're just playing the hand that we've been dealt.

TJ:

And I think a lot of people in the industry right now are in the same boat.

TJ:

It's this wild, wild West time.

TJ:

Where everyone's trying to figure out what to do with the radio and how it relates

TJ:

to digital, and I just didn't feel peace about jumping into the traditional space.

TJ:

That was the so-called morning radio show.

TJ:

And then I got a phone call from a company, it's called Gemini 13.

TJ:

One of the guys who is a part of this project, I've

TJ:

known him for about 15 years.

TJ:

He was formally with Westwood one, and he said, what are you doing tj?

TJ:

Do you wanna work in radio anymore?

TJ:

And I said, sure.

TJ:

I would love to, if there's somebody who's really investing in radio and trying to do

TJ:

a new radio show, the way it really needs to be done if you wanna do a radio show.

TJ:

And, and so we got into a bunch of conversations and one thing led to

TJ:

the next, we wound up joining this company that is amazing, Gemini

TJ:

13, they wanna create great radio.

TJ:

And we have a team of people who love radio and we've been

TJ:

given the resources to do it.

TJ:

So that's about almost three years in a nutshell.

TJ:

But I'm really grateful to be a part of this project and, and we've now launched

TJ:

this show in national syndication.

TJ:

Well,

Dave:

great.

Dave:

You know, tj, your show has primarily got like a hot AC sensibility to it,

Dave:

but you're also heard on yacht rocks and classic hit stations, occasional C H R.

Dave:

How do you find content that can cross all those matic

TJ:

bridges?

TJ:

Well, I feel like we're connecting with people on our show, and our hope

TJ:

is to make the mom in the front seat laugh with her kid in the back seat.

TJ:

And to me, that's become the new shock jock.

TJ:

Right?

TJ:

It's so shocking.

TJ:

If you can get a mom and a kid who agree on a radio station, right,

TJ:

or a dad and a kid for that matter.

TJ:

And so that is our approach.

TJ:

We want to do material and talk about things that is just a part of the

TJ:

human experience and that everyone can have a good time listening to.

TJ:

And so far it's been working and we just hit our 10th affiliate, and

TJ:

so I'm really grateful for that.

TJ:

Congratulations.

Kipper:

Yeah.

Kipper:

Now, as you alluded to tj, I mean obviously the industry has

Kipper:

gone through a lot of changes.

Kipper:

And probably more to come.

Kipper:

So you're launching a new network show.

Kipper:

You're already all over the current online and social media

Kipper:

landscape, so congrats on that.

Kipper:

But my question is, what are some of the things that you want you team to learn now

Kipper:

to be prepared for whatever comes next?

TJ:

I'm not sure if anyone can predict exactly what's coming next.

TJ:

Right.

TJ:

And there have been so many unknowns even in the last five or 10 years, where

TJ:

if you would've had this interview 10 years ago, I don't know that anyone

TJ:

could have guessed that the world would look like this as far as mm-hmm.

TJ:

Broadcast radio is concerned.

TJ:

So you, with our team, I'm always just thinking about how do we lead

TJ:

the team every day so that we're.

TJ:

Putting our best foot forward and we're not wasting a listener's time

TJ:

if they're turning the radio on.

TJ:

I think sometimes it's really easy to turn the radio on, and obviously

TJ:

not in all cases, but there have been times where I hear the mic opens up

TJ:

and you have 45 seconds of go to this Facebook page, go to this Instagram

TJ:

account, call this phone number, join this contest, that one person's

TJ:

gonna win out of 50 radio stations.

TJ:

And then they go, okay, second 45.

TJ:

So can you eat marshmallows?

TJ:

Is that a real food?

TJ:

Can you have 'em for dinner?

TJ:

And it's like, okay, is this what we're, is this what we're using the radio for?

TJ:

Really, this is the radio.

TJ:

This is the awesome radio that we all grew up and fell in love with, and this

TJ:

is what we're doing with this time.

TJ:

So our goal is to not do that.

TJ:

And thankfully we have the freedom to not do that.

Dave:

Our thanks to TJ from the nationally syndicated the TJ show.

Dave:

What a guy, somebody you'd love to hear from.

Dave:

We'd love to hear your suggestions.

Dave:

Email us Show Brand with on demand.com.

Dave:

And

Kipper:

to stay in touch or to get in touch, just follow Bandwidth Plus on

Kipper:

Facebook, Twitter, Insta, or LinkedIn.

Dave:

Coming up, TJ shares some of the best advice he's ever

Dave:

gotten and offer some advice.

Dave:

Of his zone to you.

Dave:

Hi, this is Dave from Music Master Scheduling here with another Music Master

TJ:

Raving

:

fan.

:

Did someone say Music Master?

:

Raving Fan?

:

Ding ding.

:

That's me.

:

Hey, it's Lee McNabb, operations manager for Saga Communications

:

Des Moines Radio Group.

:

My mentors taught me music scheduling on Music Master, and that's what I use to

:

teach the young Padawans of today ready

TJ:

to become a music

Dave:

master raving fan.

Dave:

Get in touch@musicmaster.com

TJ:

slash sales.

:

I've used Music Master in some major markets for some major media players.

:

I'm a major fan.

VO:

Hey, it's Hannah.

VO:

Be associate producer of the Brand Lift podcast and a huge

VO:

fan of Morning Show Bootcamp.

VO:

This will be my.

VO:

Third year in a row attending bootcamp, and it's truly the best experience.

VO:

Kipper encouraged me to attend bootcamp when I was looking

VO:

to get my foot in the door.

VO:

I took his word and ended up attending my first morning show bootcamp back in

VO:

August of 2021, and just a few weeks later, I was offered my first on air gig.

VO:

We all know networking is huge in this industry.

VO:

Street.

VO:

Right, and that's why Bootcamp is simply the best.

VO:

I am now doing afternoon drive with Chicago Radio legend Eddie

VO:

Volkman on three stations.

VO:

I'm so incredibly grateful for everything Morning Show Bootcamp

VO:

has brought into my life.

VO:

I've met the best mentors while attending bootcamp, including Don Anthony, Chris.

VO:

Cruz Sean Temp Pesta, Mike McVay Plus so much more.

VO:

I truly don't know where I would be without Morning Show Bootcamp.

VO:

It has helped me grow as a broadcaster while meeting some of

VO:

my lifelong best friends, or as I like to call them my radio family.

VO:

Don't wait.

VO:

Don't hesitate.

VO:

Visit morning show bootcamp.com today and Regi.

VO:

Sir, for this year's bootcamp, I hope to see you August 10th

VO:

through the 11th in Dallas, Texas.

VO:

A start.

VO:

We

:

know now.

:

We wish we'd known then.

:

Brentwood on demand.

Dave:

We are with TJ from the TJ show today.

Dave:

Tj, what's the best advice you've ever gotten?

TJ:

As, as it relates to my career?

TJ:

Yeah, sure.

TJ:

Okay.

TJ:

So for my career, I think the best advice I've ever gotten was to, I.

TJ:

Look at my heart first.

TJ:

So, you know, all of us are in people organizations, and it's really easy to

TJ:

look at and point the finger at other people and how are we gonna fix these

TJ:

people and the way they see things.

TJ:

And really, you know, I had a conversation with someone one time

TJ:

and they said, well, have you thought about looking at your own heart?

TJ:

And I go, huh?

TJ:

That's interesting.

TJ:

Let me look into that.

TJ:

And so then I realized, huh, well my lights were turned off.

TJ:

Maybe I, uh, I need to turn these lights on and read this

TJ:

book and do this research.

TJ:

And that completely changed my life.

TJ:

So I, I would say that's a great place to start.

Dave:

And what one piece of advice would you offer to someone listening right

Dave:

now that's just starting their career?

TJ:

Well, I'm still learning so much, so I don't know.

TJ:

I guess my advice would be keep learning and never stop.

TJ:

I'm a big fan of this concept of mastery where you never stop learning and you're

TJ:

constantly pursuing that next step of whatever your craft is, whether that's

TJ:

radio, it's podcasting, it's being an accountant, like there's always a way to.

TJ:

Get better and get to that next level.

TJ:

So I would just recommend never stopping and always challenging

TJ:

yourself to get to that next level.

Dave:

Our thanks to TJ from the TJ Show, and there's more

Dave:

in the free show notes email.

Dave:

We sent it out before every episode.

Dave:

You can easily get it.

Dave:

Just scroll down on your phone.

Dave:

Our thanks

Kipper:

to exec producer Cindy Huber and associate producer Hannah B.

Kipper:

And coming up next.

Andy:

Hi, this is Andy Bloom and I'm the next Bandwidth on Demand

Andy:

with Kipper McGee and David Martin.

Andy:

I will actually speak the truth about what's wrong with the radio industry, and

Andy:

I say things that other people don't say.

Andy:

You won't want to miss that.

Dave:

That's a wrap.

Dave:

Kipper, what matters most is doing something today.

Dave:

That's what we'll talk about in the one minute Martinizing.

Dave:

You'll find it in the show notes at Brand with on demand.com.

Dave:

I'm Dave Martin.

Dave:

And

Kipper:

I'm Kipper McGee.

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