Lois Melkonian blog part 2

Jeremy Levy back with you for the second part of my Lois Melkonian Blog interview.I recorded this blog last summer at a barbecue that I had at my house. In front of us were some delicious chocolate cupcakes, so we both might have been a little distracted It is a little bit long, but I Lois has been one of my favorite personalities and she was so gracious to spend so much time with me . I am hoping you will read all of it. Thank you, Lois, for sharing such a wonderful interview with me.Here is my interview with Lois.Jeremy Levy: I know that you started your radio career in San Francisco at KCBS radio, but is this where you got your start in radio?Lois Melkonian: I first got my start at KFRN radio in Long Beach California. I was news director there. Then I worked at KJOY radio a radio station in Stockton California. I was their news director My first big news story was covering the challenger explosion. I was able to work many hours covering city council and then being their news director going to work at 4 in the morning Jeremy which you do when you work in news because there were so many floods and difficult politics in Stockton California in 1984 through 1986 I was able to get a very good job at KCBS radio in San Francisco later on because there was such a lot of great news to cover.JL: When you worked at KCBS radio you worked with Al Hart. What was it like working with him and what did you learn from him?LM: Al Hart was a true legend in San Francisco radio Jeremy. He was the most significant part of my life when it came to radio. No one holds a candle to him because of his experience and his warmth and his kindness. When I first started working with Al I was a little intimidated until he made it so easy and we had such a great rapport. We could bounce ideas off each other and we seemed to understand life from a similar prospective. He didn’t take himself too seriously and he taught me not to take myself to seriously either. That was a big lesson he gave to me. The other thing is it doesn’t matter what other people say it matters how you perform and how you act, and how you ask questions. Also, how you treat people. He treated people with such kindness that I knew that’s what I needed to do. I also learned from him that nice people do succeed because he had a wonderful career and people admired him and loved the work that he did and he never hurt anyone in the process. He taught me that I could do the same thing.A side comment from Jeremy. I certainly agree with this. I have heard it first hand from when Lois used to do interviews.JL: Did you have other friends at KCBS radio and if so, what did you learn from them the years that you worked at KCBS:LM: I had so many friends and colleagues at KCBS Jeremy. All of them were such professionals they were out to tell stories and to tell them from a very strong truthful perspective. All the years I was there no one told us what to say, how to believe, or what to think. They told us to go out there and get the story and to get both sides of the story. There was never one side to a story, it was telling the story as it stands. I learned that and there were a lot of legends working in San Francisco radio at the time you might remember from the San Francisco Chronicle. Herb Cane was still writing at the time and he was powerful as a columnist and he influenced many of the things I covered. All my colleagues were great and good story tellers and they wanted to tell the truth.JL: When you started in radio in Colorado on KOA radio you worked on Colorado’s morning news doing the business reports. You worked with Steve Kelley, April Zesbaugh, and Alan Roach. Who did you take over for on this show and what was your job on this show? What did you learn from them and what was it like working with them?LM: I was working in the mornings doing the business reports. That’s what I was doing first Jeremy of all things on KOA. I was getting up in the morning doing financial news. The one thing I learned was that in radio that you need to do some new and different things. I was doing a lot of sports and news in San Francisco and on KOA radio I was doing financial news. I had to study up on the market and I had to look at all the publications that had to do with business. I very much enjoyed what I was doing and they were a great team. All of them were great. All of them were legends in Colorado. I learned team work from all of them. All of them put a great show together that you want people to listen to. It was a family atmosphere. When people sit down at home or while they are driving to work they feel like they are part of a family or they are with friends. I felt like I was working with friends.JL: When you were waiting for the show to start, Rick Barber was on. Was there anything that you learned from him?LM: You know it was great to come in in the mornings and Rick was there. He was quite the gentleman and a very strong personality. A very kind man. I remember that and I was very sorry to hear of his passing. He was very delightful. You can still listen to his recordings today.JL: Sometimes you worked on the Saturday Colorado’s Morning News Show. You worked with Corey Lopez, Brenda Stewart, John M, Kim Hubbard, Joel Hillan, and others. What was it like working with these people and was there anything that you learned from them?LM: Mainly that everyone was committed to getting a great show on the air as I was. They were wonderful at their craft and they were passionate about telling the stories and being there on time. Each one of those people were fabulous. It was a real pleasure to work with them.JL: That is when I first heard you.LM: That is great. Working weekends isn’t always fun, but You must do it sometimes. It was a good thing for me. I was very glad to be there Jeremy.JL: There were other sister stations in that group one of them being KHOW did you get to know any of the hosts on that station?LM: Not so well. During that time Caplis and Silverman were on that show at that time. I got to know them at that time. JL: Also you got to know Jerry Bell during that time. Was there anything that he taught you and what was it like working with him?LM: Oh my goodness what an amazing man. He was in San Francisco when I was. We knew of each other when I came to KOA radio. He was also at KCBS. He continues to this day as a stellar reporter and a wonderful man.JL: He really is. I love listening to his reports during different news casts. In 2005 Scott Hastings left the show called the Sports Zoo. They were looking for a person or host to work alongside Dave Logan. Were you familiar with Scott? Also how did you get picked for this position?LM: I have no idea. Chris Olinger who was the program director at the time called me and brought me in to meet with Dave Logan Scott and I didn’t know each other. I had done news before on their show as a fill in. I didn’t know the team like that. Dave and I were brought together to look at sports from 2 different angles. He of course being the sports announcer sports athlete and host and myself being the fascinated with sports and having 3 sons that played sports who were all active in sports. I could speak from a fan prospective. I was asked if II could try it out so we auditioned together. It worked! It really worked. It was a wonderful run for 5 to 6 years. JL: Around this time the morning show was going through some changes with Steve Kelley leaving the morning show and Stefan tubs succeeding him. Did you know Steffan and did you learn any tips from him?LM: I knew Steffan and April as a very strong news team . They did a wonderful job hosting that show. I worked so many years as a news anchor myself I brought those skills with me Jeremy. I didn’t know Steffan that well I didn’t lean on him for those kinds of things.JL: What were 1 or 2 of your fondest memories of working on that show from 2005-2011?LM: One of them was the very strange story of the Balloon Boy. The family in Colorado, Karen Lindsay and I worked on that story together. She was the news anchor in the afternoons, and she is a very good friend of mine. That was a very fun thing to work on. The other great thing was to deal with the Bronco’s and the Rockies. Are you kidding? I got to sit and do interviews with some of those players. I got to go to games. I loved every moment of it. I got to watch the team move to the orange crush colors. I was such an orange fan. I loved doing all of that. All these things were huge fun for me as a talk show host.JL: What did you learn from working with Dave? Also when you were working with that show you got to know the hosts that came after you 2 of them in particular were Gunny Bob and Sean Rima. Was there anything that you learned from working with them?LM: I like being with people who are passionate about what they do. Those 2 people were very passionate about what they did. It didn’t matter if we saw eye to eye on everything but, it was great to work with people that were passionate about their shows. I still do. They are fun to listen to. Dave Logan is a legend In himself, isn’t he? It was wonderful to sit alongside him. I think our rapport was fabulous we were able to go back and forth without knowing each other and without trying. It was just a very good comradery. I have nothing but fond memories of that time.JL: I have some very fond memories of that time being a listener as well.LM: We laughed a lot didn’t we? I embarrassed myself a lot on the air Jeremy. It’s true. I had fun doing it.JL: One of my favorite memories was when you did the story of the cologne that smelled like hamburger meet.LM: It smelled like Burger King in the studio. That was funny. I still remember we did the story about Snuggie robes. We did weird things like when the wind affects you.JL: I know you did a whole 4 hour show just on that.LM: People called in about that. Of course you are going to talk about that. JL: During the show also you got to do interviews with Jack Corrigan, Jeff Kingery, and Jerry Schemmel. What did you learn from them?LM: That they know a lot more about baseball than I do. I love baseball I love the Rockies I got to go to the world series games. I got to go to games. My favorite saying with the Rockies was woohoo! It was just fabulous, and I am just so excited about where they are right now Jeremy.JL: Me Too. I am hoping that this year that they go further into the playoffs.Comment from Jeremy Levy. They did go a little bit farther.JL: Did anything surprise you about working on a talk show rather than just a news program?LM: No because I am used to surprises Jeremy. So, in news as well as in talk you just need to go with the flow. I loved being able to talk about important topics of the day, silly topics of the day, and sports topics of the day. The one thing they did at KOA is if there was serious going on than we covered it as well. I feel I got the best of both worlds.JL: Were there any favorite interviews of players or coaches that you interviewed?LM: I always loved going to Cheyenne Frontier days. That was a lot of fun to go up there and meet some famous cow boys. That was so much fun for me. I loved hanging out with people Jeremy. It was really an honor. We had a lot of comedians come through. I had a great team. Amani Ali was our producer and Reid Fisher was behind the glass. It was just a lot of fun.JL: When Dave Logan would be coaching during the football season you would have different co-hosts on the show until he was able to rejoin the show. Some of them being Lou From Littleton, Dave Krieger, Mark Johnson, JJ McKay, Amy Van Dyken, Jon Caldara, Andy Lindahl, and Mike Rice. What was this experience like?LM: They were so much fun. They made my job easy. It was who am I going to work with today. And this is awesome! Every single one of those people brought joy and energy. Also they brought a different prospective to the show. It was a joy and total fun.JL: One of my favorite shows during that time period was when you were co-hosting with Amy Van Dyken.LM: She is so much fun, isn’t she?JL: You were talking about chocolate. And a caller called in saying that he worked in a grocery store and had to give up chocolate.LM: That must have been so hard. I’m glad I have some chocolate cupcakes sitting right in front of us Jeremy and I can’t wait to eat one of them Jeremy.JL: One of my favorite parts of the show was when Reggie McDaniel would come on for his movie reviews for the week. Would you please talk about Reggie and what he brought to the show?LM: Reggie McDaniel you never knew what to expect from that man. He would watch everything. He had an energy a vivaciousness about him. He loved movies. He loved food. And he really enjoyed people. You felt so welcome. You felt at home when you were with him. I took away from him Jeremy I need to always people feel at home. He always did that with me. I never had the suits that he did. I never looked as good as he did. That was his specialty.JL: You had a lot of sports guests on the show. Were there any that stood out as being your favorites?LM: I just enjoyed them all Jeremy. I’m trying to think if I had a favorite. Rod Smith was great because he had a lot of energy. Some of the guests felt like they had to come on. Jay Cutler being a good example. He wasn’t always sure if he wanted to come on. I think everyone had their gifts. JL: in 2009 through 2010 Steve Kelley came back as an alumni of KOA radio and he worked with you for those years while Dave would be coaching . He was doing a talk show format not a news format.JL: What was that like doing a show like that with him?LM: He was delightful and so well rounded. He was really good at asking people questions. He enjoys people. If you love people and you like hanging out with folks, then you are going to do really well in this business. He absolutely has that gift.JL: Karen Lindsay who u mentioned a couple of questions ago was the news anchor for the ride home show. What did you learn from her over the years?LM: She is just a pile of energy. I love that woman. She is funny and resourceful. She loved TMZ so she had those stories from TMZ. She was a really good friend.JL: in 2011 the ride home was making some changes that didn’t include you. Did you know this? And did you get the job in Houston before you knew this?LM: The decisions they were making were internal. They informed me. Then the position opened up at KTRH radio. I could stay in the Clear Channel family.JL: What made you decide to move to Houston?LM: I had 2 sons in college that I had to keep paying their tuition. For me to stay employed it was important for me to keep working.JL: When you were working at KTRH in Houston you worked with Matt Patrick doing news for his show. What was it like working with Matt?LM: That was a different experience for me. I will admit. I loved working with him. He was a professional and he really knew what he was doing. It was a turbulent time in politics. There were lots to cover. Houston is an exciting place even now. My family enjoyed visiting all the wonderful places. It was something I will never forget. The best thing was that I had the best neighbors on the planet. I loved where I lived. I will never forget that Jeremy I’ll never regret living there.JL: There was a woman named Samantha Jordan that helped on that show. What did you learn from her?LM: She was absolutely crazy! She has sons that are in the military. She was a funny woman. She is still on the air in Florida. JL: I knew that you left Houston to help your father with his Alzheimer’s. Did you have to train your replacement at KTRH radio?LM: I did not. They were able to adjust. I was not involved with training or handling my replacement.JL: When you came back to Denver you and Karen Lindsay did an audition show on KHOW for their morning show. How did this come about and what did you think about doing this kind of show?LM: It was great coming back on the air with Karen. She and I had never done a show just the two of us. We were just exploring some possibilities Jeremy and it turned out that it wasn’t the best fit for KHOW We thought it was a great thing for us to audition for that show. We enjoyed doing it very much. We heard that the position was opening, and we put ourselves in the running for it.JL: Dan Mandis was the program director at the time did you know of Dan and did Dan have any expectations of your show?LM: I didn’t know Dan very well.JL: Do you miss being on the radio?LM: I don’t I am very happy with what I am doing now. I think that there are still great people in the radio industry. I am very happy for them.JL: in July this past summer you got to go back into the studio on KOA with April Zesbaugh to do an interview about the more to life podcast and the workshops. What was it like getting back in to the studio with April?LM: It was great. April and I really worked together because she worked mornings, and I worked in the afternoons. It was so fun to go into the studio with her. She is really talented and she really did her research. She was asking us some questions about our workshop. We had just a wonderful time. Shannon Scott was producing that day and he was a really great friend of mine. It was wonderful seeing him as well. That was a really fun experience. April and I just had a great banter back and forth and it was just a wonderful interview. When you are friends with someone and then you don’t see them for a while and then you see them for a while you just pick right back up from where you left off. JL: That’s how I felt when I first met you that I already knew you and we were already friends. What gave you the idea of starting the More to life podcast with Faith?LM: Faith and I have known each other for years. She is a therapist and I am now a life coach. Our years of experience working with people might provide some good information. We came up with more to life with Faith and Lois to look at life when you are in a place for either when you are happy or when you are sad and where you go from there. We want you to know that no one has to stay stuck and the ways to look at life. We explore different topics every week. Weather it is identity, weather it is your dreams. Whether it is considering. We just want to take your experiences and blow them up for you. We just want to remind you that there is more to life.JL: Wat kinds of things have you learned through podcasting?LM: I am glad to be back in this medium that I love and thank you Jeremy for because I love doing this. I haven’t lost my voice. That is probably the biggest piece.JL: What would be your advice for someone wanting to get in to radio or podcasting?LM: Never give up! Stay at it. If that’s really what you want to do, then keep working at it and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.JL: What would your hopes be for your podcasts and for your workshops?LM: We want to continue to influence people’s lives Jeremy and to have our voice out there. We hope that obviously we get more listeners and that people are excited about where we are going. Weather it is working with you in your work place, working with you in your workshop We want you to know that there is more to life and that we are going to keep putting our voice out thereJL: This last question is for me. I am interested in getting into radio and doing some podcasting. What advice would you have for me?LM: To start podcasting To get yourself out there In terms of what your voice sounds like and what it sounds like in an interview setting or straight broadcasting and to take that and to share it with different radio stations and try and find out where will the best fit would be.Thanks for tuning in and go Rockies I am posting this on Rockies opening weekend of 2019. This is one of Lois’s favorite times of the year.