Your Career: Phil Hendrie Gets Real About Radio

From Gary Lycan for ocregister.com

Phil Hendrie is known for his creative use of fictional characters on his programs – but when it comes to talking about the state of the radio industry, he is all reality.

"There are so many land mines to negotiate," he said when asked what he would tell persons who want to break into talk radio. He adds bluntly, "You will have a very difficult time finding your own voice because you are told by the imbeciles that you need to be conservative or liberal.

"Why do you have to call yourself one thing or the other? I remember KMPC when it did talk and it would say it was talk radio for women. Why? You want a lot of listeners, why push others away. We need to be more than this finite thing," he said.

Hendrie, 58, saw the handwriting on the wall and was smart to branch out beyond radio. Yes, he's on Denver's KTLK/1150 AM live 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and repeated 1 to 3 a.m. weekdays, and on LA's KFI/640 AM from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Talk Radio Network syndicates him nationwide. But he's happiest with the success he has had – as his own boss – at his Internet site www.philhendrieshow.com. It offers podcasts, videocasts, webisodes, and his archived shows – all for a subscription fee. His business model is not only proving to be a success, it doesn't rely on having to deal with corporate ownership.

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