It’s radio. This is a common expression used to describe the uncertainty and unpredictable nature of the radio industry. It’s a phrase used to describe a radio gig that suddenly ends. Unfortunately, it occurs far too often in this business. It happened in late September for Jonathan Zaslow. The Miami sports radio host found out that he was being let go after 18 years and that 790 The Ticket was switching to a Spanish-language talk station.
As you can imagine, the news wasn’t awesome for Zaslow that day. But the guy has rebounded big time. He’s launched the Zaslow Show 2.0 podcast and a YouTube channel while oozing positivity. His upbeat approach is impressive. At first during our chat, I sounded like, “Hey man, I’m sorry your dog died.” That sympathy was met with Tony Robbins-like, motivational speaker excitement from Zaslow. It was pretty cool to hear.
Zaslow talks about his run at the Ticket coming to an end and the exciting new chapter in his career. We also chat about Eddie Vedder, watching the Miami Heat as a fan, and when a host is the most popular. Enjoy!
Brian Noe: Were you caught off guard by getting let go?
Jonathan Zaslow: Yeah, totally off guard. I was actually at QAM for the past year, and the previous 17 years before that I was at 790 The Ticket. Last original employee of 790 The Ticket; I have that moniker. Yeah, I was very surprised about all of it. I was told right after a show that essentially this is my last day, so I was very surprised. Obviously, everyone found out a few days later when 790 The Ticket changed format. I guess I got stuck in the middle of that because you can only have so many shows throughout the day.
So yeah, I was totally caught off guard. I did an Instagram Live a few days later. I told everybody — and I mean this — I’m not mad. I know most of the time when someone gets laid off you’re really mad and maybe even someone in my situation — I was there 18 years, it was the first and only job I’ve ever had out of college.
With that said, everyone hears 18 years; 18 years in radio, that doesn’t even make sense. I’m really grateful. I was obviously disappointed but not mad. I was treated really well when I was there, the whole 18 years. There were several different ownerships throughout that span; I always felt I was treated really well.
I told my wife later that day, it was always going to end like this. That’s the way it goes when you’re in radio, right? I shouldn’t have lasted 18 years, nobody lasts 18 years. It was always going to end like this. It was just a matter of when. I also told her that this is the path I chose. I chose radio. I chose being in this business and this is what happens sometimes, so, not mad. Yes, I was caught off guard. Obviously, disappointed at the time, but I got nothing bad to say.
BN: You have the right attitude. You could easily have some bad feelings, but I don’t think that does you any good if you did.
JZ: People were angry. I get the tweets and even text messages. People I know or what have you. I told everyone I said listen, I’m flattered that you’re mad, but if you do have all that angry energy, then all you have to do is you take that energy and you apply it to the next thing that I’m doing.
Now at this point, everybody knows I got Zaslow Show 2.0. It’s available everywhere you get your podcasts. I didn’t necessarily know that at the time when I said that to people, but I was like you just take all that angry and disappointed energy that you have, and if you really feel that way, you’re just going to apply it to the next thing that I do, and everyone’s going to be happy.
BN: [Quarterback] Ryan Tannehill of all people comes to mind because when the Titans lost to the Bengals in the playoffs, he said it put him in a dark place. After 18 years for you, it’s sort of like a big playoff loss to get let go. How long did it take you to get over it, where you’re focused on the next thing instead of looking backwards?
JZ: Well, the first thing that you think about in my position is I got a wife and two kids. Like I said, 18 years, and I’ve never had to see what’s next. So I got a wife and two kids, and the first thing I’m thinking about is, shit, I got real responsibilities. That was the part where you’re trying to figure out, all right, what am I going to do next? I got to do something, I’ve got real responsibilities here, I’ve got people counting on me.
I got a lot of phone calls that day. I talked for a long time. Dan Le Batard, Jorge Sedano, Evan Cohen, Joy Taylor, Amber Wilson, my former co-hosts, those two. We really talked extensively because I’m tight with all those people. The information they were giving me; I kind of was able to formulate a plan by talking to all these people. They really made me feel good.
You know what I kind of felt like? You’ve seen the movie Private Parts, Howard Stern. I’m a big Howard Stern fan. I kind of felt like when Howard got fired from WNBC, and he’s all upset, and his agent comes in his office with a bottle of champagne. He goes, are you crazy? This is the greatest thing that could’ve happened. We’re celebrating. This is the best day of your career.
Now, I didn’t necessarily feel it was the best day of my career because it was a really shitty feeling that day, but I felt like after talking to all those people, they really made me feel like, yeah, everything’s going to wind up being all right for you.
BN: What were some of the things that Le Batard, Joy, Amber or anybody else, told you that helped you feel positive about the whole thing?
JZ: I think it was the fact that because I’ve been doing this so long, they really let me know that look, a lot of people out there know who you are at this point. There’s going to be other opportunities out there. They’re going to be opportunities that you never knew were opportunities. You’re feeling shitty, obviously, right when you get the news, but they really let me feel that I’ve been doing this long enough that everything’s going to wind up being okay. I think that was really it, that they were confident in my abilities.
Every version of the Zaslow Show has had success. I was doing Zaslow & Joy, then Zaslow & Romberg, then Zaslow, Romberg & Amber, then Zaslow & Amber. And now for the last year, just Zaslow Show. Every version has had at least some kind of success and the constant was me. The point being, which they were helping explain to me was, whatever you wind up doing next, it’s going to be the same thing.
Granted, people right now aren’t hearing me live on terrestrial radio. But so many of those people were hitting the subscribe button on the Zaslow Show podcast, just under the Audacy banner. What’s stopping them from doing the same thing right now? It’s just under the Zaslow Show 2.0 banner. It’s available in the exact same place they were getting it before be it iTunes, or Spotify, or iHeart, or Google, wherever. Joy and Amber especially, really led me to believe, whatever you do, the audience, they’re going to follow you. That made me feel good.
BN: Tell me about the new show, how many times a week are you doing it? What are some of the things that are different than what you were doing before?
JZ: I’m trying to keep it as similar as possible. I’m trying to bring over the same type of bits that I had before. I do big deal, not a big deal. I’m still doing that here every day. It’s how I’m closing out Zaslow Show 2.0. On Friday, I’m going to do big game, not a big game. Eventually get back into big movie, not a big movie. I’m trying to incorporate all my old bits still into the show now, but it’s the same show otherwise.
We’re focusing on Miami sports, but obviously hitting on all the major topics. We’re still talking about music. I love movies. I’m going to mix in pro wrestling. Some people were asking me earlier today, hey, are you going to start having some guests on? It’s obviously not as necessary, at least right now to have guests because I’m doing Monday through Friday, I’m pumping out an hour a day.
I don’t need guests in an hour. I could roll out of bed and do an hour. I’m of the understanding when it comes to podcast listening, I think people are consuming it in smaller doses. I think that seems like a good length for right now. We’ll eventually start doing interviews and uploading that onto the YouTube page.
Also I debuted last Saturday a wrestling show under the Zaslow Show 2.0 banner. The show is called It’s Still Real To Me. I’m really excited about that. I’ve been wanting to do a pro wrestling show for years now. It’s a passion of mine since I was a little boy. Not only is it such a huge industry, but it’s also turned into something that I’m not embarrassed anymore to admit that I love. There’s a place for it now for me to do a show. I’m really excited about that.
BN: What advice would you give to someone who’s currently on terrestrial radio? Like you said, you felt like you didn’t need to research this stuff because you had your job. Do you look at it differently now?
JZ: The one thing I would say is I wish that I was doing some of this extra stuff while I was still on terrestrial radio. I should have been doing all the extra stuff on Instagram, Twitter. I should’ve had a YouTube page years ago. I was so behind the eight ball in that regard. I don’t know, maybe I got complacent. I don’t know what it is, but I should have had a YouTube channel years ago and been uploading content where instead of starting it last week from scratch, I should have already been knee-deep into all of that. And I just wasn’t.
My advice would be no matter how comfortable you feel, no matter how entrenched you are in the local scene in your market, you got to be doing all of the extra stuff. There’s definitely no harm. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not as complicated as maybe I thought two months ago before I’d done any of that kind of stuff. I would say hey, you’re in a good spot on terrestrial radio? You should still be doing all the other extra stuff. It only helps your brand.
BN: What would you say to someone who pushes back and says, look man, I’m making good money. I do my three or four hour show right now. I don’t need to do all of this extra stuff.
JZ: That was me. I would say hey, listen, no matter how good a standing you’re in, look, my bosses always liked me. I had great relationships with everyone that I worked for. I had a show that was popular, and it could still end the way that it did for me. Things happen. It’s a business. I would say, just make sure you’re doing everything you can.
BN: What are your plans to grow the podcast?
JZ: I’m really grateful that when I announced Zaslow Show 2.0 is coming, I got a phone call immediately for a title sponsor. It’s a local law firm down here Anidjar & Levine. They’re accident attorneys. They wanted on board right away. I was so grateful and just super humbled that they wanted on board. I want you on board is what I told them. I was so grateful for that. I really think that gave me a boost of confidence too.
I got some time here to get my footing and establish the audience and all of that. I’m lucky that I have a built-in listenership. I just need to make them aware of what’s going on right now. But I think that really gave me a boost of confidence that there are people who are going to want to get behind the show. That’s the idea that I have the freedom here to do the show the way that I want, and hopefully I’ll have people supporting me.
BN: You hosted Miami Heat pregame, halftime and postgame shows for 12 years. What’s it like to watch the Heat now that things have changed?
JZ: I went to a game for the first time as a fan in 12 years the other week. I saw the Heat play the Raptors. The Heat won. I remember the last time I was in the stands as a fan was the Heat’s home opener in 2010. It was the first year that LeBron was here. That’s the last game I went to as a fan. They beat the Magic that night. I used to be a season ticket holder; it was a 12-year span between going to games as a fan when I went last week. So that was weird.
I liked being able to watch the game with a drink in my hand. I enjoy that. I hadn’t done that in forever. That was fun. I liked being able to stand up and cheer and be into the game. Most importantly, believe it or not, it was the first time I’d ever been to a Heat game with my son.
That’s crazy. That’s wild. Matter of fact, the first game I’d ever watched with any of my sons was the bubble during COVID. We were broadcasting from home that time. That was the first time I ever even watched a game with my son.
But that game last week, it was the first time I’d ever been to a Heat game with my son; it was always my wife taking my two boys. I was able to take my son and his friends to the game. That was a really cool experience. I’m looking forward to doing that more.
BN: What is it about you just being so positive? I haven’t gotten one little tinge of I’m bent about this. This sucks. Why me? None of that. Why is it so positive for you throughout this whole thing?
JZ: I think I feel good about the reaction. When Amber Wilson started doing the show with me, she replaced Joy Taylor. Some listeners were like, you’re not as good as Joy, I miss Joy, when’s Joy coming back, that kind of deal. I would tell Amber, I said listen, you’re never as popular as you are when you leave. Like, you are never as popular. Look, Joy is fantastic, all right, I love that girl. But she was never more popular on my show than when she left. That’s when everyone gives you your flowers.
I got a little bit of that. [Laughs] It was the first time that I left, so I got a little bit of that where I was getting my flowers and everyone was making me feel good. I had never been more loved than now that I’m no longer around. I got a little bit of that and it made me feel good. I think it reinforced that I think I could do something on my own. I think there’s something there. I have a built-in audience.
Overall, people know who I am down here when it comes to sports talk. I grew up in South Florida listening to sports talk here, specifically 560 WQAM. The legends: Hank Goldberg who recently passed away, Jim Mandich who passed away several years ago. I grew up listening to these guys. Then eventually, I got to be one of those voices here in South Florida. I got to do that for a really long time. That part of my life is not going to go away. I’m really fortunate. I’m really grateful for all that.
BN: For the future, let’s say over the next five years, what would you ideally like to accomplish?
JZ: I’d like Zaslow Show 2.0 to be successful and I’d like to do more play-by-play. I was able to dip my toes into the water the last couple seasons filling in for Mike Inglis on occasion and filling in for Jason Jackson on occasion with the Heat. I did some play-by-play; I have a lot of room to grow, obviously, but I did it at the highest level in the NBA. I’d like to be able to do more of that. I’d like some opportunities there. We’ll see where that goes.
Doing shows nationally, I think there could be a place for me there. Maybe it’s NBA-based because that’s my bread and butter. Or maybe it’s just doing some version of the Zaslow Show. Who knows, maybe it’s getting back together with one of my former partners too, and doing something in that vein. I’d be open to that as well.
There’s a feeling also of excitement. I like the idea of something new. I’d like it a lot more to know that okay, there’s going to be something new and everything’s going to work out. I’d like to be able to add in the last part. I can’t add in the last part yet, but I like the idea of something new. There’s an exciting element to that.
BN: If you could pick any guests to be your first guest — wrestling, sports, anybody — who would be the person?
JZ: I do kind of feel like, all right, it can’t just be someone random. I’ve never talked to him before. I’m obviously a massive fan. I don’t know how this would happen. I got close one time years ago, it just didn’t work out. Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. That’s like the white whale. I’m a massive Pearl Jam fan. Everybody knows that.
I saw them at the Garden two months ago. We flew up, me and my son, it was my 25th time seeing them; not that it’s a competition. But I would love to have Eddie Vedder. If Eddie Vedder were the first guest, if he’s out there, if he reads Barrett Sports Media, I would love to have you on. That’d be great.
BN: [Laughs] It’d be hilarious if that’s what clinched it. Eddie Vedder is just a huge reader of Barrett Sports Media.
JZ: That’s right. I know he’s a huge basketball fan. He’s a huge baseball fan. He loves the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls. Maybe he also likes sports media, you know?
BN: [Laughs] For sure. Well, I’m happy for you, man. I’m excited for this new thing you got going on.
JZ: Thanks. Yeah, it’s fun so far. We’re only the first week in, but it’s fun. I feel a sense of accomplishment after it all uploads and everything. I did that. I edited it. I produced that. I added the music. I did that. I do feel a sense of accomplishment where my wife can say what did you do today? And it wasn’t just, caught up on my shows. I watched a little bit of Monday Night Raw. No, now I can actually say I accomplished something and it’s out there in the world for everyone to hear.
Brian Noe is a columnist for BSM and an on-air host heard nationwide on FOX Sports Radio’s Countdown To Kickoff. Previous roles include stops in Portland, OR, Albany, NY and Fresno, CA. You can follow him on Twitter @TheNoeShow or email him at bnoe@premierenetworks.com.
