Turn on conservative talk radio on any given day, and you’re likely to hear discussions about immigration, the ethics of busing immigrants to far-flung cities, and the acrimony between states led by Republican Governors and the federal government. Many of those issues have come to a head in the state of Texas. Joe Pags has a front-row seat to all of it.
The Joe Pags Show — based at 1200 WOAI in San Antonio — is heard on more than 170 stations as part of a syndication deal with Compass Media Networks. And while many view the current political situation as a talking point, Joe Pagliarulo is watching the happenings unfold live and up close.
“It’s interesting because it appears to be this is where the battle is between the federal and the state. And I don’t believe that those who are on the ground see it that way. In other words, the Texas National Guard doesn’t see the Border Patrol as an enemy. But when it comes to the laws regarding nationalization and immigration, Texas is certainly on the front line. And I think that politicians want to pretend there’s a fight, but there’s not,” said Pags.
“I think from 30,000 feet up, people think that there’s a tête-à-tête going on here in Texas. There’s really not. The residents, the Border Patrol, the National Guard, they all want something to happen to fix the border, but yet being in Texas, we’ve got sort of a closer view of it, and maybe a better understanding of what the story is. But we certainly are ground zero.”
Despite being in Texas and having a frontline view of the issues, Joe Pags doesn’t believe that fundamentally changes his show in any way, however.
“Being here certainly gives me a better perspective, I think then than others who might be in bigger cities in the Northeast or out on the West Coast. I don’t think that it changes the show other than I think we have a better understanding about what it is federal versus state than I think somebody in the middle of the country might have,” said Pags. “I think that the visual that was given to most people through radio and other means was that the Border Patrol and the Texas (Department of Public Safety) were at a standoff and they might start shooting at each other. None of that was going to happen.
“The bottom line is we want the border to be fixed. It doesn’t matter if you left or right or you live in Texas or don’t. And I think that in Texas, we have a better understanding that they really do all like each other — the law enforcement — and they want to see a solution.”
Before Joe Pags became a talk show host, he was a TV news anchor for 14 years, working at stations in Saginaw, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Lansing, Michigan, as well as in Albany, New York before diving into talk radio full-time.
And while his time as a local news anchor was a successful one, the enticement of providing commentary and talking about the day’s issues — rather than report on them — was too much to ignore.
“I knew how to do that job, but there really wasn’t a whole lot of fun other than ‘Hey, it’s gonna snow tomorrow. What do you think Steve?’ There wasn’t a whole lot there that you can show personality and show any opinion at all, to be honest,” Pags said. “When I started doing (talk radio), getting out of that shell of you don’t have to just be ‘Here are the facts. What do you think it?’ it can be ‘Here are the facts and here’s why it made me laugh’ or ‘Here are the facts and here’s why it made me emotional’, ‘Here are the facts and here’s why I think this is important for you.’
“Injecting opinion, and getting away from the straight news — ‘Don’t waver from the news’ — that was hard. And I didn’t really develop it, I just let it happen, to be honest. I had conversations off the air that I thought were funny or interesting or educational, and then I would bring those on the air, and it just started working.”
While working as a TV news anchor, Joe Pags was a heavy talk radio consumer. And while he doesn’t emulate anyone else, he did point to two hosts he spent the bulk of his time with, and they could not be on more opposite ends of the spectrum.
“My favorite talk show host — and he’s gone now — was Neil Rogers. Neil Rogers was a guy who was a liberal, gay, white guy in South Florida and we didn’t agree on much of anything politically. But he had me laughing. He had me listening for four hours a day from 10 AM to 2 PM,” said Pags. “My job at the time that — I was 18 or 19 — was driving a truck, and I listened to him all day. The guy was hilarious. I’d never know what he’s gonna say next. When he interviewed people, it was hilarious. The guy really kept me riveted.
“And of course, everybody loves Rush (Limbaugh). Take a guy who set a blazing path on conservative talk radio and was very entertaining as well in rush, and you take Neil Rogers, this guy who was on the opposite end, politically, and I loved both of them. If you can, you could do something that’s entertaining, that’s interesting that isn’t so polarizing that it stops people from listening, you can be a talk radio host. I don’t mold or model my show after them — I’ve got my own personality, my own style — but in hearing them do it, those two would be the two that I would point to (as biggest influences).”
And while Joe Pags points to two Radio Hall of Famers as the shows he listened to the most as a talk radio listener, one specific trait from the hosts was passed on to the nationally syndicated host through the speakers.
“If I don’t come off as authentic, they don’t listen. They’re gonna leave,” Pags posited. “I didn’t agree with Neil Rogers on anything. I wouldn’t shut it off. That guy was an amazing broadcaster. So, if I’m not my authentic self, then why are they listening? They can listen to any number of other talk radio hosts out there. I mean, I think there are 5,000 estimated in the country when you add podcasts and everything else in.
“Why choose me? Why am I so high on somebody’s list? It’s because I’m just a guy who’s going to be who he is, and gonna make fart jokes every once in a while and talk about important issues out of Washington. You’re gonna get my authentic self every time, even if you disagree. You’re getting who I am. So I think that it’s vital.”
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
