Andrew Boris, host of The Boris Show on Townsquare Classic Rock WPDH/Poughkeepsie, knows a thing or two about local radio. Being local is a slippery concept in radio. Generally, everyone agrees that a local radio show is stronger than a nationally syndicated one. That is unless the local show isn’t entertaining or fails to take advantage of being local by focusing on the local community. But the challenge is putting a finger on what really defines being local. Some shows talk about news and events taking place in the area. Others focus on stories from the hosts’ lives which, naturally, take place in the local community. And there’s always the opportunity to get involved with charitable causes to make a show more ingrained in the city.
If you want to find a show that does all of that and more, the role model for being a truly local morning radio show must be The Boris Show. “The show is hyper local,” says Boris, “We are a conduit for information about the Hudson Valley. If it’s something that’s happening in the area we are talking about it, commenting on it, and taking calls on it.”
Boris has been hosting mornings in the area for a long time. Before taking over the show on WPDH with then co-host Robyn Taylor, he was on in the same daypart on sister station WRRV. He’s seen a lot of change in how information flows, which played a big role in the hyper focus on being local. “Back in the day it was easy to rip a story off the AP wire and be the first to tell listeners what was going on with George Clooney,” he remembers. “Now, by the time people come to us they know everything that’s going on in the world. The only thing we can truly offer is the local angle, on everything.”
While many shows want to embrace a local approach like Boris has, they often have a hard time finding content to talk about. He says the problem could be that they are accidentally dismissing topics that are great for radio. “If it’s something I care about, the listeners probably care about it too,” Boris says. “And I’ve found I really care about things like whether or not that parking lot is going to be closed next week or whether I get utensils with my order from the fast food place.”
He didn’t always see that type of topic as show worthy. “Those are things I would discount in the past as not really being for the air but if you care and you have a good conversation about it, people will want to chime in and talk about it. There really is no topic that’s too small, but that can be a hard thing to get into your head in the beginning.”
Regardless of how big or small, there is a process for bringing any topic to the air and it starts with Boris. “I work out in my head ahead of time what my take on the topic is going to be or what would be a funny take. Then I present it to my co-host during the show. I don’t prepare them ahead of time because their reaction wouldn’t be spontaneous.”
After his long-time co-host Robyn Taylor had to step away from the show for personal reasons — she has since rejoined in a scaled back role — Boris and news person Bobby Welber were joined by a new second chair, Jana Deak, a former TV anchor from Albany. Despite not being from the area, Boris says Deak’s arrival has reinvigorated the local approach to the show. “It breathes life into the show,” Boris exclaims. “There’s all these things we’ve been talking about for the last fifteen years on the show that I can revisit because I now have someone new to introduce them to. It’s like the show started from zero all over again.”
Another big part of the show that helps drive the local feel is the number of guests Boris has on. While many hosts prefer not to bring in guests, Boris welcomes people regularly. “I love guests, especially people who’ve never been on the radio before. I like talking to the kid who can do a Rubik’s Cube with his feet and just got the record or a group that came up with some crazy fundraiser idea.”
With years of practice, he says the process is generally smooth. And if the interview starts to get off track, Boris is ready. “I have no problem politely interrupting people if I can tell they’re going the wrong way.” The result is a tight piece of local content, rarely longer than three or four minutes, and a happy guest. “We always get all the information out and the guests always say ‘that was easy. I didn’t even feel like I was on the radio.'” Boris adds that Jana’s addition has been great for interviews because she has a background in television news. “She knows exactly what questions to ask and when to ask them to keep the conversation going.”
Also bringing the show closer to the local community is their involvement with local veterans’ charities. It started with Tommy Zurhellen, a local vet who walked across the country from California back to his home in the Hudson Valley to raise awareness of veteran suicide issues. “He walked 23 miles a day because that’s the number of veterans who take their lives every day.” It started with Zurhellen calling in during his journey and grew into a commitment to support veterans’ charities in the area, including segueing an annual toy drive into collecting gift cards for veterans at the holidays. “We also do a monthly Vets Than Rock program with $500 going to a different veteran’s-related charity every month.”
While WPDH is in the process of celebrating fifty years on the air, Boris says he’s not very nostalgic and prefers looking forward to and talking about the future of radio. “I don’t think anyone knows exactly what radio will look like in the future, but I do know that local content will be something that becomes even more important as there’s even more clutter out there.” He feels that stations in small and mid-sized markets have a decided advantage, as there are already a lot of people dissecting what’s going on in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. “There’s nothing left to talk about. But here in Poughkeepsie we’re the only ones talking about what’s going on.”
But most importantly, Boris says he plans to keep making radio — in whatever form or fashion it takes — for one exceptionally good reason. “It’s still fun,” he says, which in today’s climate isn’t always easy to remember. So, he works hard to maintain his perspective. “It’s really important to remember that this is a cool, fun job. There’s so much extra stuff I have to do now, but I do it so I can be on the air.” And that’s when it’s all worth it. “When I’m on the air I try to stay focused and in the moment because I know it won’t last forever. I’m just enjoying every minute of it.”
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
