“Valentine in the Morning” began in 2007 on 104.3 MYFM in Los Angeles shortly after the station flipped from Rhythm AC to Hot AC. Valentine also spent over ten years at sister station KIIS-FM doing nights and afternoons.
When the show launched, it featured Sean Valentine and Irma Blanco. Over the years, people have moved on, and today the show’s producer is Brian Burton. The one constant on the show is Jillian Escoto (Ong). She started as a phone op at KIIS, stayed with the show, and waited for her moment. Now, she’s been the co-host since 2013.
The show characters consist of Jill, the smart, funny, and incredibly relatable (to the key demo) “Heart of the Show,” says Valentine. “Brian, our producer, has fantastic comedic timing and is a father of three. Jon (Comouche) brings a strong musical pulse while connecting with a younger generation. Laura (McMillan), our social media director from Australia, wowed iHeart LA from day one. And me? I’m a dad, a husband, a son, and an occasional storyteller.”
“We’re pretty active as a show in the community — charity events, volunteering, and advocacy: MS Society, Alzheimer’s Association, USO, American Cancer Society. From building homes in Mexico to unloading food trucks in LA, we try to show up where we’re needed and host many events in the community. LA offers endless ways to give back.”
“We’ve also had success with live events. Second Chance Prom is a favorite of ours. We do a big Girl Scout cookie buy, donate laptops to schools, make over teachers’ lounges, and end the year with a listener party at Knott’s Berry Farm. I’m also a big USO guy—I’ve done over 10 overseas tours to entertain the troops. I’d love to get iHeart behind me to do even more of those shows.”
What makes the show unique is the foundation it’s built on. “We’re live, local, real, and now!” insists Valentine. “We embrace the nowness of the moment. People tuning in are giving us their most valuable resource—time. In a city like LA, where people live in their cars, that time is everything. With so many choices available, we never take it for granted when people choose us. I always feel that the cars traveling up and down those freeways have a story to tell, and you really never know what others may be going through.”
“Honesty and truth have always been our anchor. Any long-running show knows that connection. Dave Ryan, Mojo, Ellen K, Kraddick, Elvis—they’ve all built careers on honest relationships with their audience. Listeners still talk to me about when we opened up about IVF 17 years ago. They remember the day we went for Leilani’s egg retrieval, and so many connect when I talk openly about my mom’s Alzheimer’s.”
“We all have so much more in common than we think. When you ask listeners to share their stories, you have to be willing to share yours. I love what Bobby Bones says: ‘We’re all just sitting around a little breakfast table with microphones.’ That’s exactly it. Inviting friends to stop by.”
Valentine admits that some of the show’s benchmarks are a little “Old School,” but they work. “Battle of the Sexes always performs well,” he says. “We also try to play a self-deprecating, made-up ‘dumb game’ three times a week. ‘First Sip’ offers a motivational moment over a cup of coffee, and Comouche’s Court is a favorite too.”
There is no shortage of natural disasters in Los Angeles: fires, mudslides, droughts, and earthquakes. I asked Valentine how they handle these situations on air.
“Tragedy is best met with honesty and calm,” he says. “I’ve lived through 9/11, school shootings, fires, earthquakes, and so much more. But it’s not just ‘me’ on the air and social, it’s ‘us.’ We’ve all had our go bags packed. We’ve watched the flames on the hills and seen friends and co-workers lose homes. Sixty families lost their homes at my son’s high school. So, yes, you go into service mode, but shared experience is what connects us. You show up for each other and give the empathy that we all have as human beings. Panic has no place on the mic, but support, resources, and real-time information do.”
“At its heart, radio is companionship. We’re a friend on the other side of the speaker—or the phone. That’s never lost on me. During the LA fires, I would fill in from 3 to 5 AM on KFI before heading upstairs to do our show.”
As for what’s missing in the industry, “Looking ahead, we all need to think about the future of this industry,” says Valentine. “Storytelling from all sides. Listening to new voices. Not change for its own sake, but for what it can add. We need to hear other voices in the room, be open to fresh ideas, AND yes, sometimes tap into decades of experience lol. (I know stuff!).”
“There’s a train coming—and we have to be on it. Understanding how younger generations engage with our platforms. I pay attention to how fast people scroll past a reel or flip the dial. That’s free research. But no matter the tech or medium, I hope storytelling and connections aren’t going anywhere.”
“One thing I’ve noticed among Gen Z—they celebrate each other,” adds Valentine. “I’ve seen my son repost a friend’s concert photo just to show love. No agenda. Just support. How many of us do that for other shows? Not enough. Menace here in LA is a great example of someone who lifts others up without hesitation.”
“If we keep showing up—on socials, on podcasts, on air, in digital—as real friends, this thing we love called radio will keep its heartbeat. Platforms may change, but companionship through audio is real. I don’t believe AI can replace that. (Though for the record, I did give my ChatGPT a name.)”
“And finally, iHeart loves research, and so do I. But some of the best research is just observation. Listener behavior. Social trends. The world around us. Study the data—but ask the right questions. It’s hard sometimes for big business to let us fail when there are so many $$$ riding on it…but that was important to me as a young talent-taking chances.”
“I grew up working at three radio stations at once—juggling cue cards for call letters. I would work for Tom Poleman at KC-101, run to 96 TIC FM, then off to Q-105. It was a lot. Many of our listeners juggle multiple jobs, too, yet finding balance matters. It also gives you stories to share. When it’s all said and done, I’m not going to say I wish I had more time with my Vox Pro.”
That being said, “Jill just got married and wants to start a family,” explains Valentine. “Jon moved in with his girlfriend. Laura’s engaged. Brian’s raising three kids who speak Spanish better than he does. And my wife and I have a 17-year-old son deep in college search mode. We still have so many moments to share with our listeners. One of the most common unaided responses we get: ‘We feel like we’re part of your family.’ That’s because… they are.”
Follow Valentine on Instagram @Go4Valentine and @ValentineInTheMorning.
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Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talent, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. She is also a Voice Actor and Voice Over Talent as well as a Freelance Writer for International Broadcast Outlets. Find her at @MCMediaOnline or www.mcmediaonline.com.
