MAY 6, 2019 RADIOINK•COM 19
Boomer. That’s a unique situation. In no
way has there been anything that has
happened in radio that is the exact same
scenario or events. I have a strong belief
that if I went in and was like, “This is
what we are doing,” etc., I would not be
talking to you.
Radio Ink: How did you get so good at
doing impressions of the WFAN staff?
Giannotti: This is something I’ve done
my entire life. In the fourth grade I would
mimic the teachers. In middle school, I
would do the principal’s voice and make
people laugh. In college, it continued — I
would observe people and mimic them.
In Pittsburgh, the midday show was Vinny
& Cook. They had distinctive voices. I
was able to develop an impersonation of
them. They still ask me to do it when I’m
a guest on their show.
Joe Benigno is the one I do the best.
The reason is because I was around
him the most, soaking up “Joe Benigno-
isms.” He is very predictable as well; he
says the same things with a particular
cadence and voice. I don’t really work on
an impression. I hear something, and one
day I just do it. Sometimes it’s good, and
other times not. The more I do it, the bet-
ter I get at it.
Radio Ink: You said you grew up listen-
ing to Mike & The Mad Dog, and now
you are at the same station, doing an
impression of Mike Francesa.
Giannotti: It’s one of the many impres-
sions I do. Sometimes it comes across as
unflattering, but it’s satire, imitation. It’s
taking the things about somebody you
might laugh at and accentuating them.
A lot of people hear the impressions I do
of them and laugh, but Mike is a differ-
ent guy.Radio Ink: What would you like to see
radio management do better when
they deal with talent?
Giannotti: Early on in my career, I wish
that we could have had more productive
conversations during airchecks. When I
was younger, I wanted the PD to sit down
and give me an opinion, and I wanted to
give my opinion, maybe come to common
ground and learn from one another.
I do not think that happens a lot. I
think the PD believes his philosophy is
100 percent right, and they are going to
tell you how to do it. I would get in argu-
ments that way — just because I haven’t
done this for a long time doesn’t mean I
don’t have a strong opinion.
So, more collaboration with young
talent, not just talking to them but to
cultivate them, that needs to happen
more. I would get discouraged in my
early career when my opinion was not
heard. Even now that I’ve been on the
air for almost 10 years, I still want man-
agement to let me know what they’re
thinking about the show, good and bad.
It’s not always about ratings, revenue, or
sponsorships.
I like feedback from people I respect.
I like to hear from people. I want to sit
down and talk about the craft of radio. At
this point, doing drivetime in the biggest
market, it’s one of those things: “Well,you’ve gotten to this point. I’m not going
to give you any feedback.”
It does not mean I will agree with every-
thing that is said. I like to talk about content
and the craft of radio, more than what I get
now. I know people are stretched thin, and
it’s a compliment that you’re not hearing
from your PD about the content and there’s
nothing they feel is alarming. I just like
talking about the work I do with the people
I respect. If I was a PD, I would judge my
talent and see who the ones are who want
to be left alone and those who want more
hands-on. Just because things are going well
does not mean you should not have conver-
sations about how things are going.Radio Ink: Advice to kids who want to
do what you did?
Giannotti: It has to be the most pas-
sionate thing in your life as far as your
career goes. If not, there are a lot of
obstacles and things that will knock you
off course. I remember some of my peers
who did not have the same passion I did
and ended up getting out of the business.
They are successful in their own fields.
I would get frustrated, but my passion
overrode that. I started out wanting to be
a music teacher, but I was not passionate
enough about it. Nothing could derail my
focus for radio because the passion was
there.
It’s all about dedication and avail-
ability. I would have never been in the
situation to capitalize on the opportuni-
ties had I not been passionate. Any shift
offered to me, I took, because I wanted to
be reliable.
A lot of kids might be like, “I have
a party to go to, so I don’t want the
overnights.” You have to take a portion
of your life and dedicate it to a craft if
you’re serious.
The only thing I regret is I missed my
dad’s 60th-birthday party because I did
not want to turn down a board op shift.
I never turned down a shift they offered
me. I became reliable in the eyes of the
important people making the decisions.
I worked myself up because they knew
I cared about what I was doing. There’s
no dipping your toe in the water when it
comes to the entertainment business. You
have to show you will do anything so they
know you’re reliable.Gregg Giannotti with Joe Benigni of WFAN’s Joe & Evan