Inside Radio: August 19, 2016

  

For an arranged marriage that can only happen on the radio dial, Brooke & Jubal are sure making beautiful music together. In 2011, Hubbard Radio assembled a new morning team for CHR “MOViN 92.5” KQMV Seattle, comprising standup comedian, radio host, TV personality and comedy writer Jubal Flagg, and established radio personality Brooke Fox. It’s worked ever since.

Brooke had previously hosted what is said to be top 40 radio’s first female-driven morning drive show in Spokane on adult top 40 KZZU-FM and served as MD and morning co-host at Portland’s CHR “Z100” KKRZ.

After No. 1 ratings in 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 in Seattle, Hubbard expanded “Brooke & Jubal in the Morning” to Portland’s CHR “Live 95.5” KBFF in 2015—and in March 2016, the show was picked up by iHeartMedia’s Premiere Networks for national syndication, adding affiliates in Las Vegas, San Antonio, West Palm Beach, Louisville, Peoria and other markets.

In addition to cohosting, Jubal Flagg writes and produces comedy bits and daily topical jokes that are used by radio stations nationwide. As the son of two ministers, the stand-up comedian attributes his quirky sense of humor to, among other things, growing up with the name Jubal. And while working in morning radio for 13 years, Brooke Fox has also appeared on Fox TV’s nationally syndicated entertainment news program “Dish Nation” for three seasons and was voted by Evening magazine as one of the “Top 25 Most Beautiful People in the Northwest.”

The duo talks with Inside Radio about what makes their show click with listeners, and their belief that no matter what market you’re broadcasting in, funny is funny. A freewheeling edited transcript follows.

So, in 2011, the two of you were handpicked as a potential morning duo for ‘Movin’,’ and actually came to the studio as strangers to record a demo. How weird was that?

Brooke: It was a cold day five years ago…(laughs)

Jubal: And I was working at another station across town when [former PD] Maynard called and asked if I would be interested in coming aboard to do mornings here. Brooke and I were asked to do a demo.

Brooke: I thought Maynard was crazy because I had met Jubal once and he was wasted. So now I’m supposed to work with this drunk guy all the time? The funny thing is, I don’t really remember making the demo. I just know they gave us topics to talk about.

Jubal: We came down on a Saturday afternoon and grabbed a bunch of news stories and just talked about them. There wasn’t much prep, it was just about how we sounded together. That’s the way it went down. It felt pretty good. Yeah, we sounded good together.

Brooke: I felt like I had met somebody I could respect in terms of their work ethic and vision. But more important, I thought our timing was really easy. At least from what I remember (laughs).

Jubal: When we started on the air, we had, like, short two-minute breaks so it was impossible to find our groove and figure out what was going to work for both of us. There was a lot of trial and error at the beginning to find a flow and format that worked for us. And what we discovered still works today: We’re loose and casual and willing to make mistakes. Not everything has to be perfect and we can joke about it when we’re not perfect.

Who are you talking to in Seattle and Portland? Who do you see when you talk into the mic?

Jubal: We don’t define a demographic, say, a woman aged 18-34. If you’re just good and you’re funny you can appeal to a wide range of people. People are transient; just like everywhere else, people have moved around and there are a lot of transplants here. Not everyone in Seattle has lived here for three generations. So the world is a melting pot—which is awesome. We’re not targeting one person. If we’re funny, we can be entertaining to everybody. Funny is universal.

Brooke: The goal is always to make someone feel like they’re part of the conversation—but I think most of all, we’re talking and listening to each other.

So you don’t feel like radio in Miami is different than Dallas is different than New York is different than Seattle?

Brooke: I think it goes back to ‘funny works for everybody.’ I really think funny in Miami is funny in Seattle. That’s why we have TV sitcoms that are hits everywhere.

Jubal: Exactly…radio sometimes misses the mark on good programming because they’re trying to super-serve an audience. Like Brooke said, syndicated TV proves that radio can be the same. Entertainment is three-tier, with TV, movies and radio. Pump out good content and everybody is going to enjoy it.

Speaking of universal, what is it about radio that’s effective, cool and fun?

Jubal: Just like stand-up, you can change up your material every night and do things in the moment. Radio is constantly changing and day-to-day, you don’t know where the conversation is going. We are in the moment for four hours every morning….And we’re always willing to make mistakes. Let’s throw it out and try it. Good radio is about the confidence to be willing to bomb.

Brooke, you were a pioneer as a woman in morning drive on CHR radio. There’s a legacy of women on the air, with a lot of AC midday ladies. Do you feel you’ve innovated on the airwaves?

Brooke: You say there are plenty of females on the air out there, but in my experience that hasn’t been the case—in terms of finding work outside of a midday host or a sidekick. I worked really hard and was fortunate to meet open-minded people that have helped me. I don’t believe that a lot of women are given the opportunity to host a morning show.

In this role, I can be confident in what I want to say and how I want to say it. I am able to help Jubal [with the mechanics of good radio in] furthering conversations and leading topics and working toward breaks. In my years in radio, I’ve been told a lot of crappy things—like women don’t like women on the air, and women aren’t funny to audiences, and nobody wants to hear a woman’s voice. Fortunately, this has never been the case with Jubal.

What is your on-air dynamic as a guy and a lady on the air?

Jubal: We’re pretty different. I’m willing to say pretty terrible things on the air sometimes and Brooke, to her credit, is not scared to stand up to it. She has no problem saying, ‘no, that’s ridiculous.’ I can be the voice-of-reason guy, the crazy guy and the wacky idiot guy—but none of this is forced. They’re not written roles. That’s just who we are, which is why I think this works.

Brooke: Jubal can say something horrible but also have a heart. And I’m not tied down to always being the mom in the show. I can talk about how I loved sleeping around in college. We’re not one-dimensional characters. We have been able to escape those clichéd roles.

Jubal: We take a lot of pleasure in not being that polished. I stumble over my words. We run toward any kind of weaknesses we have and make them strengths. We’re professionals, but I think we connect with a lot of people because we sound like real people sitting in a studio making the same mistakes they’re making at their jobs every day.

Brooke: We’re pretty good at self-deprecation.

Radio keeps on keeping on, with 93% of adults tuning in every day. What is the medium’s greatest strength?

Brooke: Radio is intimate. It’s always been that way and still is. There’s something to be said about communicating with people on radio. You hear the caller on the air and think, that could easily be me. It’s timely and it’s fun.

Jubal: There’s still the personal connection. You can get music anywhere, you can find songs in a million places, but you go to your radio in the morning or afternoon and you hear real people. You can’t find your favorite radio personality anywhere else. I think that’s still the leg-up that radio has over so much other technology; there’s a connection between the audience and your friends at the radio station.​​​​