My 2012 Return to Radio

I returned to Sacramento radio when Mike Lidskin of Twirl Radio interviewed me on Jan. 14, 2012. Twirl Radio is a regular Saturday afternoon show (4-6p PT) on Access Sacramento station 88.7 The Voice, which delivers a wide variety of community programming. The last time I was on the air in town was in 1999. Robin Gage, who produced the early 1990s video show I co-hosted, was also there to videotape the interview.

The show was fun, relaxed and suspenseful all at the same time. It was fun being back on the air for the first time since 2006, when I did shows in San Francisco and Palm Springs. It was relaxed because that's just the way we both are. But it was also suspenseful as we kept track of the close 49er-Saints playoff game that the 49ers ultimately won. Somehow we managed to keep everything under control, culminating in celebration.

The two hours went by quickly. Mike asked me lots of questions and I talked a lot, probably the most at one time in my radio career besides interviews I did with rock stars. The video begins about a half hour into the interview as Mike and I talked about Debora Iyall, the singer of Romeo Void, who had national hits in the 80s such as "A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" and "Never Say Never." Debora moved to Sacramento a few years back and I mentioned how I met her last summer at Harlows and that I was all for national acts moving to Sacramento. I mentioned artists whose careers I helped accelerate while at KWOD.

I explained how the radio industry had moved from local culture to nationalized programming due to the Telecom Act of 1996, which opened the door for big biz to buy out nearly half of all radio stations in America. Mike noted he sensed a difference at that time, how programming shifted to a much more commercial presentation. Part one of the interview deals mainly with my radio background and the industry while part two blossoms into more of my post-radio work including my music project Tangent Sunset, creating Sacramento's first 24 hour internet station, SacLive, and launching SacTV.com.

Alex Cosper
Founder/Owner,
SacTV.com