Hot Seat: Media Monday with broadcast journalist Rocco Garro 8/5/24
For more on the Hot Seat: Media Monday, visit our show page.
In this episode of Hot Seat: Media Monday, WKAL 1450 AM Talk Radio’s Rocco Garro discusses his career in journalism. He started in the business at 1010 WINS, New York City’s iconic radio station. After moving back to the area he worked at several local radio stations and now hosts the WKAL 1450 AM morning show every weekday from 6:15 AM to 9 AM. The station is online at WKAL1450.com/, Facebook.com/WKAL1450/, and WKAL, 1450 AM, Rome, NY | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn.
Rocco got his first job in radio on the day after Thanksgiving 1987, doing the traffic report at New York City’s 1010 WINS.
Rocco on how he puts together a news report for morning radio. He starts at 5:30 AM, gathering reports from wire services, websites, and news releases. He begins with local first, then state, then national news; then he includes public service information. It cannot be done the night before because the news changes overnight.
Rocco on the news he watches. He praises WKTV and WUTR’s news programs and NewsChannel 2 Meteorologist Bill Kardas. “My news comes from people like that,” he says.
Rocco on what makes a good guest and how he prepares guests who are making their first appearance in local media. “Getting them over mic fright in the first 30 seconds” is the first hurdle.
Ron Klopfanstein is an award-winning multimedia investigative journalist, news and features editor, and creative content producer for the Utica Phoenix digital platform and 95.5 FM “The Heat” broadcast and streaming. He also hosts Hot Seat: Media Monday every Monday at 5 pm, broadcast on 95.5 FM and streaming at 955TheHeat.com. Like him at Facebook.com/ReadRonKlopfanstein, Follow him at Threads.net/@RonKlopfanstein, Instagram.com/RonKlopfanstein, Twitter.com/RonKlopfanstein, Tiktok.com/@ronklopfanstein, and subscribe to his channel at YouTube.com/@RonKlopfanstein. Read all his work at Muckrack.com/ron-klopfanstein.
