20 Questions With... Phil Cowan |
You may know him
as simply "Phil", of Y92.5's morning show "The Paul and Phil
Show". Phil Cowan and Paul Robins are the longest-running
radio show in the Sacramento area, where you can hear them
every weekday morning from 5:30 - 8:30 AM. They have also
hosted a successful program "The Answer Guys" on the Discovery
Channel, as well as a not-so-popular late night show on FOX in
1987, which lasted 4 weeks! They both have a long career in
the media, however since Phil lives in Folsom, we decided to
give him a spin on... 20 Questions (Sorry, Paul!).
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1. First things first... how did you get in to radio?
By sheer chance. Paul Robins (my current radio partner),
Paul Kinney (a local writer and producer) and I had a
three-man stage act and were trying to earn a living any
way we could, as long as it involved trying to be funny.
Robins had done some stand-up, Kinney had worked as a jock
in Santa Rosa, and I was... well, I was their big, goofy
friend they dragged along for reasons unknown. One of the
things we managed to do was write and produce some radio
commercials for money, and the GM at KPOP-FM had seen us
at Laugh's Unlimited, had heard the commercials, and asked
us if we wanted to try morning radio. It had never
occurred to me to go into radio, it just sort of happened.
That was 1984, and except for a couple of diversions into
television, one of which was really quite infamous, it's
what I've been doing ever since.
2. Any other DJ's you look up to or admire?
Not too many, really. Jose Reynoso and Armando Botillo,
who have been on the air here a lot longer than we have,
are great guys and genuine professionals. And I've always
been a fan of Don Bleu in San Francisco.
3. Who's the worst driver? Paul or Phil?
Phil, hands down. Paul drives a hot sports car that he's
taken to drive at a track and all that stuff, he's into
driving. I'm... easily distracted.
4. What's your opinion of Folsom today as compared to when
you moved here?
My family moved to Folsom ten years ago, and even with the
turbo growth and all the headaches that accompany it, we
still consider it a good move. It's been a great place to
raise kids, and although some day down the road I'll need
to retire to someplace less crowded, right now I'm quite
content here. |
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5. What do you feel is Folsom's best kept
secret?
The Gold Miner Cafe.
6. What do you do when you're not doing the Paul & Phil
Show?
The same kind of stuff any guy with a house and four kids
does, mostly. I do read a lot.
7. How has the radio industry changed since you started?
When we started out, there were still strict federal
regulations regarding station ownership, so that no single
company could own more than a very limited number of total
stations, something like ten or twelve, and only one AM &
one FM in any one market. Now we work for a company (Clear
Channel) that owns 1,200 stations, and that's just in the
U.S. They also own stations in Latin America, Australia,
and who knows where else. Very few stations in a market
the size of Sacramento are owned by local business
interests, and it was the local element that made
broadcasting fun and different. Local broadcasters
approached their role in the community differently than do
the multi-nationals now running the business. Now it's all
about corporate revenue production, and a lot of the fun
and glamour is missing, but it's not like I can complain. I
still get to do this for a living, instead of actually
working. Like with a hammer or something.
8. Where do you see yourself in 10, 20 years?
Long retired from radio, living in the foothills. Or maybe
Australia. Or both, as if I were expecting to retire well.
9. Do you have any hobbies?
I'm not a real hobby kind of guy. I like to travel,
particularly by automobile, and I enjoy dinking around
with those new-fangled digital photographs.
10. When do you get up in the mornings?
Four A.M. Never have gotten used to it, either. |
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11. What is your guilty pleasure?
Professional wrestling. It still cracks me up on occasion.
The bad melodrama. The bad acting. Very entertaining
stuff. I was also once highly entertained in Texas at a
show that featured high-diving mules, and for the big
finale a mule jumped in from about twenty feet up with a
little monkey on his back. I suppose I should feel guilty
about that.
12. What bugs you about Folsom (other than traffic)?
That it's built on top of a big rockpile. Digging holes in
one's yard is no fun here.
13. Where do you go (out of town) when you want to get
away?
After never going to Hawaii until I was in my forties, my
family is headed back there for the third time next year,
and a drive through the Southwest is always a treat for
me, probably my favorite scenery.
14. What is in your CD player right now?
Believe it or not, the Irish hip-hop trio House of Pain.
It was either that or the new Cake album.
15. At what point does Christmas music become irritating
to you?
Usually the moment we start playing it at the station,
because we always start w-a-a-a-y too early.
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16. If you could open up a store in
Folsom, what would you sell?
Fabric. This town needs a fabric store.
17. Biggest regret in life?
That I didn't take school more seriously. I might actually
have been capable of doing something worthwhile.
18. What is your proudest achievement in life?
Remaining happily married for the last 21+ years.
19. Favorite Kings player?
Doug Christie. He plays a scrappy, yet very dignified
game, if that makes any sense. And he popped Rick Fox. How
can you not love that?
20. What is your favorite website (other than MyFolsom.com
;-)?
http://www.thepaulandphilshow.com, of course. |
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