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Revision as of 02:38, 4 June 2008 by Lizwilde (talk | contribs) (→History)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Liz Wilde (born Anne Whittemore on October 27, 1971) is an American radio personality known for her shock jock radio show.
History
Liz Wilde, American radio personality, began her career interning for WYSO and WDAO in Dayton, Ohio area, first doing call-in voices and requests, sweeping floors, and getting coffee for the Jocks she interned for at around the age of 14. Liz helped to cohost and produce a progressive jazz show at WYSO/Antioch College, and played many a Miles Davis album while the host disappeared for long periods of time, leaving the show to her. She claims "Rhapsody In Blue" is one of her favorite albums because it's associated with large amounts of adrenaline surges due to the host just leaving her there alone in the studio. Then Liz went on to graduate high school early with honors, and do some extensive cross country traveling with her mother, Rachel, to show Liz that Yellow Springs, Ohio was a fairly unique, artistic, hippie, intellectual utopia that most of America did not reflect.
Liz decided to attend college in Key West, Florida, much to her scholarly father's disapproval ( Paul wanted her to attend an Ivy League school), where a co-member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society suggested that she go to a radio station and read some commercial copy. Within a week, Liz had her own afternoon drive show on WIIS, Key West, Florida. The technology allowed her to play reel to reel tapes of pre-programmed music, so Liz regularly had the more colorful people of Key West into her studio which helped to define her signature style of "anything goes" broadcasting today. Liz also received fan mail from Cuba which she regularly read on the air, detailing its resident's life under the Castro regime, and family stories of the madness and courage of the Mariel Boat Lift era. A relativley unknown treasure hunting dive team had also been assembled around this time in history, headed by businessman Mel Fisher. Work began on the "Atocha" dive, and several crew members including Mel, would bring by artifacts they found that day to discuss on the air and let steam off from long days in the sun under dangerous conditions. Gold and silver bars, broken clay vessels, priceless jewels, and salty sailors passed through the Liz's studios at WIIS and WAIL95.
After 3 years at WIIS (FM107), she moved to WAIL95/99, Key West to do her first own morning show where she performed until August 1988. She sent her demo tapes out all over the country and got many responses, but decided that WSHE 103.5/Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, "She's Only Rock and Roll", was a safe bet, being just 200 miles to the north, which Liz could sometimes hear the signal to.
In 1989, Program director David Grossman renamed her "Liz Wilde", and she broadcast an evening show directly following Rhandi Rhodes. Around this time, a local club favorite, Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids played clubs that Liz did weekly Friday broadcasts from (The Button South, City Limits). A freelance journalist who wrote for local rock magazines took a liking to Liz's outrageous on air antics and wrote about her show and the abrasive language and themes that she used. The journalist's name was Brian Warner, a.k.a., Marilyn Manson. Both were masters of "shock-rock" in their own right.
With the addition of the "Cream Cheese Bitch" moniker and very edgy talk schtick, Liz's ratings soared through the roof and she found that she could write her ticket anywhere in the genre. Liz chose Boston, Massachusetts, WAAF to perfect her craft of theater of the mind, rock/talk radio, where General Manager Bruce Mittman and Program Director Ron Valeri allowed her to experiment.
Liz Wilde started her New England career in rock/talk radio with a highly rated evening show, quickly moving to afternoon drive-time on WAAF-FM in Boston, Massachusetts from 1990-1995. Under the guidance of program Director Ron Valeri, Liz was the first female to pioneer what is now known today as the "FM talk format".
Wilde moved to WLUP in Chicago, Illinois.
She followed Joanathan Brandmier and Danny Bonaduce on the LUP, where Operations Manager and broadcast visionary, Jimmy DiCastro, put together a legendary line-up, again touting and defining the genre of FM talk, before Infinity Broadcasting went national with it some years later with their stable of syndicated personalities. When Liz's one year deal was up, she decided that an opportunity in morning drive was better suited for what she wanted to accomplish, and she accepted an offer for her own morning show in Miami, Florida, at WPLL, Planet radio, for Paxson Broadcasting, where she could again spread her wings.
She signed a million dollar deal with Nationwide Communications to join rock-and-roll powerhouse station WMMS 100.7FM in Cleveland, Ohioto compete against Howard Stern in mornings, where she tied and/or beat him in most dayparts, seldom ever accomplished, especially by a female driven show.
Upon the sale of WMMS, Liz moved back to Miami, to broadcast a racy afternoon drive show on 940 WINZ, Supertalk 940 for Dave Ross and Clear Channel Communications. The Miami market enjoyed many extreme, comedic live broadcasts, including one of "radio legend" with comedian Dave Chapelle at a local beach resort shortly before his meteoric rise to fame with Comedy Central, who also reigns from Yellow Springs, Ohio. Some more notorious guests at this time included comedian Jim Bruer from Saturday Night Live, Fred Durst of Limp Biscuit, Ron Jeremy, Teri Weigel, Leslie Nielson, and many other classic signature broadcasting moments. It was from this platform of "controlled chaos" that The Liz Wilde Show became poised for national syndication with Fisher Entertainment.
Her show also aired on KYNG/KLLI, the talk that rocks Texas in the Dallas/Fort Worth,Texas market, and most recently on WRXK in Ft. Myers, Florida from November 2004 till March 2006.
In 2001, Wilde's show was nationally syndicated by NBG Radio Network from their studios in Portland, Oregon debuting on eventually over 30 stations including KOTK in Portland. Liz also broadcast on a multi platform basis, with daily simulcasts on the web as the show was live on the air nationwide, a fledgling technology at the time.
Liz Wilde is currently writing her autobiography detailing her many colorful stories about rock and roll and acting celebrities, her dark journey of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and relationship co-dependency, and her journey of recovery through Christianity and pastoral studies that to lead her back "INTO THE LIGHT-Stories of an American Shock Jock" (book title). Liz will begin her multi-media tour of the united states in Fall 2009.
References
- Bickelhaupt, Susan (March 16, 1992). "ROCK RADIO GOES RAUNCHY". Boston Globe.
- ^ Feder, Robert (February 23, 1995). "Female Shock Jock To Join Loop Lineup". Chicago Sun-Times. Cite error: The named reference "suntimes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- "PLANET RADIO'S A.M. PERSONALITY BLASTS OFF TO NEW JOB IN CLEVELAND". Miami Herald. January 24, 1997. pp. 3B. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- "NBG Radio Network Signs Agreement With Fisher Entertainment For The Liz Wilde Show". Business Wire. Retrieved 2008-05-30.