By Joel Magalnick, Special to JTNews
The clock struck 3, the static cleared, and that deep radio voice warned us that “Not only are the opinions expressed on the show not necessarily the reflection of the station, its staff or its advertisers, but at times might not be the opinion of those saying them.” Then the music and words started flying, marking the first live broadcast of ShmoozeRadio.
The show, on KKOL-AM 1300, began Oct. 6 but preparations had been months in the making. The original idea came from co-host Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who runs the Cup & Kup Jewish Public Library, a local non-profit organization. “Kup” means head, or mind, in Yiddish.
“The idea of Cup & Kup,” says the rabbi, “is it can be a platform for people to hear lectures. While they’re filling their cup with coffee or another beverage, at the same time their filling their spiritual side.” He felt that expanding the concept to the general public would be a good way to educate and make people think.
Co-shmoozer Moti Krauthamer, who has worked for such media outlets as CNN and KIRO-TV, convinced the rabbi that a radio show would work much better than television. He contacted a friend at KOL, who helped them get the show on the air. To round out the lineup, Bogomilsky and Krauthamer brought in Andy Krasnow, a former standup comedian, and producer David Bolnick. They put their heads together and came up with the idea of a round-table discussion group that would allow anybody calling in to join the conversation.
The topic of their first show was, of course, schmoozing. They talked about the art of shmoozing, the rules of shmoozing, and the different ways of shmoozing. Even the show’s guest, Dr. Joshua Halberstam, had a special qualification for joining the conversation: He wrote a book on the subject.
Future topics will range from Jews and sports — the Oct. 13 show — to the history of the bagel to abortion. Bolnick has a notebook filled with possible ideas and says they are open to plenty more. Nothing is taboo, they say, and as long as they can keep the mood light and the opinions from getting preachy, they will take on anything. They cannot, guarantee, however, the subject with which they begin will be the same one with which they end. On the flip side, one hour may not be enough for a single topic. “It sounded like it was going to be a lot of time. It’s not a lot of time,” says Krasnow.
Which brings us to the rules of ShmoozeRadio. There are seven. Some are silly, some are serious, but one defines the tone of the show: “All good shmoozes end in a handshake, a hug, a l’chayim (a drink), whatever, but never in bitterness.” The three hosts hold that rule sacred because no matter how much they might disagree with each other, or even with their own opinions, they want to have fun, educate, and let their listeners feel like a comfortable member of a conversation.
Bolnick even concocted a plan for callers who get a little out of hand. “We just hang up,” he jokes.
All of the cast makes a point of noting that they don’t want to bully a viewpoint down anyone’s throat, a tactic often employed by other talk-radio shows. They like the idea of lively input from everybody. “If you hang out with everyone, you learn stuff from people,” Krauthamer says.
The initial planning for ShmoozeRadio went beyond preparing for an hour a week on the air. Part of the time spent getting ready for prime time included building a Web site that plays simulcasts and contains an archive of what will soon be past shows. The site also recommends books on the topic of discussion they think will express all sides of an issue. “There’s a wide variety of books, from very conservative to very liberal,” Bolnick says.
They talk of creating Shmooze-ins, semi-organized groups that hang out and do what these guys do on the radio: just shmooze. Their eventual goal is to take the show national.
Seattle is just the beginning. “Starbucks started in Seattle, ShmoozeRadio started in Seattle,” Krauthamer says. “If Seattle has the ability to be on the forefront of Jewish movement, then why not?”
The intended audience, Rabbi Bogomilsky explains, is meant to be anyone, though he concedes the majority of listeners will be Jewish. That suits them fine, and they’re happy to answer questions about ritual, Jewish law, or anything else. One listener actually stumped them on the first broadcast about the meaning of a mark on Jewish headstones. They want non-Jews to hear the show because they hope it will give them an idea of what Judaism is about. But they don’t want to give lectures. “How do you educate without preaching?” asks Krasnow. “It’s a tough question.”
Community support thus far, even with only a single show under their belt, has been overwhelming. Word has spread through synagogues and e-mails, and already they have an audience. With the Web cast, listeners even called in from as far as Washington, D.C. The first show had a couple of advertisers, with more public service announcements than commercials, but Bolnick says they’ve got sponsors lined up to help pay for the station’s airtime and other associated costs.
The foursome is excited about the show’s future. With the transition from rehearsal to the real thing complete, the nervousness has dissipated, they’ve gotten a little more relaxed, and they’re ready to shmooze. Krasnow’s mother, who called in from Los Angeles, let them know they are on the right path. “You sound so professional,” she said.
(ShmoozeRadio airs live on Sundays from 3 to 4 p.m. on KKOL-AM 1300. The Web site can be found at www.shmoozeradio.com.)