Last week, WEEI.com made a splash by starting to offer video on its website. By offering “The Five“, the top five stories of the day, not only does WEEI.com give some exclusive content, it also gives some synergy to the radio station.
“The Five” is hosted by Kristine Leahy. Kristine, originally from Chicago, is a graduate of Boston University and worked previously at KCBS/KCAL in Los Angeles and hosted “Offsides” at B.U.
While I’ve linked to “The Five” all last week, I figured many of you would like to know some more about Kristine so over the weekend, I conducted an e-mail interview with her and this is what transpired.
Fang’s Bites: First, thanks for agreeing to do the interview. The obvious question first, how did you get this gig?
Kristine Leahy: About two months before graduation I started sending out my reel and contacting people that I had worked with in the past for advice and suggestions on where to go. One of my contacts was nice enough to pass along my resume to people he knew in the business and one of them was Rob Bradford, the site editor at WEEI.com. They brought me in for an interview and then hired me in May.
FB: Where have you worked before coming to WEEI.com?
KH: Aside from a few industrial hosting projects here and there, this is my first big job out of college. I’ve also interned at Fox here in Boston, KCAL-CBS in Los Angeles and the Style Network. While in LA, I had the opportunity to host “Lakers Fan Cam,” which airs on KCAL and their website, and in Boston I worked as a game assistant in the production truck for CBS during their NFL coverage. I was also the host of Offsides, a sports talk show on Boston University Television.
FB: You’ve finished your first week doing “The Five”. How has it been?
KH: I feel so lucky to be a part of the WEEI team and the undeniable presence they have in sports around New England. It’s a great feeling to go to work and be surrounded by such a talented group of people that are welcoming and helpful. I know that I can learn a lot from everyone in the building and that’s very exciting for me. “The Five” has been running for a week now, and it’s been a blast. I hope the viewers have as much fun watching the show as I have working on it. I also have to thank (WEEI.com Editor-in-chief) Rob (Bradford) for providing a lot of guidance in the last few months and Wayne Partello, the show’s director, for doing an amazing job putting everything together.
FB: How is the feedback from viewers?
KH: I actually made a promise to Rob that I wouldn’t read any reviews or message boards for two weeks. So I am keeping my word, but my mom, dad, and grandmother are big fans : ) Hopefully the feedback is good and the audience enjoys the show. I know we’ve worked hard to make sure viewers feel like they are a part of the action — that I am talking with them and not at them. It’s got a light-hearted feeling to it.
FB: Have the Powers That Be given you any ideas of what else you’ll be doing at WEEI.com or will you remain on “The Five” for a while?
KH: Right now I think the main focus is “The Five” and making the best product possible. I love what I’m doing, and hopefully if everything goes well they’ll want to use me for additional things.
FB: Any word on if you’ll be on the radio side?
KH: I believe the plan is to integrate the show with the radio side in the future, yes.
FB: What made you decide to get into broadcasting and who have been your role models?
KH: I’ve always loved performing and telling stories to my friends and larger audiences. As a kid and a teenager I was in a lot of plays and musicals, but during high school I realized that broadcasting was very similar in a lot of ways and much more reliable as a career. I am also a bit of a nerd and love learning about lots of things so choosing a career where it was my job to investigate and report seemed like a natural progression. My dad and brothers are great athletes and with sports always being a big part of our lives, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be a sportscaster. I admire Tina Cervasio a lot. She did a great job covering the Sox while she was here and she really knew her stuff. That’s important, especially in this market. Kenny Mayne is hysterical and I like the way he’s able to make sports even more entertaining than they already are. Last, but not least, I’ve looked up to Butch Stearns ever since I interned for him. He’s been a great role model and advisor over the years. And Frank Shorr, my sports professor at BU. He was the executive sports editor at WHDH for 21 years and not only is he an excellent teacher, but he’s a great mentor as well.
FB: You’ve grown up in the Boston area. How exciting is it for you to be working here and covering the teams you grew up with?
KH: Well I’m glad you can’t tell from my accent that I am actually from Chicago, but I’ve only lived in Boston since I started college at BU. That said, I think these past four years have been some of the very best for the sports teams in town. How could I not become a fan when every single team has either won a championship or made it to the playoffs in the last four years?! I truly believe that there isn’t a better city in the country to cover sports…except maybe Chicago ; )
FB: Ok, so I assumed you were from the Boston area (we all know what happens when we assume), but overall, what do you think of Boston as a sports town?
KH: When I think Boston, I think sports.
The success or failure of the teams here really determine people’s moods around town. The day the Celtics lost game seven against Orlando, I’m not sure I saw a single person smile, but in the two times I’ve seen the Red Sox win the World Series I saw people climbing on McDonald’s signs, flipping over New York cars, and parading down the street. That’s something pretty unique to Boston. This city really does have the best fans…maybe take it easy flipping cars though.
FB: How has Rob Bradford been as a boss? Is there any dirt you can provide us?
KH: It’s funny Rob actually came in to speak to a sports class of mine at BU so it’s pretty cool that he’s my boss now.
Rob is an excellent writer and very reputable for his work covering the Sox. It’s great to have a boss that I can look up to and learn so much from. It’s a big perk to have a boss who can give me tips and tricks to improve my writing and overall performance as a journalist. As for dirt…well the man works very hard and sleeps almost never, so he really is that dedicated to his work. And he loves lobster Quesadillas : )
Bradford likes lobster quesadillas. Hmmm. That’s something I did not expect. Good to know!
Thanks to Kristine for doing the interview and I hope to talk with her more down the line.
