More than a decade ago, Jason Goff was known to WSCR-AM 670 only as a passionate caller named “Jason from Evanston.”
Starting Monday, the Evanston Township High School graduate will co-host the station’s midday show with Matt Spiegel.
Goff, 34, spoke to The Tribune about his new job, returning to Chicago and the challenges that lie ahead. Here is an edited transcript.
Q. How did the caller “Jason from Evanston” rise to become a midday cohost?
A. Some hard work and some breaks, and some people that cared about my growth. I interned when I was 19, and it was a different time with internships. I interned for a longer period than people usually do now, and got hired while I still was interning. I got myself a part-time producing shift with Dave Baum on Saturday mornings at 5 a.m. … I slowly but surely worked my way up, picked out little things in the craft that I thought applied to me, and tried to find my voice along the way.
Q. What else were you doing while you were interning?
A. I had come from (Southern Illinois University in) Carbondale. At that time, I was working a couple of jobs, but I knew radio was it for me. So after my freshman year at Southern Illinois, I came home and told my mom, “I’m not going to get it just sitting in somebody’s classroom. I have to intern and figure this out.” When I came home, I actually enrolled myself in DeVry University because I was told I needed college credit, but I didn’t really stick to the DeVry curriculum. I was just doing it to get in the door and be close to the station. Three times a week, I took two busses and a train for six months. There was an Oakton Community College thing in there as well, but that was short-lived. Everyone in there was sort of a weirdo; I didn’t think it was the best atmosphere for me. It was pretty much The Score or bust for me.
Q. What about sports radio was so appealing to you?
A. Neither of my parents are from this country (both are from Belize). My mom used to listen to a lot of talk radio in the house, and as a kid I grew up listening to WLS at all times, people like Don Wade and Roma and Catherine Johns. It was permeating through the house. … I was fascinated by the art of connecting with someone through a radio without pictures, instead painting those pictures and just having fun with a listener.
Q. What about Chicago as a sports city?
A. Chicago is different because of the connection and passion that the fans have to their sports teams, but the knowledge as well. Being in Atlanta for 21 months (hosting an evening radio show), it was different from a standpoint of, “the teams were there, so you couldn’t speak badly about them.” There were of course fans that understood that being objective about your team didn’t make you a bandwagoner, but Chicago’s knowledge of the intricacies and some of the things that happen business wise gives it a different feel.
Q. The afternoon time slot has struggled with consistency and retaining hosts. What do you bring to it?
More Top Picks Hammers
A. A different voice. Let’s face it, when it comes to sports radio, there haven’t been a ton of young African Americans, not just in this time slot but in day parts period in the city. … So a different voice and a different outlook on things. And a different kind of fun, because in the end, if you’re not enjoying it or motivating some kind of thought that wasn’t there before, then all you’re doing is talking about the same games that everybody else is watching.
Q. What are the challenges of taking on a new job in this business?
A. The comparisons to previous hosts. … But I see the true challenge as every day, building that chemistry and camaraderie that is organic. The forced fun thing, I’ve never been a fan of. Things happen through growth and being around each other. … And just trying to win, too. Because if you’re not winning, none of this matters. It’s a highly competitive industry, and I know there will be eyes on me that weren’t on me or this time slot before. I appreciate that part of the challenge in that sense. … I’m excited to work with Spiegs (Matt Spiegel). He is a different kind of thinker. He thinks about sports, the relationship angles and the chemistry of it, differently than I do. … This is also the first time in two and a half years that I’m not working two shows, so I’m focusing all my energy on one four-hour block. I’m excited about that.
Q. You just came from NBA Radio. What do you think the Bulls will do with this second half of the season?
A. We have to see if Tom Thibodeau has gotten over his next phase of maturation as a coach, where you have to re-jigger the message. You’ve been saying the same thing for a while, so now it’s not falling on deaf ears but it’s not resonating like it use to. That’s the next level, when you can say the same things in a different way and have people buy in like they did when you first came aboard. With that, and with Derrick Rose attacking, there’s not much that can stop them, except for Cleveland and that bad dude wearing no. 23.