We talked on the phone final Thursday evening for practically two hours. There have been two issues I knew for sure; I used to be maintaining Ken Matthews from taking out the rubbish, and his spouse was going accountable me.
Matthews has a ardour for folks, politics, popular culture, piano, and pistols. And imagine me, we talked about all of it. His power bursts by way of the telephone and microphone, and in dialog, it appears every part pursuits him, together with assembly new folks.
The person makes his dwelling as host of the newly syndicated Ken Matthews Present, airing weekdays from 12-3 p.m. ET on Speak Media Community. He was a daily visitor host for Rush Limbaugh and continues to be on WHP 580 Harrisburg, now Matthew’s flagship station, the place he’s been heard for greater than eight years.
He was born in New Jersey within the early 60s. The household realized no one was forcing them to remain in New Jersey and moved to Florida to stay among the many alligators and manatees. They lived in Fort Pierce, Florida, about an hour north of West Palm Seaside. Matthews later attended North Carolina State College and studied political science. “I wasn’t in a position to end as I used to be doing an excessive amount of broadcasting,” he jokes.
A down-to-earth man, Matthews lately welcomed some new neighbors, they usually naturally struck up a dialog. “I don’t know their politics, however they’re younger, health-conscious, and have two lovely youngsters,” Matthews stated the couple complimented him and his spouse for his or her two sons driving rigorously across the neighborhood. “What they didn’t know was I informed my boys our new neighbors had little youngsters, they usually needed to ‘crawl’ down the road.”
Like Kenny Rogers, a very good guardian is aware of when to inform their youngsters to crawl and when to run. Matthews can also be extemporaneous and humorous as heck, most likely why he was a profitable morning-jock for so long as he was.
“In entrance of the brand new neighbors, I used to be even carrying a tee-shirt that reads, November third, 2020. By no means Neglect. It didn’t even section them.”
The person clearly loves his youngsters; his sons are a supply of pleasure, even when they do use an inordinate quantity of home items like rest room paper. “Once you’re 18 and 20 years outdated, you shouldn’t want to make use of a whole roll in a single sitting (Pardon the pun).”
Matthews’ youthful son will quickly graduate from highschool and began cooking in a restaurant when he was simply 14 years outdated. “He actually likes it. One thing in regards to the commerce appeals to him, and he’s making good cash. He exhibits up for work, which is a rarity as of late.”
In the present day, exhibiting up for work qualifies you for a promotion.
“My different son graduated from highschool three years in the past and has held a couple of jobs; the grocery, dairy, and landscaping companies.”
He stated he’s in no hurry to push them out into the world. “It’s so unpredictable as of late,” Matthews stated. “I’m not a unfavorable individual at coronary heart; these are simply unusual instances.”
Matthews loves America, too (apologies to Tom Petty.) Every time his sons get down or complain, which apparently isn’t usually, he reminds them of how good now we have it right here.
“I inform them they’ve already surpassed what most children won’t ever have,” Matthews stated. “I inform them they’ve air con, warmth, a automotive, and oldsters that love them. I inform them dwelling on this nation is a blessing.”
He’s within the Lehigh Valley, so I figured he’d be a daily on the Iron Pigs’ video games. The Iron Pigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies.
“I haven’t been to an Iron Pigs recreation in 5 years,” Matthews stated. “It’s contact and go for me. I take pleasure in a very good recreation, the camaraderie that comes with it if the climate is ideal. All the pieces has to align. I favor watching in a sweatshirt within the fall, crisp air. I don’t prefer it after I’m sweating greater than the gamers.”
Matthews stated neither of his dad and mom went to varsity, but he’s by no means identified anybody who has learn extra, self-educated greater than they’ve.
“From way back to I can bear in mind, they had been studying every part,” Matthews stated. “They learn newspapers, manuals, and books. They informed me if I needed to get forward on the planet, I ought to be taught and examine every part.”
He consumes books voraciously. “I learn 4 books a month, and I’ve learn virtually each e-book in my library.”
And that features the thesaurus.
Rising up in Florida, Matthews confirmed curiosity in diving. “My father stated I may do it, however I used to be going to take scuba lessons. If I needed to sail, I needed to go to the Coast Guard auxiliary and practice.”
Matthews lived in Fort Pierce, not removed from Fort Lauderdale. “That’s the place I discovered to like the water,” he stated. “I’ve all the time been leery of getting too far-off from water. It’s a psychological factor.”
He’s a lifetime supporter of the NRA. His father was okay with that, so long as he did what was essential. “My dad was a kind of guys that stated you needed to study no matter you selected to do. In case you needed a gun, you had been going to be taught to shoot, get educated.”
He met his spouse in Maine and bought engaged. “Then I bought fired,” Matthews stated. “We began planning a marriage, and I bought fired from one other job.” They’re developing on 32 years of wedded bliss, and Matthews has picked out the proper reward.
“I’m going to empty the dishwasher,” he jokes. “There’s a small likelihood I’ll clear the toilet.”
Let’s hope his spouse has an excellent humorousness.
Matthews owes a few of his discuss radio success to the late Rush Limbaugh. He crammed in for Limbaugh round 100 instances. Matthews shocked me when he informed me Limbaugh was a disc jockey earlier than he grew to become the behemoth of discuss radio.
“He was a flame-throwing rock and roll god in Pittsburgh,” Matthews stated. He even provided to ship me a tape of Limbaugh’s disc jockey antics. “He reignited the AM radio dial.”
Limbaugh? A rock and roll god? It’s arduous to think about Rush in a Rush T-shirt. Matthews stated Limbaugh was observant, commonsensical, and really respectful.
“He’d say issues lots of people had been pondering however discovered it arduous to say,” Matthews defined. “He was a showman, entertainer and informed us about his trials and tribulations. I listened to Rush lengthy earlier than I ever crammed in for him. He would say one thing, and seven million listeners would say, ‘Hey, he’s precisely proper.”
Matthews stated if Stephen Colbert talked about getting on his personal aircraft to go someplace, folks would suppose he was an ass. If Limbaugh stated the identical factor, folks had been snug with it. That’s who he was.
He stated Limbaugh would take it additional, explaining why they needed to park the aircraft in a sure space of the airport. “When Rush stated he went {golfing} with Trump final week, he was simply speaking, not dropping names.”
“I’ve this concept,” Matthews started. “Individuals answerable for us, who need to management us, are not looking for us to have a dialog such as you and I are having proper now.”
His years as a morning jock had been fruitful and enjoyable. In actual fact, he stated his preparedness between the seemingly totally different phases is remarkably comparable.
“These habits are the identical,” Matthew stated. “The pacing, the leisure values, segmenting the exhibits. In case you’re prepping for a music present, there are occasions when you end up saying, ‘I can’t say that on the air.’ Once you’re in discuss radio, you notice you possibly can say something you need.”
Matthews described his ‘Morning Present Ken’ as a sarcastic, enjoyable, America-loving man who loved his job. As a lot as he liked being a morning jock, what he’s doing now could be much more valuable and pleasant.
“Each then and now, I like to supply a ‘portal of widespread sense,’” Matthews defined. “Now I’m nonetheless that morning man with a political science main; I’m a patriot, all combined in a giant blender. I’m nonetheless a smart-ass.”
He’s been within the enterprise for greater than 40 years, and he’s a self-described late bloomer.
“I rise up and completely love going to work,” Matthews defined. “I’m excited. I get upset if I get up in the midst of the evening and see I nonetheless have 4 extra hours to sleep. To really feel this manner for so long as it has been happening is fairly particular.”
Matthews stated what he discovered from Limbaugh, and his group was like incomes a grasp’s diploma in radio.
On the air at midday, he begins full-bore prepping at 8:30 a.m. “I do some at evening, too,” Matthews stated. “It’s an excellent shift. I can keep out late and don’t must rise up at 3:00 within the morning. It’s good.”
Matthews pulls all his personal cuts and sound bites. “I’m able to rock by 11:00,” he stated. “I’m in a position to seize a chew to eat, preserve my eye on the televisions or wires for breaking information. I’m completely thrilled about my noon-to-three shift.”
Once we discuss variations and opposing viewpoints, Matthews says he has the proper story about what’s incorrect with issues.
Matthews informed me a narrative about Van Jones, a correspondent on CNN. Van Jones went to a summit with Donald Trump about jail reform. Van Jones informed Trump about some harrowing instances the place folks shouldn’t have been imprisoned.
“Van Jones stated Trump bought on the telephone and needed change instantly and demanded that some folks be launched,” Matthews stated. “Van Jones was astonished and stated he wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen the response together with his personal eyes. Somebody was really doing one thing slightly than simply speaking about it.”
Matthews stated Van Jones informed the very story on CNN and the way he’d by no means seen something like that earlier than.
“CNN crucified him for that,” Matthews defined.
One of many perks of a high-profile gig is the connections you might have. Matthews had the chance to take considered one of his sons to the White Home for his birthday. “He has all the time hated to rise up early,” Matthews stated of his son. “So, I informed him this was the way it was going to play. He was going to get a swimsuit and never appear like a saggy teenager when he’s going to the house of the chief of the free world. Some folks present up in Eagles tee-shirts. Not my son.”
His son reluctantly obliged.
Matthews even took a photograph of himself and his son in entrance of the JFK portrait within the White Home. A girl who labored there stated Matthews and his son had been the best-dressed on tour that day.
They absolutely slipped on their Eagles tee-shirts as quickly as they bought residence.
