Life & Work with Rik Anthony

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rik Anthony.

Hi Rik, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Retired announcer after 40+ years in radio. I retired from the US Air Force in 1998 after being an announcer for Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS).

I had several national radio shows while part of the All-Star Radio Network from 1998-2018 including “Back in the Pits,” a show spotlighting the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). My current “Someone You Should Know Podcast” is a reboot of a national radio show from the late 90s and early 2000s. It spotlights musicians, authors, comedians, and interesting people who deserve to be in the spotlight. The service is done from my passion for helping others succeed.

I am married to Leslie, I have two grown children, Shauna and Brad. In my spare time, I love flying planes, cooking, traveling, and music. I live in a small town 40 miles from downtown Chicago.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have faced many challenges. The biggest was having to be a caregiver for my late wife, Gaynale, who was diagnosed with Lupus in 1997 and died after heart surgery in 2018. We were married for nearly 40 years.

She was my world. I took a sabbatical from radio to deal with the grief and relocated from Missouri to my childhood home in NW Indiana.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I learned you don’t stay in radio for the money, you do because you have a passion for your craft. I knew I wanted to be a radio announcer since my early teens. I joined the US Air Force in 1978 to be an announcer for AFRTS. I was always creating funny songs and spoof commercials which landed me a gig as a comedic writer and producer with the American Comedy Network (ACN).

That leads me to a 20-year career with the All-Star Radio Network in St Louis. MO. I was a comedic voice, writer, host, and producer and have interviewed over 4,000 celebrities from actors and actresses to authors to sports figures to musicians.

My biggest commercial radio successes were:

Top Announcer 1989-1991 Guam USA KZGZ and KUAM-FM

13 years with WIL-FM an award-winning country station in St. Louis

2018 Mid-Missouri Top Announcer and Top Station at KZNN – Rolla, MO.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Sadly the radio I joined in the late 70s has been gutted of talent in favor of consolidation and cost savings by corporations. When I started decades ago, I was told that 80% of the money was made by 20% of the talent.

Now many of the high-dollar talents have been forced out in favor of young-hungry announcers for a fraction of the price tag. Sadly I’ve heard owners say, “The listeners won’t know the difference.” I disagree, I’ve always been a huge fan of personality radio.

I also see there are so many other sources for listeners to get their news, music, sports, etc. I’m glad I was on the radio when I was because 10-15 years from now it will be quite different.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.someoneyoushouldknowpodcast.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/someoneyoushouldknowpodcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rikanthony
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rik-anthony2019/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RIKANTHONY1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@someoneyoushouldknowpodcast
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/rik-anthony
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@someoneyoushouldknow2023