Circling The Drain

On this episode of Circling The Drain, the three J’s sit down with Marconi Award–winning talk host and former WTN program director Dan Mandis for a deep dive into his 30+ years in radio.  

From cutting his teeth at legendary KFI in Los Angeles with Dr. Laura, to building syndication the hard way, to steering SuperTalk 99.7 WTN through the loss of Phil Valentine, Dan opens up about the highs, lows, and realities of a life behind the mic.  

You’ll hear how he:  

- Went from board-op and traffic guy in LA to hosting major-market and national shows  

- Helped grow Dr. Laura’s show station by station before syndication was “plug-and-play”  

- Transitioned from producer to host and program director across LA, New York, Dallas, Fort Wayne, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Nashville  

- Dealt with overnights, early mornings, burnout, and moving his family all over the country  

- Survived industry cutbacks, never technically got “fired,” and kept landing on his feet  

- Navigated the aftermath of Phil Valentine’s passing and kept WTN strong  

- Embraced video, editing, and streaming as an “old radio guy” and why he thinks you must if you’re on air today  

- Sees podcasting and radio converging and where the next generation of talent will come from  

Plus:  

- War stories about unscreened open lines on “America at Night”  

- A hilariously off-the-rails interview with Van Halen’s former manager Noel Monk  

- Dr. Laura’s tough-love style, how she sounds exactly the same today, and what Dan learned from her as a broadcaster and as a human  

- A candid look at conservative talk, Rush, Glenn Beck, and how digging into issues changed Dan’s politics  

- The power of theater of the mind, why storytelling still wins, and how Morgan Wallen and Ella Langley are doing it in country music today  

If you love radio, podcasting, broadcasting history, or just great stories from people who’ve “been there and done that,” this episode is loaded.  

Timed highlights (chapter markers):  

3:00 Dan’s favorite market: why a smaller station in Fort Wayne was the most fun  

4:05 How Dan actually got his start in radio in Los Angeles  

4:55 Early days at KFI: producer, board-op, traffic, and the Dr. Laura connection  

6:40 Building Dr. Laura’s syndication station by station, the “old-school” way  

7:35 Moving from behind the scenes to PD and host in Colorado Springs, Fort Wayne, Denver, and beyond  

9:11 Starting in 1987 and what fascinated Dan about “behind the glass” radio  

7:55–9:30 Classic “old days of radio” stories: smoking in studios and nude ballet in the control room  

9:44 Why Dan left music radio and embraced talk: “I was a terrible disc jockey”  

9:53 Growing up on LA talk radio in the back seat of a smoke-filled car  

10:40 Learning production, call screening, and board-op skills at powerhouse KFI  

11:59 The rush of live talk, callers, and flying without a net  

12:17 Working mornings, spontaneity, and regretting what you said on-air  

14:15 Discovering open lines on “America at Night” and the terror of unscreened calls  

15:37 Yelling on-air after 30 years of being the “non-yeller” host  

15:55 Has Dan ever been fired? Downsizing vs. “real” firing debate  

16:43 Radio careers, layoffs, and never being unemployed more than 3 weeks  

17:06 Moving markets with a family and the toll it takes at home  

18:39 How constant moves impacted Dan’s kids and what they gained from it  

19:13 Paying dues and why young would-be hosts need patience  

19:41 From radio to podcasting: Dan’s show “Mostly Peaceful with Dan and Chris and Matt”  

20:01 Why Dan still believes in radio even while podcasting  

20:18 Missing radio so much it hurts: Johnny’s story of stepping away  

20:47 Dan on being 58, counting down to retirement, and whether he’d really quit  

22:03 Waking up at midnight, prepping for a 5 a.m. show, and the grind behind “just talking”  

23:54 Being dragged into video kicking and screaming, then learning to love it  

24:55 Teaching himself Premiere Pro and using ChatGPT for vertical content  

25:53 Not wanting to be “the old guy who can’t change” and embracing video editing  

26:32 Is video hurting radio? Serving stream viewers without abandoning listeners in cars  

27:53 Theater of the mind vs. cameras in the studio  

28:25 How streaming exposed radio’s wardrobe, and Dan’s wife fixing his on-camera look  

29:41 Discovering audiences actually watch radio shows and their passion for live streams  

30:44 Why listeners now complain when the video stream goes down  

30:44–32:25 How many actual radios do they own now and reception issues even near big signals  

33:06 First impressions of WTN, hearing Johnny and Phil and feeling intimidated  

34:33 PD stories: “Who are you again?” and live-mic warnings in the hallway  

35:30 Intimidation, team-building, and managing big talent without being an a-hole  

36:26 Relief at stepping down as PD and focusing on mornings  

37:54 Ten years as PD: ratings, revenue wins, and pride in WTN’s performance  

38:22 Johnny calls Dan the best PD they had and why: he understood and loved talk radio  

40:29 Navigating Phil Valentine’s death: grief, attacks on talk radio, and rebuilding afternoons  

41:55 Processing grief late, after job changes and format shifts  

44:40 Dan’s pride in the morning show era with Ken and Johnny: top-3 ratings run  

45:51 Losing colleagues, changing lineups, and the necessity of adjusting in radio  

47:01 How management trusted Johnny with a farewell show and why that never happens  

47:44 Letting a beloved host say goodbye and why it worked  

48:41 Love of working together, teasing, hugging, and Dan’s “stiff hugger” reputation  

49:45 Dan’s wife Amy, support at home, and volunteering for too many fill-ins  

51:04 Why Dan keeps saying yes: honor of being asked and knowing it won’t last forever  

52:45 Conservative talk: from young liberal know-it-all to Reagan-style conservative  

53:54 Rush, Glenn, Larry King, and the influences that sharpened Dan’s politics  

55:54 Interviewing well: asking shorter questions and then getting out of the way  

57:32 Worst interview: exhausted Kurt Cobain investigator who would not stop talking  

59:00 The infamous Noel Monk (Van Halen) interview meltdown  

1:01:00 Van Halen talk: Eddie vs. Dave, drugs, and missing entire eras in the history books  

1:02:42 Wolfgang Van Halen and the new generation of that legacy  

1:04:13 Rush reunion with Annika Niles on drums, and a drummer’s perspective on replacing Neil Peart  

1:06:16 Different “feels” on drums and how two players can change the same song  

1:07:22 Geddy Lee’s voice today, aging singers, and still going to see your heroes  

1:09:00 Dr. Laura on SiriusXM, sounding exactly the same, and Dan’s memories of working with her  

1:10:22 Was Dr. Laura “a character” or the real deal? Her toughness in a male-dominated industry  

1:12:19 Losing touch with old radio friends and how careers pull people apart  

1:13:31 Appreciating Dr. Laura more in hindsight and the scale of what she achieved  

1:14:47 Tough love vs. “she’s mean”: why being blunt sometimes saves people  

1:15:43 Listener stories of Dr. Laura changing lives and what that means to Dan  

1:15:57 Johnny’s tribute: what he learned working with Dan and why those years were special  

1:18:04 Jay’s entry to WTN, zingers on his first day, and Dan’s patience with a busy fill-in  

1:20:18 The future of radio: bench strength, podcasters as the new farm system, and immediacy  

1:21:25 How Dan would run a group: radio feeding podcast networks, minus the IHeart debt  

1:22:41 Favorite podcasts: Joe Rogan, Professor of Rock, Gary Vee, and storytelling done right  

1:23:31 Morgan Wallen’s storytelling and why Dan now ranks him above Journey  

1:23:45 Ella Langley, new country voices, and whether she’ll go pop or stay country  

1:24:31 Friendly bets, tape-flagging, and more coaster-throwing  

1:24:50 Johnny’s prediction Ella will still get huge while staying country  

1:25:09 The Marconi Award: Johnny’s hunch Dan would finally win on his second nomination  

1:25:49 Going to New York, winning the Marconi, and realizing how much Dan loves Tennessee  

1:26:21 Staying in the South vs. moving markets again for a job  

1:27:12 Why radio people are not “valueless” even if the industry treats them that way  

1:28:19 Dan’s value in digital audio and podcasting and using radio skills in new spaces  

1:28:52 Wrap-up: why what you hear is what you get with Dan Mandis