Marc Germain | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1967-05-28)May 28, 1967 (age 57) Los Angeles,California, United States |
| Alma mater |
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| Spouse | Ann Germain |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| Show | The Marc Germain Show |
| Style | Talk radio |
| Country | United States |
| Previous shows |
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| Website | marcgermain |
Marc Germain (born May 28, 1967) is an Americanradio talk show host. He was previously known asMr. KFI andMr. KABC on his radio shows on their respective stations. He currently hosts his own internet radio show,The Marc Germain Show.
Germain was born and raised inLos Angeles,California and was raised mainly inWoodland Hills andTarzana.[1] From ages 2 through 8, he lived inSan Diego nearSan Diego State University.[1] He graduated fromEl Camino Real High School.[2]
He attendedCalifornia Polytechnic State University inSan Luis Obispo, California after being rejected from theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara twice.[2] He was able to transfer to UCSB for his junior year, where he graduated with a degree in Political Science in 1989.[1][2]
Germain’s first venture into radio came at twelve years old in 1979. His father, wanting a hobby for each of his sons bought Germain aham radio. Taking the amateur radio test twice, he was unable to pass the algebra content of the test due to his age (although he did pass theMorse code portion "which was very easy"). He was only able to use the radio to receive and not to transmit. However this was also the time of thecitizens' band radio boom, so he obtained a citizens' band radio, and was able to acquire a then-necessary license for that. As stated by Germain, he was mostly active on channel 19 and went by the handle of “King Cobra”.[3]
While completing his degree at UCSB, Germain felt drawn to the business oftalk radio.[2] Germain called the local radio stationKTMS and offered his services to get a break in the radio industry.[2] He was initially rejected, but through UCSB's campus job placement center, he secured an internship.[2] Within a year and a half, Germain was the assistant program director.[2]
Germain returned toLos Angeles and landed a job at radio stationKFI.[2] After assignments screening phone calls for the station, Germain was given his own weeknight show,Ask Mr. KFI.[2][4]
When KFI movedPhil Hendrie's show into Germain's time slot in 1996, the station offered him a different time slot, which Germain refused and led to him departing KFI.[5]
In January 1997 after a 3-month contractually mandated non-competition period, Germain brought his show toKABC asAsk Mr. KABC.[5] As part of promoting his show on the new station, newspaper ads ran in Los Angeles area papers claiming that Mr. KABC had been switched at birth and that explained his time as Mr. KFI.[citation needed] Later he would sometimes be known simply as "Mr. K".[citation needed] Initially, the show received poor ratings due to inconsistent time slots.[6] The show was frequently preempted byLos Angeles Dodgers games while Germain also spent time filling in as a morning talk show co-host withBrian Whitman.[6]
Germain's show began to blossom in March 2000 when KABC management droppedStephanie Miller's syndicated show and increased the run-time ofAsk Mr. KABC from one hour to three hours, occupying the two hours that Miller's show previously held.[6][7][8] Germain stated, "Her [Miller's] show was cancelled because the station believes that I am a better fit and that my ratings are on the rise."[9]
Midway through 2006, KABC pushed the start of his show back an hour to make room for a syndicated show from New York hosted byMark Levin.[citation needed] In early 2007, KABC wanted to push Germain's show later in the evening for another hour of Levin's show.[10] KABC and Germain couldn't come to an agreement, with Germain citing family considerations, and the two agreed to part ways.[10]
It was announced in March 2007 that Germain had joined a revampedKTLK lineup, which had just dropped itsAir America affiliation.[11][12] However, Germain's stint with KTLK was short lived with his show being cancelled in December 2007.[13][14]
In July 2008, Germain launched Talk Radio One, an internet-only "radio" show.[15] At first the shows were "Skype-cast" and he mainly talked to others around the world viaSkype.[citation needed] WhenSkype ended that aspect of service on September 1, 2008, Germain transitioned to a mixture of live shows andpodcasts.
In November 2008, Germain filled in atKGO.[16]
In February 2010, Germain joinedDoug McIntyre andRed Eye Radio. The production, a part ofCumulus Media Networks, was heard nationally. The show ended in December 2011 when Cumulus handed the show over to two different hosts.
His wife, Ann, is fromLong Island,New York. The two met after she hired him to work atKFI.[2] They have been married since July 1992,[citation needed] and have a daughter and a son. Germain and his family left the Los Angeles area and relocated toLas Vegas,Nevada.
Germain is the youngest of four sons. His brother,Paul Germain, is an animation screenwriter and producer best known forRugrats,Recess, andLloyd in Space.
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