By Matt Robinson
Special to The Milton Times
Though he first got a taste of public performance while in his high school theater program in Randolph, when it came time to pick a professional pursuit, legendary broadcaster, producer, and emcee Jordan Rich (www.JordanRich.com) saw more possibilities behind the mic than on the stage.
“I realized that the chances of become a famous actor were slim,” he explains, “and that the chances of becoming something on radio were less slim.”
With this wisdom in mind, Rich applied to Curry College in Milton, The rest, as they say in showbiz, has been history.
In celebration of 50 years of his personal history, Rich recently released a memoir called On Air: My 50-year love affair with radio. In it, he discusses his rise in radio and the people he has had the pleasure and honor of meeting and interviewing along the way. He also recalls how much of it began at Curry.
“I was entranced because…the radio station WMLN welcomed freshmen in their very first month to get involved,” Rich recalls when asked how he chose Curry, “and that is what I wanted to do- I wanted to get in there and get my hands dirty!”
It was also at Curry where Rich met Ken Carberry, a radio scion who quickly became a close friend and who has been his business partner at Chart Productions in Braintree.
“We shared a lot of the same loves for characters and humor,” Rich explains, noting how early interactions producing their own segments and shows after hours production turned into a business relationship that has lasted 45 years.
When asked about Chart, Rich describes it as an “all-purpose” production company.
“We do live radio,” he explains, “but we also offer a voice-over studio.” And while VO work may have faded in popularity, the rise of podcasts has led Rich and Carberry into a radio renaissance.
“Most people under 30 do not have an actual radio,” Rich observes, “but radio and audio are still as vital as ever!”
In fact, Rich maintains, the podcast era is a new golden age in broadcasting and he is thrilled to be involved.
“I am still spry enough to be part of it and have some fun,” he beams.
When asked when he first fell in love with radio, Rich recalls sneaking a transistor under the covers as a child and listening to AM broadcasts from across the country and around the world.
“I fascinated to hear Long John Nebel and Jean Shepherd,” Rich says, “and then locally, connecting with someone like Larry Glick who was a legend on WBZ.”
After using green stamps to procure a tape recorder at the age of eight, Rich began interviewing every man and woman on the street he could find.
“l liked being behind the mic,” Rich recalls, citing such early influencers as Norm Nathan, David Brudnoy, Jerry Williams, Jess Cain, and Ron Della Chiesa (many of whom later became close friends).
“They were all great speakers who used not only their voices but their intellects,” Rich observes.
While he did have an early opportunity to be on the air at Curry, Rich also recalls how the freshmen were given last choice for which shows they would host and how he ended up with e a Classical music program. While many college students might balk at such a choice, Rich took full advantage of the show and the opportunities it afforded him.
“I love that music,” he admits, “and I also learned how to be a disc jockey in amore successful way because the tracks are long and it gave me a lot of time to learn how to run the board. Now I can fly through things because of that early experience!”
And fly he has! Since graduating from WMLN to industry-leading stations like WHDH and WBZ, Rich has produced and hosted his own talk show, as well as such popular segments as Connoisseur’s Corner, New England Weekend, and Upside with Jordan Rich. Along the way, he has introduced and interviewed the legendary likes of Madeline Albright, Ed Asner, Kirk Douglas, June Foray, Ed Koch, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Carl Reiner, Joan Rivers, and Mike Wallace.
“I have a special fondness for The Upside because…it is good news and, every time I do one, I get a warm feeling knowing there is some good news and people tell me they want more,” Rich says, noting how he wants “to leave the world a better, happier place.”
Another way Rich achieves this goal is by hosting events and raising funds for many area organizations, including the Vilna Shul, the Zakim Foundation, and Boston’s Children’s Hospital, to whom he will be donating proceeds from the new book, just as he has for decades from other literary offerings he has composed and compiled.
“That was the WBZ charity for decades,” Rich explains when asked why the Hospital has been a partner for so long. “I took it over from Dave Maynard when I had the late-night show.”
When asked why he does so much for others, Jordan responds, “My life is pretty easy. I’m lucky! I’ve got my health and my family so it is a small gesture at best, but it is my way of saying I want to do what I can when I can.”
This idea ties in with the motto that has become Richs familiar sign off on the radio – “Be well, so you can do good.”
“It’s like they tell you on an airplane,” Jordan says. “We need to put our own mask on first. If we do not take care of ourselves, we are of no use to anybody.”
And while Rich’s life has not been all roses (he has had a gun barrel in his neck, openly dealt with depression, and lost his wife of 31 years in 2013), he maintains a rosy outlook and positive attitude that he attributes in great par tot his listeners and the many other people he has been privileged to meet during his half-century in broadcasting.
“Talking about [my own issues] was cathartic,” Rich explains, encouraging others to follow suit, “and they were opportunities for me to share and learn that I wasn’t alone and that other people had takes on things that I had not thought about. I told them they helped me and they told me I helped them.”
In fact, Rich explains he wrote the book as a means to share his stories one more time in the hopes of reaching and supporting more people.
“I struggled mightily for many months,” he admits, “but having come through it and been better, I wanted to write about it to tell my story and to honor the people in it.”
