Sixteen years seemed like a long time to Michelle Cruz — too long.
In a recent interview with the WROZ-FM morning show team, Cruz considered shortening her tenure in radio, to make herself seem younger, but production director Ronnie Ramone was there to keep her honest.
"Oh fudge. I was going to change that number," Cruz said.
Many women, and men, can relate.
That's one of the neat things about Cruz and sidekick Dennis Mitchell, who host the Breakfast Club on 101.3 "the Rose": They relate to listeners.
Talking about their children or the latest crisis on "Desperate Housewives," or just sharing a laugh, these two, along with producer and morning newsman Justin Broka (you can hear him laughing in the background or being their straight man), keep things upbeat and lively and try to stay plugged into their listeners' lives.
The new morning show, which kicked off Nov. 26, has more of an edge and is more hip than the previous version with Tom Shannon and Val Baldwin. That show just didn't seem to have the right chemistry and the shtick grew tired.
A mother of two girls, Cruz has come to terms with her age and station in life. "Moms are still cool," she said. "Older people want to feel hip."
Again, who can't relate?
You might remember hearing Cruz on WQXA-FM 105.7 "the X," or prior to that on WLAN-FM 96.9. She was perfectly content to be a stay-at-home mom when new Rose Program Director Michael C. Anthony called her about the morning show job. The chance to work with Mitchell again (the two worked mornings at WCAT-FM 106.7 "Cat Country" in 2003) was too good to pass up.
Mitchell, a 14-year radio veteran, felt the same way. He left a morning gig at FM 97 to reunite with Cruz.
Ramone, who sat in during a lunch interview with "The Breakfast Club," said as production directors, he and Anthony were looking for hosts who liked each other and would keep things light in the morning. The Rose's primary demographic is still women ages 25 to 54, but Ramone said the younger feel of this show is attracting more women 34 to 44.
It's a lively journey from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays. Mitchell and Cruz play off each other, with Cruz taking a back seat to no one. If anything, Mitchell sets her up to deliver the punch line. He said they try not to take things too seriously on the air.
Broka, who's been in radio for 23 years, is there to reel them in if a joke or a prank starts to go too far. A career on-air personality, Broka spent more than seven years as the overnight jock on the Rose before moving over to the production side.
"I didn't think at age 18 that I'd be doing this, but I'm having a great time," Broka said. "These two [Mitchell and Cruz] are so likable. You get sucked into the room with them. I'm just enjoying the ride."
The name of the show, the Breakfast Club, is a take on the popular 1985 John Hughes movie of the same title. It fits well with the show and the station, which has worked more songs from the 80s into its playlist in the last two months.
Make My Day, a daily contest that grants a listener's wish, is a big hit with the audience and the on-air personalities. Some days it's just playing someone's favorite song or sending a wife to a day spa. Other days the station grants bigger wishes, like helping a young girl stay in dance classes while her parents go through a divorce. Broka called the dance studio, which agreed to waive the $360 fee.
"We're the genie on the radio," Mitchell said. "We grant their wish. It's nice our job means something."
Eric Stark is a Sunday News staff writer and can be reached at estark@lnpnews.com.
