WHUR 96.3 FM—Howard University debuted a new afternoon drive-time program on Sept. 9 featuring air personality Frank Ski. The “Frank Ski Show” will be heard from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays on the Washington, D.C.-based station. Frank Ski, whose real name is Frank Rodgriguez, joined WHUR after listeners chose him in “WHUR’s Next Big Voice” contest, where several deejays vied for the position.
Frank Ski worked in radio in the Washington area in the early 1990s before moving on to Baltimore and later to Atlanta, where he hosted a top-rated radio show for more than a decade.
AFRO: Welcome back to DC. Are you excited?
FRANK SKI: This, for me, is kind of a dream come true. I started in radio in Washington while in college, at the age of 18. I remember listening to WHUR and saying, ‘One day, I’m gonna have a voice and a show good enough to be on WHUR.’ And I’m here.
AFRO: You still have fans in D.C. and Baltimore.
FRANK SKI: It’s interesting, we do. That is part of why I’m here. I believe if I can interpret what I do well enough on this radio station, this company has the ability to expand it…I’d like to be the first American jock to be syndicated around the world.
AFRO: Why were you interested in this particular show?
FRANK SKI: One, it presents a great opportunity because I left morning show. The mornings are filled right now. You’ve got Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Rickey Smiley, Yolanda Adams. This gives me an opportunity, being an afternoon drive , to build my show and to build my audience. And, if we’re back in the mornings one day, we’re back. If we’re not, we’re in the afternoons. And the interesting thing about it is, Arbitron has now said that the largest listening audience is now in the afternoons, not in the mornings anymore. That’s why we are in the afternoons.
AFRO: Who’s your competition?
FRANK SKI: I have one goal and that is to win Washington… I never look at other people in radio or radio stations as competition. I think we all have a lane. And, I think everybody goes in their lane. What we have to offer is going to make our lane the most listened to.
AFRO: What is that unique piece?
FRANK SKI: I think that one of things that major syndicated shows bring is celebrities. But, through my relationships all these years, I have the same celebrity friends. We can get anybody from Stevie Wonder to Jay-Z to Denzel to pick up the phone…And that’s what we bring to this game. So it’s not just the syndicated shows that you are going to hear the major celebrities on, you are going to hear them daily on my show whenever it’s relevant.
AFRO: What will you bring?
FRANK SKI: News and information, which is the most important thing to African Americans, we have that covered better than any of the other shows that are on. We have personal relationships with so many people. I don’t even want to give all the secrets. But anything that happens, especially here in Washington, we are very well connected. We have great relationships with all the TV stations, as well.
AFRO: What motivates you?
FRANK SKI: I’m a very inspirational person. I think that one of things that will help solve the woes of the Black community is to get back into our spiritual side. I think a lot of people have left.
AFRO: Thanks, Frank Ski!
FRANK SKI: Thank You!