University Star

Bobby Bones, host of the Austin based morning radio show bearing his name, was welcomed back to Texas State Monday by the National Broadcast Society. The Bobby Bones Show is syndicated in Amarillo, Lubbock and Wichita, Kan. Bones discussed his previous visit to Texas State, the pitfalls of being an on-air personality and Texas State’s very own, Shannon Gaga.

JB: Why did you come to Texas State tonight, and what happened last time you paid the Bobcats a visit?

BB: I’ve been here the last couple years, and I was also here about five years ago, but that’s when I got kicked out for a few years. I told a class that radio was a dying medium and the professor asked me not to come back for a while.

JB: How do you balance what stays in your personal life and what goes on air?

BB: When you’re on the air and you talk about yourself, you’re putting yourself out for everybody to hear, so you have to know the repercussions of that — especially in dating. I’m a single guy, but when you talk about relationships it can be good or bad for your personal life. Then it’s hard to wake up at 3 a.m. and have a normal life because it means you have to go to bed at 7:30 or 8:30, so it’s a real fine line you have to walk of what you can and can’t put out there and what you should put out there.

JB: What are your most and least favorite things about hosting a morning show?

BB: I like the people I work with, and I get to hire the people I work with. Waking up that early is the worst part, but the best part is that I wake up with people that I really enjoy.

JB: How do you feel about your coworkers, and why are you so mean to Amy?

BB: If you have someone that you really like then it’s a lot easier to pick on them, and that’s the case with Amy and even with all those guys. I love Amy, she’s one of my best friends. Lunchbox has been with me the whole time, same thing with Carlos. You only pick on the people that you really, really like. People say that a lot, “Why do you pick on Amy?” Amy’s just the nicest person, so it kind of seems like that.

JB: You mentioned you have two bachelor’s degrees. Where did you go to school and what are they in?

BB: I went to Henderson State University in Arkansas, it’s a small division two school. I have a degree in writing creative fiction and also television. I knew I wanted to do TV, and I knew I didn’t have to study radio to be in radio, but I obviously didn’t enjoy TV as much because I didn’t end up doing it full-time. Writing was something I knew I was okay at and thought I could do as a side job, but I didn’t really love either one of them. I love radio. So that’s why I do it.

JB: What advice do you have for students who want to get into media?

BB: Start interning immediately, your freshman year if you can. Pay your dues. Someone’s got to find you and help you apply or you’re not going to be able to get a start really.

JB: How do you feel about doing the interview you did with Shannon Gaga? Do you think she can establish a career in the industry?

BB: Shannon Gaga is very interesting. I don’t quite understand her, that’s all I’ll say. Lady Gaga doesn’t really do a lot of meet-and-greets anymore because she’s so big, but if she does one in Austin then yeah, Shannon could probably meet her.