One on One with The Franchise's Joe Ferro

Frank Flanagan

We sat down and talked with the Franchise host Joe Ferro about his return to radio, music, and his idea of a perfect day. Joe loves grilling, beautiful women, and a good craft beer. Get to know Joe, and tune into all new  episodes of the Franchise on 990WBOB.com starting July 14th

Frank Flanagan: Where did you grow up?

Joe Ferro: I lived in Providence until around 11 years old and have been in good Ole Cranston, RI ever since.

FF: How did you become interested in radio?

JF: Even when I was young I had this Toshiba boom box that had dual cassette decks and an internal mic. I would play a song on one side, record it on the other and would pause in between and do talk overs. As the years went by I also dabbled on the turntables, and eventually spent some time on the air at WALE 990 AM out of Providence.  Which is how I ended up meeting our fearless leader over here at WBOB.

FF: Was the Franchise your first radio show?

JF: The first radio show I was part of was In The Mixx on WALE, which after a few episodes turned into Powerbomb Radio. After the fall of that show and a few years later I came on board at WBOB and started Fisky and Ferro. I've also had a few variations here at WBOB. Beats, Rhymes and Life was a short-lived hip-hop show I did a long with hosting many of our remote broadcasts we've done.

FF: You look like a music guy. What kind of music do you like?

JF: I know you see the long hair and a lot of people think metal. I really do enjoy all genres of music however. I listen to everything from rock to hip-hop (good stuff, not that Lil Wayne type shit), blues, and just about anything that sounds good.

FF: What kind of music, if any, will you play on the Franchise?

JF: The Franchise in previous seasons has always been a music heavy show. This season I want to refine the music part of the show. I'll only be playing a few choice cuts each week with at least one song being a local spotlight. The local music community has always been good to me and I want to keep that relationship strong and show some love to those out there working their asses off to put out great music.

FF: What is an ideal day for Joe Ferro when he’s not doing radio?

JF: A warm summer day, a cooler full of quality craft beers, a beach, a pretty lady and some tunes. Maybe throw some grub on the grille and it really doesn’t get better than that.

FF: Any hobbies besides radio?

JF: I've been a gamer since way back. These days it's mostly mobile gaming since I haven't really come across and console games that interest me. Love camping and the outdoors. Love firearms and going to the range. And I love to cook although I haven't as much as I like to lately.

FF: Where is your favorite place to eat in Providence?

JF: That's a tough one. Whoever will give me free food for dropping a plug for them [laughs]. Just kidding. There really are way too many to choose from in Providence. It really depends what I'm in the mood for. Usually I decide I want to go out to eat and just end up cooking it myself.

FF: What do your friends think about your show? Are they all in radio too?

JF: They all seem to enjoy it. I have a lot of friends in the music industry and have had a bunch of them on. I also have many friends who are beer geeks like me and like to hear my take on a particular beer. And some just like to rock out and enjoy a few good songs and some laughs. The only friends I have in radio are my WBOB family and of course they love everything I do. (Can't wait to catch hell for that last comment). [Laughs].

FF: What is the number one thing you want your listeners to get out of your show?

JF: Enjoyment. I want my show to fly by as quickly for my listener as it does for me on air. Like they say, time flies when your having fun.

FF: Anything else you would like to say.

JF: Tune in to The Franchise with Ferro starting Monday March 16th for a whole new season and all new content. Check 990WBOB.COM for show times.