Whoopi Goldberg thrives in radio

By Chuck Taylor

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Whoopi Goldberg surrounds herself with little formality, so the conversational, down-to-earth bent of her nationally syndicated radio morning show, "Wake Up With Whoopi," is what fans have come to expect. The show, distributed by Clear Channel-owned Premiere Radio Networks, airs in 12 markets, including four of the top five.

The Grammy, Academy, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner has been a public figure for more than 20 years, but she obviously regards her new gig as seriously as anything she has ever taken on. Since the show launched last August, individual stations have seen overall audience growth of more than 30%, while the total number of listeners aged 12 and older has swelled 30% to 1.55 million, according to Arbitron.

During a recent interview, she guided a reporter into the cement stairwell 20 paces from her radio studio on the 18th floor of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper, where she could steal the occasional smoke.

BILLBOARD: WHO DO YOU AIM TO REACH WITH YOUR SHOW?

GOLDBERG: I don't know who the audience is, but somebody's listening because people keep calling. That's all I depend on. My job is to talk for four hours and try to be amusing.

BILLBOARD: WHAT SORT OF REACTION HAVE YOU GOTTEN FROM

LISTENERS?

GOLDBERG: People stop me on the street and say it's nice to hear a show their kids can listen to. They know now that I'm not going to bamboozle them and throw something in that's going to make them uncomfortable driving with their kids.