Kevin Rooney and his cat Eric
RFB New Host Profile: Kevin and Eric of “The Daily Echo”

Multispecies host duo Kevin and Eric of “The Daily Echo” give their unique perspectives about... what it’s like to be a multispecies host duo.

 

 

 

Radio Free Brooklyn has featured a variety of unique programming in its five years, but this may be the first time we have a multi-species on-air host duo! Who knew there was a bleak prospect on the modern feline condition? Well, you do now!

RFB: Tell us a little bit about the creative (or other) path(s) that led to you doing your show and to Radio Free Brooklyn.

Eric: I’ve been doing live radio since I was four years old. Kevin’s almost 40, all washed up and starting his broadcasting career (stretches to show off his feline splendor).

Kevin: Hey! I looked it up and in cat years you were 32 when you started broadcasting, so we’re not all that different in age… please ignore Eric… he’s like this sometimes. Eric and I started broadcasting in early 2019 from our apartment in Brooklyn every Sunday. We were taking phone calls every week and having a blast. During the height of the pandemic we started broadcasting every day since there was nothing else to do. That ultimately led us to try to find a broader listener base.

RFB: What made you choose RFB?

Eric: I bought one of the coffee mugs from the Radio Free Brooklyn website for Kevin for his birthday last year. It was my way of trying to nudge him to up our game. One morning, he woke up and declared that he had a brilliant idea, applied, and eventually we found ourselves here. As always, it was his brilliant idea and not mine (passive-aggressively licks a paw).

RFB: I love that The Daily Echo is so eclectic: music, news, commentary — and call-in! Give us a hint of what listeners can expect from each show.

Kevin: It’s a mix between Mystery Science Theater 3000 and me channeling my inner Larry David, while Eric chimes in with his usual bleak prospect on the feline condition in the modern era.

RFB: The COVID-19 pandemic continues, but that hasn’t stopped you from debuting a show! Tell us about the challenges and rewards of your process so far.

Kevin: My mic was echoing in my headphones during the opening show so I couldn’t really talk and Eric had to do all of the heavy lifting.

Eric and Kevin of The Daily Echo.

Eric: It was the greatest day of my life: no Kevin — something I haven’t experienced since before quarantine (purrs).

Kevin: Honestly the process has been pretty seamless other than the first show kinks. We have been doing this together DIY from home for over a year, dancing from a standup desk, but since switching over to Radio Free Brooklyn everything feels more exciting and doing it during 2020 in such a wild chapter in the history of our lifetimes is a unique opportunity. We just hope to make it fun for people that need a little levity — and tunes.

RFB: What is the takeaway you hope listeners get from The Daily Echo?

Eric: Escape (tail twitches wildly).

Kevin: Yes! Just to give ourselves and anyone that is listening something fun, whether it’s my mother calling into the show, a song you like or anything else that takes you away from your grind for a fleeting moment.
Eric: Fleeting moment?! No, I’m serious when I say ESCAPE! Being a cat trapped in this cage with you and “the other one” is like hell on earth. To whoever is reading this: please leave me a voicemail at 917-994-9298 or call into the show from 5–7pm on Thursdays and let’s develop an exit strategy (yawns and stares out into… whatever cats stare into).

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