OMC: There's clearly a big spotlight on you, since you're working on one of the company's most visible shows. What's that like?

EA: I don't realize how big it is until we're out at places and people say, "Oh, you're the one!" It's just kind of weird.

MB: But it's cool, man, I like it. I'm at a radio station where I want to be. We work for great people who understand what's going to happen.

OMC: How old are you guys?

MB: I'm 33, A.J. is 37, and Erin is 30.

OMC: You're quite a bit younger than the show you replaced.

MB: Reitman was 68 when he retired. That's the elephant in the room. People ask if we're going to aim for a younger crowd. Well, we're talking about things that we can relate to.

OMC: Before you got here, the show was definitely skewing to an older crowd. What kind of feedback are you getting?

MB: Positive, from the people that we want and hope will come to our party.

OMC: Have you talked to Reitman and Mueller at all?

A.J.: Sure, Gene Mueller works right down the hall. He's a good dude.

EA: I've yet to be formally introduced.

OMC: Have you met Bob?

MB: He was really a cool cat. It's easy to see why he was a success. He built an empire.

OMC: What kind of assurances are you getting from management about how committed they are to making your show a success?

MB: They think this may take a couple of years. I hope that it doesn't take that long.

OMC: I'm sure the ratings took a little bit of a hit with the switchover, right?

MB: We'll find out soon. That book comes out in another month.

OMC: But everyone expects that, don't they? You can't just walk in and become number one instantly.

EA: If we did, that would be awesome.

MB: But you have to be realistic. I always tell people this: I hope that people have the same passion that they did for Bob Reitman 25 years from now. I got a lot of e-mail from people saying they really wanted to hate us, but they're starting to listen and they really like it. That's cool. Management is committed and took me out to dinner again to tell me that.

EA: And they signed us to a contract that's not too bad.

OMC: We were talking earlier about your individual musical tastes. They're all over the place, from the Digable Planets to classic rock to Michael Buble to Rascal Flatts.

MB: Yeah, it makes a (format) like this fine for us.

OMC: Do you have any say in what music is played during your show?

A.J.: No.

MB: If I wanted to play something I could, but for me, it's always been more important to decide what I get to say than what I get to play.

OMC: How has technology, the Internet, whatever, changed the way you do your jobs?

MB: I think it's helped; there are more outlets to get the word out.

A.J. There are more voices out there. You need to change and embrace them. The Internet is a huge help.

EA: It all depends on what company you work for, too. Here we don't have to update our own Web site every day; we have people who can help us.

OMC: Is FM radio going to be a driving force in, say, 10 years? How does it fit in to satellite radio, Internet radio or the next big thing?

MB: It will be, as long as we continue to evolve. If we keep playing 25 minutes of commercials per hour ... that has to change. (FM radio is) very viable. You can turn on KTI and get a story about what's happening right here in Milwaukee.

OMC: Last question: Matthew Blades. Erin Austin. A.J., without a last name. Those have to be radio pseudonyms, right?

EA: No, Erin Austin is my real name.

OMC: Really? That's a perfect radio name.

MB: Matthew Blades is not my real name. Matthew is my name, but Blades is not.

OMC: And A.J., you're just going with the one name thing, like Prince? Are you trying to keep some privacy in your life?

A.J.: No, it's just an acronym.

MB: But it's cool, it stands for his daughters' names.

A.J.: I'm the farthest from my real name.

MB: Looking back, I would've used my real name. But "Blades" isn't that crazy.

EA: I used to use a pseudonym, but then I got married. I thought Austin is pretty kick-ass. I guess that's one good thing I got out of being married!

OMC: Sounds like things are going really well for all of you.

MB: We want to stay here. Even if they don't like us, we're not gonna leave. I like it here. We're close to our families. I would love to see Journal Broadcast take this show and syndicate this to other markets. But I don't want to go to Boise, Idaho. I want to stay in Milwaukee.