Meet Brit Somers — TG Radio Host

Britany Somers

There is a trans broadcaster in Florida who has made a spot for herself on the air waves. She is, in fact,  the only trans woman hosting a regular radio show on broadcast radio. That’s the radio signal that flies through the air from a radio tower and gets picked up on FM and AM radios. If you don’t live in Florida or have one of those old radios anymore you can still hear her show on her website. Her name is Britany Somers and her program is The Boca Show. Brit, as she prefers to be called sat down with us and we chatted about her career, her sudden transition and other things that will be sure to be of interest.

TGF: Hi Brit. Welcome to TGForum.

Brit: Thank you Angela. It’s a pleasure to chat with you today.

TGF: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you decide on a career in radio?

B: Like many twenty-somethings, I was fiercely determined to ignore any consequences of choosing the wrong direction in life. The G.I. Bill provided me an educational opportunity that (in hindsight) I really screwed up by flipping majors like pancakes. Journalism, then political science (which I should have stayed with), eventually settling on (the stupid childhood passion of) broadcasting.

TGF: There have been many lured by the “glamor” of broadcasting. The thing is you don’t start at the top. Normally you work at a number of tiny stations before you get anywhere. What was your first radio gig?

B: My first (on-air) radio gig was WCCF in the thriving metropolis of prestigious Punta Gorda, FL. (Just a stone’s throw from prestigious Two Egg, FL). It was “tiny,” and it was located in the middle of swamp land, with a signal you had to park under the tower to hear, and the Associated Press machine located directly in front of the toilet. (Editor’s Note: News was delivered to radio and TV stations by teletype.)

TGF: Disc jockeys and broadcasters often have stories about the pranks and pitfalls that small market radio produced. Do you have any great stories from those days?

B: Anyone who knows someone who worked in radio has heard legendary stories of announcers, disc jockeys and news readers having their copy set on fire or pants pulled down while on the air. Mine wasn’t as funny (or maybe it was?) Midway through my drive time shift, I spotted, out the corner my eye, a tow truck repossessing my car. There was nothing I could do. Devastated, I screwed up the playlist which eventually led to me being canned. Not a big deal in the days prior to the ’96 Telecom Act when radio jobs were plentiful. But being miserable and too immature to stick with it, I abandoned broadcasting to work on other things.

TGF: You came back to broadcasting not as a DJ but doing radio comedy. What was your inspiration?

B: Growing up, I loved parody and sketch comedy. Allan Sherman, Tom Lehrer, Vaughn Meader and The Firesign Theater were a big influence. Being in radio has a way of getting into the bloodstream, and I had to get back into the business — somehow, and for once my timing was good.

TGF: How did you get the attention of programming people?

B: From the ’70s through the late ’90s, radio provided an open forum for new comedy talent. FM Morning Zoo’s and “Full Service” AM Talkers abounded. With 2 Roberts Reel to Reels (Ed. Note: tape recorders) and a thirty five dollar multi-sound keyboard, I submitted audition cassettes to several local shows.

TGF: Who took the bait?

B: It was broadcasting legend Neil Rogers who eventually took me under his wing at WINZ, then ZETA-4 FM, WIOD, and I eventually became the featured comedy producer on his WQAM show. That blossomed into a national syndication gig with ABC Radio Today in NY. Everything was coming up roses! Then the ’96 Telecom Act was starting to take hold, Clear Channel murdered the industry, and my NY agent died. It was all downhill from there. Neil was forced into retirement, and passed away in 2010.

TGF: You did many many comedy bits for his shows and for your own Boca Show. Do you have any faves?

B: Of the 8000 comedy bits and parodies (with original music tracks) I produced, it’s difficult to say. In terms of airplay, Sitting on a Bench in Delray (to the Otis Redding song The Dock of the Bay) would be in the top ten. Followed by Father O’Toole (Ricky Nelson’s Poor Little Fool). A Dr. Demento favorite was Girls Don’t Fart (The Knack’s Good Girls Don’t), and throughout the Bush administration Neil would close every show with President Dumbshit (to Don Gibson’s Sea of Heartbreak). It’s too bad K-tel isn’t around anymore. (Ed. note: Actually K-Tel is still around.)

TGF: As you mentioned, since the Telecom Act broadcast radio has become homogenized and if you’re in San Diego or Boston you’re likely to be listening to the same thing. How did you manage to get a regular show on WNN, and is it hard to get sponsors?

B: FM is now homogenized because corporate ownership is no longer concerned with Groundbreaking Talent. It is only concerned with increasing the bottom line and cutting the right deal. Once more, programming has taken “risk” out of the equation. (Especially since 9/11). Artistic political statements such as What’s Goin’ On, Ball of Confusion, Eve of Destruction, and  For What It’s Worth (to name a few) would never get on the air today. Music is now a matter of personal choice from what can be foraged online.

AM radio has gone the way of Hate Talk and Sports formats because that’s what corporate ownership wants on the air. Despite the minuscule ratings numbers which consolidated corporate ownership has redefined (and convinced themselves) of being a good thing. It’s all about the forced messaging they want on the air, audience be damned.

TGF: But don’t the major shows that are broadcast over many stations have an audience for a reason? People must want to hear Limbaugh and others like him. Of course there is a movement to boycott his advertisers and get him off the air.

B: I find the “Flush Rush” campaign amusing. Effective as it may be at eliminating sponsors, corporate doesn’t care. Clear Channel is deep in hock, and they still don’t care. They will take their Hate Talkers door to door if need be. The full service, community minded, public airwaves are dead in South Florida.

TGF: What about satellite radio?

B: Like Sirius/XM? Personally, I have a real problem with “paying” to hear the radio. Sitting through four minute spot clusters was always payment enough. Furthermore, Howard Stern would be still be funny, shocking and relevant — if this was 1986. He should retire and enjoy his fortune, and stop siphoning all the revenue away from other potential talent who could use the work.

TGF: You put down the “hate talkers” and seem to lean left politically. Which thing has made it harder to get sponsors for the Boca Show, your gender presentation or your political views?

B: Gender has nothing to with it. I’m lousy at sales, and sales is everything. I can pitch, but when it comes to closing, I couldn’t sell Halavah to an Eskimo. My show is a nice little trade-out I have with station management in appreciation of my production skills, and whatever sponsors I get are all mine with potential for expansion. But again, that requires skills in salesmanship, and I couldn’t sell shoeshine to a tap dancer.

Regarding political leanings; the “Corporate Powers that Pee” only allow for a few progressive shows to remain on the air, and they are struggling. I was shocked to learn Radio Free Europe was still around. We need them here!

TGF: Let’s talk about your gender switch. You have said in interviews that you never “felt like a woman trapped in a male body” but you suddenly switched genders one day. That seems to set you apart from the others in the trans community.

B: Yes, I guess that sets me apart from most. I’ve been a proud trans woman going on fifteen years. Best I can figure is that it was like a piano fell from the sky and hit me on the head, and somehow, that made me feel complete. And yes I was aware of transgender people but was focused on other things in life. Granted, I benefited from being short, but I had no idea (at the time) how well everything else would fall into place. I took a great deal of care to look — and behave — appropriately. That afforded me access to places where others fear to tread.

TGF: When you started presenting as a woman what was the most obvious benefit?

B: It ostensibly calmed my agitated brain. Prior to that I was a surly little prick, but then (to quote a friend who knew me before and after); “You’re so much … nicer!”

TGF: Many performers are only comfortable on stage, or in the case of radio, on the air. You’ve said you enjoyed a boost of confidence when you became Britany. Is the feeling of being “on” all the time what you find most attractive?

B: I used to find it (my show) exciting and electrifying. Now when I do my show, I feel like I’m sitting in the electric chair. After three years, I’m still not making a living at it and feel like I’m barking at the moon. But at least I can pretend I’m doing something useful! However, I do get very nice compliments about it and that inspires me to carry on. I adhere to the Old School Formula of, keep it entertaining with occasional surprises and avoid narrow-casting a single topic. Which is getting hard to do with all this Hate legislation going around.

TGF: Your website mentions you’re working on a book about your transition. How is that going? Do you have any other writing projects?

B: Thank you for reminding me to write another page today! I have this problem of writing myself into a brick wall, then deleting it. One thing I can tell you in advance, as opposed to the usual ponderous woeful whining, my book will focus on how much fun it can be!

TGF: Florida is an odd state. Not the friendliest state for trans people. 

B: ”Odd” is an understatement. Surprisingly, there are indeed very supportive areas for us such as the southern Tri-Counties, Palm Beach, Broward and Dade. Not to mention, Orlando and Tampa. The north part of the state benefits from Health Programs and Human Rights Advocacy. The southern part has wonderful Health and Wellness benefits, Human Rights Advocacy … not so much. Yet.

TGF: How did you end up in “the sunshine state”?

B: When I was a kid my parents were scammed into moving the whole mishpucha down here from White Plains, NY.  I finally made it back up there in the nineties, only wind up back down here, where I’m stuck. It’s like Hotel California, you can check in anytime you like, but can’t afford to leave.

TGF: Your website has a statement from you saying you’d love to sit down for a deli nosh with Jon Stewart. How do you feel about him leaving The Daily Show? Who would you pick for the new host?

B: Tina Fey would be a great choice. But she has a lot going on. 18 years ago, Jon Stewart went from stand up to bouncing around on MTV and Talk Soup. When TDS came along, that became his life. Whomever is chosen to replace him, will have to be brilliant and focused. John Oliver pulled it off. But it’s no enviable task taking over that chair, he will be missed. I hope he changes his mind.

TGF: Are you currently in a relationship?

B: No. Friends and dating are good enough.

TGF: With all your voices do you get much commercial voiceover work outside the station?

B: Yes, but very little. Chiefly because there is, well … very little. Occasionally I’ll receive a VO request from Thom Hartmann and Stephanie Miller. That’s about it, other than contributing work to Nicole Sandler, who is a pro-broadcaster and champions for Transgender Rights. It wasn’t long ago I was writing business from stations across the country. But they’re all gone. Best I could hope for now is an agent, and there are no agents for this in Florida. This is not the place to be for what I do.

TGF: Before we wrap things up do you have any anecdotes from your years in broadcasting and entertainment that you’d like to share?

B: The stand out would be my encounter with Jackie Mason in May of 2010. It was while working on a scene for a movie that was so bad, Ed Wood would blush with embarrassment. I was wearing a red on white sun dress with a clip-on fall and word must have gone out on the set about me. During a break in the shooting Jackie approached me (with his orange hair). Intrigued and curious, he politely fielded questions to me like; “So what is this, you do this everyday?” and “You still got your utensils down there?” I said yes to both and he said, “I’m fascinated by this!” He went on about the film we were working on; “Nobody knows what they’re doin’ over here. Stand there, don’t stand here, move over there … and the food sucks! I dunno what the hell I’m doin’ here.” I said I wished we had more time for him to regale me with stories of the Friars Club and Toots Shor. With a look of astonishment he said; “What the … How the hell would you know about that?” After twenty hilarious minutes, I said it was an honor to meet him, then (something like) Ed Sullivan was an asshole, and that made him laugh out loud.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the late great Davy Jones. (The only picture I have from that occasion) What a tremendously nice man. Way too soon. Like the end of this interview.

Many thanks to funny lady Britany Somers for chatting with us about her career and atypical gender transition. You can learn more about her and hear examples of her comedy bits and her Boca Show on her website.

Tags: Boca Show, Brit Somers, broadcasting, featured, Transgender, Transition

Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment