{"podcast":{"title":"Circling The Drain","slug":"circling-the-drain-7467223","podcast_index_feed_id":7467223,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/circling-the-drain","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/NiGCvDCBB0o5e5WUl84LvEXmw9YH8c-SS6_-KYxT-e8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80ZDgz/NDgxODNlYjBlNzky/MzU1NWY1YmZjM2Jj/NDlkNS5wbmc.jpg","author":"John E. Bozeman","episode_count":41,"summary":"Circling The Drain is a show about the current state of the music and radio businesses as well as culture in general! Hosted by John E. Bozeman and Jay Harper along with Jim McCarthy as Co-Host/Executive Producer. John has had a storied career in music and talk radio, most notably as the Executive Producer for the late and legendary Phil Valentine. Jay also has has a long career in radio as Announcer, Play-by-Play, Voice and On-Camera Actor. He was also an Artist Rep for MCA records. Jim McCarthy ALSO has had a tremendous career in radio since 1996 and has since brought his consulting/producing skillset to the podcast world. Circling the Drain is produced by ItsYourShow.co","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/circling-the-drain-7467223"},"episode":{"title":"Bennie Shipley: From Small-Town Radio to Country Music Legends :: Ep 27 Circling the Drain Podcast","slug":"bennie-shipley-from-small-town-radio-to-country-music-legends-ep-27-circling-the-drain-podcast","published_at":"2026-02-25T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/circling-the-drain-7467223/bennie-shipley-from-small-town-radio-to-country-music-legends-ep-27-circling-the-drain-podcast","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/circling-the-drain-7467223","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/58452af3","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/58452af3/f297a157.mp3","summary":"Radio veteran and voiceover pro Bennie Shipley joins Johnny B, Jay and Jim for a deep dive into the golden age of radio, the rise of country music superstars, and the evolving world of voiceover in the age of AI. Starting as a 15-year-old kid at WLCK in Scottsville, Kentucky, Benny went on to WCDS, became a hometown celebrity in high school, and eventually made the massive leap to powerhouse Nashville station WSM. Along the way he worked alongside legends like Harold Hensley, Ralph Emery, Marty Robbins, Lefty Frizzell, Alabama, Reba McEntire, and many more. Bennie shares hilarious and heartfelt behind-the-scenes stories: stars tossing pebbles at the studio window to get on the air, Marty Robbins prank-calling the station, early days of Alabama before their first hits, and the creative chaos of producing a full “Country Christmas Carol” with country stars on reel-to-reel tape. He also opens up about building a successful national voiceover career, losing part of his vocal range, rebuilding it with help from Vanderbilt’s voice clinic, landing a huge McDonald’s campaign, and his honest take on how AI is impacting human voice talent today. If you love classic country, radio history, behind-the-scenes music industry stories, and real talk about the future of voiceover, this episode is for you. Timed Highlights 0:00 – Opening banter and intro to “Circling the Drain” with guest Bennie Shipley 2:30 – Growing up in Scottsville, Kentucky and starting in radio at 15 3:40 – Becoming popular in high school after landing a job at WCDS 4:50 – First radio paycheck, buying a color TV, and early radio memories 6:00 – Glasgow days, part-time to full-time, and a generous station owner 7:20 – Landing at WSM in Nashville and working with Harold Hensley 10:30 – Culture shock: small-town kid…","meta_description":"Radio veteran and voiceover pro Bennie Shipley joins Johnny B, Jay and Jim for a deep dive into the golden age of radio, the rise of country music superst…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3475,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/circling-the-drain-7467223/episodes/bennie-shipley-from-small-town-radio-to-country-music-legends-ep-27-circling-the-drain-podcast/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/circling-the-drain-7467223/bennie-shipley-from-small-town-radio-to-country-music-legends-ep-27-circling-the-drain-podcast.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}