A St. Louis native, Rich Berra was captivated by radio at 14 during an afternoon bike ride. After stumbling upon a YMCA-owned radio station, KYMC, he’d found his calling in the studio and jumped on board as a part-time employee. By the time he was 17, Rich was running the entire station, while also working a part-time gig that kicked off his career in morning radio. WKBQ recruited Rich to produce morning shows for Big Ron O’Brien and Steve and DC.In 1991, Rich caught the attention of Dave Shelly and Chainsaw at KGB in San Diego and, like his run St. Louis, took the show from #10 to #1 in less than a year. After a successful stint in San Diego, the Texas-based Kidd Kraddick Show asked him to join their on-air team. Rich’s stretch on KISS in Dallas produced the highest ratings the station has ever had in mornings. Cross-town rival rocker, The Eagle, snatched up Rich next, where he brought #1 ratings in mornings at the station for the first time.
A chance meeting in New Orleans found Rich teaming up with Johnjay. The beginning of The Johnjay and Rich era began in 2001 with their first show airing on KRQQ in Tucson. In 2006, the program moved to KISS-FM in Phoenix, Ariz., and was syndicated in select markets nationwide.
In 2014, the program joined Premiere Networks lineup of nationally syndicated programs. Airing Monday through Friday from 5 to 10 a.m. MT, The Johnjay & Rich Show is a non-stop blend of pop culture, news and events, welcoming a wide range of music artists, news makers and celebrities. Joined on-air by Kyle and Suzette, the show is a special brand of “reality radio,” in which listeners become an engaged and integral part of the program by interacting with the crew via all forms of social media -Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, email and text messaging.The Johnjay & Rich Show is also available on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's free all-in-one streaming music and live radio service, and www.johnjayandrich.com.
In addition to hosting their daily radio program, Johnjay and Rich remain steadfastly connected to the community via the Johnjay and Rich #LoveUp Foundation, a non-profit organization that strives to improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable children in our communities, with a primary focus on children living in the foster care system. The foundation’s annual Christmas Wish program provides thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts to deserving families in need during the holiday season. Johnjay and Rich also raised funds for #LoveUp’s sister foundation, #LovePup, by hosting adoption and fundraising events. To date, more than 500 rescue dogs have found forever homes through #LovePup’s ongoing efforts.In addition to serving children and pets, the radio hosts raise thousands of dollars for other worthy causes including disaster relief efforts nationwide.