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The Richard Kaufman Q&A Interview
Exclusive to talkSPORT1089.co.uk

Richard Kaufman has been talkSPORT's golf correspondent and
commentator since 1999, and presented the weekly golf magazine The
19th Hole. He commentated with Andy Gray during talkSPORT's stroke
by stroke coverage of The Open Championship in 2000 and of the
USPGA Championship. Richard also works for Channel 5 as golf reporter.

He began his career on AA Roadwatch, broadcasting live traffic reports, but
soon moved into sports reporting with Capital Radio. He became a sports
reporter and producer with Independent Radio News in 1995, broadcasting
live reports and interviews from major sporting events like Wimbledon.

Richard went on to produce live golf output for Sky Sports and the Golf
Channel. But his talents and interests extend well beyond golf. A keen football fan, he presented 90 Minutes on Capital with Alan Mullery, provided live 90-minute commentary on Fulham matches to Liberty Radio and produced the international output of Premier League football for Trans World International. His football commentaries for Trans World International can be heard around the world every Saturday afternoon.

You were given the Drivetime show on talkSPORT towards the back end of 2002 swapping with Hawksbee & Jacobs. How did this make you feel to be given such an important slot in the schedule?
I started doing drivetime last September. Naturally I was delighted to be offered the chance to do it. I enjoyed the 1:00pm-4:00pm slot, it was great getting home at 5:00pm and I think it took a little while for the show to establish exactly where it was going. But I hope we're getting there. Good names, good topics. It's pacey and lively and you should be able to know all the main day's stories during the 3 hours.

Being part of asports station for the last couple of years must give you the chance to talk to some big name sportsman, who was your favourite you have interview on talkSPORT and why?
Sometimes you have to think am I really getting paid to do this? My favourite interviewee has to be Tiger Woods. Sometimes when you're interviewing very famous footballers, you get the feeling the main task for them is to avoid saying anything controversial and they'd rather not be doing it. Tiger is probably the most famous worldwide sportsman currently and it was a pleasure to get a chance to interview him on more than one occasion. He answered every question directly and listened to what you were saying. For a player who lives in a crazy sporting environment, he comes across very sane.

Whilst at talkSPORT you have been in a number of roles including presenter, commentator and reporter. Personally, what you feel is your best position and why?
I do enjoy what I'm doing but it's a tough call between presenting and commentating. They are very different although in both roles you're thinking on your feet a lot. But if I was really honest it would be commentating. It's great to digest and discuss what might happen and what has happened but nothing beats the buzz of being part of something and relaying the excitement of an event or a game. You can't beat live sport.

You have done a few commentaries for talkSPORT over the past couple of years for Premiership Live in London and The Open Golf Championship. Do you see your future lying in commentary?
I don't know exactly where my future lies but hopefully employed! But I would like to carry on commentating. I still do bits for Sky and Eurosport. I have ambitions and so good.

You have been at the station for the last couple of years. Who are your friends at the station and do you socialise with any of the other talkSPORT presenters outside of work?
I don't really go out much with people from the station. I have a very busy personal life and most of my friends are from outside the "business". I think that can be quite healthy. Of the other presenters I speak most to I'd say it's Adrian Durham. We enjoy disagreeing with each other. But he's a very polished presenter even if he can be a pain in the arse sometimes.

You joined talkSPORT in 2000 initally as part of their Open Championship coverage, but how did you actually get onto the airwaves at talkSPORT?
It was doing the golf and I was working for Trans World International. They had the international rights for the Premier League and I was up and down the country doing various football features and voice work. Then Trans World International's radio branch got the rights to produce The Open Championship coverage for talkSPORT. I applied and got the job. And got it!

You have worked in television before talkSPORT for Sky Sports and The Golf Channel UK. Would you ever want to go back to working in television or would you like to stay in radio?
I would never say no to working in TV in the future. Friends and family often ask me this, as if radio is a 2nd class medium and TV's so glamorous. Well, t's not. Radio has an immediacy and intimacy that you can't get on TV. But I would like to do more TV work although too many people think they're being funny by saying I have the perfect face for radio (it's not original!)

Did you have any radio broadcasting experience before you joined talkSPORT, if so which radio stations did you work for and what were your roles at those radio stations?
I'd had quite a bit of radio experience before. I started out during my student days by working for AA Roadwatch doing traffic reports. And then with the help of some interviews in the basement of my dad's shop in Shepherds Bush with Les Ferdinand and Clive Wilson (QPR players at the time) I got onto Capital Gold Sport. I've also worked for a number of other stations at various stages. Always sports-related.

The Afternoon Sportzone and Total Sport at Drive are very news and interview driven programmes. Do you plan your shows out fully or is a lot of it improvised during the show?
Yes and no. The show is improvised. It has to be. On many occasions news breaks and you just react to it. But often I know what direction the show will go in - what topics will be discussed. Or I might even know who I'm interviewing in advance. So I'm a big one for preparation. I feel the more I'm prepared, the more relaxed I'll be on air. I make lots of notes and hardly ever refer to them but I know they're there if I need them.

As a sports fan in general and eporter on radio and television for many sports you must have been to a number of big sporting occassions. What's the best sporting event you have been to and why?
I've been very lucky. Been to FA Cup Finals, Championship deciders, Open Championships, Wimbledon, Ryder Cups. And I'm not blas� about it. This is only work-wise because nothing can beat your own team being promoted to the Premiership for example mighty Fulham, but it would be the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline in the US. It was dramatic, very controversial with some amazing golf too. Wrong result but one of those occasions when it was cool to be there.

Who is your favourite sports person of all time and idols as a child?
Tough. Of all time? Bobby Moore was always a hero of mine. He was at Fulham when I first went regularly in the 1974-75 season. He lifted the World Cup with such talent and poise. I didn't get to watch him in his prime but he'd be up there. Loved Ali's impact and talents but Bobby Moore if pushed. My iolds in football was Gordon Davies, even at one time talkSPORT's Ray Houghton was a bit of a hero to me with that equaliser at Leeds. Golf-wise is has to be the inspirational Seve Ballesteros.

As a massive Fulham fan, how do you feel about their Premiership season so-far and do you think Chris Coleman is the right man for the job at Craven Cottage?
I keep hearing from people that Fulham are just a flash in the pan Premiership side. We'll drop as fast as we came up once Al Fayed pulls out his money. And they may be right. I hope not but I know we haven't got a huge fan base. But I'm just delighted to have got the Premiership. Growing up I'd never seen Fulham in the top flight. We got close in the early 80's but after that I'd resigned myself that I'd only ever watch lower league football. So I'm just enjoying the ride although I'd prefer the ride at Craven Cottage. As for Chris Coleman - good luck to him. He did very well for the final 5 games. He's a lovely guy, the players like him and seem to respond to him. It's a risk but I really hope it comes off.

What do you think of the Sexy Kaufman Challenge on talkSPORT1089.co.uk?
The Sexy Kaufman Challenge is great. It's not too difficult to play but you can understand for me to play it is a little bizarre. The "ugly" picture - that was taken on the day of my very 1st show. I was crapping myself and some bloke said stand by the wall and then put a camera right up to my face - hey presto! My daughters enjoy the game most - how many kids get the chance to blow up their dad on a computer game?

Finally, you were hosting the Afternoon Sportzone when the news about the incidents on September 11th broke. How did it feel when you were covering the story for talkSPORT and what thoughts were going through your head when seeing the pictures on the monitors?
It's certainly a day I'll never forget. It's not something you can say you're proud of because the circumstances were extreme and heart breaking. The show was going really well. We had a really strong line-up - probably as strong as I'd ever had. There was lots going on as Rangers were in dispute with UEFA over playing a UEFA Cup game in the Far East. So the last thing you expect is an era defining few hours of the 21st Century and I have been to the Twin Towers

The first I knew about it was during a break before 2:00pm. My producer made me aware of pictures on Sky News. I had no idea what was going on. It then became clear a plane had hit. I was describing what I was seeing and then it was time to hand over to the news at 2:00pm.

While that was on I carried on watching the TV and saw the second plane hit. Shocked like everyone else. It was now clear this was no accident but an attack. Mike Parry joined me and he was fantastic. I'd never seen him in that role before. His knowledge of New York and international politics was highly impressive because of his journalistic background.

I was on air until 6:00pm. It was both dramatic and awful. People said to me afterwards that you were really good, how did you do it? Well to be honest I found that quite embarrassing and a bit lame. I was just doing my job. That sounds a corny thing to say but it's true. Some poor gits were jumping from buildings, crashing in aeroplanes - it was murder on a mass scale. And all I wanted to make sure was that I didn't sound blas�, got as many of the facts across while not over-dramatising. We were fortunate in that we had good access to Sky and Fox News. It did cross my mind that London could be attacked any moment and we were not that far from Parliament. It was a feeling of what next? Anything is possible. As I said at the beginning - a day never to forget. Not just for me. But everybody.

Thankyou to Richard Kaufman for the chance to interview him. You can hear Richard Kaufman on Total Sport at Drive everyday between 4:00pm-7:00pm on talkSPORT.

The Richard Kaufman Q&A Interview
Total Sport at Drive
June 2003