Our Story: Cerrito Live
A weekly wrestling radio show emanates from the wrestling capital of the world: Memphis, TN.
Kevin Cerrito was born in Memphis. That’s all you need to know about why he’s a wrestling fan.
As the host of Cerrito Live on Sports 56/87.7 FM in Memphis, he and co-host Dustin Starr spend an hour every Saturday discussing the latest news in WWE, hyping any local events on the horizon and interviewing legends from yesteryear as well as current WWE Superstars.
“We just want to do a fun show about wrestling with a Memphis twist,” Cerrito says. “It’s not our full-time jobs. It’s just something we do once a week because we’re passionate about it.”
Born during the peak of Jerry Lawler’s feud with Andy Kaufman, Cerrito grew up during the dying days of the territory, attending USWA studio shows in the midst of the Monday Night War. After graduating from the University of Memphis with a bachelor’s in communications, he worked for a local sports magazine titled Memphis Sport. The magazine had a radio show which Cerrito ended up hosting, and he parlayed that into the current incarnation of Cerrito Live.
However, it didn’t start as a wrestling show. Cerrito would bring Starr on each month to chat wrasslin’, but the local wrestler’s visits became so popular that Cerrito shifted gears and made him a permanent fixture. Nowadays, the first hour is dedicated to the Memphis Grizzlies, and the second hour focuses on piledrivers. Strategically, it airs in the same 11 a.m. timeslot that Memphis wrestling used to come on.
“In any market today, if you’re going to pitch a show about wrestling, it’s going to be difficult,” Cerrito says. “But talk radio on Saturday mornings is usually just games or national programming, so they do have slots to test things out.”
Of course, Memphis is different than every other market. As evidenced by the high ratings of Jerry Lawler’s Classic Memphis Wrestling each month on CW 30 (which nearly all footage of can be seen on Youtube), the local yokel still clamor for suplexes, steel cages and concession stand brawls. “There is still a big interest in pro wrestling,” Cerrito says. “There are tons of podcasts, but such little mainstream coverage of it.
“We try to make it entertaining for the hardcore as well as casual fans. We’re not talking about NXT unless it’s coming to Memphis or has some local tie. You can get NXT or New Japan on the podcast, but not on the radio.”
Drawing the House
While Cerrito Live airs locally on radio, the show also has a podcast that has gained a strong following throughout the U.S. and around the world. After all, some pretty big names have appeared such as Alexa Bliss, Jim Cornette, Ted DiBiase and a host of others. Most recently, Jeff Jarrett called in after shocking the world and being announced for the WWE Hall of Fame. Of course, well, you know, his father also had a memorable appearance last year.
Between Starr’s contacts from working in WWE and Cerrito’s relationship with Lawler, they have been able to assemble an impressive wrestling Rolodex. “Before he had his own podcast, Lawler would come on and break news on our show,” Cerrito says. “So we did a lot of downloads and clicks from there. Social media also plays a big part of it.”
In addition to growing his fan base online and through mass media, Cerrito has taken a grassroots approach by hosting local trivia and bingo nights every week. They’re free events so listeners come out and mingle with each other, building the Cerrito Live community.
“You have to do something that is different,” he says. “You can do a podcast, but make sure it’s different from others. Yes, everyone agrees with your opinion or your jokes are funny, but you need something that will set you apart. Like with Dustin and I, we don’t review Raw – we talk about the big thing that happened. We don’t have a guest every week, but we have them when they’re relevant to the conversation.”
Although the show is named after himself, Cerrito credits Starr with making it as successful as it has become. “It helps if you can find the right person to do it with,” he says. “Trying to start something on your own is difficult.”
While being on terrestrial radio is what sets them apart, Cerrito doesn’t expect that to last for much longer. As Sports Illustrated and Forbes take wrestling coverage mainstream, he anticipates more radio stations devoting timeslots to aspiring wrestling broadcasters. “If you want to be a TV news anchor, you start in a small market,” he says. “If you want to be a pro wrestler, you train and get bookings and try for NXT. There’s not really a defined path yet for working in the wrestling media.”
Through hard work, persistence and maybe a just a bit of geographical luck, Cerrito has forged his path into the wrestling media, keeping Memphis memories alive and creating new ones for future generations.
Listen to Kevin Cerrito and Dustin Starr talk pro wrestling live every Saturday from 11-noon CT on Sports 56/87.7 FM in Memphis. Subscribe to the podcasts on iTunes, Google Play, tunein, PlayerFM or Sticher.
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