You can listen to ChickChat while you're brushing your teeth and getting ready for the work day, shuttling the kids to school or daycare or trapped on 128 in morning rush hour traffic. If they ask what it is you're listening to or start complaining for that matter, tell them it's your therapy session and you'd be a mad woman without it.7 - 8 a.m., Monday through Friday on WBNW AM 1120 in the Concord area and WPLM AM 1390 in the Plymouth area and on the Web at www.chickchatradio.com.

Kathryn M. Quirk

The intense office environment often associated with a high-tech start-up created an instant and powerful camaraderie among Heidi Hanzel, Jacy Cowgill and Lara Dyan when they worked for a fledging telecommunications company back in 1997. Together they survived the daily onslaught of corporate horrors including 12-hour days, frequent last-minute travel, unrealistic expectations and bosses from hell.

Over cocktails after work, they would share stories and indulge themselves in daydreams of downwardly mobile jobs. These musings soon led to a more exciting dream of hosting their own talk radio show.

Fast forward, slowly...

It's hard to imagine that it would take another five years for the friends to realize their dream, but then again, "Life happens while you're busy making other plans," paraphrases Jacy.

The three women were experiencing life to the fullest. For Lara, it was living in New York City and a job that took her to Argentina, London and Tokyo with up to six-month layovers in far-away cities. After returning stateside in 2000, she remained in high-tech marketing and started to work on earning her MBA, a pursuit she continues today. Heidi kept busy working as corporate brand manager and fighting off the stereotypes of her new role as wife/mother by wearing leopardskin boots, among other things. Jacy was consulting full-time and trying to figure out the life/work balance with a new husband, two pre-teen step-daughters, and a baby.

It was Heidi who rallied everyone around the idea of actually hosting an entertainment-based radio show for women. With the added support from her husband, himself a co-host of a weekend talk radio show called Greenwave and a huge advocate of radio programming for women, Heidi contacted her former colleagues and set a date for a reunion/strategy session.

While research reveals that there's a void in radio programming for women, Heidi says turning on the radio is proof enough that there's not much out there for women.

"For years I commuted nearly two hours round-trip with nothing to listen to except men talking about extremely boring topics like politics," says Heidi. "It's not my everyday life."

Heidi, Jacy and Lara got together for cocktails just like old times, only this time they recorded their conversation.

"Three hours is nothing to group of women who haven't talked in awhile," says Lara.

Less than a month after recording the demo, and what seemed like a lifetime since they had first worked together, a well-known radio imaging consultant listened to the recording and asked if he could serve as the executive producer. In November 2002, ChickChat talk radio show became an on-air reality.

Challenging stereotypes: ChickChat enters the world of male-dominated talk radio
With each passing week, the trio learned more about the talk genre. While men tend to exchange remarks on impersonal topics such as news and sports, women are more likely to reach out to one another, share information and trade personal stories.

While they have vastly different backgrounds and lives, the three hosts share a strong connection. Drawing on their own experiences, they trade personal stories, challenge stereotypes and offer blunt evaluations on everything from dating, marriage, men, work issues, kids, parenting and, of course, sex.

"From the office to the bedroom - and everywhere in between – we talk about a wide array of issues that women, and the men who dare to eavesdrop, grapple with each day," says Heidi. "Listeners laugh out loud and keep coming back for more as they see their own situations mirrored in the banter, or listen to one of our on-air guests.

"While it may seem that talk radio represents the last bastion dominated by men, ChickChat is part of a growing trend in talk radio – all-female-hosted, entertainment-based programming for women. With a lot of hard work and a little luck, Heidi, Jacy and Lara will continue to work their magic, in hopes of connecting with the vast, underserved female audience.

Join ChickChat weekdays at 7 a.m. Laugh along with the chicks as they conduct early-morning cocktail hour discussions, and just see if listening in doesn't make the day go by faster. The Chicks welcome feedback and callers are encouraged to call in during the show at 1-877-730-TALK or email their opinions to TheChicks@ChickChatRadio.com.

"Because our opinions are so different, we'd all like the backup of someone agreeing with us," says Lara.

Kathryn M. Quirk is president of KQ Communications, a boutique public relations firm serving corporate, consumer and technology companies with creative, results-producing communications programs. Please contact her at 617-875-6003 or Kathryn@kqcommunications.com and the Web at www.kqcommunications.com