Al Rantel was born and raised a stonesthrow from the Atlantic shores in Winthrop, Massachusetts before moving to Fort Lauderdale, FL when he was 16. At 18, he headed to the waterless terrain at Oklahoma State University to study TV, Radio and Film. Al acquired practical, hands-on radio experience at two college campus stations and was hired to run the operation board at Miami's all-News WINZ AM 940 after graduating from OSU in 1977. He later became news producer and anchor at WINZ, then moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a newswriter for KNX AM 1070. Al returned to South Florida in 1979 to host the afternoon show at WNWS AM 790. His talk show soared to the number one position over a nine-year period. He was also the station's program director for three years. In 1991, Al hosted Miami's WFTL AM 1400 afternoon show and joined the SuperTalk Network after the station had been purchased by Clear Channel Communications. After the takeover in 1997, Al's show moved to mornings. Back on the West Coast and a Westside homeowner, Al dedicates his time to exercising, feeding his sport-car fetish, and Internet surfing to stay "in the know." He likes to search for the interesting stories that don't always get reported and raise topics with cutting-edge appeal. A "chat room" host he is not. "I like to challenge listeners, not be a switchboard operator answering calls,'' Al says. He challenges listeners to think but does so with a humorous delivery. Al has created a dynamic and entertaining platform for his 35-54-year-old listeners and an open forum for lively discussion accompanied with a high dose of levity. "You have to be a well-rounded person to be a talk show host,'' Al says. "I believe that people want someone who is real-even if they don't agree with you." Al prefers opposition to agreement and believes that calm confrontation makes for an exciting and active show. Listeners wanting to deliver opinions without feedback, may have better luck dialing the station's comment line. Al seeks interaction, activity and stimulating conversation with his listeners-anything else, would be too ordinary.