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10 Questions with ... Megan Holiday
October 9, 2018
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I'm a pretty big goof and am usually just trying to make people laugh. I also like to be a real person and talk about things that matter like how success and money won't make you happy; you gotta find that from within. I also like to give the audience information that is useful to them like dates of concerts, releases, anything interesting or topical
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
After interning at 91X for a year I moved back to the Bay and started at KITS/LIVE 105 in 2010 as a sidekick. In 2011 I got weekends and then full-time nights, middays and then Megan And Menace In The Morning. 2013-2015 are what I call "the lost years" where I did not work in radio. In 2016 I was hired to fill-in at KROQ, then weekends, then full-time nights this year. Also KITS/ALT 1053 brought me back for middays this year too. Life is a trip man.
1. How did you become interested in radio?
I got the radio bug after attending LIVE105's BFD concert in 2007 when I was in college. Menace worked there and was kind enough to take me backstage to show me around. Seeing the way everything worked behind the scenes got me really excited and watching Social Distortion from the side of the stage did not suck. I had never even considered radio as a career until that moment.
2. What stands out the most from starting your radio career at KITS in 2010?
Looking back now what stands out the most are the incredible people I have gotten to work with throughout the years and the relationships I have cultivated with them. I have learned so much from so many people and I'm really grateful for the help I received when I was first learning and coming back into the game. I also look back and trip out that I have interviewed my musical heroes or even been in the same room as them. All of my heroes have been rad thus far.
3. How have you been so fortunate to work your entire early career at two of the most legendary Alternative stations - KROQ/L.A. and KITS/San Francisco - and how excited were you to return on-air at KITS over the summer in addition to doing nights on KROQ?
I was fortunate in knowing Menace; he saw something in me before I did. He pitched me as a sidekick to Michael Martin and from there I worked my way up. I worked 7 days a week at KITS at first and went to grad school full-time, I hustled. Then I threw it all away due to my personal struggles with drugs and alcohol. I lost everything and thought I would never go back to radio until KROQ DJ Nicole Alvarez gave me the idea to apply years after leaving KITS and getting sober. I got to tell my story of recovery and how much I missed radio. Lisa Worden & Kevin Weatherly gave me a chance and it changed my life. Being back on at KITS is incredible because I get to do it right this time! I have been lucky that people like Kevin Weatherly & Michael Martin have opened doors for me and then I just work really hard from there.
4. How would you describe your on-air style?
I'm a pretty big goof and am usually just trying to make people laugh. I also like to be a real person and talk about things that matter like how success and money won't make you happy; you gotta find that from within. I also like to give the audience information that is useful to them like dates of concerts, releases, anything interesting or topical.
5. How different is it doing evenings in on KROQ and middays on the rebranded KITS ALT 105.3?
It's not much of a difference honestly. Just doing my thing but talking about different places & events. I'm fortunate to truly know both places very well. The Bay listeners only respect you if you rep The Bay whereas in L.A. & OC there's a lot of transplants and everybody is so spread out so they'll accept you a bit easier. The main difference is the amount of how much I rep the DUBS. Hah.
6. What is your show prep routine?
Check out the World Wide Web and see what's going on. If we added an artist I'm not too familiar with I go down the rabbit hole of finding stuff out about them. I think about moments that have happened in my day and try to think of what stories will connect with the audience.
7. What do you love most about being on-air?
I love the opportunity to lift people up through positivity and laughter. I love that I will say something on-air and months later a listener will call to tell me how what I said helped them. I love that we are all listening to the same song at the same time and sharing that experience together. I love that I get to talk to my musical heroes and ask them questions I have always wondered about.
8. Tell us about your podcast, 7 Words With Megan Holiday.
People always ask me the story of how I got into radio and the answer is a series of small actions and choices. I just thought if I shared my story maybe it would inspire someone else to follow their dream, that it is possible to achieve it. So I started sitting down with people who inspire me and hear them share their story of how they got to where they are today. Some people are at the beginning of their career, some right in it, some retired. Musicians, comedians, mental health experts, authors...etc.
9. Who is your favorite on-air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?
I have always loved JoJo Wright (a.k.a. JoJo On The Radio) ever since I was a kid. He's always so upbeat, bubbly and kind. He also kills it in his interviews and treats these massive celebrities like people because that's what they are. Not all personalities are as smooth as him. I still haven't met him and I think I'll geek out a little if I ever do.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Coffee! That's easy. Also breathing cause I'd die.
Bonus Questions
What are weekends like for you?
A relief. Get to not worry about work which is wonderful. Music festivals, weddings, recovery stuff, visiting family, being lazy, traveling.
What are your hobbies?
Need more of these I think. I love going horseback riding at my mom's house though.
Who is the bigger Golden State Warriors fan - you or Miles Anzaldo?
Miles is because he's an OG. He grew up in the Bay so that has been his team. I became a fan of sports in general when I moved to the Bay; I never was immersed in the sports culture of L.A. so when I got into it in SF I was like WOWWWWWWW. The Warriors are really special to me for more reasons than just great basketball; they were winning during a very transformative time in my life so I associate them with it in this weird way. I just love them so much but Miles definitely wins this one! He actually took me to my first game back in the day.
First record ever purchased?
Sublime self-titled in 6th grade
First concert?
No joke.... Jessica Simpson opening up for Ricky Martin... nobody can top that!
Favorite band of all-time?
DEFTONES DUH! But real talk all I listen to is Allman Brothers Band because I'm a dad now.
Anything else you would like to add?
I intend to use the platform I have for good things. I want to be a part of the solution of this world. It may not be in taking a political stance or something like that but it's by being kind, taking a moment to connect with and acknowledge someone, to truly listen to someone's perspective without judgment, to be willing to learn and remain teachable.
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