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10 Questions with ... Shellie Hart
October 11, 2021
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Longtime Seattle Radio Personality starting with KRKO-AM & KNHC (C89-FM) a collective 20 years at KUBE 93 (with a 3 year stint within all those years at KUBE programming/on-air with KEDJ in Phoenix ’96-’99) and now your ‘workday companion’ on WARM 106.9.
In addition to radio, am also the on-court ‘Fan Engagement’ Emcee for our 4x WNBA Championship Team the SEATTLE STORM.
Was once ‘Queen of Seafair,’ which was pretty fun. Seafair is a summer long celebration of community events and a big deal here, finishing with the Hydros and Blue Angels…who I FLEW WITH a few years back. SO FUN!
1. How would you describe your first radio gig? Terrifying. The first time I opened the mic (KRKO-A/Everett, WA)…I choked. I literally sat there with the mic on, my mouth open, no words coming out and feeling anxiety unleash all through my body.
My first gig…and in that moment, the only thing racing through my mind was “I’M NOT MEANT FOR THIS RADIO THING!”
That’s when I realized, “you’re only as good as your last break, if even just .08 seconds…the next will always be my best”.
2. What led you to a career in radio?
It was the love of music that lead me to radio, and the determination to get them to play what was happening on a ‘street’ level. Rhythm & Hip-Hop was one of them. Marco Collins (KNDD) would come in to the record store I worked at to shop and I would say to myself “I want a job like his, to break new songs on the radio!”
Wasn’t long after, as Marco was blazing his own trail with ‘grunge’ as the world ended up calling it on THE END, my came with my love for Rhythm & Hip-Hop on KUBE. 1990 was the year we started to ‘ease’ into the format with LL Cool J, Digital Underground, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Keith Sweat, BBD, En Vogue…then in ’91 the station fully committed to the format and BOOM! We were breakin’ records!
3. You’ve had a remarkable run in Seattle, in multiple formats too. What do those 20 years at KUBE mean to you?
Those years at KUBE, mean everything. The people I worked side-by-side with are my ‘radio’ family still to this day. KUBE 93 will forever hold a special place in my heart. A moment in time (mostly 90’s) when radio and music DJ’s across the country would network and help break artists and songs.
4. This week marks 9 years for you at WARM 106.9. Congrats! What do you still love about being able to go into the studio every day and make the magic happen?
Radio is not a career for me, it’s a ‘calling’. It will ALWAYS be a part of who I am. As long as we have ‘local’ personalities, radio will have an edge.
Programmers are always looking for ‘content’, when really listeners are looking for ‘companionship’ with people they can connect and engage with…and that’s where the ‘content’ comes from, that’s the magic.
5. If you could pick one person to join you in the studio for an interview, who would it be and why?
That’s easy, P!NK! Especially after watching her documentary “All I Know So Far”. She just simply amazes me, she’s real…and I wish she was my neighbor.
6. You’re also the On-Court MC for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. This is a team with high-profile stars that wins championships. What has that been like for you, and when they win it all do you also get a ring?
I’ve been with the STORM since the WNBA started, with my role growing over the years. I used to ‘volunteer’ at games as an emcee in the early days. It wasn’t so much the game, as much as it was the ‘fans’ and their dedication to see the WNBA succeed that inspired me.
To watch the league, fan support and level of play grow and develop a ‘backbone’ as Sue Bird would say…has been AWESOME! I’ve been a part of some pretty incredible Seattle STORM basketball moments from players to fans, and yeah I’ve got some ‘bling’ to prove it.
7. Both you and the station are deeply involved with various charities throughout the community. What are some of the things that you enjoy most in that regard?
I often share with new talent: “be a personality, with a community purpose” as community engagement is one of the most important things we can do as radio personalities. Our voice and support are important, and a game changer when it comes to our music app competitors. Who you are on the ‘outside’ of the studio, will reflect who you are on the mic coming out of those speakers. Get out of the studio, get off social media, and ‘get out and engage’ in the community.
8. The holiday season is within sight…what’s the vibe like when you push play for the first time on a seasonal classic, and what makes the listeners obviously keep coming back for more?
We LOVE the holiday vibe and we go ALL in! The holiday format is a perfect fit for my ‘memory making’ personality brand. Those holiday favorites are a ‘WARM’ place, who wouldn’t want to come back to that.
9. What were your favorite stations growing up as a kid? Jock(s)?
The dominant top 40 of course! “KJR Seattle, Channel 95” as I can hear that AM jingle sing! As a kid, I listed to that station on my little transistor radio for hours. Went through a ton of batteries. Pat O’Day, Scotty Brink, Charlie Brown, “Emperor’ Lee Smith are some of names that come to mind and as I say them out loud, I can ‘hear’ them in my mind like it was yesterday.
10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
Mentors came for me long after my career was under way. In the beginning (mid-80’s) as I looked around, most women were doing traffic, a ‘sidekick’ or ‘middays’. Since ‘traffic’ wasn’t my thing, and I didn’t want to hang my career on the success of my ‘co-host’, I figured if it was middays and I would rawk that $#&!. So, I did. What a blast it’s been, and I did it in my own home town of Seattle.
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