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10 Questions with ... Margot Chobanian
October 12, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
WODJ/Grand Rapids, WGRD/Grand Rapids, KXNA/Fayetteville, AR, Dave-FM/Atlanta, EAVradio and a few other stops in between.
1. How did you become interested in radio?
“WKRP In Cincinnati.” I wanted to be Andy Travis. College radio confirmed it for me. (I was an Art History and German major in college. Gave up pursuing careers in either for radio.)
2. Congratulations on your JBE SummitFest 2020 MD Of The Year award! Tell us about you felt getting it and what it means for The Colorado Sound.
Thank you! I was surprised and so honored. The last thing I won was the Pepsi Free-Throw Regional Championship in, I think, 1976. As a relatively new station, I think it validates our approach to music. We consider everything and push ourselves to take more chances.
3. In the past year or so, the station has expanded its reach in the market. Tell us about that.
Most markets don’t get even one Triple A (commercial or non-commercial) and in the Denver area we have three stations other than us that are Triple A formatted. Because we are “surrounded” we try to make ourselves stand out by our music and feature programming choices. We made a concerted effort in Northern Colorado to make that difference known. We do a lot of that online now.
4. How has the station and staff been coping with the unique situation created by the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Our President, GM and HR Director were on this from the beginning with tiered plans and lots of caution and communication. We were stocked up with cleansers and sanitizers and we have been wearing masks in the building since the first week in March. We were also given the option to work from home. Because we are a small group, and because Colorado has been relatively unscathed so far, it hasn’t really changed our day to day operations much. We all still come into work by choice. In the beginning, we staggered our work hours, but we have since relaxed that. We wipe down the boards, wear masks and social distance. Zoom meetings have replaced our bigger meetings.
5. How are the music meetings being conducted?
In my office, safely distanced. (My office also serves as the Colorado Sound meeting room, so it has more space for us to do that easily.) We also do monthly Zoom music meetings with our listeners (replacing the ones we did in-person).
6. Besides being on-air, what other roles are you fulfilling at The Colorado Sound?
Well, our staff is fairly small with just four full-time on-air and one digital director, so we all do a lot. Music is the biggest priority for me, both day to day and specialty programming. I also do our weekly playlist for labels and promoters. I research and record my weekly syndicated music history show Music 101. And I do lots of other things both big and small in-between.
7. How would you describe the music on the station?
A music lover's dream. We go deep in lots of genres and eras and we play over 80 currents. Though we are identifiably a Triple A, we don’t hesitate to stretch out into other formats for music. We also make a point to play a lot of (signed and unsigned) Colorado musicians in regular rotation. That is extremely important to us. Colorado, and Northern Colorado in particular (where we are) has a vibrant, creative music scene.
8. What new acts are you most excited about?
I really like Katie Pruitt’s work. The Allergies were a fun discovery. Cut Worms are good too. I would like to say that some long-time musicians have put out stellar albums this year: Paul Weller, Bob Mould, Bill Callahan, The Dream Syndicate.
9. What do you view as the most important issue facing public radio today?
Funding! Seriously. Without funding, stations like ours go away. The pandemic has made it even more clear how important that is.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without …
Coffee. The answer will always be coffee.
Bonus Questions
Last non-industry job:
A camera store sometime in the early ‘90s.
First record ever purchased:Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Damn The Torpedoes. (When I was eight, we moved into a house where the girl who lived there before we did left all her Beatles and Rolling Stones albums, the Woodstock soundtrack and so much more. I had a good head start on my collection!)
First concert:Eddie Money.
Favorite band(s) of all-time:The Replacements, Big Star, The Clash. Sam Cooke is my favorite singer of all time.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?Reading. Hanging with my dogs and husband. Cooking. I’m really pretty boring.
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