10 Questions with ... Miranda Daniels   

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Besides a short internship at KRWC in Buffalo, MN, my entire radio career has been at Mid-West Family in Madison, WI.

1.  You’ve spent your entire career at Mid-West Family Broadcasting in Madison. What’s it like working for the company?

MWF is so special in its local programming, talent, research, and service. I really appreciate how the company invests in its people by training them in many different facets of the industry... and I still have so much to learn!

2.  It’s been 3 years now since 106.7 The Resistance signed on and you’ve been involved since before day 1. How has the station grown?

We've grown in our social and online followings, especially during the last year. The pandemic definitely hurt our reach at shows and events, but we've seen a lot more interaction on our loyal listener platform and socials. We've also grown in our community connections thanks to our work with local businesses and nonprofits. More on that later.    

3.  How would you describe the music and imaging on 106.7 The Resistance?

We are uniquely Madison. The pop/hip hop sound that is everywhere now often falls flat for us, but sometimes a song or TWO that fit that description will be huge hits. It's all about listening to our listeners. The imaging is also unique. Tim Virgin is our voice guy and his outtakes often make it into the final product. We like to poke fun at ourselves a bit.  

4. Tell us about New Music Discovery for The Resistance and how you test songs.

We look at all sorts of sources for new music and then we are able to get real time results from our listeners when we play the songs on air thanks to MixerRadio. Listeners rate songs online or through our app as they play and we instantly have a snapshot of their feel for it.   

5.  Let’s talk about The Disruptor Series with your artist interviews and how showcased on-air and off-air.

We launched The Disruptor Series last fall, and it has been so much fun to highlight so many different artists!  The goal is to introduce our listeners to new artists, new music from icons, and any news from station favorites. We have the traditional on-air interview that airs during my show Thursday nights and then the interview is available on our podcast starting at midnight.  

6. How would you describe evenings from 7-midnight with Miranda?

My show is very music forward! Outside of artist interviews, I try to make sure I'm not keeping listeners from the music for long. I know I only have their attention for a moment, better make it worth it.  

7. Your DJ profile says, “Still trying to outgrow my emo phase from 2002.” Explain.

Ya know... how teenagers used to say, "It's not a phase, Mom!" It's actually paid off for me that I haven't grown out of that phase. I was able to make a career out of it and get to jam Motion City Soundtrack and My Chem on the daily. I'm sure I'll eventually take out the piercings and stop dyeing my hair. Maybe.  

8. What do you love most about being on-air?

I love sharing a new song or artist that I'm excited about and hoping the audience is as excited as I am.  

9. What is your favorite part of your job?

The people. My coworkers, the listeners, the reps, the artists... I continue to meet the most interesting people every week that I am in this job. Or when there's a perfect diagonal on the first pass in Selector. So sweet.  

10. Tell us about the Mid-West Family Awareness Grant.

A couple years ago we wanted to highlight and support Madison-area nonprofit organizations. There are multiple events that our company and individual stations hold throughout the year to support certain causes, but we wanted something BIG to get our name out. We now have the Mid-West Family Community Awareness Grant that primarily lives on WRIS airwaves but can also be shared among all local sister stations. The winner receives $15,000 in advertising for the calendar year and this year's winner is the River Food Pantry. We've been able to build some great relationships with lots of people in our area that are doing exceptional things.

What have weekends been like for you during the pandemic?

I was already an avid baker before the pandemic hit, so my weekends stayed pretty much the same... full of bread, just without concerts.

Where are your favorite places to eat in Madison?

Thai Noodles, Liliana's (for Cajun and Creole), El Pastor (for Mexican), Parkway Restaurant (for greasy brunch), and Delaney's (for steak and seafood).   

Favorite food?

Parmesan meatballs with mozzarella and basil orzo or chili lime chicken tacos  

Favorite drink?

Water or Jameson  

Rank your sports teams in order of passion.

Minnesota Wild, Vikings/Packers/Seahawks, Brewers/Twins/Mariners, Tottenham Hotspurs, Kraken, Lynx, Timberwolves/Bucks.  

Favorite new band over the past year?

KennyHoopla. I love his energy and the passion in his voice. I also loved getting to know more about Mobley and Kulick during their Disruptor Series interviews. These guys are all so insanely talented.  

Anything else you would like to add?

Props to Pat Gallagher for getting his "Feed The Resistance" segment posted on Marcus Samuelsson's socials!