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10 Questions with ... Steven Walker
June 8, 2021
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. There is a lot of underrepresented rock out there and that is where ALT 107.1 wants to fall. Everything about the ’90s that defined the word ‘Alternative’ and all the stuff that has grown from that generation. Alternative hits from yesterday and today. Songs you know and songs that are brand new.
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Graduated from Brown College in Mendota Heights, MN, worked for Winona Radio in Winona, MN On-Air on KG Country AM 1380, KWNO AM 1230, KG 95.3 FM, KHME 101.1 FM, and CD Country 99.3 FM as well as copywriting for the cluster. Then I worked part-time for 95.7 WRQT FM before landing full-time at La Crosse Media Group as a Creative Director and PM Drive Time on Classic Rock 100.1. When Magnum Media bought the stations owned by LMG, I moved to 102.7 WKBH and now, I am home on ALT 107.1.
1. How did you first become interested in radio?
According to my grandmother, when I was a very young child, I would mimic the voices on the radio. I really never let go of that fascination.
2. On May 10th, ALT 107.1 was launched by Magnum Media on WKBH-HD3 and on FM translator 107.1 W297EH. You have been appointed the spokesperson by Ty Magnum. What has been your role with ALT 107.1?
I have been calling it point man… We are all working in conjunction with one another to get this shiny new toy to the masses, but I am getting the opportunity to be “the voice” of ALT 107.1 in its infancy.
3. When the station signed on, Owner Reid Magnum said, “My brother Ty and I were born in La Crosse. My wife Chelsey got to know the college music scene over her four years at UW-La Crosse. Adding together local listeners plus UW-L, Viterbo, and WTC students, our research indicates that for Alternative Music fans ALT 107.1 will be a hit!” Give us the 411 on ALT 107.1.
ALT 107.1 fills in the cracks. There is a lot of underrepresented rock out there and that is where ALT 107.1 wants to fall. Everything about the ’90s that defined the word “Alternative” and all the stuff that has grown from that generation. Alternative hits from yesterday and today. Songs you know and songs that are brand new.
4. Tell us about the ALT 107.1 team.
Right now…as far as on-air goes...you’re looking at him! This thing is brand new. And we are taking it slowly to get it right. Sometime soon we are going to get Stuart Wattles on middays. He has been at this thing a long time and has lived in that “left of the dial headspace” for just as long. The Mangum Media team stretches across the state of Wisconsin but here in La Crosse, we have Kelly Wilde, a dude who has taught me more about this business than I have ever had access to. Kelly does a bit of sales but also the Morning drive guy on our sister Station WKBH 102.7. John Stevenson who is also doing a bit of sales does on-air on a few of our sister stations under the Magnum Media umbrella. Tom Faile holds down our sales department and I think he has been in the business for so long that he gave Marconi suggestions on how it should work. And then our traffic department is Heidi Fairey who is indispensable on so many levels. First, traffic is probably the most under-appreciated aspect of our profession and she holds it down. Plus, her promotions expertise is incomparable. We haven’t even been able to see her unfurl all of what she can do for us. We are all here in support of one another. ALT 107.1 is my little baby and I am the only one on the air right now, but we are all working in concert on all of our products.
5. What can we expect on your 3-9p shift on ALT 107.1?
I like to keep people company. I like to share information. I like to try to make you laugh, let you know what shows are coming up...share tidbits about the music that we are enjoying. I am going to hang out with you for a couple of hours each day. That is what you can expect...a good hang with good music and a great atmosphere.
6. How are you guys getting the word out about the station?
We are doing the interviews and the press stuff. Like with you fine folks at All Access. We are also doing some of the local TV outlets...we do have a Facebook page (search for ALT 107.1 La Crosse) and then we are hoping people will get curious and take a peek at what we are bringing
7. What is your favorite part of your job?
I love the creativity of the job. I love coming up with a concept, figuring out how to make it work, and then executing it. That is by far my favorite part. It can be for a bit, a spot, a promotion, or any of the myriad of ways that we are asked to be creative on a daily basis
8. You’ve been working with the Magnum Media /La Crosse cluster for about 10 years. What’s it like working for the company?
That isn’t quite right. Technically I have only been with Magnum Media since August of 2020. They bought the cluster I was working for and brought me along with the business as well as the rest of the team. However, I will say that it’s really nice working for a Family run organization that is as successful as the Magnums. It feels small and personal but also feels innovative and actualized. This company has a passion for Radio...capital R intended...Radio. And that starts from the top. Dave Magnum is incredibly passionate about this medium and how to do it well and that has carried on to his sons and then through every arm of this company. This company wants to have discussions about what will make us better and what we can do to grow and keep moving forward.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
My dogs? My two little monsters are the whole world to my wife, Michelle, and I. Darla and Frank are two terrier mixes that we adopted over the pandemic. Our little Covid rescues have become everything to us, and I can't go a day without getting a little puppy time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find my Werther’s and yell at some kids for being on my lawn.
10. What would surprise people most about you?
That is a tough question, man, I know me. Nothing surprises me about me. I won the Daughters of the American Revolution award in 8th grade. My thumbs are double-jointed. I was raised by my grandmother and my mother. I love arranging flowers. My biggest guilty pleasure is competition-based reality shows and The Great Pottery Throwdown is my current favorite. One of those
Bonus Questions
What are weekends like for you and your wife?
Whatever it is, our dogs are with us. Ha ha. We like to fish, have bar-b-ques with our friends. We are both actors and performers (she has a band and we both are/were heavily involved in the theater scene) so when the world opens all the way back up in our little neck of the woods, I am sure that shows and concerts and “being there” will become normal again. For now, hangs, puppy time, and listening to records.
You love music, comedy, and theater. Tell us about your comedy show, Live! From La Crosse.
As you said, I have always loved comedy and, especially sketch comedy. Saturday Night Live, Kids in the Hall, In Living Color, Upright Citizens Brigade, and on, and on, and on. I had gotten involved with the theater scene here in town and really thought it could benefit from an honest-to-goodness sketch show. I developed it by taking the SNL format and placing a local show into it. We have guest hosts and musical guests from the area...though Erik Stolhanske from Super Troopers did host our last “in theater” live show...and then we write original sketches and put up a show. We have done 8 “seasons” and 20-plus episodes. All original, all put on by us. You can find it online and on Facebook. We have performed at the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival the last three years (pre-pandemic) and at the Milwaukee Comedy Festival. It’s been a wild ride of brilliant comedy, really hard work, and rewarding audiences.
What are your favorite places to eat in the area?
Oh, man...we have some great food here in town. Uptown Cafe is a big favorite. It’s Soul Food from a Michelin chef. Senor Villa has some pretty incredible Mexican fare. And we have a Sushi Pirate that is pretty B-A
Rank your sports teams in order of passion.
First is and will always be the Chicago Cubs. I was raised with baseball in my blood and in Northern Illinois. I was a Bud Man and a Cub fan when I was but 8 years old. Then the Green Bay Packers. My family bought a bar in western Wisconsin in the middle '90s. Being in that place when the era of Favre was coming to fruition was like church in its own weird way. Yes, I own stock. Yes, family gatherings include a not-so-brief discussion about the current shape of the team.
First record ever purchased?
I BELIEVE it was the Cocktail soundtrack...and I still know all of the words to Kokomo...but if we are talking about my current collection and not random things, I bought with grass cutting money, it was three records together, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Here We Rest, Modern Baseball - Sports, Paramore-After Laughter
First concert?
Ha! Loverboy with my mom. I THINK I was 7...I’m not sure.
Favorite band of all time?
Umm...what do you got? I was raised in a musical household and love everything from Merle Haggard to TOOL and everywhere in between. Pearl Jam? Big D and The Kids Table? Motion City Soundtrack? Billy Talent, Jason Isbell, Justin Townes Earle, Sturgill Simpson, The Menzingers...when it comes to music my answer, 9 times out of 10, is yes.
Favorite new band over the past year?
Black Pumas are pretty exciting. If you haven’t heard the rest of that album, I would suggest you take a listen. It’s really exciting...and feels like the beginning of something really special.
Anything else you would like to add?
I am so very excited about ALT 107.1. I think this market could have used this sort of format years ago and we are finally getting it. The music, the feel, the potential is just really exciting. I hope those of us that call Alternative our thing find it before everyone else does...like we always do.
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