10 Questions with ... Alyssa Haberman

1. Welcome back to ALT949! I’m guessing you fell in love with San Diego. After losing your job in September 2020 due to the company’s national programming initiative, what led you back to the station in March 2022?

Well first of all, thank you! I'm beyond stoked to be back! And yes, San Diego is stuck with me at this point. Who would ever want to live anywhere BUT here? 

As far as coming back, I got a call from ALT's Jeremy Pritchard letting me know that they were going to be posting the job for middays locally again, and I've never applied to something so fast. It's really something special when "work" doesn't feel like work, ya know? And that's how radio has always been for me. So, I was super excited to apply at my old stomping grounds again, and even more excited when I found out that I got the job! It was like 2016 all over again and it feels so good to be back on-air.

2.  What did you learn from your 18 months away from radio?

I really took some time to do some soul-searching and weed out things in my life that don't serve me or that I don't enjoy. I had a lot of downtime, and I really learned a lot about myself! I also dove into the wonderful world of Tik Tok (maybe a little too deep) and brushed up on my social media skills. It was nice to at least have the outlet of social media to still get my creative juices flowing during my time on the beach.

3.  So, how does it feel to be back hosting middays and what has been the biggest change from your previous four years at ALT949?

Like I said, it feels so good to be back. Getting back into the swing of things at ALT was like riding a bike...a bike that I very much missed riding, by the way. I'd say the biggest change this time around is that for some reason, it just feels easier and way more fun. When you get into a daily grind with radio, you can forget how fortunate you are to be doing something so cool, and start to take yourself too seriously. So, coming back into it, I've just been having more fun with it and being even more authentically myself. Because why not?! 

4.  You have a sarcastic sense of humor. Tell us about middays with Alyssa from 10a-3p on ALT949.

Oh wow, you noticed that? Haha yes, I definitely do. It's how my sense of humor has always been, and I'm just glad it's so well-received most of the time. In my head, I hope that middays with me really just feels like I'm in your passenger seat, keeping you company on your way to wherever. I talk on the radio the same way I talk with my friends, and I always try to keep it light. Because let's be real, the last few years have been *kinda* heavy, and I think everyone just needs to hear some dumb news and get a laugh more often than not.

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

I really love doing local content – that's my sweet spot. There's just something so cool about getting to talk to strangers via the radio, but knowing that they will know exactly what I'm talking about, if that makes sense? We all have this common denominator of being San Diegans, so it automatically just kinda feels like we're pals. I also really love getting to meet listeners in-person at concerts and festivals and events! Again, it's just one of those things where when I meet a listener, we are just automatically friends.

6.  How are you using social media to augment what you’re doing on-air?

I think socials are so important in 2022 because that's really where you get to interact on a real level with listeners. It almost brings things to a more human level with a two-way street of communication rather than just a voice on the radio. I always try to respond to my DMs (unless they're creepy, then imma pass), and really use the station's socials to leverage whatever I'm talking about on-air.

7.  What benchmark features do you use to engage listeners of your midday show?

As of right now, I don't really have many. But I'm working on it and open to suggestions, so holla at ya girl!

One thing that's in my show daily though is the Audacy Pick Of The Week, where listeners can text in and tell us whether they like a song or not. It gives them the chance to be a mini MD, which is super cool.

8.  What about off air. What sort of things do you do to connect with the ALT 949 listeners?

I always try to make sure that I'm out and about as much as possible! If I have a specific event or game or concert I'm going to, I always mention it on-air. And when I say things like, "if you see me, come say hey!" I really mean it! I love meeting listeners irl, especially in fun environments like that where we've both got beers in hand and we're just out there, being San Diegans, having a good ass time.

9.  Who is your favorite on-air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?

Okay, I'm gonna fan-girl a bit here, but luckily, she already knows I'm a huge fan (because I slid in her DMs in 2020 to tell her exactly that). Lux on The Point in STL!!! I've never met her, but I've followed her on socials for a long time, and I just admire her in a little sister kind of way. She's just so COOL. Like...she is the cool, alternative radio chick that I aspire to be. And she's so unapologetically herself, which I absolutely love.

10.  What’s it like working at Audacy/San Diego and with Regional Brand Manager Jeremy Pritchard?

Dude. It's AWESOME. I missed my radio fam at the station a ton. When I walked back in and got to see some familiar faces, it was smiles and hugs all around! 

As for Jeremy, he's the best and I'm so stoked to get to work with him again! I've learned so much from him in terms of how to execute on-air content and just be more authentically myself on-air. He's given me invaluable constructive criticism over the years -- so much so that when I listen to some of my old demos before my time at ALT, I cringe. He's so good at what he does and I'm super excited to be back in a spot where he can continue to guide me and help shape me into a better radio personality. 

Let’s have some fun. Full disclosure, your boss got his hands on some of the bonus questions.

What are weekends like for you?

For the past few months, my weekends have been chop-full of Gulls games! That's our AHL team here in San Diego, and this season, I got the chance to be their arena host! I've always wanted to do in-game hosting like that, and this past season was a blast. We actually just wrapped the home games of the season on Tuesday 4/26! But now that that's over, I'm back to planning trips to Emo Nite and stacking my weekends with brunch and concerts!

I hear you have a cat named Queen Pancake. Explain.

Oh yes, I do! She is truly a queen, and I'm so glad she lets me live in her house. She's got a flat little face and only one nostril (she was born like that, cue Lady Gaga), so she wheezes and sneezes a lot, but it's the cutest thing ever. She's also pretty spicy, just like me. And as of this month, she's a big sister! I just got another kitten named Kaboodle! Does that qualify me as a crazy cat lady yet?

What are your favorite places to eat in the area?

This is so tough because there's so many good spots. But lately, I would say some of my go-to's are Cheba Hut for subs, Senor Pancho for tacos, Burger Lounge for burgers, King & Queen for date nights, and Werewolf for brunch.

What is your favorite beer at the Casbah?

What kind of question even is that?! Of course, it's PBR! In the tall can, preferably.   What is your favorite essential oil?

Petrol. Most definitely petrol. I also still have nightmares about the phrase "essential oil," in case you were wondering. IYKYK.

How often do you get back to Cleveland and what are your top priorities when you get back home?

I usually manage to make my way back to the CLE twice a year, and it's always a blast. Some of the top priorities I have when I'm back home are seeing my family (of course), getting a cheeseburger from Swensons (it's way better than In-N-Out, and yes, I'm willing to fight over it), going to Melt (a gourmet grilled-cheese spot that I literally have dreams about), drinking at least one Fathead's Bumbleberry, and going to my favorite rock at Edgewater Park. 

Last time we caught up, you mentioned going to Gulls and Padres games. Rank your sports teams in order of passion.

Oh boy, I do love me some San Diego sports. But this is a no brainer...Gulls rank #1, Padres rank #2, and am I still allowed to include Cleveland sports? Because I love basketball and the Cavs are still my go-to team...even though I occasionally root for the Lakers because...LeBron.

Favorite new band over the past year?

I've gotta say, I'm really digging Wet Leg's new album lately! It's been a minute since I found a new band that really resonated with me off-the-bat the way Wet Leg does. 

Anything else you would like to add?

Nothing that I can think of! Thanks so much for letting me do one of these though, this was super fun! Oh, and also, you definitely should not follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @hialyssarose. Or on Tik Tok at @lysssa.rose. Nope, don't do it. I don't recommend it at all.