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10 Questions with ... Candice Grey
October 7, 2019
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1. What was your career journey like, leading up to your current gig at Life 102.5?
Honestly, my career journey is pretty boring so far. If you want to know the gritty details, feel free to reach out; but for those that want just the facts (like me) here's the short story: I started radio as an intern in the fall of 2009. Scott Michaels found me slinging pasta at Olive Garden and put me on air on Life 97.3. He taught me a little (and a lot) about every aspect of radio. I fell in love with being on air and programming. Then Scott got me connected within our network with a Morning Show/Assistant PD job in Madison, WI on Life 102.5. I still do that, along with the Morning Show on Life 97.9/Fargo and weekend mornings on Life 88.5/Kansas City.
Special shoutouts to people who helped me BIG-time along the way: Scott Michaels, Dick Whitworth, Bruce Barrows, Nicole Matthews, Steve Young, Dave Conour, Melony McKaye, Doug Smith, Jason Sharp, and Dave St. John have all been huge encouragements.
2. When did you realize radio was something you were purposed to do? Were you ever anticipating another type of career path?
I remember during an Interpersonal Communication class in college I thought, "I'm good at this, but how can I make money just chatting with people?" I always thought the things I was good at could never be a career. Who is going to pay me to..make friends? Talk to and get along with many different types of people? Be KIND-OF-funny? Enjoy concerts excessively?
I used to tell people I was going to be a 'fun coordinator' on a cruise ship because that's the only job I could think of that fit my skills. Also, I'm an Enneagram 7, so...it makes sense.
And then radio fell into my lap. I literally did not have a real career plan before I got into radio (I get seasick! Not great for cruises!)
I like to think my lack of planning is a gift from God, because, since I don't have plans of my own, I'm always ready to jump through whatever window God opens and stay there until He says "Jump!" again.
3. Who and what did you listen to growing up?
I grew up in the Twin Cities in Minnesota so I listened to good-ol' KTIS for my growing-up years where I heard Dave Clutter and Go Fish.
I loved DC Talk. They were my first big concert and I remember bringing my boombox outside with my DC Talk tape to play "Jesus Freak" for all my neighborhood friends to prove that Jesus was cool. As I grew up, I fell in love with Christian pop-punk, listening to Audio Adrenaline (Underdog), Hawk Nelson (Letters to the President), and Relient K (Mhmm and Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...but Three Do). I had a little bit of a heavy streak with RED, Skillet and P.O.D. My mom let me buy their CDs because they thanked God in their note on the lyrics.
4. What have you discovered is the biggest difference between your personal taste in music versus what Life 102.5 listeners want to hear on the air?
LOL. Jump to question 8 for this answer.
My personal taste is all over the map. So that's the biggest difference. The average Life 102.5 listeners are still a bit older than me, so I wish they became familiar with-and moved on from-songs faster; but the older I get, the more I understand the feeling of just wanting my old favorites from 15 years ago.
5. Who are some on-air personalities throughout the format (and/or beyond) you pay attention to and glean ideas and direction from?
There are SO many great talents out there. I glean inspiration from Lisa Williams and Theresa Ross. I spark creativity by listening to JBo and Yoshi. I get encouragement from Jenn Pooler and Meredith Foster.
6. What's something you've learned about Life's audience-and maybe the Madison market in general-that you've come to especially adore? Is there anything about Madison that you think sets it apart from other markets?
Madison is unique in that Christians do not fit into any other specific groups. We obviously don't dive into politics on air, but I would say Christians in Madison are all over the map in that realm. Which I love. You can't assume that when Jesse and Aaron call in to give a gift during Sharathon that Jesse is a woman. You can assume that if you play Matthew West's "Unplanned," you will get letters for and against the message. Madison is all over the map and I love that we're able to have loving, meaningful conversations with people with so many different perspectives.
7. Describe the relationship between [Life co-host] Dave Conour and yourself. How has the dynamic developed from when you first started on the air together to now?
Dave and I have been on air together for five and-a-half years, which means we've sat in a studio together for over 600 hours-probably closer to 700. That would not be possible for me if Dave and I didn't get along so well. When we first started, I was suspicious to say the least. I had one other co-host before him and it didn't work. So I was looking for every possible way this guy might be a bad fit from the beginning. Even with the odds stacked against him, he won me over. Dave is a very humble person, so I quickly found out that-even though I'm 13 years younger, and have significantly less radio experience-he still let me lead in my strengths and I, eventually, learned to let him lead in his.
I would say our partnership is a true, equal partnership and that is so significant. We've gotten to know each other very well over the last 5 years and I would say that Dave is not the big brother I never had. I know more about Dave than he knows about himself. He knows how to communicate with me in a way that keeps my weird, stubborn, anti-authoritarian subconscious at bay. He's helped me grow into an adult with advice about saving for retirement, home ownership and honoring your spouse. I've gently guided him into using less plastic, eating Greek yogurt and re-phrasing things to be more inclusive.
Dave is an incredible helper so whether that means putting in extra hours to help me out at work or emceeing my wedding, he is always there for me and those he cares about. Dave is family and not everyone gets that lucky with a co-host. Especially when you're randomly-paired-but God knew what he was doing.
8. Who-or what-are you listening to when you're not listening to CCM radio?
Billie Eilish, Lumineers, Leon Bridges, and Jon Foreman are on heavy rotation for me. There are a few songs I love from Chance the Rapper and Childish Gambino. My siblings and I also make each other playlists (on Spotify...sorry), and they introduce me to some new artists now and then. My husband got me hooked on salsa and reggaeton, because we like to go out dancing and you're allowed to listen to trashy dance music if it's in a different language-then the bad messages can't get ya'! I also sneak in some old Panic! At The Disco in every once in a while because I guess I used to be an 'emo kid.'
9. For you personally, what are the five most important songs at Christian Radio throughout your radio career so far?
- "Oceans" by Hillsong United
- "Eye of the Storm" by Ryan Stevenson
- "You Say" by Lauren Daigle
- "Breathe" by Jonny Diaz
- "Even If" by MercyMe
10. What does life look like for you outside of the station these days?
Life outside of the station lately has been a little hectic. I started taking Spanish classes lately-which is fun, hard, and rewarding. My husband and I put our house on AirBNB, so we basically live with my in-laws during the popular, touristy times in Madison (CrossFit Games and Wisconsin Badger games bring in a lot of people). We absolutely feel like hotel staff during this season; constant laundry and deep-cleaning the house. We love traveling as well, so we're pretty used to living out of a suitcase. We book a lot of planned and last-minute, spontaneous trips; some around the US, some around the world. We went to Rio de Janeiro for Christmas last year and it was amazing. We also went to Disney recently because we were planning on going to CMB Momentum, but Hurricane Dorian dashed those dreams. Since we had the plane tickets, we decided to go anyway. I'm a lazy extrovert, though, so at least once a month (or as often as I can), I need to sit on my couch, order in food, and watch TV.
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