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10 Questions with ... Johnathon Eltrevoog & Courtney Canfield
March 20, 2023
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1. How in the world did you even get into radio?
COURTNEY: Wow. I still pinch myself. It was a dream of my teenage heart, but due to the circumstances of my life at the time I graduated high school, I didn't pursue communications and buried the dream. I just entered this world in 2021, after being in music and education before that. I grew up loving radio–I even had a fake radio show I would record in our basement on my dad's old sound equipment. Radio was the window into the world of Christian music and all things related to the latest releases and artists I loved, and I was VERY TUNED IN.
I'm now working for the station I grew up listening to–and I have journal entries from 16 years ago about how much I'd love to work at WBGL someday. When the morning show position opened in January 2021, I was moving to the area and knew that if I didn't throw my hat in the ring, I would kick myself forever. I was inspired by Pam Peoples, who took this very morning show spot 15 years ago having had no prior experience. I thought, "if Pam could do it, nothing should stop me from trying." After a rollercoaster of emotions through 3-4 months of interviews and uncertainty, I got the call in mid-April and I've been on cloud 9 ever since, NO joke!
2. What's one thing you wish you had known about radio when you first started?
JOHNATHON: The year before Merle Haggard died, he and Willie Nelson released a delightful duet album called Django & Jimmie, which ended up being Merle's final studio recording. It contains a song called "Live This Long," including the lyrics, "We would've taken much better care of ourselves/ If we would have known we was gonna live this long." It really is a neat song. I feel this ever-so-slightly relates to one thing I wish I knew about radio when I first started (in the late 90s). I wish I had known how visual it was going to become. You know, like with websites and live videos and Instagram and what-not. Some radio stations had websites that you could reach on your 56k modem back then, but mine didn't. I really liked the idea of not having to be seen on a screen. So, if I'd known this, I may have taken better care of myself in my early 20s.
3. How has God pulled you out of your comfort zone?
COURTNEY: Oh my gosh, taking a job I had no prior experience in and learning on the fly "in front of" thousands of people every day has definitely pulled me out of my comfort zone. It's simultaneously exciting and humbling to start a job you've always known you'd love but you've never trained for–especially in your 30's, as opposed to being fresh out of college. Working with Johnathon has been a dream because he's always made me feel like I have a place among the seasoned and incredibly talented personalities in our industry (himself included, although he wouldn't say it). It's like I've had a built-in coach on the show with me every day, encouraging me to keep digging deeper and keep trusting that God has placed me here for such a time as this.
4. Some great advice you recently received is…
JOHNATHON: I was recently informed that the purpose of grief is to make peace with reality. I am saddened right now to be going through a divorce after 18 years of marriage, and also, I lost my dad a few years back. There has been a lot of grief. But now I know what the purpose of it is. Not just to be sad. I know this probably doesn't seem like advice, but I received it as such.
5. Tell us about someone who you really respect and why?
COURTNEY: So much respect for my parents. They followed God into the ministry where my dad pastored the same small church for 21 years. Dad took a chance and left a successful career in law enforcement, trusting that God had given him direction and would show him what to do one step at a time. That model has absolutely shaped how I make decisions in my life because I saw my parents living with a kingdom mindset and an eternal perspective. I will always be grateful for their investment in me and their example of living by faith. Their life verse has come to mean a lot to me: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
6. What's one thing you try to do when life gets hard?
JOHNATHON: I try to distract myself and forget about it. This has not gone well. It turns out that specialists do not recommend this, so I am trying to learn to do other things than this. I am finding that being in community with other people is vital. I have heard this for the last two decades, and I've tried to do it sometimes (whatever that means) but now I'm finding it basically to be mandatory.
7. What's something about you that would surprise most people?
COURTNEY: Because I'm a pastor's kid, it's not hard to surprise most people because as soon as someone knows this about me, they immediately have preconceived ideas: either I'm a total wild child (I'm not), or I must have grown up without TV or internet (I had both). Add to this the fact that I was homeschooled k-12, and I can feel a stranger sizing me up in 10 seconds. Then I reveal my age and it's all downhill from there. (I'm 32 but still frequently get asked what high school I attend. I don't love this at all but I'm holding out for the "someday you will" part of my life) Sometimes it's tempting to leverage it for personal gain ("kids eat free" vibes), but the Holy Spirit keeps me in check. Just trusting that there will be a future pay-off here.
8. What's your go to song when the windows are down and you're driving on the highway?
JOHNATHON: I am not sure, but the first song that popped into my mind is Tiny Dancer. Did you know that this song was written in 1971, only reached #41 on the charts (possibly because many radio stations wouldn't play it because of the line about Jesus Freaks), slowly grew in popularity over a long time, really gained a new generation of popularity when it was included in the movie Almost Famous in 2000, and never had a music video until 2017 when Elton held an independent filmmaking competition to develop the official music video of the song? Anyway, if you watched that video, you'd have a little better understanding of why I chose it for this question!
9. In three words describe your ideal vacation.
COURTNEY: Beach, food, friends.
10. Tell us one thing that you bought recently that WASN'T on your grocery list
JOHNATHON: I bought a pair of windshield wipers from AutoZone a few weeks ago which was not on my grocery list. But I can tell I'm playing with this question and answering it in a literal sense and not within the spirit of the question itself. Sorry about that! I apologize for not taking it more seriously.
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