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10 Questions with ... Amber Glaze
March 12, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Part of the process was going on-air to give an update every two weeks throughout the promotion. I guess I did well, because shortly after it ended, the new GM called and asked if I'd thought of radio as a career. That's all it took! A month later I took over as promotions director and sales, and six months after that I'd convinced them to train me on-air. I was the "pop princess" on middays!
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Amber Glaze got her start in radio at KLAZ/Hot Springs, AR, and later worked as morning co-host on Classic Rock KFXJ (104.5 The Fox)/Wichita, KS. In 2016 she moved home to Little Rock, AR to create and host the "Hot Mess in the Morning" show on Signal Media's Country KHLR (1006.7 The Ride). In November 2018 she joined Griffin Communications' Country KVOO/Tulsa, OK as MD and afternoon host, then shifted to mornings in early January, hosting "The VOO Crew" show with Marty Young. Glaze received her bachelor's degree from the University of Central Arkansas, where she studied music and theater. In addition to her broadcasting career, she is a professional cake designer, standup comedian, and songwriter.
1. You studied music and theater in college? What was your initial career aspiration? Was radio the goal or a happy accident? And how did you land your first radio job in Hot Springs?
For me, Broadway was always the dream. I watched "Funny Girl" at age 11 and was totally smitten. Fast-forward 20 years and you'd find me teaching pilates and spin at a health club in Hot Springs, AR. One day, an account executive for 105.9 KLAZ called and asked if I'd be interested in coaching a team for a "The Biggest Loser" promotion they were doing. I said "sure." Part of the process was going on-air to give an update every two weeks throughout the promotion. I guess I did well, because shortly after it ended, the new GM called and asked if I'd thought of radio as a career. That's all it took! A month later I took over as promotions director and sales, and six months after that I'd convinced them to train me on-air. I was the "pop princess" on middays!
2. What elements go into creating a successful morning radio show? What is the dynamic like between you and your co-host, Marty Young. And how would you describe your "VOO Crew" show to someone who had not yet tuned in?
A successful morning show requires enough forethought and planning to be structured, but enough authenticity and fluidity to be relatable and entertaining. Marty and I have an easy on-air chemistry, so timing fell into place quickly. There's no pretense with us. We may not have the same views on everything, but we are able to have fun banter from different perspectives without ever making the audience feel like we're bickering. I think that makes us appealing to a lot of different people. He appeals to the "all American," while I show that it's OK for the "freaks and geeks" to be Country fans. Like an island of little misfit toys!
3. When you joined the station last November, it was initially to do afternoons, in addition to your MD duties, then two months later you found yourself in mornings. How did all of that come about?
To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure. Those first couple of months are a complete blur! I like to think of it as surviving my first Oklahoma tornado.
4. You previously did morning radio in your hometown of Little Rock. How (and in what ways) is Tulsa different as a radio market (and just as a place to live in general)? And was there a bit of culture shock/adjustment for you?
It's funny, but they are oddly similar. My fiancé and I joke that Tulsa is just the IPA version of Little Rock.
5. As the station's music director, what kinds of records typically work really well? And how open are you and PD Brian Jennings to taking chances with music? What factors need to be in place with the artist and song for you to be willing to step out early on something?
Since I've been moved to mornings, I've taken on more of an assistant MD role, which is great because Brian is so easy to work with and learn from. He definitely values my opinion on music and welcomes my input. Tulsa is a unique Country market, and we take great pride in programming accordingly.
I'd say I'm a cautious risk taker when it comes to adds. And honestly, sometimes I feel like we (as a whole) in the industry play it a little too safe. Our listeners are much more eclectic and diverse than we give them credit for sometimes. Brian is like a music mathematician. He sees things other people don't. It's impressive, actually.
6. What has your interaction been like with the Nashville music community? Do you enjoy fielding all those music calls every week?
So far, I'm loving getting to know the reps and their artists! Any time I can chat with another passionate music/radio person it's a fun time!
7. You've previously worked in Top 40 and Classic Rock radio. How does Country compare?
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a rocker deep in my soul. One look at my album collection and it would be quite clear. No one, including myself, ever saw me here.
When I took my first Country job, just about everything I knew about current Country radio I'd learned from "The Voice!" [Laughs] For a long time I joked that I just couldn't escape it. Once I allowed myself to be open to the format and let go of my own misperceptions, though, I discovered it's music full of grit, and vulnerability and storytelling.
Country is a community unlike any other format I've encountered. The fans and the artists are both equally dedicated to each other and to radio. It's pretty badass, to be honest.
8. Let's unpack your other interests one-by-one, starting with songwriting. What kind of music do you write, and have you had any cuts or holds on your songs?
I'm a '90s child. I always wanted to play Lilith Fair with an epic supergroup medley encore to close the show: Tori Amos, the Indigo Girls, Jewel, Alanis [Morissette] ... and me. I play piano, but my strengths are in songwriting and vocals. I've been working on a musical off and on for a few years. Who knows, if I ever get it finished that whole Broadway thing may come to fruition!
9. Your interest in standup comedy is also very intriguing. How did you get into that? Where and how often do you perform? And is standup as terrifying as it seems, especially when your "day" job involves entertaining an audience you never see, as opposed to one that's right there in the room eyeballing you?
Comedy came about for me as a result of too much Jameson at a songwriters' open mic. I flippantly told the host that it was on my bucket list and he told me he'd put me on the sign-up sheet for the following week. "Jameson Amber" thought that was a lovely idea and agreed emphatically. "Sane Amber" wasn't so happy. But hey, I'm a woman of my word, and I try not to ever let the fear of failure hold me back. Three days later I did my first five minutes and didn't have a stroke! I fell in love with the challenge of it. It's so exhilarating!
10. And of course, we have to ask about being a professional cake designer. Again, how and when did you get into that? How often do you get to utilize those skills, and tell us about some of your proudest cake creations?
My Nanny [grandmother] was a talented baker. She and her bestie actually had a secret icing recipe that was left in her will. One year it occurred to me that when the day came that she was gone and we all had access to the recipe, not a single one of us in the family would know what to do with it! So I asked her to teach me the basics of a birthday cake. I had a real knack for it, and loved trying all the new flavor combos and latest decorating techniques. The artistry of it was most appealing to me (and the warm cake scraps).
I studied with Nicholas Lodge of the Food Network and became fairly well known in Arkansas for my sugar/gum paste work. I once made 150 miniature, two-tiered cakes, monogrammed and individually boxed as the bride's wedding favors. I had a very lucrative business and would have stayed with it if I hadn't had to deal with the mother of the bride so much. They. Are. Awful.
Bonus Questions
When you first joined the station, Brian praised your "bright demeanor, silly sense of humor and boisterous laugh" in a press release. How would you describe your sense of humor ... and tell us about that laugh!
I'm awkward. So much so that I have the word tattooed on my arm. It used to make me feel like I didn't belong anywhere. Then I realized that every single human on the planet feels awkward at times, so I actually fit in everywhere!
I just don't take myself too seriously. Sometimes I think we lose track of what it is we get paid to do. We work in radio. We talk, and laugh and invite complete strangers into our lives on a daily basis. How cool is that?
Finally, can you share "Five Fun Facts" about Amber Glaze?
- My first concert was Nine Inch Nails. I was 14, and my mom thought they were a Christian band. They were not.
- When I was 20 years old I told my mom I needed to get out of Arkansas "to experience the world." [Laughs] I spent some time in Atlanta before ending up in Ogunquit, ME for a couple of years where I worked at one of the first James Beard Award-winning farm to table restaurants in the nation. I also learned how to devour a whole lobster in public without making a complete fool of myself. That takes wicked talent.
- I once drove my '92 Acura Integra into New York City at 5p during a rainstorm. It was before the days of GPS, and somehow I ended up going through the SAME tollbooth over and over. On the third or fourth time, the attendant asked me if I was lost and suggested that if I wanted to go North, I might wanna stop getting on the Jersey Turnpike! After that day I swore I'd never, ever drive in the city again.
- In the last two years, my hair has changed color about a dozen times. Green, fuchsia, cobalt, lavender, red, purple ... I've tried it all! Currently, I'm doing something completely out of the box (for me) and going blonde!
- My friend entered me in a karaoke contest once and I ended up winning $1,000! We had to sing three songs. I did Lorde's "Royals," Katy Perry's "Dark Horse," and Jewel's "Foolish Games." Don't judge me.
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