10 Questions with ... Anna Lise

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I had a two-year internship with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation in Charlotte, NC during college. Following graduation, I enrolled at The Connecticut School of Broadcasting's Charlotte campus, where I had a morning radio internship with The MRL Show on WNKS (Kiss 95.1)/Charlotte. After broadcasting school, I began my first full-time position in 2017 with Vox AM/FM in the Burlington/Plattsburgh market. I worked for Top 40 WXZO as middays, later getting promoted to afternoons. At the same time I worked weekends and morning show fill-ins for sister Hot AC heritage station WEZF (Star 92.9). In 2018, I moved back South to Charlottesville, VA to do afternoons on Saga Communications 92.7 C-Ville Country. In December 2018, I moved across the hall and began co-hosting mornings for Z 95.1 with my coworker Marc Schindler! I never thought my dream of being a morning show co-host would come true just a couple years into my radio career, but I'm so thankful it did!

1. How would you describe your first radio gig?

A whirlwind! For the first six months at my first job, I worked six days a week including both Saturdays and Sundays. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say that the intense hours weren't really tough on me, but all of the experience I had ended up making me very prepared for my second job.

At my first job, I also learned how important it is to connect and be passionate about the market you're working in. Even though I'm originally from the nearby Maine, I had a tough time settling in while I lived in Vermont. I had never been to Burlington before moving there for work, so it was a big transition. It was tough to convey honest enthusiasm on-air for local content when I never felt at home there. I realized through this experience how important loving your market is, and I kept that in mind when I was interviewing with different stations for my second job.

2. What led you to a career in radio?

I have been obsessed with and fascinated by radio since before I can remember. My dad has had the opportunity to record PSAs for the company he works at for years. (He's actually still recording them in 2019!), When I was seven, I accompanied him to the studio for my favorite station, Q97.9 in Portland, Maine. While he was in production, the afternoon guy gave me a tour of the station. He also let me request a song (I picked "One More Time" by Daft Punk), and let me pick out a CD from the prize closet (I chose Enrique Iglesias's Escape, and that very CD sits on my desk at work today!). The memory of getting to see radio up close and personal stuck with me for the rest of childhood, and after my first internship experience in college years later, I knew I had for sure found my career!

3. Describe the approach that you take to the Z95.1 morning show?

"Authenticity" is the main word I'd use to describe myself as a morning show co-host. My "character" on the morning show is me; I'm not here to be anyone but myself! I'm a Christian and Southern Belle wannabe, '90s and early 2000s music enthusiast, sitcom quoter, and creator of bad puns. That's me on and off-air! I believe that my voice can make the most positive difference when it's used as authentically as possible. As far as my co-host Marc and I together, we try to keep bits and topics fun, upbeat and family friendly! To quote our PD Les: The goal is to make everything "Bright, Tight, Real and Relevant."

4. How does your morning show set the tone for the rest of the station's broadcast day?

All of the Z 95.1 on-air staff tries to keep their shows upbeat and positive, and in alignment with the station brand. We do a "No Repeat 9-5 Workday" M-F, and Marc and I host the first hour of that at 9a as the last hour of the morning show, and that makes the transition from mornings to middays seamless!

5. Do you use outside show prep services or round things up on your own?

A mixture of both! All of the stations in our cluster subscribe to Wise Brother. Prep is often a great starting point for ideas, but I am glad that my co-host and I don't rely on it heavily. My favorite topics are always the ones I generate from my own life. For example, I'm currently a single mid-20s woman who has struggled a lot with dating since moving to this area, and I love sharing my dating stories and adventures on the show. Those usually spark some really fun phone calls and Facebook discussion. My co-host Marc is a parent to a young son, and we come up with a lot of fun parenting topics from experiences he has with his family -- and those are always a hit since we're an AC station!

I personally also like USA Today and Reader's Digest for sparking ideas on days when we aren't as inspired by what's on prep.

6. How do you incorporate social media into the way that you interact with your listeners?

Our station demographic is very active on Facebook. I run the board for the show, so Marc handles live social media posts most mornings while we are on-air. Marc and I also have separate personality Facebook pages that we update outside of show hours!

Outside of my radio career, I've run a lifestyle blog (Southern Belle in Training) for seven years. For now, I keep my side hustle completely separate from my day job, but someday I dream of having a nationally syndicated show, and being able to brand my blog and radio work into one larger personal brand.

7. "Local, local, local" has always been radio's mantra. How do you keep your station visible and involved in the community?

All of the Charlottesville Radio Group stations do a great job focusing on our incredible community, and I'm thankful to work at a station and company that prioritizes that. On the morning show specifically, Marc and I created a Community Countdown segment that we do daily. We will count down the days until upcoming local events, and also share where listeners can find more information about them. Most of these events are for charity or have free admission. There's so much going on that we rarely repeat talking about the same event twice in a week.

Our station also has several annual community events that we broadcast live from, including blood and toy drives, races, and more! And we do our annual Radiothon each spring for UVA Children's Hospital, which is such a moving event to be a part of.

8. Who would be a "dream guest" to have on your show?

One of my radio idols -- the one and only Delilah. What a dream it would be to interview her! I'm also a huge fan of international music outside of work, and one of my favorite artists is Romanian pop star Inna. Sadly she has never had success on U.S. radio; it's my dream to change that someday and of course interview her on my show!

9. What was your favorite radio station growing up? Jock?

Three stations come to mind: 1) Top 40 WJBQ was the Top 40 station I grew up on, and getting to tour there at age seven is a big reason I'm in radio today. 2) AC WHOM, sister station to WJBQ, is the station that gave me my love for the AC format that I now work in; this is the one I listened to the most frequently in the car with my mom. 3) Former AC WBYY was formerly known as The Bay, and was an AC from New Hampshire that we were able to get a good signal from in my Southern Maine hometown. This station syndicated Delilah, so naturally it was a favorite for me.

The two jocks who have influenced me the most would be Delilah (this is now my third mention of her in this Q&A; can you tell I'm a big fan?) and John Garabedian from Open House Party. Listening to them while growing up encouraged me to not only dream about being in local radio someday, but to think bigger and to have a separate dream of being syndicated.

10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?

There have been many people in radio who have encouraged me so far in my career journey, but two specific mentors come to mind. The first is Mamie Shepherd, my college internship boss at Ryan Seacrest Studios at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, NC. I got to work under Mamie for two wonderful years, and learning the ins and outs of radio in a hospital setting was truly an unforgettable experience. She is the epitome of class and professionalism, and set the standard for me as far as future bosses in radio.

My other mentor is Charlie Nance from The Charlie and Debbie Show on WSOC 103.7 in Charlotte. He taught radio classes at The Connecticut School of Broadcasting's Charlotte campus when I was a student there in 2016, and has remained a faithful mentor and friend not just to me, but to all the CSB students who pursued radio careers. He gives the most useful advice and encouragement.

Charlottesville is one of the most beautiful, not to mention historic cities in the country. We're plugged into all the usual tourist destinations there; what under the radar place(s) would you take first-time visitors to the city to see?

While Charlottesville is best known for the Univ. of Virginia and historical attractions like Monticello, I personally can't speak highly enough of the incredible wineries in and around the area. I was not a wine drinker before I moved here, but all of that changed once I got into winery culture. There are currently 50+ wineries in the Central Virginia area, with new ones popping up each year. My personal favorites include King Family Vineyards, Glass House Winery, and Barboursville Vineyards.