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10 Questions with ... Pat Gallagher
January 4, 2021
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Graduated with a Radio & Television Broadcasting degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1986. Immediately went to work at WMAD in Madison – one of the earliest of the Triple A stations. I started as a part-time board-op and worked my way up to Program Director. I was at MAD until 1992, when the station went dark…and I moved over to Triple M, where I spent the next 21 years – mostly as Program Director. After my position was eliminated at Triple M, I spent a year, riding out my no-compete contract, working at The River Food Pantry. Back into radio after that year – as a Traffic Reporter here at Mid-West Family Madison, where I spent a year before heading off on an adventure in Charlottesville, Virginia. In Charlottesville I did mornings at The Corner for about 4 years, until I was given the amazing opportunity of returning to my hometown to work at Magic 98…along with all the other great stations here at Mid-West Family!
1. You get to be on the radio in your hometown—for many years actually. What has that part of it been like for you?
As you might expect, I have a real passion for my hometown! I never have to fake enthusiasm for the Packers or the Badgers…or really anything going on around town. I really know what a special place this is. It’s a little chilly in the winter, but it’s worth it to be here!
2. You’re a mulit-format threat. What’s it like so far on the AC side of the hall?
All the programmers really work together here – so it’s really not as much of a departure as you might think. I’m doing mornings on our Alternative Station (106.7 The Resistance), some weekends on the Rocker (WJJO), some Active Sports programming (running, bicycling, Triathlon, etc.) on our Sports station (The Zone), and I do a whole lot of work with local non-profits, making sure that we help get their message out on all of our stations. So, really I’ve got my hand in all over the place here. When it comes to AC specifically, the one thing that has taken a little getting used to, is how slowly the charts move, songs stay in the top 20 FOREVER!
3. What led you to a career in radio?
I love Rock & Roll…and I have ABSOLUTLEY NO MUSICAL TALENT.
4. How would you describe your first radio gig?
Through college I worked nights at a small-town country station, and then weekends and some overnights at a Top 40 in Dubuque, IA. It was rough seeing all those Hawkeyes shirts, but other than that, it was fun. My first full-time gig was at WMAD and we were really doing something different at the time as it was the start of what became Triple A and there were just a handful of stations across the country doing anything similar--most notably WXRT, KBCO, Cities 97, KFOG and a couple others that escape my memory right now, so I apologize to those folks. Those were really exciting times to be working at that format.
5. How has steering the ship during the pandemic made you a better programmer?
It’s really taught me (and everyone else) how to do more with less, and as I mentioned before, it’s also pushed us to really work together across all the stations in our group – using talent from all stations to make things go.
6. “Local local local” has always been radio’s mantra. How do you keep the station visible and involved in the community in the midst of everything that’s been going on?
Thankfully our morning person (Lanette Hansen) fits perfectly into the demographic that we are looking to reach. She’s a young mom and really understands that lifestyle. We talk a lot about the lifestyle and what’s going on in their world – how to deal with remote learning (she’s got some great stories), trying to have a normal family life, trying to keep the kids focused and active – and we try to work all of that into what we are doing on the air.
7. Which social media platforms best help you to engage with your listeners these days?
Our audience members are heavy Facebook users.
8. What is your favorite part of the job?
Answering these questions! Actually, I have always loved 2 parts of the job – 1) discovering music – whether it’s something brand new, or an older song that I was not familiar with, and 2) being an integral part of the community, whether that’s getting the message of a local non-profit out to the community, warning people of weather emergencies, or actually being out in the community – hosting and/or taking part in local events.
9. What is the most challenging part of the job?
These days it’s definitely time management.
10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
Tom Teuber hired me at WMAD back in 1986 – and like I said before, we were doing really exciting things at that station back then – the stuff that I learned from him…or that we learned together, stays with me to this day.
Bonus Questions
When all of this is behind us, and budget is not a consideration, what 3 artists are you pulling together for a station listener concert?
P!nk…Cher…and Maroon 5 (and I’ll change my mind 100 times on what the three are before this is all over)
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