10 Questions with ... Sam Hill

1) What was your first job in radio and who were your early influences and mentors?

My first gig started as an internship with The Breakfast Boys Dave Sposito and Ken Hopkins at KZZU in Spokane, WA, which led to my first full-time on-air position. Dave and Ken are still there and still as much an inspiration today as they were then. That entire KZZU crew is still very special to me and they have always been completely supportive of my career.

2) You've spent many years in Denver as APD/MD and on-air at KALC (Alice 105.9). What are some of your proudest moments from your run at Alice?

I would say the biggest thing for me was being able to host middays for 13 years on Alice; you could've never told me the day I rolled into Denver that I would get to do that show for so many years, especially sharing the air with our legendary talents, BJ & Jamie and Slacker & Steve. I feel very fortunate. The acoustic shows I put together for over a decade (AuNaturAlice) will always hold some of my favorite memories. The opportunity to put people in front of live music has always been a priority of mine and my work with Alice let me do that. I remember this listener showing up to a showcase once with her boyfriend in tow and she said she'd never heard of the artist playing, but she told her boyfriend "If Sam Hill says we have to hear him live, WE HAVE TO HEAR HIM LIVE!" That was awesome.

3) When did you add duties as Brand Manager/PD for 99.5 The Mountain, and while you are still APD/MD for Alice, how has the transition to also programming a Classic Rock station been for you?

Around 10-11 years ago. My involvement with The Mountain started as a favor to mentor and friend Dylan Sprague, who was at the time, programming Alice and The Mountain. He asked me to help with the music, because I had previously spent some time with Classic Rock/Hits from my stint at KKZX/Spokane as well as a couple other Gold-based stations. When Dylan left in 2011, I knew I wanted that job and I was fortunate enough to be given a chance to do it without having to compromise my duties at Alice. It didn't feel like much of a transition for me; I like working with both formats and having one be current and the other not so much, keeps me on my toes.

4) In listening to 99.5 The Mountain, it's not your typical Classic Rock station. How would you describe the music positioning on KQMT?

Since our goal is to appeal to both men and women, not just men, we have freedom to really play around. I like the lane we've carved for ourselves- we aren't afraid of straight-up rock, but we also don't shy away from some of the '90s tracks that our listeners have told us they want to hear but other traditional Classic Rockers don't feel comfortable touching. We try to avoid using words like "classic" on-air since I feel it pigeonholes us too much. Let's just say we have a good time, and I think you can hear it pretty clearly.

5) Denver is a highly competitive Rock market with heritage Triple A KBCO, Classic Rock KRFX and The Mountain in a battle for Adult Rock listeners. How would you size up the competition and how is The Mountain doing in this three-way Rock battle?

This market is so incredibly competitive, especially on the Rock end of things. I'd say we all do a pretty good job of trading blows from month to month. It's a game of King of the Mountain a lot of the time!

6) You recently posted in All Access for a new morning host for 99.5 The Mountain. What traits are you looking for in this new morning show position?

I'm looking for someone with a killer attitude who is very collaborative and passionate not only about the music, but in sharing their lives with our listeners and the community. Of course the digital aspect of things (blogging, social, etc.) is important, but my chief objective is finding someone who understands the importance of and has the desire to connect with our fans not only over the air, but on the phone and face-to-face. We have a great team here that works incredibly hard and we are looking for that final puzzle piece.

7) What's your on-air lineup outside of mornings on 99.5 The Mountain and what are some of your most popular daily music features?

Cathy Taylor hosts noon-3p. Dan Hardee holds down 3-8p and we have market vet The G-Man from 8p-midnight. Our listener-driven music features are some of our most beloved, like our Mini Mixtape, which involves requests from our social media followers. Anytime I can get the listener's input on programming, I love it!

8) You talked earlier about the music on 99.5 The Mountain. Overall, how important is it for Classic Rock format to evolve by sounding fresh and relevant while it's playing Rock music that's sometimes 30 or 40 years old?

Having a modern approach when it comes to the talent is something extremely important to me. That makes a huge difference with a Gold-based format. Sure, we play gold, but we know what is going on right now in the world whether that be pop culture, sports, politics or local happenings. You can't coast on that old mentality of "there's only the music, man" because it's not enough anymore.

To me, Classic Rock evolution is not one-size-fits-all, but should be more of an individual approach.

9) What is the future of the Classic Rock format in the next five to ten years?

Judging by the success this format has experienced across the country, I see a lot of opportunity for continued growth. Whether that means simply continuing to shift era bit by bit as time marches forward ... or an eventual radical redefinition of what Classic Rock means to the radio world, we'll see! I'm trying to surmise how I may have answered that question a decade ago ... I'm sure whatever I said then was 100% accurate. Ha!

10) Finally, with all of these programming responsibilities on your plate, what do you like to do to relax when you're not in "radio" mode?

My husband and six-year-old daughter are the most important people in my life and when I'm not in 'radio' mode, there's nothing more satisfying then being with them. Sharing my passion for live music with my daughter has been delightful. I also love to read and I'll make time for that, even if it's only 20 minutes, every single day. I also enjoy yoga and walking/hiking.