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10 Questions with ... Axel Lowe
September 24, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Started with Arista records in '91, found myself at 99X/Atlanta the launch in '92, moved from late nights, to nights, to PM Drive and even Mornings for a year. In 2007 I moved over to our sister station, Rock 100.5 APD/ PM Drive. Was PD/ PM Drive at WFTK 96 Rock in Cincinnati...and now back to WNNX Rock 100.5 as PD!
1) I understand you actually started your career on the record side with Arista. How did you transition into radio?
I had interned for a year and was going to cover Southeast Field Marketing once I had graduated. When I did graduate, there was a log jam in moving the current Southeast rep up to the next position and me in his place. My boss, Linda Alter, said she had a friend at Power 99 (Leslie Fram) that could use some help for a few months until the Southeast Rep job opened. I struck up a great relationship with Leslie, Rick Stacy and others. When they flipped Power to 99X (the 2nd month I was there), an opportunity in radio arose. I grew up listening to Steve Dahl & Kevin Matthews and Johnny B (The Loop) in Chicago, but never thought about being on the radio, I was shooting for the label side of the industry, but the door opened, so I walked into the party.
2) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?
Yes. I love radio and the art of connecting one on one with the listener. Playlists are great, but well programmed radio is LOCAL, topical, entertaining, engaging and did I mention LOCAL? Done well, it will always have an audience.
3) You actually started at 99X in Atlanta at its inception. Tell us about the early years there and how that shaped your radio career?
Yeah, right place at the right time for sure! Rick Stacy and Leslie Fram took me from being a fan of radio to truly understanding how to execute it. It was a crash course in radio in those first few months. Sean Demery, Steve Craig, Wil Pendarvis, Steve Barnes and Jimmy Baron were all veterans of radio at this point, so I just watched, listened and absorbed as much as I could. Brian Philips came in as PD a short time later and really inspired me and helped me become the best on-air talent that I could be. 20 years later, I still go into every show trying to be a little better than the day before.
4) You moved over to sister station Rock 100.5 in January of 2008 after 99X left the terrestrial airwaves. How was that transition for you?
I grew up on Van Halen and Motley Crue, so after 15 years of playing Nirvana and Pearl Jam I was excited to play around in the Active-Classic Rock world.
5) After about three years at Rock 100.5, you eventually returned to 99X as PD and afternoon drive before the station transitioned to 98.9 The Bone. After 99X made the transition, you returned to WNNX (100.5) as APD/Afternoon drive. The station actually flipped to Classic Rock in December 2013 and soon after you took over as PD at WFTK in Cincinnati. How was your time at 96 Rock?
96 Rock and Cincinnati were great! What a loyal, blue collar (predominantly) fan base for ROCK in that city. The fact that WOFX (Classic Rock), WEBN (50 year legendary station) and WFTK - 96 Rock can all have big ratings, it says a lot about the town. It took me 5 years to acquire a taste for chili on top of spaghetti, but I finally did, I'll admit it, I like Skyline.
6) Congrats on your return to Rock 100.5...this time as PD. How many stints does this make for you at WNNX and what makes this station so special to you?
This is my 3rd round with the WNNX call letters. Each time has been special. The first time was with the legendary 99X, the second with the classic rock version, Rock 100.5 and now, the New Sound Of Rock 100.5.
7) Before we talk about the music on WNNX, what's the on-air lineup from mornings to nights?
- Bailey and Southside am drive
- Lyndsey Marie midday
- Axel Lowe pm drive
- Jackson Heaton nights
8) WNNX has been doing Classic Rock format the last few years but in monitoring the station now I heard a Promo about the "new sound" of Rock 100.5 and some current Rock to boot. Care to let us in on where the station is musically now?
I selfishly love having the best of all the genres of rock in my playlist. From a bit of Led Zep and Pink Floyd from the 70's, AC/DC, GnR and Motley from the '80s, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Metallica from the 90's, Foo, Green Day, Linkin Park from the early 2000's and everything from Twenty One Pilots to Five Finger Death Punch from today's rock scene. It takes careful quarterly hour scheduling to make all these pieces fit together, but when it's done well, there's a great flow and it really is something for every Rock/Alt fan. People that love rock music love the New Sound of Rock 100.5.
9) Having been directly involved with the Active Rock format the last few years, what's your take on quality of current music in the Active Rock format?
Bands like Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed and Shinedown have seen their audiences grow with singles that have had big impact on rock radio. Those songs tend to be the melodic, mass appeal rock songs. I love the fact that they're continuing to serve up even more of those while still balancing out the rest of their album with songs for their fan base that can't get enough metal. Is the release of the new Guns and AC/DC records going to push this resurgence of ROCK over the top? I'm hoping so!
10) Finally, what do you like to do to relax when you're not fully in "radio" mode?
I have a Harley Davidson Street Glide with a GPS. I like to ride until I get lost, then GPS home. Oh, and it's got a killer radio and sound system on it, so I never really take a break from "working". Do something you love..., you know the rest.
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