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10 Questions with ... Margot Chobanian
August 1, 2016
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I'm a fossil. Started in radio in college and couldn't imagine doing anything else. WODJ/Grand Rapids, WGRD/Grand Rapids, KXNA/Springfield, Dave-FM/Atlanta, EAVradio
1. How did you become interested in radio?
"WKRP In Cincinnati." I wanted to be Andy Travis. College radio confirmed it for me. (I was an Art History and German major in college. Gave up pursuing careers in either for radio.)
2. Who were/are your mentors?
My father. Dick Kernen. I also learned a lot from Val Garris when he was my consultant back in my WGRD days in the late '90s. He taught me a lot about the nuts and bolts of building clocks and programming math.
3. How has the move to Colorado been for you and your family?
It's been great. We love it here! Night and day from Atlanta.
4. How has the transition been for you professionally from commercial to public radio?
Actually, not that much different. The music philosophy is the same as I had when I was running EAVradio online. It's about taking our love of music (via song and knowledge) and giving it to the listeners. I will say funding drives are a whole new animal for me.
5. It must have been exciting being involved with the launch of the Colorado Sound. Tell us about that.
It was! Our PD Benji McPhail and MD Keefer had been working on it a while before I arrived, but I was able to jump right in. We did our own research, got together all the songs we wanted to add, had many laughter-filled discussions and late-night work sessions. The day we signed on, I felt indescribably proud.
6. Besides being on-air, what other roles are you fulfilling at The Colorado Sound?
Music and digital. I take music calls Fridays 9-11a (MT) and since I had experience with web and social media with EAVradio, I've been doing that too.
7. How would you describe the music on the station?
A music lover's dream. We go deep in lots of genres and we play over 80 currents on our playlist. We also make a point to play a lot of (signed and unsigned) Colorado musicians in regular rotation. That's very important to us.
8. What new acts are you most excited about?
Honestly, I'm excited about the Colorado music scene. I was pretty unfamiliar with it until I moved here. There are some terrific bands and singer/songwriters here. It's a different sound and vibe from the Atlanta scene.
9. What do you view as the most important issue facing public radio today?
Funding! Seriously. Without funding, stations like ours go away.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ...
... coffee. The answer will always be coffee!
Bonus Questions
Last non-industry job:
A camera store sometime in the early '90s.
First record ever purchased:
Damn The Torpedoes. (When I was 8, we moved into a house where the girl who lived there before left all her Beatles and Rolling Stones albums, the Woodstock soundtrack and so much more. I had a good head start on my collection!)
First concert:
Eddie Money.
Favorite band(s) of all-time:
Big Star and The Replacements. Sam Cooke is my favorite singer of all time.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?
Reading. Getting to know Colorado -- we have passes for county, state and national parks.
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