10 Questions – The Best Quotes Of 2020

This week, we look back at 2020 with the best answers to some of our best questions.

Loris Lowe
MD
KGSR (ACL Radio) HD2/Austin (1/6/2020)

"I really love being on the air, and I love live music. We have several concert series, the biggest being Blues On The Green. We also host intimate performances in our Dell Music Lounge."

Kelsey Brannan
APD
KCMP (The Current)/Minneapolis-St. Paul (1/13/2020)

"I love the creativity that goes into working at a Triple A station. This format presents the freedom to program from the heart and to curate a unique sound that has a real impact on the lives of artists and listeners."

Mike Luoma
PD/MD
WBKM/Burlington, VT (1/20/2020)

"We're not afraid to take risks and be quirky. We have an incredibly deep library and a deep commitment to including and promoting local music in the mix."

Madison Cunningham
Artist
(1/27/2020)

"My dad is a musician, and always had a guitar in his hand by the time he got home from work. It was and continues to be a joyful thing to me, and something that I think bound our family together."

Paul Marszalek

Paul Marszalek Worldwide (2/3/2020)

"There are increasingly few places where radio talent can develop, and that is a concern to me, and should be for the industry. There aren’t many bodies in small markets, and the pay is horrible, so you must worry at least a bit about the talent pipeline."

Willobee Carlan
PD
KVOQ (Indie 102.3)/Denver (2/10/2020)

"I bring to the table a fresh approach to the format. The mission I was given was to grow a younger audience and educate the next generation of public radio members. Using some elements of commercial radio, the presentation is up-beat, irreverent, edgy, personality driven with tons of new music and no commercials."

Katie Pruitt
Artist
(2/17/2020)

"Making this record [Expectation] felt like a very full circle moment. Not only are all these songs so personal but I got to make the record with my friends and collaborators."

Brien Terranova
Sr. Dir. Promotion
The Beggars Group (2/24/2020)

"I think Beggars does artist development well. We have bands that do great on the road and as their footprint grows it may make radio more open to give it a shot on the air."

Mimi Naja
Member of Fruition
(3/9/2020)

"[The new album] felt the most cohesive creatively speaking of any of our projects. And yes, the songwriter is the songwriter, but all five of us equally arranged and made suggestions and came up with riffs and styles and tidbits that made the final cuts what they are."

Tim Butler
The Psychedelic Furs (3/16/2020)

"From our point of view the more ways to get music out there the better, whether it’s streaming or anything else … bring it on."

Gary Chetkof
Owner/President
WDST (Radio Woodstock)/Woodstock, NY (3/23/2020)

"We have passionate listeners -- they know we are not like other radio stations and we do not pander to the ratings. So, we ask our listeners to support us, and in return, we pledge to continue unique programming as a Woodstock-branded radio station."

Eliza Klatt
Eliza & The Delusionals (4/6/2020)

"We went through some tough times as a band over the past two years, but now we’re better than ever and we are in a much better place. Not a lot has remained the same – but I see that as a good thing. You always need change to grow and try new things."

Kendall Stewart
PD
WCNR (106.1 The Corner)/Charlottesville, VA (4/13/2020)

"It’s been seven years and three stations since I graduated from WERS, but I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am if I hadn’t started there. At WERS, I was programming a major market Triple A before I could even drink legally, and I had no idea how huge that was."

Roy Prescott
PD
WMWV/Conway, NH (4/27/2020)

"We are well connected with our community. I am very active and see many listeners when out and about. They are not bashful about telling me what they like or do not like about WMWV. I really enjoy that."

Brandon "Magellan" Paul
PD
WOCM (Ocean 98.1)/Ocean City, MD (5/18/2020)

"Ocean City is unique because we are a resort town. We are located on a beach inside of a Jamaican themed nightclub, called Seacrets. People love listening to us while they are on their boat, fishing, relaxing on the beach, or just cruising around. We appeal to everyone because we are real live DJs who dine at the same restaurants and drive on the same roads as our listeners."

Aleah Vose
MD
KCLC (89.1 The Wood)/St. Louis-St. Charles (6/1/2020)

"I honestly feel a little bit anxious about starting a new position in a time that is so strange for all of us. However, I believe that radio is more important right now than ever before because it is one thing that has stayed constant throughout these uncertain times."

Rita Houston
PD
WFUV/New York (6/15/2020)

"We hope the EQFM initiative inspires a conversation for listeners in their line of work and in our noncomm world. We all need to look out for ways to make this more gender balanced — in Hollywood, in politics, in museums, in festivals and on the radio."

Jack Casey
GM
WERS/Boston (6/29/2020)

"Our mission is to train future leaders of the media industry; produce a competitive, sustainable product for the Boston radio market and the World Wide Web; and reflect the quality of Emerson College."

Howie Pivar
Sr. Dir./Promotion & Triple A Format Captain
Concord (7/13/2020)

"We’re getting more nimble and creative in finding ways to connect our artists with radio and the community without the benefit of having them on the road. Our daily goals have shifted from the traditional chart grind to providing unique content for our partners, understanding their specific needs and capabilities, while identifying how to best serve the acts on Concord’s variety of labels."

Rick McNulty
MD
KUTX/Austin (7/27/2020)

"It’s strange, but I think our music meetings have benefited because of the quarantine. Now everyone listens to the entire song usually more than once. We still have spirited discussions on Zoom, but these days we have time to sit with a track for a better-informed opinion."

Lee Foster
MD
WVOD (99.1 The Sound)/Outer Banks, NC (8/17/2020)

"There aren’t many challenges we face that corporate radio stations doesn’t also deal with. We don’t have the resources of iHeart or Entercom, so naturally things like the COVID-19 pandemic hit us a bit harder, but I don’t allow myself to complain about stuff like that because working at an independent station has plenty of advantages. Every company has its pros and cons."

Chris Diestler
PD
KBAC (98-1 Radio Free Santa Fe)/Santa Fe, NM (9/7/2020)

"Radio must super-serve their individual markets with local information. Also, being available on all platforms is crucial, including smart speakers since most people don’t have an actual radio in their homes anymore."

Jed Hilly
Exec. Dir.,
Americana Music Association (9/14/2020)

"During my tenure, the growth of the Americana Music Association has spread from Nashville to three continents and to all 50 states, with satellite events in London, Los Angeles, New York and Australia. Membership has increased over 400% from 700 to 3000."

Lindsay Reid
VP/Promotion
Thirty Tigers (9/28/2020)

"It's a challenge competing against the major labels with deep pockets when our artists have their own labels and limited budgets. But I think we take our shot with the best songs and go for it."

Margot Chobanian
APD/MD
KJAC (105.5 The Colorado Sound)/Ft. Collins-Denver (10/12/2020)

"Most markets don’t get even one Triple A (commercial or noncomm) and in the Denver area we have three stations other than us that are Triple A formatted. Because we are "surrounded" we try to make ourselves stand out by our music and feature programming choices. We made a concerted effort in Northern Colorado to make that difference known."

Dan Buckley
PD
WRLT (Lightning 100)/Nashville (10/26/2020

"For 30 years, Lightning 100 has served the Nashville Music Community, maintaining its fierce independence from corporate radio. We've blazed trails musically for three decades and this Thanksgiving we are ready to celebrate!"

Devon Gilfillian
Artist
(11/30/2020)

"Staying active and moving keeps me from getting depressed. If I stop moving my energy levels sink. That’s when the whirlwind picks me up and throws me wherever it wants. As long as I put the things in the day that make me, me, then that keeps me on that ground – and learning new things."