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Charese Fruge’ (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Amy Brown
May 9, 2023
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Amy Brown doesn’t really need an introduction, but I’ll list everything she does just so you understand how well she balances all her professional responsibilities. She is the co-host of the nationally syndicated “Bobby Bones Show,” co-host on the “Country Top 30,” host of “Women of iHeart Country,” host of “4 Things with Amy Brown” podcast, host of “Outweigh” podcast, and she manages and produces 4 shows (3 more being added soon) on her own podcast network.
Brown’s first job out of college had nothing to do with radio. “My first job after graduating from Texas A&M was for a natural stone importer and I was on their wholesale team. I had plans to rise the ranks at this company with my friends and eventually travel to quarries in Italy, Brazil, Greece, and other places around the world,” she explains. “When I first started to get an inkling that I wanted to get into radio and be on the Bobby Bones Show, I knew nothing about the business. I have a very vivid memory of me sitting in my apartment on my roommate’s computer googling: ‘How much do radio DJs make?’”
“From my limited research, it was clear to me that I would be taking a pay cut to get into radio,” says Brown. “I remember asking my mom if I should leave my secure sales job that had potential for growth and travel for a lower paying position with a very uncertain future. Her reply: ‘You’re 24-years-old! This is exactly the time to make a move like that.’ So, the next day I went into my boss’s office and submitted my two weeks notice. He wished me the best of luck and told me that my job would be available to me once my little jaunt in radio was over. He wasn’t being rude; he was being realistic. I honestly thought it was going to be a short-lived fun experience too and that I would indeed need my sales job back one day.”
For Brown, it seems as though working with Bobby Bones was just meant to be. “I started listening in 2004 when I moved back to Austin from College Station, and I had an hour commute in the mornings to my sales job. I would listen to the show every morning on my drive into work and I even called into the show one morning while sitting in traffic to share my opinion on a topic they were discussing. I freaked out when I made it on the air. I remember getting to work and telling all my co-workers that I was just on the “Bobby Bones Show” and they collectively said: ‘Who?’ The show was still new in Austin. Being that I had signed up for the KISS Club (for early access to concert tickets), I knew what Bobby looked like, so when I saw him eating alone in a booth at Culver’s one day, in 2005, I decided to say hi,” explains Brown. “A motto that I’ve had for myself since then is: ‘Say hi to people. It could change your life.’ The quick version of what unfolded next is that we became friends and about a year later in May of 2006 he was asking me if I’d like to join the show as his co-host. He was looking to bring on normal everyday people (with no radio training) to create a show that had a ‘friends around the microphone’ vibe.
“I had no prior experience sitting in front of a microphone, but it didn't faze me because it felt like I had finally found what I was supposed to be doing with my life. The only thing that felt uncomfortable was my new wake up time of 3a. Playing fun games and delivering pop culture news and sharing a lot of my personal life with listeners came with ease. Not much was off limits (pending permission of people in my life). I’ve talked about dating, engagement, marriage, life as a military wife, infertility, my mom’s cancer journey, adoption, divorce, and so many other little things in between the big things.”
“Connecting with listeners in this way is what gives my job purpose. We all feel less alone when we share. Over the years listeners have laughed with us, cried with us, and grown up with us. I met a listener the other day that said she listened to us when she was in the 5th grade…she is a nurse now and still listens. She thanked us for being there for her through numerous phases of her life. We feel old when we hear stories like that, but also gratitude for the ability to connect with people that we don’t personally know and to be a constant for them when they need to be entertained or relate on a deeper level.”
As I mentioned earlier, Brown does a fantastic job of balancing all her professional responsibilities. And some of the biggest accomplishments for her include first, “Launching my own podcast network and co-creating with the other women on the network. It brings me so much fulfillment. They’re all contributing to the wellbeing of others, and I’m inspired by each of them,” says Brown.
“And I can’t get over the fact that I was asked to be in a Christmas movie for HBO Max called ‘Holiday Harmony.’ It was truly a bucket list experience that only happened because of my radio career.”
“Of course, the morning show winning multiple ACM awards and CMA awards is very special, but being the recipient of a Gracie is my most precious award because it honors women in media for individual achievement created by women and for women.”
“Also, I’ll never forget the day our listeners gathered alongside us for our ‘30 Abes’ event where we broke a Guinness World Record by packing 530,064 hunger relief meals for Haiti in only 45 minutes.”
“What our listeners have done with the PIMPINJOY movement, which started with my mom’s decision to spread joy during her cancer journey, still blows me away. Can’t even put a dollar amount on all the joy that has been spread by our listeners because of PIMPINJOY, but through merch alone they have helped donate millions of dollars to cancer research, our military veterans, natural disaster relief all over the country, and so much more.”
One of Brown's fondest memories over the years was hugging her favorite country artist of all time, George Strait, after he played a prank on her. "It's something I'll never forget," she says.
Brown’s success has not come without its challenges. “Leaving my family in Austin and moving to Nashville was by far my biggest challenge,” she says. “It was a huge decision to leave the city I thought I’d grow old in and also change formats. Our show was pop/Top 40 before we made the move to Nashville for our country debut. It was a gamble. People weren’t sure if our show would succeed. Thankfully, it did. We’re still here 10 years later.”
Simple words of advice for women wanting to get into the business, “Get your foot in the door by being an intern, get a mentor, start a podcast, grow thick skin, be determined and don’t let anyone besides you define your worth,” says Brown.
As far as connecting with the younger generation, Brown says, “ An authentic connection is so important, and it must go beyond the radio show or a podcast. We also have to connect on social platforms where Millennials and Gen Z are. I love technology, innovation, and forward thinking, but a robot is not going to replace the connection a human has with the audience.”
“When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry, I love hosting ‘Women of iHeartCountry,’ a show dedicated to highlighting women in Country music only, and while that’s an example of ‘moving the needle’ we absolutely need to move it more,” says Brown. “Representation matters and being intentional about diversity is important - as a woman and a mom of two Black children - I feel this at my core.”
If Brown wasn’t doing radio now, I think we can all guess what she’d be doing. “I feel incredibly lucky that this career found me because I honestly can't see myself doing anything else now,” she says. “However, I’m 99% sure my old sales job is still an option should I ever need to go back to slinging rock.”
What keeps Brown up at night? “ It ranges from silly to serious. Things like the easy trivia question I missed on the show 5 weeks ago that’s still making me feel stupid, to the turmoil in Haiti,” Brown explains. “My kids are from Haiti and the devastation there right now is so unimaginable that I often am very concerned about the kids at the orphanage where my kids lived, our other Haitian friends, and whether or not my kids’ birth moms are safe.”
As far as balance goes, for Brown, it’s not about finding balance in the various roles she has, it’s about accepting that she can’t do everything perfectly. “I learned this from Shonda Rhimes, and I love this quote from her: ‘Whenever you see me somewhere succeeding in one area of my life, that almost certainly means I am failing in another area of my life.’ So, if I’m in Los Angeles hosting an album release party, I am simultaneously missing my daughter’s play and I’m okay with this because I like that my daughter sees me working,” she says. “On the flip side, if I’m showing up for my family, I’m missing out on hosting something for Luke Combs (that example literally just happened!) It’s a constant trade between business/family/personal lives. To be successful, you must accept that you can do it all, just not at the same time.”
As far as what’s next for Brown, “I recently started hosting LIVE podcasts and seeing listeners in person is the best, so I’m very excited to take my ‘4 Things LIVE’ series to even more cities later this year.”
Follow Any Brown on @RadioAmy on socials, and RadioAmy.com.
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