Q101: the End
I was in Minneapolis last week to attend Conclave, an annual radio convention. I can hear your snarky comments from here. Stop. It.
Because I was out of town, I missed the chance to hang out in the studio with old friends and colleagues as the final curtain was drawn on the station. I streamed the day’s broadcast in my hotel room, and found it well near impossible to tear myself away from it. Quick lesson from that particular experience: radio still has the ability to be compelling and exciting, even if many who run radio tend to squander that ability.
Taking nothing for granted, I felt very lucky and honored to have been part of the final day’s activity. I appeared on the air via phone with Tim Virgin in the 4 p.m. hour, and with Chris Payne in the 11 p.m. hour, just as the doomsday clock started to tick out the minutes at a deafening level.
There was an air of celebration when I called in. A range of employees past and present were hanging out in the studio to show their support as the station raced toward its foretold end. Their presence created a palpable sense of shared purpose and community that, admittedly, wasn’t always easy to find behind-the-scenes at Q101 — even in its most prosperous years. Another quick lesson: we all could benefit from more positive, community-building, efforts in our lives that aren’t the result of shared tragedy or bad experience.
There were many days when I loved everything about working at Q101. There were also plenty of times I was disgusted with the station or its management (that’s why they call it “going to work,” and not “going to fun”). The good always outweighed the bad, however, and the impact the station has had on my career cannot be measured.
Speaking of my career…
Quick stats about me and Q101
Hired as an intern: June, 1993
Hired as Programming Assistant: November, 1993
Producer, Sound Opinions: 1994
First part-time on-air gig: “The Local Music Showcase” (later “Local 101″), 1995
First full-time on-air gig: Morning show news anchor, 1996 (Brooke Hunter was the host)
Hired as first official station webmaster: 1996 (I had no actual webmaster skills)
First full-time DJ gig: Evening host, 1997
Hired as Assistant Music Director: 1999
Quit: December, 2000
Rehired: January, 2006 (to host overnights)
Hired to host the poorly-named “Summer of Shuffle” temporary morning show: July, 2006
Fired: April, 2007. I call bullshit on that.
Rehired: August, 2009
Quit: June, 2011
Q101 wiped from the dial: July, 2011
