Nowadays, many have traded in local radio listening for the likes of Sirius XM, Spotify playlists and their favorite podcasts. The draw is understandable: It’s on demand, you have total control over what you hear, and you have the ability to skip ads (for the most part).
However, there’s something missing with all of these. It’s that local personal touch that informs us about traffic, weather, and upcoming concerts. It’s the act of an actual human picking out music. The music might be a home run or might be a foul ball, but it’s human above all, and that feels more important than ever.
Enter old-fashioned radio stations. Colorado Springs has plenty of them and guess what? Some still have local DJs spinning tunes. Meet Megan Marie from Cat Country 95.1, Bobby from Woody & Bobby on 92.9, and Crowley from 103.9 RXP Mornings:
Megan from Cat Country 95.1
Fun Facts:
- Heroes growing up: Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Steven Tyler, Shania Twain
- Bucket list concert: The Eagles at the Sphere
- Favorite Colorado Springs brunch: The Rib & Chop House
- Favorite things about living here: Well, the mountains obviously. I love being able to look out my window and see that magic. My family and I love to ride horses, hike, and be outside, and this is the perfect place to do it!
Q: Did you receive formal DJ training?
A: I was lucky enough to get my first on-air job at 17. I was terrible at it, but luckily, there were people that were willing to work with me and coach me to get better. I've had a lot of amazing mentors and people to look up to in this business. Basically, all of my training was on-the-job. That's really the only way you can do it. Twenty-two years into the business, I'm still learning and growing, and that's a good thing.
Q: What has music meant to you personally?
A: It's basically my life. It has been the mainstay in my life as long as I can remember. I've been drawn to it since I was able to know what music was, and from the age of four, I wanted to be a radio personality.
Bobby (formerly of 92.9) from Bobby’s Pop Cast
Fun Facts:
- Heroes growing up: Superman or the epic He-Man
- Bucket list concert: Britney Spears
- Favorite Colorado Springs brunch: Mountain View Cafe in Black Forest. They have Unicorn WATER!
- Favorite things about living here: Mountains, Sunshine, and Quality of Life OH MY!
Q: Did you receive formal DJ training?
A: I attended PPSC's Radio and TV Broadcasting program. It is a spectacular place to get a small grasp of how to be in the world of broadcasting, but my internship and trial by microphone fire was my greatest teacher. My advice is be comfortable in yourself, your voice and hearing it, and keep the energy of your essence thriving!
Q: What has music meant to you personally?
A: Music has been my life. I could sing before I could speak, and I spent the majority of my life recording music. I then found a home in radio surrounded by artists of all genres and walks of life. Music is my mood ring. When I'm feeling thoughtful or poetic, I put on Kacey Musgraves. When I wanna dance, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake get me hyped up.
Crowley from X103.9 Mornings
Fun Facts:
- Heroes growing up: Jon Stewart and Kurt Vonnegut
- Bucket list concert: Godspeed, You!, Black Emperor and My Bloody Valentine
- Favorite Colorado Springs brunch: as a future aspiring vegetable eater, The Burrowing Owl
- Favorite things about living here: I love the people so much! Our 103.9 listeners are the best, smart and snarky yet so kind, as are my fellow 103.9 jocks. And beyond them, there's such an amazingly wide array of types of people here, so many cool weirdos!
Q: Did you receive formal DJ training?
A: Other than being born with a big mouth and an excess of opinions, just on-the-job training and learning the hard way to be careful what comes out of my mouth. Plus, I majored in English in college, so I try to bring a little literary flair to my poop jokes.
Q: What has music meant to you personally?
A: Music feels like breathing, an essential aspect of life: from background music for smoothing out mental chaos, to close-listening to an album that's so different and interesting that it inspires one to aspire to greater artistic heights. As an amateur pianist and composer, there's no end to new theory and techniques to learn. Music is everything!