Written by Sabina Gallier
“Why Do You Do What You Do”
A Program Director is in charge of managing staff schedules, curating station features, community outreach and works as the bridge between radio staff and upper management and sales. The Music Director is the point person for all the music distributors, managers and labels. In addition to managing the station, I also upload and schedule music for each shift. That being said, I of course ask that the DJs essentially “rip up” the base schedule that they receive each day and put their own spin on it if they want.
One thing I’ve worked really hard at in my time as a manager is to encourage staff to give the listener a different experience based on the music THEY love as DJs. I ask that they also reach out to artists to build good back and forth relationships and immerse themselves in the world of music so they can shape their show to their personality. Our different voices should be reflected in our shows and creative freedom is the way to make that happen.
“The Foundation of Our Station is New Music”
Thankfully, we have control over what we play. KSLG and its parent company Lost Coast Communications Inc. are locally and privately owned. The freedoms are very different from your regular radio station. We let listeners vote on what they want to hear and we utilize that feedback in some of our programming. If a label sends us a single but we hear that a lesser known song is more popular with our audience, we listen to our audience. I love giving artists as much exposure as possible while also giving the listeners what they want, both local and those listening from afar.
We have a community at the heart of our mission from local bands to local businesses. Our listeners like to hear about their friends and neighbours. It helps when they have us, fellow community members, in the booth, giving them a voice.
The magic of radio is really in the connection. People often tell us that listening to us is like listening to a best friend. Others say they tune in to learn about artists and songs they’ve never heard before.
We not only cultivate a sense of exploration for our listeners but also a feeling of safety. We are accessible in emergencies when power goes out or when weather warnings are imminent. During COVID lockdown, I built a studio in my closet while my colleagues each created their own extensions of their stations in their homes. KSLG is a music station but one of our top priorities is making sure our community stays informed in times of need.
“Take Me to the Magic of the Moment”
Since I started working in radio, there have been some leaping advancements in technology that change the way we look at communicating. The fear of being replaced by AI or streaming is a reality in broadcast. How do we stay relevant or will we pivot should the need arise? I recently spoke to a mass media class at Cal Poly Humboldt and was amazed that the students shared the same enthusiasm for radio as I did. The curiosity and passion for broadcasting was a testament to the importance of communication and the desire for expression. Being able to share that with the future generation of broadcasters reinvigorated my desire to continue and learn more.
Another joy of the job is connecting with artists and learning more about them one-on-one. This is particularly evident in our connection with local artists who may be apprehensive or not know where to start when contacting a radio station. I like to make the process as easy as possible because sharing your art should not be a stressful endeavour. It should be exciting. Radio is so essential to recording artists but I work to ensure that no matter how big or small their platform is, they get heard. From bands with 50 followers on Instagram to larger names, the result of showcasing all of them is invaluable. It’s joy.
Shout out to Play MPE for helping with that. I use it every single day, it’s a music playground for people like me. It’s helped me build that new music foundation and continuously inspires me to explore the different branches of alternative music.
“Under the Lights When Everything Goes”
I do miss writing and sharing stories the way I used to in print. While my skills in AP Style are long gone, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing about my journey into radio.
I was not a risk-taker in my younger years. I always played it safe and took well-traveled roads with easy routes. Having come a long way from apprehension, radio has encouraged me to take chances and lean into “Yes”. It sounds extremely cliche but if we didn’t take chances, we’d find ourselves left behind in an ever-changing world of connection.
I always tell local artists, who struggle with sending in their work, that I would hate for them to spend their time thinking “What if?” I took a massive leap when I decided that a career priority would be finding a field that made me happy. It wasn’t without fear or struggle over the years, but it happened. Taking that risk has set the stage for my entire life. I’ve become someone that the glued-to-her-headphones version of me would be proud of.
Missed Part 1? Check it out here.
Some song recommendations from Sabina
Cherokee Social “Rainman”
Spacey Jane “Whateverrr”
Ecca Vandal “Cruising to Self Soothe”
Ben Kweller “Optimistic”
Nova Twins “Pirahana”
Baynk “Grin”
Learn more about Play MPE’s DIY music promo tool Caster, and how to get your music to radio programmers like Sabina and more!
Want to know about radio formats open to emerging indie artists? Check out our blog Cutting Through the Static and Finding Your Formats.