The Infinite Dial

Title: Program Director/Afternoons, WTYD, 92.3 The Tide; Program Director, WBQK, 107.9 WBach

Who is Amy? "I started doing college radio in Santa Cruz, CA because I thought the mix tapes I made for friends, weren't reaching a large enough audience (although the 3am shift I started out at, wasn't exactly a huge step up). While in college I started interning at a few stations throughout the Bay Area. I was lucky enough to snag an internship at KFOG in San Francisco, which ended up turning into a part-time job once I finished school, and I ended up staying there for a couple of years. While at KFOG I heard about a new station that Tom Davis was starting up in Virginia with Bruce Hornsby. I was hired on as Music Director and eventually was promoted to PD."

What would your dream job be? "I would love to be the PD of a well respected major market station some day. I want to find a way to increase the amount of independent music on commercial stations and abolish the need to play only a few hundred "safe" songs. I understand that things are this way for a reason, but I think there is a way to make this work while still maintaining good ratings. A balance needs to be found. I want to turn passive listeners into passionate listeners. I want to gain respect from listeners who have started depending primarily on sources outside of radio to discover new music."

Who has been your greatest influence? "The folks I started with at KFOG- Haley Jones, who is incredibly creative and has taught me a ton about the business in general; Dave Benson, who taught me to think more like a programmer and less like a music snob. Tom Davis, because no idea is too outlandish for him."

What is the one format that you can't believe nobody has done? "I've always been interested in finding a way to combine the programming mentality of public radio with the business mentality of commercial radio and making it truly successful. I think once someone cracks the code, it will change radio forever."

How could radio do a better job of attracting younger listeners? "By expanding their playlists, as well as accepting that traditional radio promotions and gimmicks, just won't cut it anymore. We all know how many sources are out there now for people to discover and listen to music. Younger listeners aren't afraid of technology and will turn to these sources if they are not getting what they want from terrestrial radio. Before music blogs, iTunes and the plethora of options available today, I don't think people knew exactly how much music was out there. You had to work a lot harder to discover independent music. Today it is all at our fingertips and programmers need to adjust their way of thinking in order to stay relevant to a younger audience."

How will radio remain relevant in a digital world? "For stations that have the budget to do so, I think it's important to make as many options available to listeners as possible, in order to connect with the station. Whether it's streaming, creating an HD side channel, podcasts, blogs, interactive websites... stations need to embrace all of these opportunities and I think most are doing a great job so far."