by jon » Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:52 am
Missed this article from a NAIT publication that came out in May:
Mike McGuire launches the One, 93.1 FM, Leduc's first independent radio station
TechLife
What Mike McGuire really wanted to be was a pro wrestler. He's a big guy with a big personality, and at one point trained for the sport. Today the Radio and Television Arts grad (class of '04) even knows some of the WWE personalities - they show up at charity events he organizes and hosts.
But an injury pushed him into the arms of an early love, radio, where today he's program director at the One 93.1, Leduc County's first locally owned and operated radio station.
He still shows a fighter's spirit. A high school dropout, he re-enrolled in Grade 9 courses to start his journey to NAIT. Despite heart surgery, he runs in fundraising marathons. Now he's squaring off against multinational media, aiming to lead an independent, country radio station to success. In the weeks prior to taking the One on air this spring, McGuire reflected on the job ahead, and on never staying down for the count.
Techlife: How did you arrive at the One?
Mike McGuire: I had eight years at CISN, one of Canada's premier radio stations. Cuts were happening left and right around me and one day [last August] my number came up. I'd found out through a mutual friend that [station founder] Mark Tamagi was doing this thing down here. It reminded me of my first gig in Lloydminster - the Goat [106.1 FM] - because they focused on their audience. They made their audience the stars, the region the star.
Is that what appealed to you about taking this job?
I was done with corporate radio. Everyone is looking to be bought by everyone else right now. There's a lot of instability.
And the One is more stable?
That's part of it. The other is that it's so special - this is a region that's never had a [local] radio station.
What will you be doing?
I'll have a show and be handling programming. It will be my job to get the jocks in order, have the music lined up, make sure there are promotions lined up, and I'll oversee the news department.
How does an independent station compete with what's already coming into Leduc?
Number one is local content. We're going to be talking about this area. It's never been talked about before. For example, the Town of Beaumont and Leduc County are in a land annex battle right now. It made Global News, but it was like a whisper. Here that would be a major issue.
What brought you to radio in the first place?
I ended up in foster care for most of my teenage years, being that outcast kid. It was such a weird world - it messes you up and makes you socially awkward. I always turned to the radio. I used to listen to Rob and Audie back when they were the Power 92 morning crew and I thought, "These guys are amazing!" I would tape their show, and the next morning take it to school and play it for the kids. That got me in with the cool kids.
So I started making my own fake radio shows, and that would be my escape from all the craziness that was going on around me in these group homes. I kept getting better at it. I used to make mixtapes, too. The difference between your mixtape and my mixtape was that I hosted mine!
You're going from a big market to a small one. Where's the growth opportunity for you?
People are going to be looking to me for answers. That's where the pressure point is. It's a good pressure. I enjoy a challenge. I'm not cocky enough to think that I'm going to do everything right here. When we go on the air, that's going to be one of the first things I say: "It is our pleasure to bring you your first radio station. We're not going to get everything right all the time, but we're going to do our best to give you what you want."
You're going to tailor it to the community as you go?
We have no template. We are the petri dish. That's where the humility has to come in.
What do you like about this business?
It's that intimacy, that connection you get to make, if you choose to. That's what I love most. Radio used to be blamed for inane chatter. It's only inane chatter if you let it be.