What 30+ Years of Radio Teaches You About Building a Loyal Audience, With Tracy Morgan
The syndicated radio veteran on what actually creates listener loyalty, the misconceptions fans have about radio, and how to turn a love of music into a career behind the mic.
Welcome to Fangirl Forward, a biweekly look at the people and ideas shaping the future of fandom, media and entertainment. Each edition bridges the worlds of fans and industry — exploring how communities are built, opportunities are created, and how audience power is reshaping the business of pop culture. This week: Fandom as Audience Understanding.
Before streaming, before social media, and before algorithmically generated playlists told you what to listen to next…there was radio.
Radio was where you first heard the song that changed everything. Where you called in to dedicate a song to someone. Where you found out your favorite artist was coming to town, or won concert tickets just by being the ninth caller.
For a lot of fans, radio has always been part of how fandom happens. And while the platforms have changed, the core dynamic hasn’t.
With Mother’s Day this week, I wanted to feature someone who has spent over 30 years working at that intersection of radio and music fandom, and who also happens to be the person who first showed me what it meant to love music deeply enough to make it your life’s work.
Tracy Morgan is a syndicated radio personality, multi-Stellar Award winner, and the first woman inducted into the Spin Awards Hall of Fame. With millions of listeners tuning in daily across 40+ cities nationwide and a career spanning more than three decades, she’s built one of the most devoted audiences in radio. She’s also my mom.
Below, she talks about the voices who inspired her, how radio and fandom have always been intertwined, the misconceptions fans have about how radio really works, and what it actually takes to turn a love of music into a career in broadcasting.
You knew you wanted to be in broadcasting from the time you were 13. Who were some of the voices you grew up listening to that made you fall in love with radio/television and how did they inspire you?
It actually started with television. My mom always had the news on while she was cooking, and one day I glanced up and saw Lark McCarthy on screen. I kept watching every time she came on, I didn’t want to miss a single one of her broadcasts. That was the moment I said to myself, I’m going to be a television newscaster, and I started pursuing it from there. I eventually got to meet Lark McCarthy, which was such a full circle moment. Valerie Coleman in San Francisco was another one. I spent my summers in California as a little girl and watched her all the time. I got to meet her too, and I remember just how excited I was to be able to visit a television studio.
My passion for radio came a little later, when I met Candy Shannon. She was a popular radio announcer in Washington, DC on WKYS, and I met her at a taping for a show featuring female radio announcers. I only got to speak with her briefly after the show, but she invited me to come see the radio station — and the moment I walked in, I fell in love. She was so smooth on air. At one point I genuinely wanted to sound just like her. She would critique my tapes, and eventually I got the courage to submit my audition tape to stations in the DC area. I landed my first job as a board operator and worked my way to becoming an on-air talent from there.
You’ve built a listenership that tunes in every single day. What do you think
actually creates that kind of loyalty?
Being real. Authentic. People tune in because they feel like they know me, not as a radio personality on a pedestal, but as their sister, their girlfriend, their family. I never talk above my listeners. I always approach the mic like we’re sitting in my living room having a friendly conversation. And that authenticity has created real relationships for me, too. I’ve answered my request lines throughout my career, and some of those callers became people I genuinely know and love. One became one of my dearest friends for over 25 years. And I have a beautiful goddaughter because her mom called in on the request line one day. That’s what radio can do when you show up as yourself. It brings people together.
You’ve watched radio evolve through so many eras — before streaming, after streaming, social media, podcasts. How has the fan relationship with radio
changed?
Once streaming platforms and digital music took off, things changed pretty fast. Fans could discover music on their own, and they didn’t need to wait for radio to hear their favorite song. They could stream it and play it on demand. That shifted things. Radio’s role in music discovery became less about being the first to play something and more about being a trusted voice helping listeners make sense of what’s out there. It’s still one of the most powerful tools for breaking new music, but the relationship looks different now. With social media, listeners have the ability to engage directly with hosts, artists, and each other in real time. The relationship became more conversational and visible, and I have had to become a lot more intentional about branding myself off the air.
Fans can also now respond instantly, shape discussions of what gets played and talked about on the air, and even influence programming trends through online feedback and data. What hasn’t changed is that listeners still value connection and personality above everything else. I’ve just learned to meet them where they are.
Fans often have strong feelings about radio — why their favorite song isn’t getting played, how playlists are decided, who actually has control. What’s a common misconception you wish more listeners understood?
The biggest misconception is that playlists are built on personal taste. They’re not. They’re shaped by a mix of audience research, streaming data, market trends, and industry relationships. I sit on a lot of music panels, and I’m constantly explaining to artists that getting a song added to a playlist isn’t just about how good the song is. The real question programmers are always asking is: will this keep most listeners from changing the station? That’s the filter everything goes through. It’s a business decision just as much as a creative one, and I think understanding that helps fans and artists alike manage their expectations around radio.
For someone who grew up as a fan of music and wants to turn that
into a career in radio, what’s the first step?
Understand that radio is really about communication, not just the music. A lot of people come in as music lovers and are surprised by how much of the job is about how you tell a story and how you connect with people. So start practicing that — whether it’s college radio, a local station, a podcast, or even just recording yourself at home. Get comfortable with your voice and how you use it.
And listen to radio differently. Don’t just listen as a fan, listen like a student. Pay attention to the pacing, the transitions, the way a host carries a segment. There are so many moving parts to executing a good radio show that you don’t notice until you start looking for them. Find a mentor who can help you navigate the industry, because there’s a lot that can’t be learned from the outside looking in.
Interested in reading more? In the full conversation, Tracy talks about what it felt like to step in front of the mic for the first time, the responsibility that comes with being someone's morning voice, what she wishes she'd known earlier in her career, and her current pop culture obsession. Read it here. Follow Tracy on Instagram here.
If you’ve ever wanted to work at the intersection of music, storytelling, and community, Shore Fire Media is hiring a Publicity Assistant to join their team in Nashville. One of the most respected music PR firms in the industry, Shore Fire reps artists across music, books, documentaries, and more, and they have a strong history of promoting from within. If you’re the person in your friend group who always knows the best new artists and can’t stop talking about them, this one’s for you. Apply here.
Netflix is hiring a Multicultural Coordinator to support publicity campaigns across films and series built for diverse audiences. The role touches everything from junkets and premieres to influencer strategy and cultural tastemaker outreach — essentially, helping shape how stories reach the communities they’re made for. Apply here.
If you love live music and want to work on the fan experience side of it, Superfan, the company behind VIP and premium fan experiences for artists like Katy Perry, Metallica, and Bon Jovi, is hiring a Web & Digital Coordinator. The role owns the digital side of fan-facing program launches, from VIP pages to campaign landing pages. Email your resume to hiring@superfan.live to apply.
New York Theatre Workshop, the legendary NYC theater behind Rent, Hadestown, and Slave Play, is hiring an Education & Engagement Associate to help bring their programming to students and communities across the city. If you’re passionate about live performance, audience building, and making arts spaces more accessible, this is a meaningful one. Apply here.
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