(By Charese Frugé) Based out of Nashville, Brooke Taylor is on-air talent in several markets for iHeartCountry. Taylor started in radio in 2009 with the startup of her college radio station, XLR Lander University Radio. She graduated in 2010 and got her first paid radio gig in 2011 in Gainesville, FL, at WYKS Kiss 105.3 doing 7p-12a.
Shortly after, she moved to Fort Wayne, IN, in 2012 where she hosted middays on WJFX Hot 107.9 and eventually programmed the station while also doing Afternoons on WBTU US 93.3 (her first country station). In 2014, she moved to Los Angeles, CA to host nights on Radio Disney.
At the end of 2016, she quit her job at Disney on a whim and dove headfirst into Country music. “It’s a long story but FOLLOW YOUR HEART,” she says. “I moved back to Fort Wayne to work for my old radio station. When a mentor at iHeart called me and told me I should interview for a job in Chicago. I did, and I’ve been working for iHeart since 2016.”
“The funny thing is, honestly, I got into the radio business by accident,” explains Taylor. “A professor of mine used to do the announcing at our volleyball games in college and during warmups for a game he literally called me over and asked if I wanted to help him start ‘radio club’ and I said yes. From there, I went from building our college radio station to hosting part of the morning show and then my own show.”
“I graduated and moved home and never even thought of radio as a career. But, I didn’t have a job, and my dad said, ‘There’s a local station hiring for a Deejay. You should try out for it.’ So, I walked in with my resume – which had no radio experience – and told the office manager I’d be a sponge and learn everything they would teach me about radio. And she hired me the next week.”
“I have two side hustles,” she says. “Influencing/content creation is something I do to make a little extra cash here and there, it’s not something I have to do all the time since I have a full-time job, but the extra money pays for my kids’ daycare, so I’ll take it. I also bake bread. Literally. I call it Brooke’s Bread and I sell organic sourdough to people in my community and it’s awesome.”
“These days I’m not sure what I’m looking to ‘achieve’ exactly. In this business, people want to win all kinds of awards and get recognized for what they do, but I honestly just want to make the world a better place. I want people to smile when they’re listening to my show. I want them to feel good about themselves when they see me on social media. I just want people to be happy. My show is me. Witty, friendly, fun and positive. Friends always tell me they can ‘hear the smile on my face’ and I’m very proud of that.”
“Some of the most exciting experiences in my career over the years were when I worked for Radio Disney,” says Taylor. “I was in Beverly Hills at a movie junket for Maleficent interviewing Angelina Jolie during my second week on the job. It was NUTS. But, red carpets, live streams, the Radio Disney Music Awards – it was all so cool to be a part of. Also, when I interviewed Tim McGraw for the first time. My grandma, (we called her Nanny) was OBSESSED with him. So much so, that we played ‘I Like It, I Love It’ at her funeral because she loved him and that song so much. Nanny would have crapped her pants knowing that I got to talk to him. It was and will always be one of my favorite moments.”
“As for challenges, that’s a sensitive subject for me because if the challenge isn’t making me better, I usually do something brash. Like quit my dream job making six figures in my 20s at Radio Disney, because I was miserable mentally/emotionally/physically and just overworked. But one of my mentors told me once, to ‘fail harder.’ The failures in your life will catapult you into success. Nobody successful has succeeded at everything.”
When it comes to Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in the industry, Taylor has strong opinions. “I’ll tell you, there’s a lot of people that will say ‘there’s lots of work to be done’ and yes, there is in some respects. But the whole ‘business is saturated with men’ quote that I hear a lot drives me nuts. If you want something bad enough, you’ll do everything in your power to get it.”
“I remember having a conversation once with a female about her salary and she was complaining that a male made more than she did. I asked her if she’s ever asked for a raise and her response was ‘no.’ In my opinion, if she wanted that raise bad enough she would have asked for it. No one is going around handing out raises in this business ‘just because’. Prove yourself valuable and make it an easy ‘yes’ for that raise. But ASK FOR IT.”
“Radio has changed SO much since I first started,” insists Taylor. “In my first gig in Gainesville, FL, I used to get in trouble for being on Twitter while I was in the studio. Now it’s like an actual requirement for us to be on social media ALL THE TIME. But I feel like what’s missing in the industry right now is passion. I feel like a lot of people are just collecting a check. Radio used to be fun. Spur of the moment. We were everywhere. I wish we could just get back to that even a little bit.”
“Don’t get me wrong, radio is a long-term goal for me. I love what I do. I love that every day is different, I can be creative, and use my voice for good. Long term, I’d love to have a faith-based show syndicated on every station in the country on Sunday mornings. That’s what I’d love to do. Short term, my goal right now is to not miss a moment with my babies. I’ve got a three-year-old and an almost four-month-old. ‘Mom’ has been my favorite job title so far, and right now. I don’t want to miss a single second of it.”
Follow Brooke Taylor on all socials @BrookeRadio
Charese Frugé is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talents, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. Find her at @MCMediaOnline. See more Women to Watch here.
