Tim Siegrist is the former Program Director of WMMQ/Lansing.
I drove down to Fred Jacobs’ apartment in suburban Detroit with this huge list of albums and songs I had put together from my memory and experience on the air in the local radio markets. This was a list of stuff I loved, not a vetted, researched, well mapped playlist, just good music I wanted to present to Fred as possible library material for the station. We sat in his place and went over the list, talked about how and what to incorporate into the WMMQ music library, possible rotation sequences, frequency of airplay, and overall textural feel.
I was fascinated with the whole process, but most of all I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to get it on the air. I drove back to Lansing, went to work on developing this great radio station I was sure would succeed and, with the help of people like Jeff Crowe and Brad Curtis, was soon rewarded with success. It was a “goose bump” moment when I first heard those same songs Fred and I reviewed at his place turn up on the radio… And spread like wildfire all over Lansing and beyond. I had no idea how big the format would become or how much a part of people’s lives it would remain.
To you, Fred, and everyone at Jacobs Media, thanks for the memories, the opportunities and the chance you gave a little guy like me back then. I’ve never regretted the choice and never stopped learning.