I was born in Elgin, IL and grew up in Streamwood. But somewhere along the line something went terribly wrong… the Conrad family moved all the way to Huntsville, AL. I honestly never quite fully recovered. Although my dad is a retired rocket scientist and my mom is also an expert with numbers, I can barely add. So I shunned the fame and money of the US space program for a career in broadcasting.
I began my radio career the day after the 2000 Presidential election, at News/Talk 770 WVNN in Huntsville, AL. For five years I worked as the morning producer, the afternoon producer and the official radio station car washer as I worked my way through college.
From Huntsville, I finally made my way back to the Midwest and spent two years serving as the morning producer for News/Talk 1130 WISN in Milwaukee. Things were going great until I and the rest of the morning show crew fell victim to The Great Clear Channel Purge of 2007. Since I was unemployed before the economic collapse, I’ve always liked to think that made me a trendsetter.
I quickly recovered and took a job as the morning producer for WGST radio in Atlanta, where I managed to survive The Great Clear Channel Purge of 2009. Of course, as much as I enjoyed the 105 degree summers and constantly being called a “Yankee” and “Carpetbagger” again, I always longed to go back home to my Chicago roots. In July of 2009, I finally got the call from 560 WIND, so I packed up my Foreman Grill and my Xbox and drove across the country through the night to be the producer for Big John Howell and Amy Jacobson.
Later came all too brief stops at WGN Radio and 890 WLS, before a return to WIND. Ah, the unpredictability of radio. Along the way I have picked up some significant digital media chops, helping to launch the Garry Meier Show podcast and even creating my own content with the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.
It’s been a wild ride, but I’m always up for tackling new challenges. If there’s any project I can help out with, send me an email or better yet let’s schedule a time to talk: