Celeb Shot: Jeff Morad
How the program director for 102.7 WEQX is keeping independent radio alive.
If you’re having a bad morning, there’s one sure-fire way to turn it around: Tune into radio station 102.7 WEQX a few minutes before 10am on weekdays and listen to Early EQX DJ Jeff Morad pass the proverbial baton to afternoon host Joy Proft. Both are a delight to listen to solo, but the few seconds they share the air will make you understand why EQX has endured for 40 years. Heck, it’ll make you understand why independent radio stations even still exist in this era of Spotify Premium and Apple Car Play.
While I could listen to EQX’s DJs talk for hours, the station’s primary focus is music: Everything from retro tracks from the ’80s to out-there new artists that’ll make whomever’s riding in your passenger seat question your sanity. “I always look back,” says Jeff, EQX’s program director. “People were saying, ‘What the heck is this?’ when we were playing the Beastie Boys back in the mid-nineties. Thirty years from now, Altin Gün is going to maybe be a little more familiar to people.” (Yes, EQX has been known to play songs by a Dutch-Turkish psychedelic rock band.)
It’s EQX’s genre-bending blend of music and the endearing personalities of its DJs that have kept the station independent for 40 years. And before you say, “Why are you writing about a station that’s based in Manchester, VT?” I’d like to point out that EQX’s radio waves reach all the way from Keene, NH to Cooperstown, and Coxsackie all the way up to Plattsburgh. Meaning, you can drive an hour-and-a-half in any direction from Saratoga and still be in EQX Land. And if I’m in a place where I can hear Jeff Morad say his signature “See ya!” sign-off every day at 9:50am, that’s good enough for me.
SLAH: Jeff, How’d you wind up in radio and ultimately at EQX?
JM: I’ve always had an absolute love of music and nature. I was born and raised in Erie, PA, and in my freshman year of college, decided business was not going to be my jam. We didn’t have a radio station that played music, so I snuck my way onto a different campus’ radio station and that allowed me to get a little bit of experience. I ended up getting a paid radio job on Cape Cod, then worked radio out in Denver for 10 years. I was working for one of those big morning shows with six people, and one morning I was like, “We don’t even play music—we just act like idiots all morning long.” I really got into radio for my love of music, so that’s when I started seeking out non-corporate radio stations. And that’s what brought me here to EQX Land.
SLAH: How would you describe EQX to someone who’s never listened?
JM: I’ve been trying to answer that question for my 17 years at the station. When someone asks me that question, I ask to see their Apple Music or their Spotify to see what they’re into, so I can have a conversation with them about whether they would enjoy the station or not, because it’s so eclectic musically. It covers everything from The Grateful Dead and Pretty Lights to Foo Fighters, Nirvana and music of the future. It’s so broad that it’s tough to describe. Anyone that asks that question wants to have a conversation about music, and I try to decide whether or not EQX can be a part of that conversation. Nine times out of 10, it can, because there’s something on the station that everybody’s going to like at one point or another.
SLAH: What does being an independent radio station mean?
JM: What it means to us is that we’re family owned. We don’t have shareholders. We have no corporate ties whatsoever. We’re a standalone radio station out of an old Victorian house. It’s EQX and only EQX—we’re not affiliated with any other media. So all the decisions that happen happen within the four walls of the radio station and that’s it.
SLAH: How has radio changed since EQX’s founding 40 years ago in 1984?
JM: Basically, radio is down to three big companies that own almost every radio station in the country at this point. For the sake of saving money and being streamlined, they have very few DJs who are live and who are local in the markets the stations are in. You could have one person in Minneapolis recording for 40 different radio stations across the country every single day of the week. There’s no local flavor, and that’s what we feel people tune into radio for—to have their neighbor talking about what’s going on in their neighborhood and playing music from bands that are coming to their town.
SLAH: What about this region makes it possible for a station like EQX to succeed?
JM: You’ve got such a wide variety of tastes in this area, and I think that’s because of the geographical location between Montreal, New York City and Boston. People are cultured—and maybe even more intelligent than people that live in those cities because they’re smart enough not to pay the prices, but have the access. There’s a real appreciation for art and culture and nature, and there’s just a general kindness that fits the community vibe that EQX has.
SLAH: What sort of things has EQX done to remain relevant in the era of Spotify and Apple Music?
JM: We were one of the first radio stations in the country to stream live via the web—to make our live broadcast that was going out over the FM signal available simultaneously online for free, and we continue to do that. During the cell phone movement, when they became so technologically advanced, we jumped right on having an app. It’s free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Coming up in this new year, we’re going to make our specialty shows—Sunday Rewind, EQXposure, Jam ’N Toast and The Coffee House—available online almost in a podcast-type form. We understand how much competition is out there and how there might be someone between the age of 18 and 34 who has never worked a radio in their life. We want them to be able to experience what EQX has to offer.
SLAH: I love that minute-and-a-half that you’re on air with Joy. Do you plan what you’re going to talk about ahead of time?
JM: We love that moment of the day too—it’s so weird being in a 10x10 room, speaking out loud, essentially, to nobody. There’s something odd about that. So when Joy comes in and we get to talk, I love it. But no, it’s not planned. It’s actually kind of awkward if you were to be standing in there watching, because we avoid talking to each other while the songs fade down because we don’t want to ruin the spontaneity.
SLAH: Every December, EQX asks listeners to vote online for their favorite songs of the year, and then airs a countdown of the top songs. When can people tune in to hear the countdown?
JM: We were talking about the crossover that Joy and I do. This is that times 12, which is the amount of DJ’s that’ll be participating in it. The banter and the memories of things that have happened over the course of the year is a lot of fun. This year will probably be even more of that because we just celebrated our 40th, so a lot of fresh stories have popped up. We have fun hosting the first airing of it on New Year’s Eve, and then a midday one on New Year’s Day. It runs on repeat un-hosted the rest of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
SLAH: What’s your personal top song of 2024?
JM: Starburster by Fontaines D.C.
SLAH: What’s your favorite part of your job?
JM: Finding music, playing it, the band realizing that we’re playing it because their record label gets all those metrics, and they’re like wow, “Albany loves you.” So they’ll come from far reaches of the planet to play for Albany. The band is like, “Where are we? What is going on?” And then they see fans singing their lyrics back to them. Just the joy. They’ve dedicated their lives to their art. They’ve given up so much for it. Just to see that, that’s got to be my favorite part of the whole thing.
—Natalie
Photo of the Week
This week, Malta-based Elf on the Shelf Cocoa almost lost his magic. The incident occurred when 6-year-old Dylan “accidentally” touched him, which everyone knows causes Scout Elves to lose their magic and thus not be able to report back to Santa. Luckily, Dylan had seen a video on TikTok explaining how an Elf’s magic might be restored if you sprinkle cinnamon on it. He opted to dump cinnamon on Cocoa, and throw some candy on him, too, for good measure. To all members of the family’s surprise and relief, it worked, and Cocoa was back to his mischievous ways the following morning.
Off the Wall
Need to pick up a last-minute present before Christmas? Saratoga’s Handsome Cock Farm is selling 2025 wall calendars featuring glamour shots of the farm animals taken by Spa City–based photographer Fred R. Conrad. Each month features a different animal, including retired racehorse Tiz Eternal, aka Tizzy; Oliver, the farm’s feline barn manager; Margarita, the Cinco de Mayo–born hen; and Handsome Kevin, the pig named after Kevin Bacon. Pick up your calendar and other Handsome Cock merchandise at Impressions of Saratoga; all profits are donated to charity.
Save the Date
Saratoga is getting its very own (mini) film festival. Coming January 17 and 18, the Saratoga Film Showcase will screen short films from the Capital Region and beyond across three sessions, each with its own unique theme: dance, local locations and after dark. The weekend will also include panel discussions, parties and the headlining feature: Paint, the Owen Wilson movie that filmed in Saratoga back in 2021. Tickets can be purchased at saratoga-arts.org, and sponsorship opportunities are still available; contact ssherry@saratoga-arts.org for more information.
Open for Biz
Brookmere Saratoga is now officially open for hotel guests and dining at Regent, the onsite restaurant. The Arbor Spa is coming soon.
Listening to jam n toast, now…