Today we’d like to introduce you to Brady Marks.
Hi Brady, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up with some of my best memories being next to the radio. When I went to Oberlin College I jumped at the opportunity to be involved in the student run station 91.5 WOBC. I had a 1 hour show on Thursdays at 3am with my friend, Natalie. We played all-female rock/indie artists for our whole hour. Even though I’d almost always end up missing class the next day and other people scoffed at the idea of going to the student center at 3am – we thought we hit the jackpot. I ended up having a few more shows and joining the station promotions team before graduation. It was creative and inspiring and I loved all of it!
I cherished my time at WOBC because I truly never in a million years thought I’d get the opportunity to be on air again. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, but I left Ohio for a bit. I had a double degree in Political Science and Studio Art and absolutely zero prospects for work outside of waitressing and nannying. Then the pandemic hit and I moved home, back to Northeast Ohio to be with family.
On a whim, and in search of any kind of work that would bring me some joy when the world started up again, I applied for a Street Team position at Rubber City Radio Group. During my very first event, I met Kathy Vogel who was doing mornings at the time, and in response to some nerve-fueled banter I couldn’t contain, she looked at me and said, “You’re funny…you should be on the air.”
I immediately blushed and thought, “yeah theres absolutely no way”. I went back to passing out koozies… but Kathy ignited something in me that day! I kept working events, learning from the amazing jocks at our company, taking in as much information as I could.
In early 2022, I had been on Street team for nearly a year, and our company announced that they would be changing up 107.3 to be a new alternative station in Cleveland – literally my favorite music. I thought it’d be the perfect chance to apply for on-air. I got a weekend slot and would come in every Saturday and Sunday for my first, official, non-college on air radio shift. As time went on and people moved around, I got offered a full-time midday shift on the station. And from there things moved pretty fast.
I kept learning new skills, asking for air checks from whomever would give me them, and offering help to whomever needed it. In 2023, I was offered the position of Assistant Program Director on top of my on air role. Then at the start of 2024, I was asked if I’d be interested in joining the morning show as a cohost. It was the scariest and biggest jump of my career to be on the air with somebody else and wake up at the crack of dawn, but I jumped in head first! After a year on mornings, I was offered the position of Program Director, a title I have had since February of this year.
I am still worried I am gonna wake up and it was all a dream – I am so incredibly grateful for all the people who have helped me get to where I am today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been smoother than many – I recognize how in this industry, it takes people a long time to get on-air and into programming. Of course, I had to battle fear of failure and fears of judgement. Performing on the air everyday is about facing that fear over and over again. And being a young programmer, I battle imposter syndrome – but I like to remember, if you’re in the room/at the table, then you’re meant to be there. We all start somewhere!
I wouldn’t be here without the support of so many people along the way, that believed in me, motivated me, and taught me. I also have to recognize the privilege of having a safety net (shoutout to my parents for letting me stay in my childhood bedroom for many years) – without that, I wouldn’t have felt like I could chase my dreams.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
107.3 Alternative Cleveland is a live & local, independently-owned, and listener driven radio station. We play your favorite alt throwbacks from the early 2000’s, 90’s, and 80s, but we also showcase new music all throughout the day! If you tune in at any given time, you might hear a 90’s Green Day song or a live host telling you what local events you should check out, or if you’re lucky – you could win tickets to see your favorite artist at Jacobs Pavilion next week.
We are one of the few locally owned, non corporate radio stations in Ohio and we are the ONLY commercial Alternative station in Cleveland. One beauty of being locally owned is that our staff is plugged in with the community and dedicated to serving it. We prioritize listener feedback with consistent music research local to NEO, we platform local artists in our weekly local music feature, and all-year round we broadcast PSA’s for local non-profits at no cost through our 107.3 Cares feature. We’re proud to have wrapped our arms around NAMI of Greater Cleveland. 107.3 ALT CLE has been their premier media sponsor for three years in a row, helping grow their annual walk and raise money for year-round mental health programs in the area. Our owner Thom Mandel places a huge emphasis on community outreach and makes sure that all the stations in our cluster do what we can to support local causes and use our platform for good.
We do it all for our listeners and our community, and it’s our biggest honor to receive the love back. 107.3 ALT CLE was voted the Best Radio Station by readers of the Cleveland Scene for the last two years. Our afternoon host, Carrie Danger was vote Best Radio Show 2025 by readers of the Cleveland Scene. And Brady and Lux in the Morning was just voted Best Radio Show/Podcast 2025 by readers of Cleveland Magazine. We’ve only been around for about 4 years, but we have seen consistent growth every year in our listenership and name recognition around town. And it’s an honor to be the playlist getting Clevelanders through their day.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Every time I got in trouble in school it was for talking. I couldn’t shut up! I was always very curious about other people. I loved anything artistic, creative, and social! If there was a crowd, I’d try to perform in front of it. My dad used to have me practice different impressions and then perform them for dinner parties. I had Sarah Palin nailed down – probably one of the only 6th graders to be doing that on the regular.
I like to think radio has helped bring out my inner child. There’s something magical about getting to talk on the air – the adrenaline, the laughter, the not knowing what exactly is gonna happen.
If little Brady knew what I was doing now, she’d be over the moon.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @heyitsbradymarks
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brady-marks/
