Sometimes the smartest talent search doesn’t require an airplane ticket, a nationwide posting or 75 airchecks sitting in somebody’s inbox. Sometimes the person you’re looking for is already working for you about 90 miles down the interstate. That’s essentially what Digio Strategies is doing in Mississippi, moving Quinn Alexander from mornings at Country 97OKK WOKK in Meridian to a bigger assignment with sister US 96.3 WUSJ in the Jackson market, where he’ll team with Program Director Traci Lee in mornings beginning Tuesday, September 1.
And we like this move for a couple of reasons.
Most importantly:
It’s an internal promotion that keeps a developing personality inside the company.
Radio needs more of those stories.
Meridian Wasn’t a Long Stop — But Apparently It Was Long Enough
Alexander arrived at 97OKK in December 2024, taking over mornings after building a résumé across multiple formats, markets and programming responsibilities.
Now, less than two years later, he’s getting the call to Jackson.
That tells you something.
When somebody moves within the same company, management isn’t buying an aircheck and hoping the person behind it is as good as advertised.
They’ve already seen the work.
They know how Alexander prepares.
They know how he sounds.
They know how he handles clients.
They know how he interacts with listeners.
They know whether he shows up when he’s supposed to.
And perhaps most importantly, they know whether he understands what the company wants its radio stations to be.
Digio apparently liked what it saw in Meridian enough to move him into another important morning position.
That’s talent development.
Alexander Has Already Collected a Lot of Radio Miles
Before Mississippi, Alexander was waking up listeners at Classic Country 96.9 WSIG in Harrisonburg, Virginia, giving him another significant stretch of morning-show experience.
But his career hasn’t been confined to one format or one daypart.
He’s worked middays at WCJC in Marion, Indiana.
Afternoons at WEBB in Augusta, Maine.
Afternoons at KSOK in Arkansas City, Kansas.
And in San Angelo, Texas, Alexander moved beyond the air studio into a broader leadership position as Director of Content for Townsquare Media.
That’s a useful résumé for somebody walking into a new morning-show partnership.
He’s been talent.
He’s been management.
He’s worked multiple dayparts.
He’s moved around enough to understand that what works in one community doesn’t automatically work in another.
And now he’s already spent enough time in Mississippi to understand the state before taking on Jackson.
Now Comes the Interesting Part: Quinn Alexander + Traci Lee
Putting two people together in mornings isn’t as simple as placing another microphone in the studio.
Chemistry is everything.
And Alexander will be paired with somebody who already has an enormous stake in the station’s success: Program Director Traci Lee.
That creates an interesting dynamic.
Lee understands exactly what US 96.3 is trying to accomplish because she’s helping steer the brand.
Alexander arrives with his own morning-show experience and an existing relationship with Digio.
Now they have to turn those ingredients into something listeners want to make part of their morning routine.
Not two people taking turns talking.
A show.
There’s a difference.
Great morning teams learn each other’s rhythms.
Who tells the better story?
Who asks the question the listener is thinking?
Who pushes the conversation forward?
Who knows when the bit is over?
Who can make the other person laugh when absolutely nothing on the prep sheet is working?
And, eventually, who can communicate something with nothing more than a look through the studio glass?
That doesn’t happen September 1.
It develops.
And that’s part of the fun.
Jackson Also Gives Alexander Another Opportunity to Grow
This isn’t a relocation to unfamiliar territory halfway across America.
Alexander is moving up the road from Meridian into Mississippi’s largest metropolitan market.
That matters.
He already knows the region.
He understands Mississippi culture better than somebody arriving cold.
He has worked inside the same company.
He knows the expectations.
So instead of spending the first several months figuring out an entirely new organization, he can concentrate on the thing that matters most:
Building a relationship with Jackson listeners.
And Country radio is particularly dependent on that relationship.
Country audiences aren’t simply consuming a playlist.
The strongest Country stations become part of the community.
High school football.
Concerts.
County fairs.
Churches.
Charities.
Local businesses.
Friday nights.
Monday mornings.
The stuff happening down the road that nobody sitting in a national content center is going to understand quite the same way.
That’s where local personalities earn their value.
An On The Dial Perspective: Promote the People Who Are Already Showing You What They Can Do
This is the piece of the announcement we hope radio companies notice.
Digio Strategies had a morning personality working successfully inside its own operation.
Another opportunity opened.
They moved him up.
Simple concept.
Yet it’s increasingly important.
Radio desperately needs visible career ladders again.
The person doing nights needs to believe afternoons are possible.
The afternoon personality needs to see a path toward mornings.
The morning host should be able to envision becoming a Program Director.
And the talented person working in the smaller market should know that doing exceptional work might eventually earn an opportunity in the larger one.
Otherwise, why should ambitious young broadcasters stay?
If every desirable opening gets filled from somewhere else while your own people remain exactly where they started, eventually the best ones stop waiting.
Development means more than coaching somebody.
It means giving them somewhere to go.
And Quinn’s Career Is a Pretty Good Example
Look at the map.
Indiana.
Maine.
Texas.
Kansas.
Virginia.
Mississippi.
Middays.
Afternoons.
Mornings.
Content leadership.
Back to mornings.
That’s radio.
Careers in this business rarely travel in perfectly straight lines.
You move.
You learn.
You take the shift.
You take another shift.
You pack another U-Haul.
You discover another town.
You figure out another audience.
And eventually all those experiences start stacking on top of one another.
Now Quinn Alexander gets another opportunity to put them to work.
Congratulations to Quinn Alexander, Traci Lee, US 96.3 and Digio Strategies.
Meridian’s loss becomes Jackson’s gain — without Digio losing the talent at all.
And in today’s radio environment, there’s something particularly satisfying about seeing a company look inside its own building and effectively say:
You’ve earned the next microphone.
September 1, Quinn gets it.
Now comes the important part.
Make Jackson glad you did.
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