Lauren (Levine) Corriher grew up in Syracuse and in radio. Her father Ed owns radio stations in Syracuse and Utica, and Lauren was listening to WJPZ on the bus to and from middle school.
In fact, 13 year old Lauren was recalling a great Z Morning Zoo bit around the dinner table, and she didn't believe her father when he told her the station was run by SU students. That couldn't be, she thought. They sound just as good as 93Q and Hot 1079!
(Editor's note: damn right we did, if not better.)
After spending her first 18 years in Central New York, Lauren really planned on going to school elsewhere. But the more she learned about SU, Newhouse, and WJPZ, she ended up on campus 30 minutes from home. And while many of alumni got a fresh perspective on the Salt City after graduation, Lauren had the opposite experience. She went from high school trips to Carousel Mall to the bubble of the SU Hill. She explains.
At Z, she was an integral part of the executive staff, always being part of station management. And she started the Red Carpet Report, an entertainment report that still lives on at Z89, over a decade later.
Following graduation, Lauren followed her writing for passion, which eventually led her to Charlotte, North Carolina. The adjustment from Northern snow to Southern cockroaches was difficult, but she soon thrived - meeting her husband there and continuing a successful writing career. She also reconnected with classmate (and former podcast guest) Mike Couzens, who lives nearby.
Lauren and Jag talk about the culture of Z89, and how it allows for a common bond between folks, no matter what their age. The accepting environment means if you meet someone from the station, it's an instant connection.
And we close with the story of Lauren's first break on Z89....and a story that may ring familiar to many of us.
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon "JAG" Gay, Class of 2022, and his company JAG in Detroit Podcasts
Want to be on the show? Email JAG at jag@jagpodcastproductions.com
Connect with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/
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