Randi Chase Up and Down the Dial
- Matt Cundill
- May 21, 2018
- 31 min read
Updated: May 31, 2023
Randi Chase epitomizes the lyric in the WKRP theme song, "Town to Town; Up and Down the Dial." The lyric conjures up images of jocks, successful or fired, who shuffle on to the next gig with a new town and call letters. Randi worked in 6 of Canada's top 10 markets before turning 30. After taking a year off to find out what happens when you take the radio out of Randi, she is back on air and having fun with in her favourite province with Vinnie Taylor on Newcap's Real Country 95.5.
Randi is an enthusiastic dog-lover and country music buff who as dar as we can tell is nearly in love with Garth Brooks. She's spent the bulk of her career in radio, working with stations like KISS 92.5 and 104.5 CHUM in Toronto, as a Bell Media morning show host in Calgary, with KISS 104.9, or most recently with Newcap Radio in Red Deer.
I had the chance to work with Randi in Montreal and never stopped following her career as it progressively took her west. If it sounds like two old friends catching up, it's because that's exactly what this episode is.
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Transcription:
Matt Cundill 00:00:00
What's your name?
Randi Chase 00:00:02
Randi.
Matt Cundill 00:00:03
How do we find you? What do we call you? How many how many radio names have you had?
Randi Chase 00:00:08
Just Randi. Randi's been my name on air since I'm almost 19 years old. I'm 34.
Matt Cundill 00:00:14
So for the purposes of this podcast, how do we market you and keep you on brand?
Randi Chase 00:00:19
Randi Chase, Matt.
Amanda Logan 00:00:25
This is the podcast Sound Off Podcast with Matt Cundill.
Matt Cundill 00:00:30
This week, I speak with Randi Chase from Real Country 95 Five in Red Deer, Alberta. Randi hosts the show along with Vinnie Taylor, and the show feels like an open book. Just wait, I've got some audio exhibits to share, too. Randi Chase and I go back, not all the way back, just back to Montreal. She moved to Montreal to work at what was then mixed 96 and her show was solid. If there was ever a Canadian who could live up to the WKRP in Cincinnati theme song of Town to Town and up and down the dial, it was Randi. She got progressively better in each market she moved to and as you guessed it, the stakes got higher. Then a combination of events led to her hitting the reset button. She took a year off and then resurfaced in Red Deer, located on highway 2, halfway between Edmonton and Calgary in Canada's conservative heartland. Every morning, those people get served up a strong dose of real life for breakfast.
Randi Chase 00:01:29
Yeah I got rejected on Valentine's Day dance. I was at a dance at school. We had like a Valentine's Day fun, like pink hearts everywhere. And I was in grade six, I was new to the school and I asked a boy, David, to dance with me because everybody was dancing. All my girlfriends were dancing with somebody and he said no. He later on told me it's because I had a mustache.
Vinnie Taylor 00:01:49
I know, I'm sorry for laughing.
Randi Chase 00:01:51
I'm French Canadian. What do you want for me?
Amanda Logan 00:01:52
I have dark hair. And he also then told people I had sideburns.
Vinnie Taylor 00:01:57
Wow.
Amanda Logan 00:01:58
I was so upset. Do you know what I did that day when I found out?
Vinnie Taylor 00:02:00
Shaved.
Randi Chase 00:02:01
No. I was going to shave. That's a true story. I wanted to shave my mustache off and my mom was like, no, you can't do that. It'll grow in thicker. Right, right. So we looked into this thing called Jolin. Have you ever heard Jolin? No, I haven't said that probably since I was in grade eight. It's a bleach for hair.
Matt Cundill 00:02:20
Okay, so get rid of it., so it doesn't come back anymore?
Randi Chase 00:02:22
Oh, no, I came back.
Amanda Logan 00:02:23
It was just blonde.
Vinnie Taylor 00:02:25
Here's the good news with that story. You can actually join me for Movember this year.
Drake Donovan 00:02:31
Join us for all the fun weekday mornings, 5:30 to 10, the Real Wake Up with Vinnie and Randi, real country 95 Five.
Matt Cundill 00:02:38
Randi Chase joins me from Sylvan Lake, Alberta. Hey, you know what this is episode 99. Have you ever worked at a station that is located at 99 on the frequency dial?
Randi Chase 00:02:51
I really have to think about this. Hold on. I have to go back in my head and do like, a map of all of them in my head. So I had no, never.
Matt Cundill 00:03:08
Okay, so what cities have you worked in because you've worked in a bunch?
Randi Chase 00:03:14
I like how you said that you've worked in a bunch. I started actually radio in grade ten at Kiss Toronto. And it started because I started calling in all the time just to request a song and obviously hear my name on the radio, hear my voice on the radio. I thought it was so cool. My friends used to say that I'd sit in the closet at parties to distract the noise so I could call the radio station. What a loser. But I used to do that. And then the boss there, Julie Adam, who's still the big boss, Juliet, Kiss and see at Jeffrey. She heard me on the radio and she said to Pepper at the time Pepper, was doing an evening show there Pepper of Pepper and Dylan, of course, who's that girl that always called in, and he's like, oh, that's Randi. Okay. She said, you should want to volunteer here. So then that's the story. I started volunteering when I was about 15, until I was about 19, and I worked for free for four years. And then they flipped into Jack and I ended up going to school in Ottawa. So I'd say I kind of started in Toronto. Not on air, but I started in Toronto, I went to school and I became an on-air person in Ottawa. Then from Ottawa I went to Montreal and from Montreal I went to Edmonton to The Bounce. So, Montreal, I did Mix 96 where you were. Ottawa, I did Hot 89. Nine. And then from the bounce in Edmonton, I went back to Toronto and I did Middays at Kiss Toronto, where I interned originally, which was really cool. And then I got a call to go to CHUM FM in Toronto. So I went there. And then I told CHUM I wanted to do mornings. That was my ultimate goal. So David Corey made it happen nine months after starting the evening show. I went to Calgary to do mornings for Cool and then the Kid Carson show in Vancouver for four and a half years doing mornings. And now I took a year off between that. I didn't really know if I want to do radio anymore, to be honest. I think we all go through that moment in radio.
Matt Cundill 00:05:13
And where do you work now?
Randi Chase 00:05:14
I'm doing a morning show. Real Country in 95. Five in Red Deer, Alberta.
Matt Cundill 00:05:19
So what would you say to anybody who wanted to get into the radio business and what would you say about mobility? Because you've logged a lot of cities and that's not a reflection of anything other than you're willing to move, because a lot of people are not willing to move.
Randi Chase 00:05:35
Yeah, and you know what? Truthfully, I've been asked, but for instance, by Newcap, the people I'm working for now, they asked me, could you just elaborate why you've moved so much? Because they're a company that I find a lot of people stay in Newcap. It's a really good company, whereas a lot of other companies, a lot of people are moving around constantly, which is fine if that's what you want to do. But I told them, I'm like, I've never been fired. It wasn't because I was getting fired and having to start over. It was kind of just an opportunity would present itself to me and I felt I was single, I had no kids. Yes, I'm going to move and go up the chain if I could. And how many times do you get to move around the country like that? It's a pretty cool opportunity, to be honest. However, I was fired from Vancouver to sleep.
Matt Cundill 00:06:17
Oh, that's a well documented piece of information.
Randi Chase 00:06:21
I'm not going to deny that, and.
Matt Cundill 00:06:23
I will ask about it at some.
Randi Chase 00:06:25
Point, but that was a well documented exit. Yes, it was.
Matt Cundill 00:06:28
You have a favorite city?
Randi Chase 00:06:30
Everyone asks me that. I literally and I'm not just saying that to be like PC, because I'm not really PC. Every single city I've lived in, I have a different thing about it I love. I have never had a city I hated, ever. I've never despised somewhere I've lived. So I will say -
Matt Cundill 00:06:50
Let's go through each one, but what you like. Okay, so I'll call the city out. Let's start with Ottawa.
Randi Chase 00:06:55
First of all, I love the market area. I love the quaintness of Ottawa. I love how quiet it is, but still how fun it is. I also think it's so clean.
Matt Cundill 00:07:05
Montreal.
Randi Chase 00:07:06
Oh, that's a lot of the food because I was raised in Montreal to like grade nine, so it feels a little homey for me. My aunts and uncles are all there and I love the food, I love the nightlife, and I love the hours that everything is open till Calgary. The people in Calgary are so great. They're so friendly. I love how transient Calgary is. Everyone's from somewhere. So people are always willing to make friends because they're not from there.
Matt Cundill 00:07:34
Edmonton.
Randi Chase 00:07:36
Edmonton. Same thing about the friendliness. It's so different than Calgary, though, edmonton. I loved the closeness, the friends I made in Edmonton. I made friends in Edmonton like no other city, I think. And I like White Ave in Edmonton.
Matt Cundill 00:07:48
Toronto.
Randi Chase 00:07:50
Toronto. Oh my gosh, Toronto is an amazing city. There's so much to do at all hours of the night. It's beautiful. Drake is from Toronto, so that's why I like it. I'm just joking. It's where my family lives. I mean, I consider Toronto home.
Matt Cundill 00:08:04
Vancouver.
Randi Chase 00:08:05
Oh, the beauty. Vancouver, hands down. I think is one of the most beautiful cities in the whole world.
Matt Cundill 00:08:11
Red Deer.
Randi Chase 00:08:12
Red Deer. So I live in Sylvan Lake, which is about 20 minutes outside of Red Deer.
Matt Cundill 00:08:17
Sylvan lake say.
Randi Chase 00:08:18
Sylvan Lake. Red Deer I work in, so I don't want to give you I don't really know a lot about it yet. Sylvan Lake. I'm obsessed with Sylvan Lake. We live right near the lake. It's a quaint little town. Have you seen, like, a Hallmark movie when they have one of those towns when the girl moves to town and meets a guy? That's what this town is. It's so quaint, and there's like everything you need all in one town. And the people are so giving here. It's straight out of a movie. So we're having a lot of fun. We love it.
Matt Cundill 00:08:45
And you haven't worked in Winnipeg or the Maritimes, is that correct?
Randi Chase 00:08:48
No, I've been to the Maritimes for vacation, and I've never been to Winnipeg in general. I've heard Winnipeg has an awesome music scene and an awesome art scene in the summer.
Matt Cundill 00:08:59
If you want to come here, I got space in the house. Yes, of course you can stay here.
Randi Chase 00:09:04
Okay.
Matt Cundill 00:09:05
Absolutely.
Randi Chase 00:09:06
Okay. I actually love to visit.
Matt Cundill 00:09:08
Do you get the feeling, because you and I had this conversation a couple of times, I mentioned that Ottawa was a place to let your radio career go and die. I say that jokingly because I tell that to people when they move there. It's actually not true.
Randi Chase 00:09:21
You're kind of serious. I know you.
Matt Cundill 00:09:23
Yeah, I am a little.
Randi Chase 00:09:24
Because everything you say, like, insultingly, is always with a grain of truth. But you're funny, so you can get away with it.
Matt Cundill 00:09:30
But Montreal, you think it's a little bit off the map. It feels off the map, right? Yeah. Why is that? Aside from the language?
Randi Chase 00:09:38
I think the language has a lot to do with it, though, so it's hard to say. Aside from the language. For me, it's a place where because there's not a lot of competition in Montreal. I don't think a lot of people care to move. I think they're complacent, and that's fine. Everybody has their own path. I don't think it's lazy to stay in the same place. Your whole if that's what you want to do, if your family is close. As I got older, I realized quality of life and is so much more important than your job. And sometimes that goes hand in hand. So if you're like, in Vancouver, and that's your goal, to get to Vancouver, right? A lot of people it is. But you hate your job and your family's not there. I mean, what are you winning at? Life because you're in Vancouver? I don't really get that. So I feel like a lot of people in Montreal are from Montreal, usually not all of them. And they feel like they found their dream job and they stay. And there's not a big turnover rate in Montreal. Some of the DJs that are still on air, or like, for instance, Tutor, who just got inducted to the Canadian Radio Hall of Fame. I mean, he was there for, what, 40 years?
Matt Cundill 00:10:39
Yes. Just shy of 40 years.
Randi Chase 00:10:42
Yes. Who I love, by the way. He's so funny. And Terry Monte, I mean, he left, went to Calgary for a couple of years, that didn't work out. Came right back to Montreal and they opened up their arms for him because he was an icon in that city. And I don't know, I just think it's a magical place, but I think it doesn't need the rest of Canada. Just like the politics and the radio are kind of the same.
Matt Cundill 00:11:03
Yeah. And there's also different regulations that go on and you're bang on about the competitiveness of the market. There's only three English language radio stations fighting over that English pie, and they all have like a million and a half listeners because of the ranks.
Randi Chase 00:11:18
I know. And I remember sometimes I'd listen and be like, these shows are so lazy, but they're still doing amazing, so what's the incentive to I mean, some people want to leave and they want to grow. I left Montreal not because I didn't love my job, but because I did want to try. I was doing an evening show for two years. I knew I wasn't moving to Nat lowzon's day part for a while, so I wanted a day part and I got an opportunity to do so. And they were super nice about it. Yeah.
Matt Cundill 00:11:48
And then you moved to Edmonton. So you go into a very competitive market with a brand new station, which was Bounce 91 seven, and bang, you go into the market. What was that experience like to go from a market that's not terribly competitive to all of a sudden the most competitive market in the country?
Randi Chase 00:12:06
Is it the most competitive? I thought it was the most competitive, too.
Matt Cundill 00:12:09
We've had this debate on this podcast before. I am declaring Edmonton to be the most competitive radio market in the country. And I think Halifax and Calgary can also lay claim to it. We'll put those at two and three.
Randi Chase 00:12:22
Yeah. Regardless, I mean, if it's really competitive, that's all you feel. It doesn't matter if it's the most. But to me, it felt like out of every city, the most for sure.
Matt Cundill 00:12:30
What was that competitiveness like?
Randi Chase 00:12:32
Well, I'm pretty competitive as it is, so for me it was just kind of the same, except I felt extra pressure from those around me. Whereas in Montreal, I was doing a show at night, nobody's in the building. I kept on getting praised for being the number one night show and I was like, well, I'm sure if the monkey was pressing buttons at this station at night, they would be number one too. So for me, it was kind of more of a challenge to do the midday show, which was it's a midday show, but it was a very interactive station. And I did a request hour, fully request, and it was a lot of interaction, which I really liked. I also like the fact, and this is going to be kind of off topic, but it was a street view, like a street view of studio. So we were on the street, so I could see people coming up to the window and waving. And you kind of felt like that interaction more so than being in a studio with no windows at night. I really liked that. I think that helps your show out a little.
Matt Cundill 00:13:28
What do you like most in a program director?
Randi Chase 00:13:31
Oh, that's probably changed from when I started to now. I can really tell you exactly what I like. I like somebody that's not intimidating, that I feel I could talk to as I'm talking to a friend. With respect, of course, but I respect my friends. So I don't like a program director that thinks they know it all because they're the program director, because they don't and preferably. I really love when a program director has been on air before, because they really get it when someone has never been on air and they're trying to tell you how to do your job. It's really annoying because it's a very emotional job for me. It's a very emotional job. I kind of believe in reality radio where I talk about my real life a lot. That's kind of my shtick is my real life. The stuff online and stuff. If it's topical, I'll bring it up. But I'm very much someone that loves to talk about what's going on and random shit that happens to me, because I feel like that's what makes me kind of a fun person on the air is because so much random stuff happens to me all the time.
Vinnie Taylor 00:14:32
Real stories, real life. It's your favorite morning show.
Matt Cundill 00:14:37
There's an epidemic going on right now and Randy is fed up with it. The fact that mums judging other mums.
Amanda Logan 00:14:43
Mom judging is the worst type of judging.
Matt Cundill 00:14:45
Well, there's no manual that comes with being a mom.
Amanda Logan 00:14:48
That's the thing I think people don't realize sometimes. I mean, in some cases there's right and wrong, but in in general, raising your kid is your way. It's what you think is best for your baby. And I've had enough, so I've decided to write a little poem. And this is to the moms who judge and the moms who have been judged. They all work hard. So stop the talk. Can't judge a person until you walk their walk. They make me scared to become a mom. They're constant glares. I'm right, you're wrong. Don't feed your kids any treats. Eat your veggies. Avoid processed meats. Don't nurse in public, because that's just wrong. No video games before bed. No Donkey Kong. They say don't give in. Make sure they're disciplined. Don't go to church while you're living in sin. Read all the books. Don't drink wine. Don't stay up past midnight. Don't have a good time. You're now a mom. And it's all one big club. Except if we don't agree, then it's all one big snub. Do us a favor and women unite. Moms come together. Don't start a fight. Help one another. A smile or a nudge. No one's in court, no one likes to be judged. Amen.
Matt Cundill 00:15:56
You go, sister.
Vinnie Taylor 00:15:57
Join us for all the fun weekday mornings, 530 to ten, the real Wake Up with Vinny and Randy real country 95.
Randi Chase 00:16:05
So I really like when a PD could kind of understand where we're coming from and someone that I feel like I could literally just be myself around, that I don't have to feel like they're the big boss, that I have to step on eggshells around. Because you're not getting an honest dialogue when you're trying to suck up to the big boss. I don't like that. So that's probably what I look for.
Matt Cundill 00:16:26
I think you're right when it comes to a program director and not really pretending that they know, because even if the program director says something and they're exactly right, everything moves so quickly that they're going to be wrong within 10 seconds later.
Randi Chase 00:16:39
Yeah, 100%.
Matt Cundill 00:16:40
It just goes that way. And I've always said, anybody who comes in and professes that they know that this is the way that things are done, you actually have to remove that person from the station because your station is going to go nowhere. We see these people, they come in and they will say, I profess and this is what works. And it's coming from another market. Whatever it is, that person needs to be removed, because that's not a progressive attitude, let me tell you.
Randi Chase 00:17:06
I agree with you on that.
Matt Cundill 00:17:07
Yeah. There's not one way to do it. It's not a science, it's an art.
Randi Chase 00:17:12
No, it's not. And every market is so different that you can't say, this will work in Vancouver because it worked in Edmonton. Let me tell you something I've noticed about this market I'm in now. I mean, coming from Vancouver, a really liberal kind of audience that you can get away with a lot to Red Deer. Oh, my God. I've talked about my bra and I got a complaint. So it's very different in the science of it all. You have to really understand your demo to know what you can get away with. If you really don't, it's not going to work. I could be really like, number one in Vancouver, but in Reggie I could be last. So it really depends.
Matt Cundill 00:17:51
What's the deal with your bra?
Randi Chase 00:17:52
Oh, yeah. My co host, Vinny, you want to know, don't you?
Matt Cundill 00:17:55
I do.
Randi Chase 00:17:56
My co host, Vinny, he has a girlfriend that works at the Bra Lounge. It's like this bra store and he's obsessed with getting me a proper fitting because I'm constantly doing this and readjusting, and he's like, Girl, why does your bra never working? I'm like it's working. It's just, like, tight. So he's always like, you need to go to the bra lounge. I want to take you bra shopping. So we talked about that, and we got, like, four complaints. I'm like, oh, my God, people.
Matt Cundill 00:18:27
All right.
Randi Chase 00:18:28
Who. Are you?
Matt Cundill 00:18:30
Okay? Yeah.
Randi Chase 00:18:32
Today you might see something offensive.
Matt Cundill 00:18:36
I'd say that's a good show you had there, right?
Randi Chase 00:18:41
Great show.
Matt Cundill 00:18:44
So as your career progresses, income, social media, 2007, sort of that magical year when, oh, look. What that? There's Facebook. And here comes Twitter, and here comes so how did you adapt to it, and what do you like about it, and what do you hate about it?
Randi Chase 00:18:58
Oh, I remember when Facebook came out, I was working in Montreal, and I remember trying to sign in, and I couldn't because you have to be in university at the time. And, like, which radio person goes to university? None of us. No, I went to college. But then it became like I think a couple of months later, it became accessible to all of us. I loved Facebook just because I've never lived near my parents for so long. So it was a great way of communicating without the phone bill and all of that. I think at first it was, like, super interesting because we've never had this before. But as time goes on, I think it's good and it's bad for what we do. I think it's incredible to connect with people who listen to us. And to be honest, I am super busy on social media. I am an instagrammer. I do all the stories, snapchat. I love talking to people who listen to us. That's my passion, is, like I love forming relationships. I love being able to answer questions any time of the day if they want to ask me something. That, to me, is like, the best part of social media. It's never turned off. The part I hate about social media is the feeling that people think because they have an opinion, that they have to give their opinion. Hey, Randy, you suck and you're ugly. I just get those randomly. And I'm like thank you. Go fuck yourself. And if you write that, then you're not allowed to write that. If you're on the radio, you can't write that to a listener, which really drives me nuts, because we're people, and we should be able to say what we want, but we have to respect the station and all of that. So social media, I don't like that people feel like they could be a bully easily. That's probably, like, the thing I don't like about social media. I can't deal with assholes. I want to say what I want to say. I used to get reprimanded for a kiss all the time because I'd be like, Then don't fucking listen to us. And they'd be like, you can't write that. I was like, but he's a racist. I don't want him listening to us. Whatever. Just my personality.
Matt Cundill 00:21:01
What happened in Vancouver?
Randi Chase 00:21:03
You were going to ask me that. How do I do this in a way that is nice to say.
Matt Cundill 00:21:12
You're working at Rogers. You're working for the company that you always wanted to work for, and the first one you worked at, because at Kiss in Toronto. So there you are, you're working, you're doing a morning show, and then I think the morning show was let go of their duties and then came back and you were in the morning show, but your partner was not.
Randi Chase 00:21:33
Yeah, kind of what happened is I started on that show, it's called The Kid Carson Show. There was three of us at the beginning. One of the people on the show got let go within a year due to reasons, whatever. We were sad to see that person go, and then they hired somebody else. And then there was four of us. Now, basically, we did the show. One day. I decided, I'm going to leave the show. You can guess why. Everyone put two and two together, so that's okay. And then I left the show and somebody else left the show. And then I was hired back. And I'm in a better place now than I was. So sometimes jobs like that really take emotional energy out of you. And it did that to me. I literally was done. And then they asked me to come back for a year, so I wasn't done. I did that year, then I was done.
Matt Cundill 00:22:30
And then they told you you were done. So you said, at first I was done.
Randi Chase 00:22:33
And I was like, okay. They said, Hold on, just give us a month, okay? I said, okay, I understand what's going on here. They said, okay, now you can come back if you want to because it's going to be you and two other people now. And I said, okay, came back, and it was me and two other people for the year. And then we all kind of knew. We knew. All of us knew. We're not stupid. I was just waiting for it at that point, you know. I don't know if bigwigs know that we know, but we know we're not down when they stop talking to you and no one's checking on you anymore. And it's been months. I mean, just have fun later on because you know it's going away. So we just had a good time. Truthfully, Andrew, susie and I were best friends. We still are. Andrew is my brother, one of my best friends I've ever had. We continue to be. And it was just sad because we didn't get to work together every day again. And that's what we were sad about. Everything else, I mean, it comes and goes. Jobs come and go. If you live your life always scared you're going to get fired like a lot of radio people do. You're never going to enjoy what you have and you know what you can't having a year off. I had a year break after that. Well, legally I couldn't work in the city for a year but it was kind of forced to just have a year off and think and relax for the first time ever because I've always been on the go and it really kind of put into perspective for me that radio is not life. My life is important and radio is a part of my life. I used to think radio was just me, that was me, that was my life. And I kind of put it aside and thought like, this is a fun thing I love to do, but I am so much more than that. So when I did that it made my life just like that much better. And now when I got this job in Red Deer, it was more like a conversation I had with Newcap and they asked what I wanted to do and I said, my husband and I are really over the big city. We're over the rat race, we're over having to have a million dollars to buy a house. We want to go smaller. And Alberta is my favorite province I've ever lived in. I could say that I love Alberta and I said, if there's anything there, let me know. They came back to me and said Red Deer. And having lived in Edmonton and Calgary, red Deer smack in the middle between both of those, we thought it would be a really good opportunity and so far we're absolutely loving it.
Matt Cundill 00:24:49
What else did you learn in that year off?
Randi Chase 00:24:51
I learned that I have a lot of skills that I didn't think I did because all I've done is radio. Really, that's something else I've talked to a lot of people about because much like, I guess every other job, I mean, I haven't done a lot of other jobs, but I know from talking to people, careers go like this, your passion for it goes like this, depending on your surroundings. I mean, when I was unhappy at work for those like couple of years, I started wondering if I hated radio just because of who was around me. Was I being jaded? I know the truth had nothing to do with radio. It just had to do with my surroundings. And I've always loved Radio. I started when I was 15 years old. But what else I learned is that it's okay to feel a little bit lost because I went through a super big depression for a couple of months where I thought, if I'm not doing radio, what the hell am I going to do? What am I good at? I'm not even good at anything. I'm not a good freaking salesperson. I can't work at a bar, I'm never a bartender, I never served. I wanted to go. Back to school. But that was so expensive. Like, crazy expensive. I was like, Do I really want to spend 30 grand on something I'm not even sure about? But I learned it's okay to just let life happen and stop stressing so much. It also helped that I was paid, right? Let's be honest.
Matt Cundill 00:26:12
Always.
Randi Chase 00:26:13
It does, of course. But it was a cushion for me to just fall on and just be like, I have this time to think and kind of feel like I know what I want to do. I dabbled in a lot of stuff. I did my own social media company for a bit, and I worked for a big chain of hair salons, and I did all their social, and that was really fun, and I learned how to do that kind of thing, and I felt useful in another way. I'm like, I have something to bring, and they don't care if it's Randy Chase doing it. I'm just like, I'm working. I'm doing this on my own. And I found that pretty empowering, actually, knowing that if I ever wanted to get out of Radio, which I don't, I have other skills. I think it's important for you to do other activities and know that you're interested in other things just so you don't feel like this is your only lifeline, because it's never good just to have all your eggs in one basket. If you get fired, you end up feeling like you're screwed, and that's not a good feeling to feel.
Matt Cundill 00:27:07
You had a little bit of FOMO when I was at Cmw, and you're like, oh, I see everybody there.
Randi Chase 00:27:12
Yeah, I love Cmw. I went a couple of years in a row a couple of years ago. And it's such a great time. It's great. The conferences are great. The lessons are great. But if you want me to be serious, the parties are the fun. Meeting other people that you've heard your whole life as a radio nerd, that's so cool. And you realize they know who you are, and you're like, what? You know my name? I'm never going to be someone who's like, I should know my name. I never thought that in my life. When people are like, I know who you are, I still get really excited. I'm like, oh, that's so cool. How so I did miss, and I saw all these people I love like, I love you. I think you're fucking hilarious. Oh, I swore. Sorry. I think you're frigging hilarious.
Matt Cundill 00:27:58
No, you can't. It's a podcast. You go right ahead.
Randi Chase 00:28:00
Oh, I forgot. See, that's my radio brain.
Matt Cundill 00:28:02
Yeah, of course. You probably affected your brand and you'll get a memo.
Randi Chase 00:28:06
Yeah, I didn't care. It's too late.
Matt Cundill 00:28:09
You know what I love? I love how Randy didn't even notice she had sworn twice earlier in the podcast, but seemed really worried about using the F word the third time. In just a SEC, we discuss personal brands dating apps and meeting each other for the first time.
Amanda Logan 00:28:24
The sound off. Podcast is powered by CoreImage Studio, your brand sound. Get it in the now CoreImage studio.
Matt Cundill 00:28:34
As mentioned earlier, Randy moved from Montreal to Edmonton in 2007. I had just come from Edmonton in 2002 and had a whole network of friends who are on the younger side having played division three soccer there. Randy reminded me of the story that dates back before dating apps and social media. Yeah. This is how we met people.
Randi Chase 00:28:52
I don't know if you know this about yourself, but you introduced me when I was moving to Edmonton from Montreal, working with you in Montreal, and then I took the job in Edmonton. You're like, I have a friend in Edmonton. His name is Phil Duncan.
Matt Cundill 00:29:07
That's right.
Randi Chase 00:29:08
So I became friends with Phil. And one Christmas, I could not go home because I couldn't afford to. So I made friends with Phil and his family and they had me over for Christmas. And his mom got me, like, a present. It was so cute. We became really good friends. He introduced me to one of his longtime friends, Brienne, who worked with him at a bar. So we went to Brienne's Christmas party one year and in walks her sister, who's my age. The rest is history. She was one of my bridesmaids, like, best friends with that family to this day. And Phil introduced me to them. And you introduced me to Phil. So thanks.
Matt Cundill 00:29:43
Do you know how I met Phil?
Randi Chase 00:29:45
Well, didn't he do some dare at the Bear for a contest?
Matt Cundill 00:29:48
That's right. He shaved his own leg hair and ate it in a sandwich. And that was worth $5,000.
Randi Chase 00:29:56
He got the five grand.
Matt Cundill 00:29:57
Yeah.
Randi Chase 00:29:59
I would have done it, too, for $5,000, though.
Matt Cundill 00:30:01
Yeah, but boy, you can't tell me I don't set you up with the best.
Randi Chase 00:30:04
No, you do. Even my husband's met Phil. We've had drinks. He's come from Nanaimo to our house. Yeah, I love that guy.
Matt Cundill 00:30:13
And we played on a soccer team together.
Randi Chase 00:30:16
That was it. I knew it was a sport you told me about, too. Yeah, I remember you telling me about that what's the contest called. It was like a gross like, who could do the grossest thing?
Matt Cundill 00:30:26
Bear's toughest contest.
Randi Chase 00:30:27
Wasn't there like a mom and a son?
Matt Cundill 00:30:31
I think they were naked in a sleeping bag.
Randi Chase 00:30:34
That, too. And he had to wax his mom.
Matt Cundill 00:30:37
That's right.
Randi Chase 00:30:38
That's disgusting.
Matt Cundill 00:30:39
Yeah. Those are great promotions. This is a great podcast. I think you're interviewing me.
Randi Chase 00:30:44
Sorry about that.
Matt Cundill 00:30:45
No, I love it.
Randi Chase 00:30:47
I can't help it.
Matt Cundill 00:30:49
How is your brand? What is your brand?
Randi Chase 00:30:52
Yeah. I was asked that because I made a website that I have to update because I haven't updated it in a long time. I was advised not to write any posts by job people. I applied for all these marketing and communications jobs on my year off. Didn't get one. I applied for 250 jobs. 250 on indeed, didn't get one. Vancouver is so crazy. Like it's impossible anyways. But they told me I had all these posts about my brand and what I think a brand is and how upsetting it is not to work sometimes and how boring it is. And they told me to take it down. They're like, you're never going to get a job if someone checks your website and you're writing this. So I had to take down a lot of my posts. But I think my brand and I struggled with this because in Vancouver, especially in cities like Vancouver and Toronto, everybody's like the Instagram star. Everybody has an aesthetically pleased, pleasing, light white and light pink page with friggin. Everything's perfect in their house and they're posing just so with the bay blanket on their couch and everything's perfect. I struggle with that brand because I don't know what I am. And I think my brand literally is just being myself. Family, my dog. Just really family focused. I love friends, I love family, I love a good time. That's my brand. I just post pictures all the time. It's just living life. Like I don't have aesthetically staged photos and I find finding your brand is the hardest.
Matt Cundill 00:32:15
Where did you meet Mr. Wright?
Randi Chase 00:32:18
Oh, this is like the most romantic story of your life. Are you ready?
Matt Cundill 00:32:21
Oh, yeah.
Randi Chase 00:32:22
Plenty of fish.
Matt Cundill 00:32:23
Really?
Randi Chase 00:32:25
Just a little click. Yeah, for real. I met him online.
Matt Cundill 00:32:29
Plenty of fish. Isn't it like a massive hookup site?
Randi Chase 00:32:32
I guess so. I never hooked up on it though. I mean, it probably did, but it took a couple of days, all that stuff.
Matt Cundill 00:32:39
I mean, I know tinder, you swipe right, you go for coffee. But I thought Plenty of Fish was where you go to have sex.
Randi Chase 00:32:47
No. That's grinder.
Matt Cundill 00:32:49
Oh, okay. Wait a second.
Randi Chase 00:32:51
You're so cute.
Matt Cundill 00:32:52
Mark this down.
Randi Chase 00:32:54
Grinder is for gay men, but there is no you don't really want to mark that down.
Matt Cundill 00:32:59
Oh, I don't want to remember is.
Randi Chase 00:33:00
You like the girls but Plenty of Fish could totally be any site to meet someone could be used as a hookup. You have to weed the people out though. What I did is I had a private profile just because I was doing radio in Vancouver and my face was in a lot of places and I didn't want people to know because in Calgary I had an open profile and some jerk tweeted it out to my radio station. It was like Randy's online dating. And I was so embarrassed. So I made my Vancouver profile private.
Matt Cundill 00:33:30
Give me a plenty of Fish disaster story.
Randi Chase 00:33:32
Oh, I have a couple, but one that comes to mind is one guy I dated. When I say dated, I went on a date with. We didn't date and I just finished a job. I was working at Kiss Toronto. I did the midday show and I think I had to work late. So it's like 06:00 p.m.. He's like, could you come get me? I don't have a car. And I was like, okay. Usually I'd be like, but it is Toronto, and a lot of people just cycle or walk and downtown. So I'm like, okay, I get it. And I lived in the burps. So I go to get him, and he's like, okay. So we planned going out for dinner. I didn't want to go up for dinner because I never met him, but he really was hell bent on this restaurant near his house. I was more like, let's go to Starbucks. So I figure if he's pressuring me to go to this nice Italian restaurant, he's going to pay, obviously, right? So we go to this restaurant and he's like, get whatever you want, blah, blah, blah. He orders a bottle of wine. Obviously I'm not drinking because I have to drive to Burlington down the highway for half an hour. So we both order like he ordered an appetizer, a bottle of wine, and then his dinner. And all I had was an appy and Diet Coke. The bill comes, he goes, oh, I don't have my wallet. I was like, are you kidding me? And the girl was like 17. And she's like, oh, I can't let you go without paying. And I was like, don't worry. Mama's got this. So I whip out my wallet, I pay, and I'm like, so are you going to give me money back? Are we going to split this? And he's like, well, I'll get the next date. I was like, are you frigging serious? I'm okay with splitting the bill, but I just paid for your bottle of wine that I had none of your dinner and your appy. So I PROCEED to ask him if I could just drop him off at home. And I had to go to the bathroom really bad. And I knew I had a long drive ahead of me, so I'm just like, could I use your bathroom? And I texted I know I was 24. I texted my girlfriend a picture of his house and the address. And I wrote, this is where I am. I'm going to the bathroom. And then I took a picture of him and sent it to her. He laughed. He's like, yeah, don't worry. I'm not going to kill you, you. So I go to the bathroom and I come out and the man is weeping on the couch, crying. And he pulls out of his backpack an urn with his cat's ashes. And his cat died a year ago. And he was crying because his cat was dead. And he carries the ashes around on his anniversary. And that's why he misplaced his wallet, he thought, because he was just in a kebuffle. And I had to console him while he balled his eyes out about his cat. Then I left. Got peaced out. Never saw him again.
Matt Cundill 00:35:56
Good God.
Randi Chase 00:35:57
Yeah, it was very strange. He was holding the ashes while crying, too. Did this really happen? This really happened.
Matt Cundill 00:36:12
I can see inside your house. It's being renovated a little bit. You're adding some stuff. You're doing some stuff because I don't want to say what's next because there might be a next, but it looks like you've really settled down and got some roots in Red Deer.
Randi Chase 00:36:26
Yeah. And it's funny because I always said to myself, like, I'm never going to work in a smaller market, ever. I didn't think I said it like that, but I think you get this mentality of you only made it if you're in the big city, but that's not your fault. You're ingrained that from the beginning of radio. If you make it to a big city, you're awesome. And the truth is, and I'm not just saying this because now I am in Red Deer, I chose to come here. A b. I've worked in all the big cities so I could say this, we're not talking small, small town. Red Deer is not like small small. I mean, it's like a city, but there's no difference. When I hear some jocks in Red Deer than I hear in Vancouver, sometimes I'm in Vancouver and I'm like, how did that guy get in Vancouver? Radio like, how is he on the air here? Well, companies are cheap and they don't want to move someone across the country. So if someone's already in that city, they'll just deal with it. So I think talent doesn't necessarily mean you're better if you made it to a bigger city. I'm sure sometimes it does, but overall, I don't think that's the case. When I listen to a lot of people here who have had offers everywhere. But I know one girl who's had an offer in Toronto and Calgary and Montreal. She's saying she just loves it here. She loves Alberta, she loves her home. Her parents are an hour away, her boyfriend has a great job here. I like that about people here. I like that they're comfortable enough to say no. I like what I'm doing. I don't have to go to Toronto and Starve just to have a dream job.
Matt Cundill 00:37:58
I think you're right. With the salary, the salaries have a lot to do with it. And the salaries are the same as the big city. And guess what? It just costs more to live in the city. So what's the point?
Randi Chase 00:38:06
Right now in my life, I'm happy I did it. Would I want to move to Alberta, to Red Deer when I was 24? No. I wanted the big city, I wanted to party, I wanted to do all that. Now I'm married and we want to have a kid soon, in the next year or two. And we have a dog and we're very much more low key. And here we have a condo we bought in Vancouver. One bedroom, one bathroom, 580 sqft. Even outside of Vancouver and Poco Portokulum, we have a house that's literally, like, 50 grand more less than our condo. And it's a four bedroom, two bathroom backyard, huge house. It's like nuts, just a different way of living.
Matt Cundill 00:38:49
Do you remember when we first met?
Randi Chase 00:38:53
No. You got to refresh my memory. Like, the first moment we met. Yeah, I remember. No. Did we? Were you a jerk to me? No, but, like, in a funny way.
Matt Cundill 00:39:03
I don't even remember. I just wanted to know if you remembered.
Randi Chase 00:39:05
No, I don't.
Matt Cundill 00:39:06
I don't remember.
Randi Chase 00:39:07
I remember always, like, knowing you there. I don't remember the moment because I was so nervous. I probably blocked out, like, meeting everybody for the first time.
Matt Cundill 00:39:15
Yeah, well, I mean, you got your tour of Shome, right? You were at Mix, came down the hall. I was across the hall from your program director.
Randi Chase 00:39:21
I remember that. I remember your office was right to the right. Like, if you're turning up one to the right, and he was on the left.
Matt Cundill 00:39:26
Randy, it has been fantastic having you on the podcast.
Randi Chase 00:39:29
You're my favorite podcaster.
Matt Cundill 00:39:31
And considering that there's 425,000 podcasts out there, I'll take that as a compliment.
Randi Chase 00:39:39
Yes, you are my favorite. Thanks for listening to the Sound Off podcast. Find us online at soundoffpodcast.com and connect with us, whoever great social media is house. The show is Imaged using the sounds from Core Image Studios, Evanston.
Matt Cundill 00:39:55
Mixing and production.
Randi Chase 00:39:56
Kendra Magnus Johnston content marketing.
Matt Cundill 00:39:59
Written and hosted by Matt Kundal, a.
Randi Chase 00:40:02
Production of the Sound Off media company.