Cheryl Waters (radio personality)

Last updated
Cheryl Waters
BornJanuary 7
Career
ShowThe Mid Day Show
Station(s) KEXP-FM
Time slot10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Monday–Friday

Cheryl Waters (born January 7) [1] is an American radio host and disc jockey at KEXP 90.3FM. [2] At KEXP, she is the host of The Mid Day Show, and has received recognition for her work as KEXP's on-air events coordinator. [3] [4] She was also the music critic for NPR's KUOW-FM for over 10 years. [2]

Contents

Career

Before her career in radio, Waters attained a degree in environmental science, and worked as an environmental consultant for the council of King County, Washington. [5] In April 1994, she started working as a volunteer at the University of Washington's KCMU radio station (later renamed to KEXP), working in the DJ booth from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. every Saturday morning, [6] while retaining her job as an environmental consultant part-time. [5] [7]

In 1999, she started working full-time at KEXP. [5] Since 2005, she has hosted The Mid Day Show, [8] running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday to Friday, [9] where she selects songs to play, interacts with listeners, and discusses music. [6] Waters also works as KEXP's on-air events coordinator, booking and interviewing bands for live performances. Crosscut described her work curating bands for KEXP's live performances as having "helped craft KEXP's identity as the independent tastemaker for alternative and emerging music." [7] Videos of band's live performances which she hosts have been popular – collectively gaining billions of views on YouTube [8] – leading to Waters' wider recognition outside of the Seattle music scene in which KEXP operates. [4] [3]

Experience with cancer

In 2013, Waters was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (an aggressive form of breast cancer). [10] She underwent a year of chemotherapy in which she paused her full-time work at KEXP but continued hosting her four-hour Mid Day Show, and had a hysterectomy and double mastectomy. [7] In 2019, Waters was again diagnosed with cancer. She underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth on her tongue and swollen lymph nodes from her neck, received additional radiation therapy, and had to take breaks from her radio work as she had difficulty speaking. [7]

Throughout her experience with cancer, Waters has spoken about the benefits music has brought to her; [11] [7] she described music as a "constant companion" and "support system". [6] Waters has helped co-host the "Music Heals" series on KEXP, dedicated to discussing life's hardships (depression, addiction, etc.) and the healing power of music. [11] In "Music Heals: Beyond Cancer", she described her own experiences with cancer on air. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Etheridge</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1961)

Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and its lead single, "Bring Me Some Water", garnered Etheridge her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female in 1989. Her second album, Brave and Crazy, appeared that same year and earned Etheridge two more Grammy nominations. In 1992, Etheridge released her third album, Never Enough, and its lead single, "Ain't It Heavy", won Etheridge her first Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shari Lewis</span> American ventriloquist and puppeteer (1933–1998)

Shari Lewis was a Peabody-winning American ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, television show host, dancer, singer, actress, author, and symphonic conductor. She was best known as the original puppeteer of the sock puppet Lamb Chop, first appearing on Captain Kangaroo in March 1956 and then the initial seasons (1957–1959) of Hi Mom, a local morning television show which aired on WRCA-TV in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KEXP-FM</span> Public radio station in Seattle

KEXP-FM is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington, United States, specializing in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys for the Seattle metropolitan area. The station is owned by the non-profit Friends of KEXP. KEXP hosts weekly programs dedicated to other musical genres, such as rockabilly, blues, world music, hip hop, electronica, punk, and alternative country. Live, in-studio performances by artists are also regularly scheduled. KEXP's studios are located at Seattle Center, while the transmitter is in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood. In addition to a standard analog transmission, KEXP is available online.

Lynda Lopez is an American journalist and author based in New York City. She is also a co-founder of Nuyorican Productions, an American production company founded in 2001 with Benny Medina which became active in 2006 with the release of South Beach. Lopez has anchored numerous media platforms. In 2020, Lopez authored the book AOC: The Fearless Rise and Powerful Resonance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, published by St. Martin's Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Bowman</span> Scottish radio DJ and television presenter

Edith Eleanor Bowman is a Scottish radio DJ and television presenter. She hosted Colin and Edith, weekday afternoons, weekend breakfast, and The Radio 1 Review on BBC Radio 1 until 2014 and has presented a variety of music-related television shows and music festivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KITS</span> Adult-hits radio station in San Francisco

KITS is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an adult hits radio format. The studios and offices are co-located with formerly co-owned KPIX-TV on Battery Street in the North Beach district of San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Doth</span> Dutch singer and songwriter

Anita Doth is a Dutch singer and songwriter best known as the former singer of the duo 2 Unlimited, along with rapper Ray Slijngaard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CKRA-FM</span> Radio station in Edmonton, Alberta

CKRA-FM is a radio station in Edmonton, Alberta. Owned by Stingray Group, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. CKRA's studios are located inside the West Edmonton Mall, while its transmitter is located at Ellerslie Road and Provincial Highway 21, just southeast of Edmonton's city limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Derbyshire</span> British journalist

Victoria Antoinette Derbyshire is a British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster. Her eponymous current affairs and debate programme was broadcast on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 2015 until March 2020. She has also presented Newsnight and BBC Panorama. She was one of eight women to appear in ITV's The Real Full Monty: Ladies Night – an entertainment documentary to raise awareness of breast cancer. She previously presented the morning news, current affairs and interview programme on BBC Radio 5 Live between 10 am and 12 noon each weekday. She left at the same time as fellow 5 Live broadcasters Richard Bacon and Shelagh Fogarty.

John Richards is an American radio personality. Originally from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, he grew up in Spokane, Washington before moving to Seattle. He is the host and producer of The Morning Show on 90.3 FM KEXP Seattle, Washington. He is also KEXP's director of programming and is referred to on air as "John in the Morning". His show is on weekday mornings from 7AM-10AM PST, and often begins with the theme song written specifically for The Morning Show by local Seattle musician Damien Jurado.

Adele Claire Roberts is a British broadcaster and reality TV personality and DJ, known for her work on BBC Radio 1. Her best known television appearances were in Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Celebrity Coach Trip.

Mark William Collins is an American radio personality, featured in an exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Collins rose to prominence in the early 1990s as a disc jockey on alternative rock station 107.7 FM "The End" (KNDD) in Seattle, Washington, with the popularity of grunge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candy O'Terry</span> American radio personality, singer/songwriter

Candy O'Terry, also known as Candy O, is a radio broadcaster, podcaster, singer, songwriter, and speaker coach. Chosen by her peers as the Massachusetts Broadcaster of the Year in 2015, she is the recipient of 42 national and 23 local awards for excellence as an interviewer and host. Often referred to as Boston's Beloved Radio Voice she is also the creator of the Candy O Radio Network. As the host of the award-winning podcast series The Story Behind Her Success, O'Terry has interviewed nearly 800 women from every walk of life. The co-founder of Boston Women in Media & Entertainment from 2012 to 2020, she spent 25 years on the air at WMJX, Magic 106.7, and is the creator of the station's signature public affairs program Exceptional Women. O'Terry has been profiled in the book: Boston Inspirational Women by Bill and Kerry Brett. She is also the host of the Nashville-based podcast series Country Music Success Stories and the hands-on communications series The Speaker Coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Yee</span> American radio personality (born 1976)

Angela Yee is an American radio personality. She hosted the nationally syndicated morning show The Breakfast Club along with DJ Envy and Charlamagne tha God. She is on the Board of Governors of the We Are Family Foundation and a board member of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies. She is also the first-ever ambassador for the New York Public Library system. Since 2019, she has served as the BSE Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Ambassador.

Mad Rad is a Seattle-based hip hop/electronic music group that consists of five members; three vocalists, a DJ, and a drummer. Four members of Mad Rad have stage names which are as follows; Nathan Quiroga, Peter Robinson, Gregory Smith, Ty Finnan, and their drummer's name is Trent Moorman. Mad Rad formed in 2007 and have released two full-length albums, their most recent in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lin Brehmer</span> American radio host (1954–2023)

Lin Brehmer was an American disc jockey and radio personality at WXRT in Chicago. Brehmer hosted mornings on WXRT from 1991 to 2020, and middays from early 2020 until taking a leave of absence to undergo chemotherapy in 2022.

Raven Keyes is a Reiki master teacher and memoir writer based in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonya Mosley</span> American radio journalist

Tonya Mosley is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning radio and television journalist and podcaster. Prior to 2022, Mosley co-hosted NPR and WBUR's midday talk show Here & Now along with Robin Young and Scott Tong. In 2015, she was awarded the John S. Knight journalism fellowship at Stanford. She hosts the podcast Truth Be Told, an advice show about race from KQED.

Rita Houston was the Program Director of Fordham University’s public radio station WFUV and the host of the show The Whole Wide World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riz Rollins</span>

Riz Rollins, also known as DJ Riz, is a disc jockey in Seattle. He is known as a radio personality on KEXP-FM and for presenting his radio show there, "Expansions".

References

  1. KEXP (2016-01-07). "Wishing the happiest birthday to Cheryl Waters, host of The Midday Show on KEXP, and so much more at KEXP!!! We love you, Cheryl!!!". via Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  2. 1 2 "Cheryl Waters". NPR . Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  3. 1 2 Sommerfeld, Seth (2012-05-16). "A Fiendish Conversation with Cheryl Waters". Seattle Met . Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  4. 1 2 "8 Seattle acts the city's favourite DJ thinks you should know". Double J . 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  5. 1 2 3 stefaniece (2014-09-22). "Awesome Woman: Cheryl Waters". Girl Scouts of Western Washington . Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  6. 1 2 3 Keto, Eric (2019-09-20). "In the DJ booth at KEXP". The Evergrey. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vansynghel, Margo. "Cancer can't silence legendary KEXP DJ Cheryl Waters". Crosscut.com . Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  8. 1 2 "Nabil Ayers with Cheryl Waters". Town Hall Seattle . Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  9. "Cheryl Waters". KEXP . Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  10. "Music Saves Lives: Meet KEXP DJ, Cheryl Waters". Bloodworks Northwest . 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  11. 1 2 McGrane, Clare (2017-03-01). "Chemotherapy, surgery and David Bowie: How music helps cancer patients heal". GeekWire . Retrieved 2022-03-05.