EP 95 From Public Radio Legend to Award-Winning Podcast Producer
What happens when you’ve spent over 50 years at the top of your field… and then decide to start over? In this episode, I sit down with Steve Robinson, 79, whose extraordinary career in public radio spans decades of leadership, innovation, and storytelling. But what fascinates me most is what he’s doing now. After years as an executive producer and general manager, Steve chose to step back into the craft itself, learning digital audio production from scratch after a career that began in the ...
What happens when you’ve spent over 50 years at the top of your field… and then decide to start over?
In this episode, I sit down with Steve Robinson, 79, whose extraordinary career in public radio spans decades of leadership, innovation, and storytelling. But what fascinates me most is what he’s doing now.
After years as an executive producer and general manager, Steve chose to step back into the craft itself, learning digital audio production from scratch after a career that began in the days of cutting tape.
Yes… from analog to digital. From expert to beginner.
And he did it at 70.
We talk about what it really takes to reinvent yourself later in life, how to stay curious in a rapidly changing world, and why being willing to learn something new might be the most powerful move you can make.
Steve also shares the story behind his award-winning 13-hour documentary, “No Regrets: The Music and Spirit of Billie Holiday,” and how this chapter of his life is fueled by passion, creativity, and deep purpose.
This conversation is a beautiful reminder that there is no expiration date on learning, creating, or contributing.
If you found inspiration from this conversation, please rate, review and share this episode.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to hop on over to Don’t Be Caged By Your Age on LinkedIn or Instagram. Or leave a message on the website here.
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Audio Producer
STEVE ROBINSON
Steve started his professional career in 1967 at WBUR and produced six, two-hour classical music programs per week. He also created a Saturday morning live call-in program about high fidelity called Shop Talk, which became the model for Car Talk.
After WBUR, Steve held positions at WGBH and WCRB/Boston and KPFA/Berkeley. In 1976 he was appointed the first development director of Vermont Public Radio (VPR). In 1980 he became the first development director for the newly created Jazz station, WBGO in Newark. At WBGO, Steve helped establish the station as the pre-eminent Jazz radio station in the U.S.
In August, 2000 Steve became manager of WFMT and the WFMT Radio Network in Chicago. His successful 16 year stewardship of the station and Network was notable for the new programs he created including a pioneering cross cultural relationship with classical music stations in China and the audience and fiscal growth that occurred under his leadership.
Steve has received numerous local and national awards for his work in Chicago including the Champion Award from the Merit School of Music; two awards from the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago (for his leadership in creating unprecedented day-long fundraising campaigns involving every single radio and TV station in Chicago to raise funds for victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia and the earthquake in Haiti); the Dushkin Award from the Music Institute of Chicago for Exploring Music; the ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award for creative programming and numerous other awards and citati…Read More
