Marquis K. Lofton

I've been "Programming" every since I was 5 years old.

On long road trips with my grandparents, my cousin & I would sit in the back seat and he would say "Hey Marquis. Be the radio!" He would bonk my head to "turn the radio" on. Then, I would proceed to sing or rap every song that was on the radio at that time (and make up my own songs) in a particular order that would make our 6 hour trip to North Carolina seem shorter. I became the radio.

When I got older, I started creating mixtapes for family & friends. I started to grasp "programming". There was a method to it. I wouldn't put 2 songs by the same artist back to back on the tape. I mixed slow & fast songs.

After purchasing my first set of turntables, I became a professional DJ, delving further into "programming".

Landing a position at CBS Radio put me face to face with how commercial radio is programmed. Working at Jazz 91.9 WCLK shows me how non-commercial radio is programmed.

When WCLK decided to program the station by implementing a playlist, I assisted in the music research process was able to get hands on experience using software like Music 1 Music Scheduler & Wide Orbit Automation for Radio.

Programming is a passion of mine. It's like putting together a puzzle. Adding the missing pieces to create a finished product to be effectively enjoyed by all.