KCRW, the de rigueur radio station for the smart set, has single-handedly made public radio into a hip, must-visit property in Los Angeles. Parked left on the FM dial (89.9), the station, famed for its flagship music programs, is known for launching both rock bands and personalities: It was the first station in the country to put such erstwhile unknowns as Sigur Rós and Pete Yorn on the airwaves, while Beck's 1993 performance started a label bidding war (at the time he was living out of his car), and its DJs have steadily become familiar names in the music industry.
One of the station's most enduring musical polymaths is Liza Richardson, who's been manning the turntables for a number of music programs since the early '90s -- spinning everything from spoken word to alt-country, dance music and everything in between. "I think I have an extremely open mind about music from the get-go. I try different radio shows and different styles," says Richardson. Her ear for good tunes has since taken her outside the KCRW studio -- she has served as music supervisor for numerous films, including director Alfonso Cuarón's Y Tu Mamá También (2001), for which she received a Grammy nomination.
In addition to hosting The Drop, her latest KCRW music program, Richardson is also working on finding music for a number of movies, television shows and commercials. But however in demand she may have become, Richardson says she'll never forget her first love. "I've had so many opportunities at KCRW to express myself," says Richardson. "I am so grateful for all the patience and air time."
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