Listeners to drive time radio in the morning have undoubtedly noticed a new voice on the dial—and it’s female.
In early January, KRSH 95.9 and 95.5 welcomed Mindi Levine to the DJ booth, replacing station stalwart Andre de Channes, who held down the slot for nearly a decade. With her alliteratively named show, “Mindi in the Morning,” Levine has held on to much of the music and guests listeners love, but also added some twists of her own.
“I think I’ve brought a new and different energy, and I’ve broadened the scope of the show to include more local, regional and national guests,” says Levine. “The very first interview I landed was with the writer Fran Liebowitz, and I even made her laugh. I’m pretty proud of that!”
Originally from New Jersey, Levine moved to Los Angeles in the late ’80s before matriculating to Sonoma State in 1989 with an eye and ear towards the local music scene. She joined the SSU student productions board, where she helped book talent at the college and later throughout Sonoma and Marin counties.
On her time at SSU, Levine says, “It was there I started working in events and concerts and fell in love with it all. Through that, I met local legends like Doug Smith, Bill Bowker, Scott Goree, media people, folks who are still colleagues, friends and mentors to this day.”
When Levine left SSU, she moved to Prague for two years to do marketing work for a division of Radio Free Europe. This is where she also caught the radio bug, doing on-air shows in English on legendary Czech station Radio 1.
After a few years, she returned stateside to do more marketing before a four-year stint as an English teacher in East Los Angeles. Through all of these moves, Levine stayed in touch with Sonoma County mentors and friends. Then one day, stalwart music promoter Sheila Groves of Notable Talent reached out to her.
“Sheila called me and asked me if I wanted to be her right-hand woman and to move up to Napa and launch the Uptown Theatre. When the call you’ve been waiting for your whole adult life comes, you follow something like that,” she says with a laugh.
That opportunity lasted over four years and also saw Levine hit the airwaves at Napa’s 93.3 The Vine, where she held down the afternoon drive-time slot for six-plus years, even being voted Best Media Personality: Radio/Print/TV in 2016 by this very publication.
Last year, when de Channes started thinking about giving up his morning slot, Wine Country Radio general manager Melissa Galliani says Levine was sort of a serendipitous and natural fit, having done weekends on The Krush in 2012/13.
“Because of loyal listenership, we wanted to make sure that we had continuity from Andre,” Galliani says from her office on Standish Avenue in Santa Rosa. In addition to KRSH, the office oversees 96.7 BOB FM, Latino 100.9 and Exitos 98.7, as well as their newest addition, 95.5 The Drive, which is the new home to local radio legend Steve Jaxon.
“I met Mindi in 2012 when she conceptualized and executed an event for me that was hugely successful while she was in Napa at KVYN, where I was working,” says Galliani. “Mindi is a great fit due to her love of music and her involvement in the local music scene in Sonoma, Napa and the Bay Area. And she is motivated to help local artists.”
Both on-air and in-person, Levine’s energy is vibrant. With many plans on the horizon, she says she is most excited for the “Women In Blues” show this year, as well as “feeling super stoked” for the “KRSH Backyard” free concert series, which is a hugely popular local summertime event.
Levine hosts her ‘Mindi in the Morning’ show on weekdays 6-10am at 95.9, 95.5 and online at KRSH.com.
