Leslie Fram has spent her career at the intersection of music, media, and advocacy. Now, the veteran Programmer and executive has reconnected with the medium that first captured her imagination—radio.
“I am back doing a morning radio show at 99X in Atlanta,” Fram said. “The radio station relaunched in late 2022 due to the overwhelming success of ’90s Alternative and being one of the original alternative tastemakers.” The station relaunched The Morning X with Fram and original cast member Barnes in 2023. “It’s been fun to work with my former colleagues and friends and play the music that represented a large part of my career.”
It was a full-circle moment for a broadcaster whose passion began as a quiet kid in Fairhope, Alabama. “Growing up, I was a shy kid who listened to the radio as my form of entertainment,” she said. “I was always intrigued by the theatre-of-the-mind aspect of radio. I had a chance to start in High School through the Drama Department. Immediately I got the bug for both on-air and Programming. For 20 years I did a morning show and was a Program Director! Those hours really taught me discipline in how to prioritize my life.”
Fram’s first “paying” job was at WABF in her hometown, working weekends while in high school. “In college, I worked on-air at WABB (Top 40) in Mobile and eventually became the Program Director,” she recalled. “I moved to Atlanta in 1990 to do a Morning Show/Assistant PD with Rick Stacey at Power 99 (Top 40). We changed formats in 1992 with the explosion of Alternative. It was the best time to experience that cultural shift and be part of such a legendary radio station (and work for Susquehanna) for 17 Years (as Program Director and on-air)!”
In 2008 she headed to New York to program WRXP for Emmis Broadcasting and co-host mornings with Matt Pinfield. “Everyone needs to live and work in NYC once in their life!” she laughed. But when Emmis sold the station in 2011, she hit a crossroads. “Stay in radio or explore other passions? My lifelong mentor, Brian Philips encouraged me to widen my search. At the same time, he had an opening at CMT in Nashville. He offered me a chance to run the music department, and I said ‘Yes’ without even thinking about it.” It was a chance to work with Brian again (we worked together in Atlanta at 99X) AND be back in the South and work in a city I loved: Nashville!”
Fram has experienced many career milestones, but a few stand out. “I am so grateful and honored to be the first female recipient of the TJ Martell Award in recognition of performance in the music industry. In 2009, I was inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame,” she says. She’s also candid about the hurdles.
“It can be challenging as a woman in a male-dominated field, especially when advocating for yourself. It’s important to lead with integrity and believe in the power of walking away from any situation that compromises your values.”
It’s hard to imagine that Fram had any time to think of anything other than her responsibilities at CMT back in the day, much less her other job in radio. “CMT was my full-time job!” she said. “But I think everyone should explore all of their passions. I found time to do it all, and more importantly, time to binge my favorite shows (!).”
“But SO MANY THINGS DID KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT!” she added. “Most of the time, it was detail-oriented tasks that I didn’t want to forget. I have many ‘To Do’ lists! My advice: when you wake up at 3am, do not check your email or social media!”
“Finding balance was always a work-in-progress for me. I do believe that I’ve gotten better after the pandemic. For some reason, we were all used to going out every night. Then when the world came to a screeching halt, we realized we didn’t have to! Now I pick the most important things for work and pleasure and really strive to find a balance. FOMO is a thing of the past!”
A big priority in radio right now is growing the audience. There is so much competition when it comes to music platform choices. “When working to bridge the generation gap and engage the younger audience, in terms of music, it’s important to understand the audience and follow the trends. Whether you are discovering artists on TikTok or streaming services, Gen Z and Millennials are driving a new way of consuming music,” she insisted.
Even with multiple high-profile roles over the years, Fram found time to give back in all aspects of the industry, including one of its most challenging. She created CMT’s Next Women of Country franchise in 2013, launched CMT’s Equal Play programming in 2020, helped form CMT Equal Access with mTheory, and co-founded “Change the Conversation” to support female creatives in country music. “We are still constantly looking for ways to expand on this support,” she said. She’s a pioneer in both Country and Alternative, having been one of the few Female executives in predominately male businesses and formats who actually moved the needle.
Now, alongside her on-air role at 99X and her ongoing work at CMT, Fram has launched her own consultancy, FEMco (Fram Entertainment & Music). Designed as a purpose-driven collective, FEMco offers artist development, talent booking and production, and B2B connections within the entertainment world. Its music-centric production arm, FEMco Presents, debuted its first franchise, FEMcountry, and plans to expand into FEMpop and FEMrock.
“FEMco will allow me to focus on the parts of the business that have always brought me the most joy,” she told Musicrow.com when she launched in April of this year. “Advising and mentoring artists, booking and producing talent, creating connections between businesses and creatives, and championing women and underrepresented groups in music,” Fram said.
Whether breaking artists on the radio, elevating female talent, or building her own company, Leslie Fram continues to be one of the industry’s most influential and purposeful leaders—still guided by the same passion she discovered as a teenager in Alabama.
Follow Leslie Fram:
- Instagram: @lesliefram1
- X: @FramLeslie
- Facebook: Leslie Fram
- TikTok: @lesliefram
Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talent, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. She is also a Voice Actor and Voice Over Talent as well as a Freelance Writer for International Broadcast Outlets. Find her at @MCMediaOnline or www.mcmediaonline.com.
