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avvy Women
Job Envy
Definitely Not Wasting Away in Margaritaville
Kirsten Winquist dishes on her first time meeting Jimmy Buffett, what it takes to be a good radio host and what she loves most about Austin’s music scene. By April Cumming, photo by Dustin Meyer The music industry is changing, or so says Kirsten Winquist, program director and on-air host for SiriusXM’s Radio Margaritaville. “It’s like the Wild West,” Winquist says about the industry, a look of hopeful excitement in her eyes. Listening to the petite and poised 33-year-old talk feels akin to receiving a therapeutic head massage. At her helm, Radio Margaritaville, a station started by multi-platinum musician Jimmy Buffett, has amassed more than 6 million followers. She is quick to confess how fortunate she is, fortunate to have her job and to get to listen to music every day while securely ensconced behind soundproof, purple-hued and paisley-patterned walls in a dimly lit studio off Second Street. She loves communicating with people with just her voice. There’s a purity to it, she says. Radio fits her personality and that shy band-nerd side of her.
30 | Austin Woman | NOVEMBER 2015
Austin Woman: How long have you lived in Austin? Kirsten Winquist: Since 2007. I live on the Eastside and love it. It’s really walkable and there are funky mosaics everywhere. It feels like old Austin to me. My neighbors will knock on my door just to update me on what’s going on in the neighborhood and make sure I’m safe. AW: What is the thing you like most about the city? KW: There’s an anything-goes kind of attitude here. AW: You grew up in the coastal town of Safety Harbor, Fla. How did you make the transition from a beach town to Austin? KW: That is the one thing I miss: seeing the water every day. I go to Barton Springs a lot to get my water fix. That feels like the beach, just with grass instead of sand.