Radio digital managing editor Job at Allthingslinguistic in Missoula

A blog about all things linguistic by Gretchen McCulloch.

I cohost Lingthusiasm , a podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics.

I'm the author of Because Internet , a book about internet language!

Linguistics jobs - Interview with a local radio Digital Managing Editor

Today’s interview is with Braden Curtis. I’m really glad that he’s added his experience to the linguistics jobs interview series, because more and more graduates are going to end up doing the kind of digital media jobs that didn’t even exist when I graduated from university. Braden’s website (Ordworks ) houses his photography, video work, book and collection of game designs - he’s a man of many skills!

What did you study at university?
I received a basic B.A. in Linguistics, with a minor focus (would you believe it, I can’t remember if it was ever an officialminor, but the sentiment was there) in Japanese, including a few chunksof study abroad. My focus, loose as it was as an undergrad, was onsyntax and semantics, and I had a vested interest in redefiningprescriptive rules of foreign grammars—Japanese’s particularly—that, as Isaw it, got in the way of their acquisition. (I advocated a moredescriptive understanding of the language’s basic building blocks.Agglutination, ho!)

2. What is your job?
I’mpresently the Digital Managing Editor for Townsquare Media Missoula, acluster of seven local radio stations, including a country station, arock station, a top 40 pop station, three news stations, and a brand-newalternative music station. Really, I’m our personalities’ Blog Mommy; Ioversee and attempt to enhance local entertainment content on ourvarious digital platforms, including our websites, social media, andvideo platforms.

3. How does your linguistics training help you in your job?
Doeslinguistics training ever not help? Less glibly, my background withlinguistics gives me a different perspective from many of my peers inthe other markets of our parent company’s holdings—specifically, I caremuch less about perfect grammar and much more about effective communication.So long as they take care of the major pitfalls that get in the way ofmessage receipt (or that twist the meaning of their intended message),e.g. spelling or typographical errors, wholly mangled syntax, etc., Icounsel my team that allowing their personal voice (remember: these areradio DJs—voice is everything to them) to come through is not onlyacceptable, it’s possibly the most distinctive and valuable element oftheir work.

4. Do you have any advice do you wish someone had given to you about linguistics/careers/university?
Linguistics,I’ve often said, is the Science of the Humanities—and it can be just asdistancing as that makes it sound. If you’re not careful, it’s easy toclimb up into an (academic) ivory tower, and distance yourself from thevery thing that matters—not just the language of the people, but the people themselves.But, if you temper your knowledge with compassion, if you letlinguistics’ fundamental tenets (insofar as at least some of us seethem) of observing and seeking to understand things as they are, notthings as they might be, I think that linguistics can make you more human. Right now (and evermore), we could use as much humanity as we can get.

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