Radio veteran Jim McGuinn is coming back to Philadelphia to re-join the team at WXPN as Assistant Program Director, the station announced today, and he brings a proven track record in both commercial and public media, obsessive music fandom, and deep relationships in the industry. In this, McGuinn will work closely with all on-air hosts to deepen engagement and listenership; he has spent the past 13 years in Minneapolis / St. Paul, working as Program Director of Minnesota Public Radio’s AAA station The Current.
“He knows and understands this format, this market and our listeners,” says WXPN’s Bruce Warren in a press statement. “And I’m sure the XPN community joins me in welcoming him home to Philly.”
McGuinn’s career in radio had its first extended stay in Philadelphia beginning in 1995, when he became program director the short-lived, much-loved alternative rock station WDRE; he went on to steer the ship at late 90s / early aughties modern rock beacon Y100. After that station flipped format in 2005, he dove into the world of independent internet radio, and first joined WXPN in 2006 as afternoon host and manager of the station’s internet / HD side channel Y-Rock On XPN; he left for the Twin Cities in 2009.
“My time at WXPN launched me into the non-comm radio world, and I took those fundamentals with me to help grow The Current,” said McGuinn. “It’s rare to get the opportunity to return to a place that’s as innovative and beloved nationally as WXPN. Coming back every year for the NON-COMMvention and encountering that warm embrace from the family made up of the XPN staff, volunteers, and listeners felt like coming home. Now it’s full circle to be able to contribute my skills and knowledge to XPN’s future, and help it continue to grow as a hub and destination for music fans and artists to congregate and connect.”
Originally from the Chicago area, McGuinn is relocating to Philadelphia with his wife, Christine Weeks, and teen son Jameson and will start the new job the week of the festival. Below, revisit McGuinn’s original run at WXPN with a video from the vaults.