A Boston University graduate who spoke to WTBU members last night about opportunities in the radio field knows a thing about opportunity herself.
MTV executive Amy Doyle, a 1992 College of Communication graduate, earned her position booking the hottest bands for the entertainment empire after crawling her way through the national radio circuit.
As vice president of music and talent, Doyle manages content for MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and mtv.com. Her department is in charge of programming videos on those channels, booking talent and keeping record labels and their artists content.
“Pretty much anything that involves music and artists flows through my department,” she told The Daily Free Press over the weekend. “We’re exposed to new music all the time, and see a lot of concerts — and that’s a huge perk.”
Doyle, who said she enrolled at BU with plans to study hotel and restaurant management, transferred to COM after her freshman year, scored an internship at Mix 98.5 in Boston her senior year, and from there, the one-time Bay State Road resident worked her way through several cities and stations all the way up to her current position with the cable conglomerate.
As a freshman at BU, she said she had no idea what her plans were.
“I never once imagined I would be working at MTV,” she said, “but I’ve been here almost eight years and still love it.”
Doyle said her early work in the field was not nearly as glamorous as her current job, but she tried to make the most of the mundane tasks she sometimes had to complete.
“If I was asked to fax something, I would read it and ask questions,” she said. “I learned that most people are willing to share their knowledge, but it’s up to you to tap into it.”
Lou Bortone, who supervised Doyle when she was an intern at Mix 98.5, said it is no surprise she has done well, considering the enthusiasm she always showed as an intern.
“If she was going to do [something], she was going to do it well,” he said. “She always got it pretty quickly and hadn’t ever even gone on the air before.”
Doyle’s extroverted personality and commitment to her work left an impression, Bartone said.
“She’s one of the only students I can remember after 15 years, so that kind of speaks for itself,” he said.
Launching Mix 98.5 demanded near-constant attendance at endless events and promotions, and Doyle had the opportunity to see radio production from start to finish.
“It’s a major foot in the door,” Bartone said.
College of Arts and Sciences junior Pat Jarosch, WTBU music director, said Doyle must have had an extensive knowledge of music to crack into the business.”
Knowing what you play is so much more important than having an extravagant personality,” he said.
Successful radio personalities need a strong background in the business to succeed, he said, and added BU radio students would most likely learn a lot from Doyle.
“You need to know the music you play,” he said. “Be educated about it, and be able to run a cohesive show. It’s not just about playing your favorite song.”
Staff reporter Andrew Benjamin contributed reporting for this article.