Authenticity.
Ask both Ashley Greco and Gord St. Denis what the most important part of being a radio personality is and that’s the word you’ll get. Put another way, the newly morning minted team on Ottawa’s Pure Country 94 comes by the “pure” part honestly.
Same for the “country” part. Ashley, from Cambridge, Ontario, grew up participating in countified family sing-a-longs; Gord, from Tilbury, Ontario, had a father whose drum kit and fiddle kept bootheels shufflin’ across Southern Ontario. Small wonder both members of The Morning Pick Up got bitten by the radio bug. Broadcasting is a tricky profession, though. You can end up covering more territory than a cattle drive and jobs can be as tough to hold on to as a distempered bronco.
But both Ashley and Gord were more than up for the challenge. Ashley, currently celebrating twenty years behind the microphone, was committed to bringing the warm family feeling she enjoyed growing up to the wider world. She learned the broadcasting basics at Humber College and has been working ever since. She’s handled every time slot there is in every size of market, bringing the intimacy necessitated by serving the smaller ones to major metropolitan areas. Gord attributes radio with giving him the sense of direction he couldn’t find in school (“I loved everything about university but the learning,” he characteristically jokes). He studied his craft at Conestoga College before making the radio rounds: Wingham, Chatam, London, Kingston, and twice now, Ottawa.
In August, the two were paired on Pure Country 94. While there were enough commonalities between them to suggest the most perfect fit since Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, there’s a lot more to the art of mixing and matching a morning team. Again, it comes back to authenticity, this time with each other. Explains Ashley, “Gord and I are always open with one another about ideas, the direction of the show, and how we’re feeling that day. It’s a great way to set the tone.” Affirms Gord, “If Ashley suggests something for the show, I back her 100%. Our belief in each other is so strong, we’ll try anything once.”
It’s the kind of personal investment that can only come from a place of deep mutual respect. “Gord is such a talent,” Ashley assesses. “Other than my hubby John, he may be the funniest guy I’ve ever met. I’m never not laughing.” Says Gord of Ashley, “She’s a pro’s pro. She’s well prepared, incredibly funny, and has a different way of looking at things in and out of the studio.”
There’s another kind of love at work whenever these two get together: an appreciation for their audience. Ashley, who’s spent the bulk of her career at the CHUM affiliate in Toronto, is a happy new Ottawan. “I love this city,” she announces. “There’s a real sense of community here and a lot of love for country music, which is amazing!”
Gord, who’s become such a fixture here now he’s the in-game host for the CFL’s Redblacks declares, “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. This is where we’re going to raise our family.”
That family is made up of his ever-supportive wife and their much-loved one-year-old daughter, Joey (a.k.a. Josephine). Ashley has her own edition: the aforementioned John and the budding Aria. It’s another incredible synchronicity between these two, who integrate the ups and downs of parenting into their on-air patter. Mind you, juggling work and home, given the hours that they work, isn’t always easy. Says Ashley, “There are days that are more challenging, but I always remind myself that I am teaching my daughter the importance of doing something that you love and working hard to keep it.” Gord even thinks punching the clock before the sun comes up is a parental boon: “What’s nice about working the morning show is that I’m usually home before noon, so I get a lot of time with my kid.”As for what else Ottawa can expect from the team behind The Morning Pickup, Gord can encapsulate that in a single word: “Fun!” Elaborating, he adds, “If we don’t make you crack a smile first thing in the morning, we’re not doing our job.”
For Ashley, it’s still about imparting the benefits of family and music that has buoyed her career. “In the end,” she says, “it’s about letting people know you truly love you do. It’s easy to ‘stay on the horse’ that way—hopefully, with your cowboy hat still on!”
Written by Dan Lalande
