For years, you could set your watch with the stability of the morning show on 94.5 WKTI-FM. Thousands of Milwaukeeans were practically raised on the voices of Bob Reitman and Gene Mueller (and later, Amy Taylor). But when the show ended with Reitman's retirement, Taylor's resignation and Mueller's reassignment to the company's AM counterpart, a sizable void emerged on the city's FM dial.

When it came time to find a replacement, station management started fresh, bringing in Matthew Blades, a young but experienced DJ who most recently worked in Denver. Blades assembled a team with Erin Austin and producer/co-host A.J. (no last name, just A.J.). The trio hit the airwaves this summer, and while they await their first ratings book, they are moving full-steam ahead with their new show -- fully aware that they're being watched closely by media critics and skeptics, alike, who tend to be slow to accept on-air changes.

Fortunately, the group has quickly built a strong chemistry and is becoming more passionate about their new home every day. We recently caught up with the trio in this latest Milwaukee Talks.

OMC: What are your different roles on the show?

Blades: A.J. is responsible for most of the production side, when we use sound clips or a music bed. He also screens phone calls. We look to Erin to live life, and that's a big deal, because she's in the demo. We look to her to get our entertainment news. I do all the other stuff. I plan the show out, cross the Ts, make sure there's good balance.

OMC: You're filling some pretty big shoes on your station.

MB: You've noticed?

OMC: You each came in from other cities into a market that's not known for embracing change. How did it all go down?

MB: It started after Bob Reitman announced that he was going to retire. KTI formulated a plan, and I didn't even show up on their radar until the very end. I came up here and met with them a couple times.

OMC: What market were you in at the time?

MB: I was in Denver.

OMC: Was that a Journal Broadcast station?

MB: No, but I know Tom Land, who is the director of programming for all the Journal stations. I met (WTMJ's) Bob Walker and Jon Schweitzer, and I guess I won them over. I wanted to come here before I went to Denver, but they weren't ready yet.

OMC: A.J. and Erin, how did you get here?

A.J.: I've known Matthew for 11 years. We worked in D.C. together. In radio, there's a lot of moving. I haven't kept in touch with more than two or three radio people, but Matthew was one of them. We became really good friends and lived together, which was a disaster -- but a fun disaster!

MB: Who was that fun for? I always had to pick up after you!

A.J.: We always thought we'd work together again. I was doing television when this opportunity came up. I have a 3-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl, and I tried to do whatever I could in radio until they got to the age where they started making friends. This was a perfect opportunity to set down some roots.

OMC: So, Matthew, you recruited this group?

MB: Yes, I put together the show. It was my responsibility. I knew I wanted to work with A.J., and we just needed to find the third component. Enter Erin Austin from St. Louis.

Austin: I was in St. Louis, and in the back of my mind, I knew I was looking for other things, but I thought I needed to put a package together first. My ex-husband knew Matthew in Denver. He was also my boss, which got a little weird. He thought I should go for (the job in Denver), but I wasn't so sure I wanted to go into that direction. Matthew ended up e-mailing me. He heard (my work), and he liked it.

MB: It's hard, because there aren't a lot of great female voices out there. We must have talked to eight people just in Wisconsin. But Erin brings something to the table that's different that what A.J. and I have to offer.

OMC: How is the chemistry between the three of you?

MB: I think it's good. We work on it every day. In radio, you have to be "insta-friends." The chemistry was the easiest part of the show. A week before we debuted, we did 2-5 a.m., just practicing and getting used to each other. The technical side is where we want to improve.

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