DJ Profile: Jon Francois
Words by Thomas Schimmield. Photo by James Lockridge.
Jon Francois is one of the most recent DJs to walk through Big Heavy World’s doors, but he is anything but new to the world of radio. Some people come in relatively out of the gate, looking to try their hand at something that is either new or familiar; and some people are like Jon, who comes in with not only ten years of radio experience under his belt, but a slew of other credits to his name and image.
In addition to his lengthy career on air, Jon has ventured through the mediums of film, television, theatre and (as one may expect) voiceover. Speaking for himself on his past and present passions, Jon says that: “It’s interesting, because initially I was an introvert getting into extroverted professions like broadcasting, theatrical acting, things like that. But for the last few years I’ve been actually really extroverted outside of my job. I really get a high off of just going out with friends. Going to the movies, going out to dinner, basically just having a great time.”
In addition to Big Heavy World, Jon serves as “the weeknight guy” for Magic 97.7, a fellow station that broadcasts to all of northeast Vermont and northwest New Hampshire. Jon describes it as “a mixture of yesterday’s top forty and today’s top forty,” with “a little bit of music, a little bit of entertaining content, anything happening with pop culture and the artists.” This is very much part of the feel that Jon is shooting to bring to Big Heavy World: a friendly, funny, conversational tone that is hard to deny Jon carries with his person. And with it, he strives to create his own brand of personality and charisma, citing his inspirations amongst the likes of “Elvis Duran” and “The Breakfast Club.” Or as he puts it: “I’m trying to capture the vibe of shows where its a nice balance of talking about the latest in pop culture while also giving the listener an opportunity to get to know the radio personality themselves.”
When he isn’t on the air, Jon spends his time visiting family and friends in Connecticut, reading a good book, listening to his favorite radio stations and (last but absolutely not least) hanging out with his dog, Buddy, who comes to work with Jon every day and has already made an appearance on his show. When asked what he hopes his audience walks away feeling, Jon says that “The word escapism always comes to mind, just to have them going away saying “Hey, that was a fun, goofy, stupid, escaping good time.” I don’t come in thinking I’m god’s answer to the radio and I know everything. I know my thing, and it’s to come in and just have fun, to talk to you as if I’m talking to a friend on the street.”