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EPISODE 14 — BEFORE THE ALGORITHM
What happened to radio before algorithms, streaming and AI started deciding what we hear?
In Episode 14 of the Discipline Over Comfort Podcast, I sit down with longtime El Paso radio personality Victor Cruz for a conversation about more than 30 years in radio, the evolution of music, the rise of algorithms and AI, and what may have been lost along the way.
Victor and I have known each other for more than 20 years, and this episode feels exactly like that—two longtime friends sitting down and talking about music, radio, technology, creativity and, of course, Prince.
We get into the days when radio personalities actually helped shape what people listened to, how Spotify and streaming completely changed music discovery, the impact AI could have on radio and podcasting, and whether today's algorithms would even recognize an artist as unconventional as Prince.
Victor also shares stories from his decades in El Paso radio—including the Prince concert he almost made it to, the night I ended up at an intimate Prince aftershow, and why connecting with listeners mattered more to him than meeting celebrities.
And now Victor is entering a new chapter.
After decades behind a radio microphone, he’s preparing to launch his own show, “Let’s Talk About It,” bringing his personality, music knowledge and years of broadcasting experience into the podcast world.
IN THIS EPISODE:
• Victor’s journey through more than 30 years in radio
• What radio was like before algorithms and streaming
• How corporate radio changed the industry
• AI-generated DJs and the future of broadcasting
• Spotify and the changing way we discover music
• Why unlimited access may have changed the value we place on music
• Prince, Purple Rain, Sign o’ the Times and the vault
• Would a 20-year-old Prince become a superstar today?
• Creativity, control and ownership
• Leaving radio behind and becoming a beginner again
• Victor’s upcoming Let’s Talk About It podcast
• What Victor misses most about radio
This conversation is about music, but underneath it is something bigger:
Industries change. Technology changes. Platforms change. But creativity, relationships and the willingness to reinvent yourself still matter.
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https://www.youtube.com/@DisciplineOverComfortPodcast
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https://disciplineovercomfort.podview.com
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobtheriot/
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🌐 Bob Theriot — Fractional CMO / Marketing:
https://bob-theriot-fractiona-cmo-48436.marketingblocks.ai/
CONNECT WITH VICTOR CRUZ
📸 Instagram: @VictorCruz319
Watch for details on Victor’s upcoming podcast, Let’s Talk About It.
If this episode made you think about how much radio, music and media have changed, tell us in the comments:
Was discovering music better before the algorithm—or is it better today?
If you enjoyed the conversation, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE this episode with someone who remembers when discovering new music meant flipping through albums, listening to the radio and finding something nobody else knew about yet.
Discipline over comfort. Every time.
#DisciplineOverComfort #VictorCruz #Prince #Radio #Music #Podcast #AI #MusicIndustry #ElPaso
النص 🔗
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Now, with AI, you don't even have that anymore. You don't need a person. You can literally type in, "Make me a female DJ, a jock, who's 36 years old. We're gonna call her Maria.
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00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:22.840
She's gonna be stationed out of El Paso, and she never misses a day. She's doesn't get sick. She doesn't have to go home and take care of her kids," because it's AI. Okay?
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Again, a, a harsh reality, but that's where the…
