Max Tolkoff

Currently Max is the Ex- Program Director of Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, a station Rolling Stone magazine in May named as the Best Rock Station in America in its Best Of Rock 2008 issue. Indie was flipped to a Spanish language format two weeks ago. The station had been on the forefront of breaking new music, way out front championing new bands like Silver Sun Pickups, Santogold, Sam Sparro, Datarock, and dozens more.

Before that, WFNX in Boston dragged Max back in as Operations Manager and PD in October of 2004. The goal: restore FNX to it’s historic place as a purveyor of music not being played anywhere/everywhere else, that is, until the rest of the populace finds out. Max’s first tenure at FNX ran from 1989 to 1994 where he delivered the station it’s highest ratings ever.

Previously, Max was the Alternative Editor for Radio & Records, the industry’s premier trade newspaper. He wrote a weekly column for the paper, as well as a weekly “hot fax” read by both radio programmers and record label promotion executives.

Before arriving at R&R, Max’s consulting company, Foundation Marketing, helped numerous independent labels in addition to various research projects for radio clients. Max was also hired by Time-Life Music to create their retro-modern collection now advertised to insomniacs on late night TV throughout America.

During the dot-com explosion Max spent time at ClickRadio as musical architect and voice for several of their rock formats, including Alternative, Adult Alternative, Extreme, Retro Modern, Electronic and Singer-Songwriter.

Highly regarded as one of the founding fathers of Alternative radio, Max is a 26-year broadcast veteran and recent host of the now-defunct radio show Modern Rock Live, once heard all over our great nation. Max was also Program Director of Alternative rock outlet Y107 in Los Angeles. Before that he spent a year as Senior Director of Alternative Promotion for A&M Records, also based in Los Angeles, simultaneously taking four of that label’s rock artists to the top of the Alternative rock charts.

Additionally, Max was the Alternative Editor for The Gavin Report. He also co-founded Mutant Promotions, a record promotion company serving the Alternative format. Prior to this, as mentioned above, Max was Operations Manager of Alternative powerhouse WFNX, Boston.

Before that he was a consultant with Jacobs Media who, along with Fred Jacobs, designed “The Edge” format still used by many of the nation’s leading Alternative stations. When Max was Program Director of legendary alternative station 91X, San Diego, the station became the highest rated in the country for over three years.

Max studied practically nothing at Syracuse University and never spent a single moment in college radio.