She's back, baby.
Credit: Ashley Owen / @ashleyo2go
South Florida radios have a familiar voice back, and yes, she still has plenty to say.
Beloved local personality Ashley O, aka Ashley Owen, has returned to the weekday airwaves on 101.5 LITE FM. She can now be heard Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., helping listeners survive meetings, deadlines and that dangerous post-lunch hour when productivity absolutely leaves the building.
“I took a gap year,” Owen told Browardist.
After working continuously since age 14, she used the break following her exit from 104.3 The Shark – amid its shutdown – to spend time with her children, travel and finally conquer those home projects that tend to stare judgmentally from the garage.
“I literally rode a camel in the Sahara Desert,” she said. “But I also reorganized the garage because it’s good to get rid of things as well.”
Owen remained connected to Audacy, the broadcasting company behind LITE FM and her former station, through work with its syndicated Channel Q. Her opportunity at LITE FM arrived after Gayle Garton retired following 34 years with the station and 45 years on the air.
Garton’s long tenure and role in shaping the station’s sound created some mighty big shoes to fill. Owen understands the responsibility.
“It’s quite an honor to have gotten chosen for this gig,” she said. “I’m stoked.”
Listeners should still expect plenty of classic LITE FM favorites, along with Owen’s candid sense of humor and perspective as a South Florida millennial mom. She hopes the show offers a daily laugh for people grinding through their workdays.
“We’re resilient people who need to laugh through this shit,” Owen said. “And I hope that I can represent that while everybody’s sitting there at work.”
Her comeback will extend to social media, though she has no plans to flood everyone’s feed simply to chase an algorithm.
“I think quality over quantity,” she said. “I hope to just continue to be authentic in me.”
Outside the studio, Owen remains committed to Ashley O’s Food Fight, her campaign with Neighbors 4 Neighbors. The initiative began as an effort to eliminate outstanding student lunch debt in Broward County schools so children could receive a complete meal. Owen estimates the campaign has raised over $54,000. She plans to continue supporting it through her new platform and says even a couple of bucks can help feed a student.
“I really don’t believe people can change the world, but I’m pretty positive we can change the small corner of it we live in,” she said.
As for returning to South Florida radio, her message is wonderfully simple: “I’m happy to be back.”
Listen to Ashley O weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 101.5 LITE FM.
