<\/p>\n
The new morning show co-host at Y100 (WNCY-FM)<\/a> is no stranger to country music or getting up early, but the chance to experience a Green Bay Packers game at\u00a0Lambeau\u00a0Field will be a first for her.<\/p>\n Natalie \u201cNat\u201d Gross makes her debut alongside current host and well-known Y100 personality Randy \u201cShotgun\u201d Shannon on Dec. 2. The Virginia native with Midwest roots slides into the 5-to-9\u00a0a.m. weekday slot previously held by co-host\u00a0Charli\u00a0McKenzie, who left in August after 20 years<\/a> on the morning show to be closer to family back home in Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula.<\/p>\n Gross comes to Green Bay’s Y100 from Life 102.5 (WNWC-FM)<\/a> in Madison, where she was hired as part of a two-person morning show in April 2024. Her on-air partner, Dave\u00a0Conour, left in July <\/a>after 11 years at the contemporary Christian station, as she continued hosting solo.<\/p>\n \u201cShotgun and I were both looking for partners around the same time, and so it\u2019s just kind of cool how it worked out,\u201d said Gross, who will go by \u201cNat\u201d to avoid confusion with Natalie Jansen from the \u201cHuggie, Natalie & Corey\u201d morning show<\/a> on Green Bay Top 40 station WIXX-FM,<\/a> which is also owned by Midwest Communications Inc. and has its studio in the same building.<\/p>\n \u201cShotgun & Nat in the Morning\u201d marks a new era at Y100 after Shannon and McKenzie’s popular eight-year run together. Heather\u00a0Heil\u00a0had been temporarily filling in with Shannon for the last four months.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited about Nat coming to town, because she brings a fresh perspective. She and I get along great, and I\u2019m really excited to see where the show goes,\u201d said Shannon, who was named brand manager at Y100 in November<\/a>, following Dan Stone\u2019s departure after 34 years<\/a> at Midwest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did not try to replace\u00a0Charli, because there is no replacing\u00a0Charli,” he said. “We just tried to find somebody who we are excited about having as part of the team and excited about having on the show.\u201d<\/p>\n The opportunity to work in country radio feels like a natural fit for Gross, who has always flipped between Christian and country formats as a listener and is partial to team radio shows, where the personalities of the hosts are a big part of the draw.<\/p>\n She looks forward to creating a fun experience for people tuning into Y100 as they are getting their kids ready for school, making the drive to work or whatever they might be doing. She once had someone tell her they were listening while in the delivery room at the hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just so meaningful to be able to share those moments with people, and I\u2019ve already heard wonderful things about the Y100 fan base, the Y100 listeners. I\u2019m really excited to get to know them,\u201d Gross said.<\/p>\n There are all kinds of interesting things they\u2019ll learn about her, too.<\/p>\n She grew up a military kid in Virginia and lived in the Washington,\u00a0D.C., area from 2014 to 2023 before moving to Madison, where she has a brother. She spent 12 years working in news before transitioning from journalism to radio.<\/p>\n One of the things the mother of a 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter enjoys most about the industry is those moments when someone calls in or comes up at a concert to say how much that silly story she told about one of her kids got them through a tough morning.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u00a0a privilege that is to be able to tell stories that help other people feel less alone. That\u2019s just one of those things that I just\u00a0absolutely\u00a0love. I\u2019ve always been a storyteller at heart,\u00a0and\u00a0if I can have a purpose to those stories and help just one person or make a difference in one person\u2019s life, that\u2019s the cool part about radio for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Gross was a competitive flutist growing up. Her dad was a professional musician in the Army band, so it runs in the family. She looks forward to getting involved in the area community band scene. She loves theater and musicals, both as a participant and as an audience member.<\/p>\n She is also bilingual. She speaks Spanish; her mom is from Colombia.<\/p>\nShe’s a mom, a flutist and has Vikings fans in the family<\/h2>\n