Sunni & The City: Living The American Dream

Written By: Alisha Brown

Sunni & The City is a true force to be reckoned with. She is currently on air at WPGC 95.5 in Washington, D.C., as one of the weekday morning show hosts on ‘The Joe Clair Morning Show’.

 Sunni says she never really wanted to be in radio but once she started her internship that she received the summer after high school, she never left. She worked her way up the ranks over the years.

 For Sunni, she is constantly on the go. A typical day starts off with a 4am alarm to be ready for her 6am morning show. She continues her day with meetings and other work-related things after the show ends at 10am. After the gym and a quick nap, she attends events, happy hours, and show prep for the next day.

 Besides radio, Sunni has contributed her talents to philanthropic work and her debut book, “Still I Shine: Refugee To Radio, Living The American Dream”.

 When asked why philanthropic work is important to her, she says, “it comes naturally to me. I see myself and my family in a lot of the people that are in need because we were there before. So, it hits a soft spot in my heart. As far as empowering women, I’ve always been a girl’s girl. I have tons of girlfriends who are my support system and anytime I can do that for others, even the ones I’ve never met, it’s amazing”.

 Sunni’s book, “Still I Shine: Refugee To Radio, Living The American Dream”, talks about her journey from being in refugee camps to now being a successful radio personality in the nation’s capital. Sunni states that, “I just wanted to tell my story. I didn’t know if it was going to inspire anyone, make them laugh or cry. I just needed to tell it and hopefully it can change someone’s life”.

 Sunni’s advice to fellow women in radio is “stay focused, work hard, and keep it professional at all times. But never forget to find the joy in the little things and have fun. Always lend a helping hand. Reach back and uplift and inspire those behind you, especially the younger generation who's got next. They’re our future.”

Loren Petisce: Being Yourself On The Radio, Why It’s Absolutely Vital

Written By: Loren Petisce

You’ve heard it all your life, from people you love, your friends, as inspirational quotes on the internet, “just be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”  I agree with this message wholeheartedly, but man, sometimes it’s easier said than done.

I spent some time recently going through some of my older on-air breaks and I learned something.  I learned that who I was listening to in some of those breaks isn’t really me. It’s a version of myself that I put out there that I think people want to hear. It’s the version of me that’s “safe” that doesn’t upset anyone with my thoughts or convictions. 

When I listened to myself and tried to form an opinion of the person I was listening to, I couldn’t. It’s difficult to remove me from myself, if that makes any sense, but I tried my best to listen to me as an outsider, basically an unbiased version of well, me…hope I didn’t lose you there. 

Here’s what I came up with: a solid radio broadcaster who knows radio formatics like the back of her hand, she can deliver breaks well, she ebbs and flows, she has peaks and valleys, she knows the music, but WHO IS SHE?

That’s the question I couldn’t answer.

Do I want to be friends with this person?  I don’t know. She seems nice, but I want to know more about her. I want to know what she stands for as a person and I don’t hear that. I hear commonplace opinions, I don’t hear any conviction and I have to ask myself, what am I bringing to the table that no one else is? I know I’m my own worst critic, I’m harder on myself than anyone else; but I’m really looking inside myself here. I know who I am on an everyday basis and truthfully I can’t always find that person when I hear myself on the radio. 

Why?

I can 100% tell you the reason is because I am afraid people won’t like me. It’s crazy that I work in an industry where my job is to be myself on the radio and I am afraid that people won’t like me! I have always had a difficult time with confrontation, so I guess without even really realizing it, I put out a middle-of-the-road version of myself that no one can dislike…or like, for that matter. A version of myself that no one has an actual opinion on, the worst right? But somewhere in my mind, I thought that was better than people not liking me.  Is it? I am not sure, but I tend to think not.

A time in my career where I struggled with this the most was being a co-host on a morning show.  Do I have the personality for morning radio, absolutely! Am I good at giving unpopular opinions on things and showing conviction, absolutely not! My co-host at the time, was constantly trying to hammer that into my brain, and I just couldn’t do it. I was so afraid of the audience not liking me, that I would give thoughts and opinions that were neither here nor there. 

I listen back to myself and it’s insanely frustrating. It’s so hard to form an opinion or even remember someone who just plays it safe, trying to keep everyone happy. I of course, couldn’t see this back then. When I listen to segments that my former co-host and I did together, he would sometimes have the most ridiculous opinions on things (on purpose), they were usually funny though, and most importantly, it was entertaining!  My responses however, sometimes ruined the bit, because I couldn’t commit to saying something that might upset someone listening.

What can you possibly do with someone who isn’t giving you a “yes” or a “no” but a “maybe” all the time?  Nothing! It’s not even interesting if one person says something outlandish and the other is afraid of giving her opinion, so she sticks with a vanilla answer.  It’s like delivering a joke and having no one laugh at it, or giving someone a balloon and they stick a pin in and pop it right in your face. I could just scream at my former self for being that way, but I didn’t know how else to be. 

I have learned and grown from that point, and that’s what matters most and now I’m here telling you why it’s so important to be you!

Thankfully, sometimes I do hear the true ME in some of my on air work and that is me growing and becoming better; not only as a radio personality, but at being true to myself as a person! We’re all trying to be the best versions of ourselves every single day, and it’s not easy for a myriad of different reasons.

I know putting these words on paper is helping me, and I hope it does the same for you! There truly is no one like you, go out there and give the world the gift of the real, honest and true, unequivocal YOU, and I promise to do the same.

Shariah Green: Aiming For Success Only

By: Tyrisha Irwin

 Shariah Green, a wife, mother of 2 boys and an Integrated Marketing Specialist at Radio One, knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go for it. She aims for success, being a positive influence and defeating the status quo. Shariah is a firm believer in the notion of not allowing doubt or fear to cloud your thoughts and to go for whatever you want to accomplish in life.

Although she had high hopes for being a news anchor during her undergraduate career at Saint Augustine, she discovered that there are more ways to influence the world than being in front of a camera or microphone.

“I later learned that the impact that I desired to have did not only happen sitting in front of a camera or microphone. But, behind the scenes through real life interactions I made every day. Which lead me to my current career as a Marketing Specialist.”

To her, radio is a form of media that people of color rely on for a consistent supply of information. “Radio will always be here even if your internet signal fades. So, my involvement in radio is because it is a constant source for information that will never go away.”

Shariah Green has no shame in being who she is. She recognizes that everyone is unique, and she strongly believes in encouraging other people in the industry even if they are better than her in certain areas.

“We all are unique and offer something different to the world. What I offer is that I have no interest in being like anyone else but aspire to be better than those that came before me. I am a person who has no fear of uplifting another person even if they have the potential to be better than me at a particular task. So, what I offer to the industry is genuine collaboration which leads to brand awareness and monetary growth. Working with me on any level is worth it because I know how to make your vision come to life and do so unselfishly.”

As sweet and caring as Green is, her career hasn’t always reciprocated the feeling. In fact, she has faced some sour times throughout her career, particularly with rejection and sexism.

One of her greatest challenges as a Marketing Specialist is sometimes working with businesses who disapprove of advertisements that focus on people of color.

“Instead of giving up I decided to stand up and speak to the value of our listeners which in turn helped open once shut eyes to explore a platform that literally has been purposely ignored due to the misinterpretation of black people.”

An advocate for social change and responsibility, Shariah believes that people should be fighting for each other and not against one another for a common goal. “There is a time and place for everything and we must understand that this generation is finally in a position to help push the message those who came before us had WITHOUT fear of failure and understanding the power of uniting.”  

Green, who can make lemonade out of lemons, always knew that regardless of her experiences, it’s important to push toward respect, confidence and success. She motivates women to “constantly arm ourselves with knowledge to fight against such behaviors. Beauty and brains sale. So, don’t get so caught up in your image that you forget to build your intellect to stand apart from both men and women.”

Her last piece of advice is this: “Do not pursue a career in radio for fame. Ensure that you have something to offer the listeners outside of your looks or sultry voice, because you have a major duty to the community and it’s not always glamorous.”

Shariah Green is the epitome of independence, sophistication and selflessness and her work in the future is something to look forward to.

Alexandra Clark: Lessons Learned & Idols Met

Written By: Sam Comparone

Alexandra Clark has been in the radio industry for 6 years. As the current host of the Joe and Alex Show on Radio NOW (WNOW) in Indianapolis, she is passionate as ever about her job.

However, this is not surprising because Clark displayed an interest in it at a young age. “I was interning in radio (after high school) because I was obsessed with George (Lindsey) and his morning show at the time but had no intentions of pursuing it for myself.”

Alexandra’s favorite aspect of working in radio is making others feel good, chatting with listeners, and brightening their day with prizes makes it worthwhile.

When it comes to idols in the radio industry, she had a lot to say,“I could talk for hours about how talented Kellie Rasberry is from The Kidd Kraddick Show. She is the epitome of morning radio to me. I am a die-hard Kidd Kraddick fan and listen to their show every day after doing my own. Dana Loesch is my hero personally and professionally. She brings something so fresh and cool to talk radio. She’s witty, sarcastic, and funny.”

Clark also points out Julia Lepido, DeDe McGuire from K104 in Dallas, TX, and Kelly K. from WDJX, which was Clark’s first station. When discussing Kelly, Clark said, “She is a shining example of how to be a boss wife, mother, and morning show co-host.” As for men she looks up to, she pointed out Brandon Satterfield on WFLZ Tampa, FL. for his diligence and kindness.

Though rewarding, radio can also get emotional. “A dad told me today that his son who has special needs loves our show because I make him laugh, and that I’m the only person who can help take some of his anxiety away. It took everything in me not to cry when I heard that.”

Alexandra Clark is excited for the future of the radio industry, and all the exciting and innovative things to come. However, there is still one thing she would change about the industry. “I think in the last couple of years it has started to go back to but putting personality first. It seems like for a while companies were really pushing the “vanilla” thing, and then just putting those people in every single market to cut costs. I think if we keep putting a value on great and unique talent we will be getting back to a great place in radio.

“I think if you’re talented in radio, whether you’re a man or a woman, you are going to do extremely well.” When asked what the hardest part of the radio industry is, Alex says, “the hardest part for me is just being able to “turn it on” in an awkward moment. I’ve been in a heated conversation before with someone and somebody comes up and wants to talk to you. I always say yes, of course, but sometimes it can be hard when you’re having a bad day and just want to be invisible for a little bit.”

Of course, with success, come mistakes along the way. Clark emphasizes the importance of reviewing contracts and legal documents prior to signing them. “I would have gotten an attorney before I signed my first deal. Instead I waited until I wanted out of a deal to seek out an attorney.”

 At the end of the day, Alexandra remains positive about her future, “I’m just really excited for any opportunity God gives me. I’m excited to see how our show does in Houston since we just added our show there. I’m excited for the new generation of radio to start making more moves, innovative decisions, and to shake things up! It’s passion like this that gets you to where you want to be. Passion for radio and its impact on people’s lives.”

Sheila Towns-Yandle: From Receptionist to Risk Taker

            Written By: Maya Perry

Sheila Towns-Yandle is an established media consultant with a good work ethic and solid track record. Sheila explains that she is “great at building trust and successful relationships that results in business owners growing their bottom line. I am a people person, so I knew sales was my niche’.”  Her sales initiative in radio is to create effective media campaigns, solve problems and recommend creative advertising solutions for clients.

Sheila started her career working at an Advertising Agency in Chicago right out of college. She started as a receptionist, then moved into a Sales Assistant position, and later to an Asst. Media Buyer. After progressing to a Print Media Buyer, she encountered a lot of successful sales reps from newspaper and radio stations that became mentors. Sheila decided that she was going to make sales a career and it became her passion.

Sales is one of the most underappreciated,but one of the most valuable assets in radio. When I asked Sheila what advice or tips she could give to upcoming sales people in the industry she stated, “Build rapport wherever you go, know your product like the back of your hand, and remember people will never buy from you if they do not trust you. So be trustworthy and your number one job is to be a problem solver for your customer.”

Sheila has worked in sales for over 15 plus years in multiple locations including Chicago IL, St Louis,MO , Savannah,GA and currently in Greensboro, NC.

She explains that one thing she would tell her younger self before getting into to sales is to “….do not be afraid to go after million dollar companies, do your homework before approaching them.

Monasia: Student by Day, Radio Personality by Night

Written By: Alisha Brown

Monasia Baker is the youngest on-air radio personality at 102 Jamz in Greensboro, North Carolina. Known as “The Concrete Jungle Princess” to her Triad listeners, she is ready to take the industry by storm.

To Monasia, “radio is a different way to connect with the people. It is not only about how you look, it’s about the content and the voice, which is something I really value”.

When asked how she got started in the industry, Monasia “did not even know she wanted to go into radio”. Thanks to her human communications professor’s comment on her raspy voice, she decided to give radio a try. After recording a few voiceovers and a conversation with a teacher that worked at 102 Jamz, she joined on as a promotions intern. While as an intern, she worked her way up and network with her peers.

With being from New York in a North Carolina market, she will “have listeners ask where she is from all the time” due to her slang and vibe that she has on air. “I talk to them like I am talking to my friends”.

A typical day for Monasia is spent between working at Victoria’s Secret, classes, co-hosting her webshow, “Point Blank”, coaching a cheerleading team and she ends her night with her 12am- 6am on-air shift. When asked how she balances it all, she says she “has to stay organized and color codes my calendar. If I lose my phone, I would die.”

When asked about being a woman in a male-dominated industry, Monasia admits that at times, “it is difficult but really women run the world. Women, especially in radio, add a creative side to it and get the listeners to feel and provoke more emotion. Even though we are a minority in radio, we have made such great strides”.

Monasia urges her listeners who want to go into radio to be persistent and put in the work. She says, “with the radio industry, apply to as many internships and opportunities as possible because you never know who has connections to what. Even though it may not be what you want at first, you can definitely get to where you want to be. Also, stay persistent and be yourself because if you try to be someone you’re not, people in radio catch that quick. Even though it took me a year to get on air, it takes people three or four years to get on air. Know your time will come when it is supposed to.