Brittany Jade: Giving the People What They Need
“I’ve always loved radio, since I was a kid, I always had a radio. While growing up, my family and I moved around a lot and the first thing that had to be set up in our new home was my radio.”
Written By: Kristen Ayanah
Brittany Jade is the founder and CEO of Newark.FM. Launched in November 2017 Newark.FM serves as a station for many citizens of Newark, New Jersey. The station provides people with the ability to create their own personal shows or podcast and music from many local and underground artists.
Jade began her career in television production as opposed to going straight into radio after graduating from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. While in college, she focused heavily on TV sports recording and wanted to get into sideline reporting. After graduating she landed a job at E! Networks and went on to doing TV post production for many popular shows like The Real Housewives and Love & Hip-Hop. Jade says after a while she began to feel creatively stifled and she began listening heavily to public radio and podcast which lead to the creation of Newark.FM.
“I’ve always loved radio, since I was a kid, I always had a radio. While growing up, my family and I moved around a lot and the first thing that had to be set up in our new home was my radio.” says Jade.
Newark.FM’s mission is public radio for all and heavily focuses on the inclusion of people of color. Jade says that when she first started the station, she wanted to create something for the people because she believed that Newark needed more creative spaces. At first the station only played music and then later Jade began adding on-air talent. The music played on Newark.FM is often times different from mainstream stations. Jade wants to highlight different genres and non- mainstream artists to give people a different feel for music.
“I love being able to program music, that I wouldn’t be able to hear on Power 105.1, WBLS, or Hot 97. I love finding new music and putting people on.” She says.
Jade’s inspiration in radio would be entrepreneur Cathy Hughes. She believes that Cathy truly pushed through despite any obstacles she has faced and is greatly successful because of it. Cathy founded media company Radio One and is the first black women to head a publicly traded corporation. Some of the things Jade loves about radio is the people she meets because of it and the community aspect of it.
“The communal aspect. The thought of knowing me and someone else are sharing this too, thousands of listeners.” She says.
Looking back what Jade believes she would of done differently as far as her career would be having some type of radio experience prior to creating Newark.FM. similar to the experiences she had in TV production, interning at multiple TV corporations prior to graduating. She says that she had never been inside an actual radio station prior to Newark.FM or had to deal with external funding for an organization and these were challenges she faced.
“I learned a lot as I went along and from Google.com.” she states.
Jade believes that radio today should be more freeform and that there should be more diversity in music and DJ’s.
When asked what she looks forward to Jade explains that she will be launching an arts education program/workshops in the fall at the Grammy Museum in Newark for younger students as well as adults. These programs will focus on how to get in the music business, DJing, women in music, producing and more!
Overall, Brittany Jade just wants to continue to give back and take strides to represent people of color in radio and creative spaces.
Britt Rose: A Little Extra, But Always Herself!
“My brand is to always be yourself. I have always been a little strange, thought outside of the box, and super extra. It's just who I am. I want other people to know they should always be who they are.”
Written by: Maya Perry
Britt Rose is a syndicated Radio Personality for Rock 2.0&Classic Rock X for Westwood One and afternoon personality for Jet 100.7 & Nash 102.7 at Cumulus Media.
Her love of tv/entertainment had a big part in her start and choice of on air name. She explains, “Funny Story! A group of my friends and I used to come home after school every day and watch That 70's show. On the show, one of the characters, Donna, was a radio personality. I thought it was cool, and I've loved it ever since I got into it. I chose the name "Britt Rose" because I LOVE the movie Titanic. So, I wanted to be named after Rose from Titanic. In radio school, I went by the name "Halen Rose" for a while. But then I realized I wanted my real name in it too.”
All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies. Britt Rose explains, “My brand is to always be yourself. I have always been a little strange, thought outside of the box, and super extra. It's just who I am. I want other people to know they should always be who they are. It is freedom to be yourself fully. I love how my faith in God has allowed me to be someone who has a purpose in life, and a purpose in radio. It's those times that you don't realize you are saying something that could really help someone, relating to the listener emotionally, or just being relatable when they feel alone. Radio is important. It reminds us we are not alone.”
When asked what she would tell her younger self or other inspiring women in radio, she states, “I’m 25, so if I could even go back to when I was 16, I would have focused more on things that get you ahead in life. I wouldn't have partied as much and been so concerned about my social life. I would have focused more on school. I would have trusted in God more that things would end up working out. When you are young, just remember that it seems like you have forever, but you don't. You don't realize how much time you've wasted until you've wasted it. But, I'm proud of myself. I just wanted to point out things that you should focus on. The things that are actually important. Get ahead in life. It will help you tremendously to be focused at a young age. DREAM BIG. The sky is the limit. You are only limited by your mind. If you think you can be the next big thing in the radio world, YOU CAN. It's not just for the lucky. Its faith and belief in what you are doing and who you are. If you don't feel confident, fake it until you make it. Nobody knows the difference. After faking it, you actually WILL be confident. Also, patience has been tough for me. BUT, it is required for the dream. Sometimes it's that very moment that you want to give up that you push yourself, and something great happens for you soon after. NEVER GIVE UP. Keep chasing the dream that is in your heart. Don't let the naysayers get in your way. Pray. Believe. Push. Pursue. Don't give up.”
GiGi Diaz: The Conscious Influencer
“Follow your heart, work hard, keep your integrity and don’t sacrifice who you are for a position or a title.”
Written By: Maya Perry
“I’m a workaholic and it’s easy to be one because I love what I do.”
GiGi Diaz is a midday queen whose brand is simply described as The Conscious Influencer. GiGi explains, “Essentially my brand has always been one of community outreach and positive influence on all that I touch.” GiGi Diaz received the nickname GiGi since she moved from Cuba. “A friend in middle school started calling me that and I hated it but it stuck. Once I got into TV, which was my first 10 years in communications, people already knew me as GiGi and I figured, if I can’t drop this nickname I’m going to make it work for me! So I kept it and used it on air, opened a business with it, my dance studio GiGi’s Academy which was actually just named Top 3 Dance Studios in Hialeah.”
She describes her first media experience, “My very first experience in radio was when I was about 16 years old. I was a columnist for a newspaper called En Contacto News, which was distributed in South Florida and I would often go to radio stations to interview the artists since they were already there. Their agents would have me come do the interview on location. I connected with Victor Suave who was the producer of a show called “Escencia de los 80” which translates to Escence of the 80’s. He interviewed me because he saw my hustle at such a young age and taught me a bit of how the board works and what radio is all about. From there I came across Radio Disney while performing with my GiGi’s Academy dancers at a Marlins game on Family Sundays. The PD was there and saw me MCing for the set my dancers were putting on stage and offered me a job in promotions.
Within a few months I was On Air for Radio Disney Miami. Right before Radio Disney Miami closed down I was offered a morning position with SBS where I worked for a while before moving to iHeartRadio. Fast forward to today, it’s like coming full circle since I currently work on 939MIA which is “variety from the 80’s, 90’s and today.”
GiGi’s hard work and persistence has helped her to elevate in this business.
When asked what she would tell her younger self, she states, “I would tell my younger self to stay focused and definitely work hard, BUT to stop and smell the roses once in a while, to be more in the moment. This is something that took me years to learn to do. Follow your heart, work hard, keep your integrity and don’t sacrifice who you are for a position or a title. In the end, when you rest your head at night it’s not the titles, the money or the fame that get to sleep soundly, it’s your peace of mind.”
Ayeeedubb: Don't Be So Afraid - Do It!
“I remember being scared to say things or nervous to try new things. If I can move away from family and kill this radio thing and living by myself thing, then honey, I can legit do ANYTHING. ”
Written by: Maya Perry
Ayeeedubb (aye-dub) is a fun, unique, and creative personality who is taking the radio world by storm! Ayeeedubb tells a short story on how she came up with her on air name. “My first name is Alexandra, so there is the "ayeeee" part and my last name is Wurst, so the "dub" part. The way it is typed, I just think it looks the best that way. I have not went by any other on air talent name.”
She originally wanted to be a guidance counselor or social worker to help people. But her bright personality and spirit is now lightening up your days on the airwaves. Ayeeedubb remembers “I had a listener that ended up in a juvenile center and she told me one of the other people in there had a radio and would always listen to the station I was on and she said it made her feel better to just hear me and I had her laughing and just an overall feel good type of feeling and THAT is my purpose for radio.”
Ayeeedubb got her start in radio by being an intern for the hip hop station in Charlotte, Streetz 103.3. “My internship was during my final semester before graduation. I was hustling between classes, two part time jobs, and my college was about an hour away from the radio station. I was busting my tail trying to make it all work! Once I graduated, they called me and offered me a part time on-air and board op position.” She moved to Charlotte with her sister and worked as a part timer while working another job to pay bills. After working part time for three years, Ayeeedubb got her first full time position in Indiana June 2018.
You can now catch Ayeeedubb rocking out nights on Jamz 96.3 in Albany, NY.
When asked what advice she would tell to aspiring women in radio, she states “my advice for aspiring women in radio is something that my old 7th grade math teacher always said. “People don't remember how you start, but how you finish" So, you can sound messed up, jacked up, have a few slip ups on air, etc. It’s all okay, no one is going to remember those things. As the years go by, you'll get better and you'll definitely improve and you'll be flawless in the radio game. And THAT'S how people will remember you. I remember being scared to say things or nervous to try new things. If I can move away from family and kill this radio thing and living by myself thing, then honey, I can legit do ANYTHING. ”
Jhas : Work Hard, Be Transparent, Exercise Humility
“Being uncertain is never an excuse to not give things your BEST try. Passionate pursuit is a beautiful thing because even in your missteps, you stand the chance of landing exactly where you were meant to.”
Written By: Maya Perry
Jhas is a transparent and authentic media personality who found her purpose in radio after several missteps that proved to be ordered by God in the first place. In fact, She explains after she left college, with only a part-time job offer, she still wasn’t sold that radio was the path. It wasn’t until Jhas took a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. This planfailed, she returned home, with the fret of starting over. This mishap lead her back into radio to discover that it was where she ultimately was meant to be all along.
Jhas wanted to be an actress but didn’t realize that radio was her true calling. Most of us find our love for radio almost instantaneously but Radio had to be revealed in the life of Jhas. Jhas states “Like most people, I got started in college radio. But UNLIKE most people, I didn’t stay in college long enough to get my degree. This is why any success I have, I attribute only to Jesus. I actually failed OUT of my radio course twice and would have been booted out of the program entirely had it not been for God’s favor and a programming director who just liked something about my on-air presence.” Jhas describes herself as being incredibly flighty in college. She chose to go to a casting call in New York instead of a mandatory college radio meeting and was fired from the station. She states that “If you are unsure of your path… don’t trip, it will all work out. I promise.”
One thing she would tell her younger self is “it would be to trust the process. I’d stress the importance of not letting the internet or the timelines of others rush me. But I’d also encourage myself to continue to work hard. Because I wasn’t sure which direction I was going in, does not mean that I wasn’t running full-force in those directions. Being uncertain is never an excuse to not give things your BEST try. Passionate pursuit is a beautiful thing because even in your missteps, you stand the chance of landing exactly where you were meant to.” Sometimes we try to create plans for our own journey but destiny always wins.
Jhas is currently a morning show host and freelance writer for Essence Mag and Rantt Media. When ask what she would tell upcoming women in radio is that “While you are doing the hard work, be sure you are doing the heart work. If you let your talent take you places that your character can’t keep you, you will not remain there for long. Growth in your career and growth as a person must run concurrently. And please be gentle with yourself while you grow in both facets.”
Kathia Woods: Overcoming the Obstacles
“I love discovering new artists or highlighting great creatives. Just because they aren't famous yet doesn’t mean that their journey isn't worth examining.”
Written By: Dymin Cannon
There are people who complain, and there are people who make a difference. When it comes down to overcoming obstacles, Kathia Woods is undefeated.
Born in Germany with a Brazilian background. At the tender age of 11, Woods moved to the United States. While she had the ability to speak English, this transition proved to be a hard one for her. That life changing experience taught her that she could overcome anything. Today she is currently living on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennysalvania in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
Ambitious, caring, funny and passionate are just some of the qualities Woods possesses that molded her into the woman she is today.
What led Woods to a career in radio is her love for speaking to people. She felt that there was a void in radio that allowed you to speak to interesting “folks” while playing non-mainstream music. For more than four years, Woods has been a Radio Host and Producer for PC Radio Live. PC Radio Live is an independent black owned station. The company has only been in existence less than 10 years.
“We are an independent brand on a black own independent outlet so folks think that's somehow inferior however we have interviewed some of the folks that bigger outlets have. At times it's an advantage because we don't place as many restrictions,” says Woods when asked about PC Radio. Her goals for the brand is to continue growing and connecting with more listeners
“I love discovering new artists or highlighting great creatives. Just because they aren't famous yet doesn’t mean that their journey isn't worth examining,” Woods says.
The advice she would give to anymore wanting to pursue a career in radio is to start small. By starting small, she means working at a community station whether it is on the internet, highschool or even college. Next, find someone to mentor you and help connect with as many people as possible.
“Also, you are never too old to jump in the game. I'm 48 years old and I am having a blast.”