Betty Boop On Air: Simply Black and White

Written by: Maya Perry

“This radio life is so crazy and difficult! Only a bad ass like you would knowingly and voluntarily dive in head-first to such depths. And you do it selfishly because you want to educate, entertain, and inform your people.”

Yesenia Alvarez better known as “Betty Boop” on air is a multimedia personality. To kick off our interview, She describes her start in radio. “Back in 2005 or 2006, I got the opportunity to be the Hip Hop journalist for StreetFlavaRadio.com and I was SO shy at how my voice sounded! In 2011 I interned at WLEY, one of the top Regional Mexican radio stations in Chicago and the Midwest. I was hired as an on-air talent and morning show producer.”

One of the most interesting things I noticed when talking to her, was her chosen on air name. When I asked why she chose “Betty Boop” she explains, I’ve always liked the Betty Boopcharacter since I was a young child. My family would always gift me Betty Boop bags, frames, etc. And it was always a nickname for me up until I went into mainstream radio. Betty Boop, although sexy and provocative, she was a revolutionary. She tackled real-life topics in her black-and-white films.”

Similar to the character, Betty Boop on air herself like to tackle real topics. She states “My purpose is to be my authentic self, to be unapologetic, to stand in my truth and to lead by example. Luckily, I never felt like I had to “find my purpose.” I just felt it. Radio has been my main vehicle to transport my purpose. My brand is that of a multi-faceted person that does not shy away from her gifts. We concluded the interview with her list advice for women seeking radio careers. 

1. Know yourself and what you want! 

2. Don’t lose yourself in the process. 

3. Continue to educate yourself

4. Remember you are in a position many people wish they had. Use your platform to spread positive messages to your audience. 

Amelia De Vita: From Radio Down Under

Written By: Maya Perry

Amelia De Vita is Mid-Day Jock - Big 105.9 in South Florida. But before she came to Florida, she was just a woman in radio from down under. “I’m from Australia so there was an instant move towards that as part of my persona, I do have little Australian colloquialisms when I speak. My brand is young, fun and foreign which is relatable to so many of my listeners here in South Florida.”

She describes her start in radio while growing up in Australia. “I did a degree in Applied Media and Communications in Australia. I was sitting in a lecture with a guest speaker, a man who was the General Manager of a popular radio station down under. When the lecture finished and all the students left, I went up to the front and told the guest speaker I would love to volunteer and get some work experience. He agreed and I worked there for free for a few months before they put me on the payroll as a street teamer and a panel op.”

Amelia De Vita is simply a testimony that “Good things come to those who HUSTLE! Continue to work hard, it will be worth it.” She concludes our interview with a quote she lives by. “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it's stupid. “Figure out what your best skill is and focus on that, lean into that and sell that because you’ll only waste time on anything else. Know that you CAN take on the world, BELIEVE in yourself and get it, girl!”

Maria Leaf: The Story Teller

By: Miss Perry

“Radio is a great industry and despite the popularity of streaming and podcasts, there’s still a huge audience to be had.”

Maria Leaf is a multitalented, vibrant afternoon News Editor/Anchor for WMAL-FM in Washington, DC. She’s not only an awesome woman in radio but she is an audiobook narrator. Maria Leaf describes her start in radio over two decades ago. “I got started in the fall of 1996 at WRVO-FM on the campus of Oswego State University where I was a broadcast major. I use my real name on the air (Maria Leaf). Back then, it was just the easiest thing to do...with the advent of social media, I kind of wished I used an alias, but since I’m in SAG-AFTRA I figured it’s better to keep it as it is. The NPR affiliate had an opening for a newsroom reporter as part of a work-study program, so I learned the ins and outs of radio news there before spending time in TV and Radio newsrooms across upstate NY, Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC.”

Maria Leaf spoke briefly on how important it is for your brand to be non-biased and accurate in an industry where opinion has seeped its way into news reports more and more.  She further states, “I am from the ‘old school’ way, where you never share your personal views or make stories about you... because that does nothing for the listener.  They are there to hear the facts and formulate their own views on a topic.”

We concluded our interview by Maria Leaf giving her ultimate tips on how to balance life and radio. “Don’t be a total workaholic. News-Talk radio is a very male-dominated business. However, females who are solid journalists and on-air performers will rise to the top on their own. Success is important, but so is having a work-life balance. Don’t be afraid to move markets, Don’t expect to get rich...expect to make enough to live relatively comfortably. Always update your aircheck. Radio is a fickle business and you can be here one day and gone the next, but if you’re talented, there will always be a spot for you somewhere. Also, learn as much as you can and take on as many different roles as possible. People who wear multiple hats are less likely to get fired. At the same time.. Make time for yourself so you don’t get burned out.”

Shelby Sos: Got The Radio Sauce

Written by: Miss Perry 

“My journey has honestly had more downs than ups, and there were so many times I wanted to give up. I’d call my mom crying, saying I was going to quit and go to grad school. Being a woman in the boys club is hard, even when you’re one of the boys.”

Shelby Sos ( last name is pronounced “Sauce”) is the infamous Night Jock for Z104.3 for iHeartMedia Baltimore. But before she was Shelby, she had a couple nicknames as an intern. “When I started my career in radio, I was called “Intern Shelby” or “Wednesday Addams” because I wore a lot of black. Within weeks, everyone at work started calling me “Sos”. When I would get called in to be on air, it was a reflex to call me by my last name so listeners started to call me by my last name as well. When I started my night show six months ago I had to decide if I wanted to be “Shelby” or “Sos”. Since the market I work in, was the same market as my old job it made sense to keep going by my last name, since that’s what the listeners know. Is it the safest idea? Definitely not!”

Like most of us women in radio, Shelby Sos describes radio as being one of her wildest dreams. “I had been wanting to start my radio career for a while, but kept hitting road blocks. When I was in college one of my classmates was an intern for the Kane Show, and told me they were hiring. I applied in April 2016, and kept sending e-mails to the producer of the show until finally I was called for an interview in July 2016. The date they picked for the interview, I was supposed to be on a work trip in another state. I canceled the trip, lost hundreds of dollars, just for the interview. It worked out, I got hired out of hundreds of applicants as a Kane Show intern!”

Her resilience and persistence has allowed Shelby Sos to grow and become the dynamic personality she is now. We concluded interview with advice about being an upcoming women in radio and what she would leave for aspiring women in the industry. “Keep going. There are going to be times when you feel like giving up because you don’t see yourself succeeding, but that just means something big is about to happen! Everything you’re about to do is right. Keep advocating for yourself because if you don’t, who will?”

Cyn City: Weird, Awkward, Funny

By: Maya Perry

“I pretty much knew what career path I wanted to take back when I was a teenager. It was either going to be a meteorologist or work in radio. I hate math, so radio won the coin toss!”

Cyn City not to be confused with “Sin City” proclaims that she is a combination of three simple words, “Weird. Awkward. Funny.” She further explains, “I’m just me. I try to be as authentic to myself as possible. When I look around and see what flows through social media, it makes me sad sometimes because I feel some of us radio head’s, we forget what we truly started out in radio to do. Move people. Entertain. Make them forget about their worries while they listen to us. I feel as if we have turned into these social media clowns doing every “challenge” in order to go viral. Or do things in order to pump up on our followers count. I need substance. My purpose in radio is simple. Entertain. I want radio to move folks the way some legendary jocks moved me when I was younger.”

Cyn City tells a short memory about growing up around radio. “Growing up, I would see my dad talk with people all around the world using his HAM radio. The original Facebook! Lol. He’s had one since the 70’s or 80’s. I loved sneaking into his “radio room” and would turn it on and see if I could talk to someone in another country. He would get post cards from his “friends” all over the world. I found it fun and exciting! When the time came to pick what I wanted to do in life, radio came naturally.” 

When speaking to Cyn City, I loved reading her name. Something so simple as a play on words, yet intriguing. I had to ask, how did she come up with the on air name “Cyn City”?  She clarifies, “My real name is spelled Cintia. But, my whole entire life no one could ever spell it correctly, not even my own mother at times! Since I worked in sports radio and it was a boys club, all the boys had nick names. A dear friend/coworker of mine, Zach Krantz from 560 WQAM in Miami, he gave me the name Cyn City on air one day. The boys used just call me “Cin”.Cin turned into Cyn City and well...I ran with it. Cyn City was born!”

You can catch Cyn City on air at Power 96 in Miami as well as cohosting “Not a Basic Podcast”. When I asked her what piece of advice she would give to upcoming women in radio, she concluded “Learn! Learn! Learn! Every department. Every job position. Learn it. You never know where your radio journey will take you. Absorb and learn as much as you can. Toughen up faster. It’ll help face disappointments that WILL come along the way.”

Kat Carter: The Radio Nerd

By: Maya Perry

Like most of us, Kat started out doing a job that wasn’t what she wanted to do, but she recognized her talents. “I started off in the promotions department then slowly started to gain more responsibilities when it was clear I was passionate about radio. At my first radio job, I ended up being the Music Director for three formats (Hot-AC, Country and Classic Rock) plus doing the mid-day shift on the Hot-AC station, I was in my early 20s at the time. When I initially started in radio, I went by my real name ‘Emily Carter’ but after my second radio job in Vancouver, I went by Kat Carter instead. At the time, we had two Emily C’s at the station and since I was the new girl in town, my PD asked if I could change my name. It took a while to choose a name until a co-worker asked what my middle name was...I responded “Kathleen” and he said to go with “Kat Carter.” She has been Kat Carter ever since.

“I found my purpose in radio after trying out almost every job at the station to see what I enjoyed most. I tried production, news, copy, promo, on-air and music. I quickly realized that my goal was not to be on-air, but in the music department, programming the station. You’ve got to have a certain focus and attention to detail to program music and I knew that was one of my strong suits. I also made sure to continue to be on-air, that way I became more valuable to the station. It’s harder to let go of someone who is doing multiple jobs. If I had just been on-air, I probably would have been canned numerous times.”

Concluding our interview, Kat left some sound advice for future women in radio, “If I could speak to my younger self, I would tell her that you’re more talented than you think. Stop doubting your abilities and don’t compare yourself to others. Have more confidence in yourself. Don’t be afraid to take chances, it will help you grow personally and professionally. Take that job in another market, try out a different position at the station, network as much as possible and don’t be afraid to fail. We all fail but the successful ones get back up and try again.”