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10 Questions with ... Krystina Ramey
July 23, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Originally from a small town in Northeast Tennessee, Krystina has traveled the country chasing her radio dream. Immediately after college, she moved to West Palm Beach, FL with a degree in graphic design and a job at an advertising agency. It didn't take long, however, for this lover of performing arts to realize that a desk job just wasn't for her. She was falling out of love with design, while at the same time falling in love with the #1 morning show in town - The Kevin, Virginia & Jason Show. When she heard they were looking for interns, she went immediately to a local college to register for any course that would allow her to get internship credit. She contacted the show, and before she knew it, she was sharing stories on the air and running out to buy 10 pounds of macaroni at 6:30 in the morning.
Once her semester ended, Krystina was invited to stay with the show, and spent the rest of that year learning everything she could - editing audio, recording promos and even running the board. Thanks to Kevin Rolston and his amazing team, Krystina knew that radio was exactly what she wanted to do. So, she flew to L.A., met with every radio professional she could get a hold of, and passed out resumes. Before the summer had ended, Krystina was offered a position with FOX Sports Radio. Off to the west coast!
In her four years in L.A., Krystina worked her way up the radio ranks, co-hosting a Sports Talk show and even hosting her own web show on the FOX Sports website. She continued to rise, moving to producer of Lovesongs on the KOST with Karen Sharp, and eventually to on-air producer for the KOST 103.5 morning show. Thanks to the waves she had made in the industry, Krystina was recommended for a position in Houston, and got the offer to work with Eric Rowe and The Roula & Ryan Show on heritage station KRBE. Knowing the prestige of those hosts, that station, and the Houston market in general, Krystina packed her bags and headed south to Texas.
During her time in Houston, Krystina has fine-tuned her radio game, and quickly became one of the sales department's most-requested personalities. She even spends her free time recording a podcast for the KRBE website, and has gained an impressive following. She's not afraid of hard work, and consistently puts everything she has into achieving her dreams.
1) What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and to stay motivated?
I have had such a strong passion for radio ever since I got into this business that I couldn't stay away from a microphone. Since my first paying gig as a promotions assistant, I have always spent my free time at the station recording my own version of a morning show, with my behind-the-scenes co-workers, or friends! This podcast has grown into something I'm really proud of, and still love to do! So for me, staying on the mic, and continuing to sharpen my hosting skills has helped keep me motivated. I know I've got a talent, and I understand that at this point it's all about timing.
2) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?
When I focus on something, I focus on it whole-heartedly, and sometimes the things in my personal life can fall by the wayside. I say that to lessen my embarrassment in admitting that I've been needing to put together my home office for two years! So my first week on the beach, I finally did it - beautiful space, super motivating, Adam Sandler movie posters all finally hung ... (now that part I'm not embarrassed about!) Organizing makes me happy.
3) Some people get discouraged or enlightened with the business when they actually step out of it for a while. Tell us your observations from the outside.
Funny enough, I already went through this while I was employed! I had my disillusionment phase, got through it, and realized there's nothing on this planet I'd rather do than radio! I found this industry after I had already gotten a degree in graphic design and had spent a year at an ad agency, but once I found it - it was so slap-in-the-face obvious that entertainment was the field I had been born to be in (judging by the hundreds of home movies my mom has of me singing and putting on skits for the whole family). I've never found anything that can top the love I have for putting on a show. So, while radio may have its drawbacks, honestly, I feel they are far outweighed by the fun we get to have every day, at our jobs - we get paid to do this! And even though the road to success can be a treacherous one, there's no other career path I want to walk. I know radio is for me and I just can't wait to get back into it.
4) Do you plan on sticking with radio?
Most definitely. If anything, I may go back to school one day and get an additional degree in couples' counseling, but I never have any intention of leaving the radio industry while I do that. In fact, I hope to someday marry my counseling degree and my radio career! I could be the female Frasier Crane - only not nearly as stuffy, and my advice segments would come between a round of Shock-Collar Spelling Bee and a game of Headphone Karaoke.
5) What's the longest stretch you've had on the beach?
Honestly, I've been so blessed to not have been in this position yet. In my second semester as an intern for Kevin Rolston and the KVJ Show in South Florida, I took a week off to fly to L.A. and cold-call every radio station in the city. I got some interviews, impressed the bosses at iHeartMedia, and got a job offer from FOX Sports Radio. I spent almost four years in Los Angeles, and after earning three promotions in three years, I turned my sights to my hometown so that I could be closer to my family. My father had just passed away, but as fortune would have it, the station I had grown up listening to in Tennessee had just begun their search for a morning co-host. I took the job, and spent some time entertaining the home crowd while helping my mom adjust to life on her own. One morning while in Tennessee, I woke up to a text from Kevin Rolston about his friend, Eric Rowe, who was looking for a new show member. He put the two of us together, and about two months later I was moving to Houston to be a part of the Roula & Ryan Show.
Now that I've reached a level of this industry that involves contract-signing, I understand that exclusive negotiations and non-competes are going to paint a much different picture for me than I've experienced so far. But I have faith, I know I have the talent, and I'm a go-getter like no one has seen. I know that as long as I stick to my craft during my off-time, I'll find a way to make it my career again.
6) What's the best way to get your foot in the door?
It's true what they say - it's kind of about who you know. Thankfully I've had a chance to work with some of the most talented people in this industry, and they know everyone, so I've been able to introduce myself to many important radio figures. But I don't rest on that alone. Tracy Johnson does free webinars all the time; you better believe I'm live-streaming every one of them, and I ask questions, too. Mr. Johnson was aware of me before my co-workers even introduced me to him. I've made so many amazing friends all around the country by attending Morning Show Boot Camp, so I've reached out to them as well, letting them know I'm looking. I'm paying my way to MSBC this year, to make sure I don't miss out on more potential connections. I send e-mails all the time, to anyone whom I think would be good to connect with ... the worst that can happen is you don't get a response, and believe me, it does happen. But it can only happen for so long, and I know eventually the right person is going to hear my demo and I'll get that career-changing phone call. But if you want a bit of a different answer, I say there's still nothing wrong with having a pizza delivered to that PD, no?
7) What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?
AllAccess.com has truly made it easy, because everything is in one place - you've got public job posts, you've got stealth job posts. But again, because I am such a go-getter, I actually made a list of every radio company in America - from the large corporations all the way down to the small-market companies. I've bookmarked all of their 'careers' pages, and I visit them every so often just to see if there's anything that hasn't made it to AllAccess.com yet. It's a lot of sorting, but with something as important to me as radio, I like to make sure I've left no stone unturned. (For the record, I'd be happy to share my list + links, if you'd like to reach out to me for it!)
8) What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get a job?
Most definitely it was when I spent a week cold-calling every radio-type employer I could find in the city of Los Angeles in order to set up meetings ... flying across the country to a city I'd never even been to ... and doing my best to impress potential employers with nothing more than an intern's portfolio in hand and less than a year of experience under my belt (not even a degree in communications!). But it worked!
9) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?
I know I'm ready for a head position on a morning show, and I'd like to work somewhere where we can have fun - bits, caller topics, games. That's really all I'm looking for in a job position, and I'm not really worried about where. I'd just like to live somewhere where I can hike a mountain one day, and swim in a body of water the next.
While I'm open and flexible to many things, there is always that "dream job," so for the purpose of being more specific, I'll dive in a little more. I'd like to be host or co-host of my own show. I don't care who has what mic number, just as long as we both are equally important. I've learned, thanks to Tracy Johnson, that I'm a Generator, and would work best being paired with some Responders and Instigators. As I mentioned before, I get joy out of organizing, so setting up the skeleton of the bits and getting in and out of breaks is something I do well. I like to lay things out, and have my co-hosts color them in (although I can do plenty of that as well; I've never been short on stories to share!). I feel that I would do well at an Urban station, as I've always preferred Urban music / TV / movies / fashion / news / etc., or a Rock station, as I can hang with the best of the boys and I'm not really anywhere near your squeaky-clean soccer mom. However, I've spent most of my time in radio with either Top 40 or Hot AC stations, so I know how to thrive in those formats as well! I've spent the majority of my life in the south and the Midwest, so I'd like to see what it's like living in the West or even New England. My time in California was the best of my life, so I definitely have an affinity for the West Coast. Being able to connect with the outdoors is one of the most important things to me, so living somewhere with a great outdoor recreation scene would be amazing!
10) Are you finding salaries/benefits lower than you ever thought, about the same, or have you seen some pleasant surprises?
I've been pleasantly surprised by what I can make in radio - but honestly, I've never been in this for the money, so I try not to judge anything based on the compensation. As long as I can have fun doing what I do, that's all I can ask for from a job.
Bonus Questions
Care to contribute a recipe for our "On The Beach" cookbook?
Ha! I can't cook macaroni and cheese out of a box! Here's my best recipe: a $5 Hot-n-Ready pizza from Little Caesar's. (Don't judge, I grew up in a small town!)
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