10 Questions with ... Deanna Cruz

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Graduated from Boston University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. I went back to school at CT School of Broadcasting in Needham, MA to study just radio. After sending out demo after demo I finally got a parttime job in Albany, NY at WAJZ (JAMZ 96.3). I lived in Boston at the time and would drive up to Albany every weekend for the love of radio. Finally a station in Fairhaven, MA came calling and I was working weekends at WFHN (Fun 107). It wasn't too long before I was working both at Fun 107 and Hot 106 on weekends and FINALLY a fulltime opened up and I jumped onto middays moving into afternoons and now, mornings.

1. Why Radio?

I'm sure a lot of on-air personalities say this but I LOVE MUSIC! When I was in High School I attended a performing arts academy and I didn't really see myself being the next big thing like Britney Spears or Lady Gaga so I found a way to still be around music and follow my passion.

2. To date, what is the highlight of your radio career?

I've been fortunate to interview some of the biggest artists and go to tons of great shows. It's hard to just pick on moment but recently I went to the gym and ran into DJ Pauly D from Jersey Shore. I was thinking to myself, "Oh, he won't remember me"...but next thing you know he comes up to me on the elliptical and goes, "Hi Deanna". Lol...all I could think was about Royce Da 5'9"'s cipher on the BET Hip Hop Awards. Of course, our conversation ended with "Bye Deanna". Definitely one of the most memorable moments.

3. Did/do you have any female radio role models?

Yes, of course. Living in Boston, I listened to Deirdre Dagata a lot. She has a solid sound and definitely 'paints the picture' for her listeners. I love Angie Martinez! Her interviews are always on point and she's always in the know.

4. If you weren't co-hosting a morning, would you consider yourself a "morning" person?

Yes, but not 4 am early! Once I'm up...I'm up. Usually a cup of coffee is all I need to get my words right.

5. Your morning co-host is Vezzy Parmesan. Is Vezzy more of a little brother, big brother, father, son or...(dun dun dun)...lover to you?

He's more of a brother: sometimes a little brother sometimes a big brother. We get along great and we just get each other. I didn't know Vezzy before starting mornings and we just hit it off right away. I think if you can sit in a room and talk to someone for three hours and not realize that much time has gone by there is something there.

6. If you and Vezzy were both on Survivor-South Pacific, who is more likely to win? Who is more likely to eat a large bug?

Ok this is a difficult one. I would definitely out-run Vezzy. And I can probably beat him in any physical competition, but bug eating that's just gross. I feel like Vezzy would eat whatever to win! Lol.

7. Think back to being 10 years-old. What did you want to be when you grew up?

You're going to laugh because it's totally nowhere near what I'm doing now. I wanted to be a marine biologist and work with dolphins. Ok, enough said.

8. You're a New England girl...geographically, what other markets or areas interest you, professionally?

Any of the top ten markets would work for me. I love my family so I wouldn't want to be too far away, but if the right opportunity came up I'd do it. The top 3 that come to mind as of now would be Boston, NY, and Philly.

9. Do you think that doing mornings now would help you if you were to move to back to afternoons someday?

Yes, of course. There are so many things you learn from every shift. And there are a lot of things you learn about yourself, too. Mornings allow the listeners to get to know you a little more and it's sooooo much more content driven.

10. What's the most romantic spot in Providence? What do you think Vezzy would say?

I'd have to say the Hill because it has my favorite restaurant, Sienna Restaurant. Love Sienna! It's absolutely delicious. But there is also Prospect Park, a nice park that overlooks the whole city. As for Vezzy, I think he'd say anything Italian was romantic. LOL. Grab a meatball sub with some parmesan and you'll be all set.

If you were to leave Radio and music today and you could choose any other occupation, what would it be?

I thought you said 10 questions! Ok...TV would be it. I would love to follow in the footsteps of Oprah but if that didn't work I'd go back to school and become a nutritionist. Maybe those bugs could be good for you after all.

If you could only watch one movie, one TV show and listen to one CD, which would you choose?

For a movie, I'd pick The Notebook. I'm a hopeless romantic...don't judge me. TV Show: I'm a HUGE fan of Jersey Shore (let's be honest that's why I got a DVR so I could record the shows just in case I missed it). One CD?? Come on that's too hard. I refuse to answer that one. I'd just bring my iPod with ALL my music.