10 Questions with ... Cortney Hicks

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Twenty-plus year radio vet with some TV experience. Worked in Charlotte, Detroit, Chicago, DC and Mobile, AL. Previously have held APD/MD positions. First & only female, thus far, to headline a morning show in the Chicago market (04-06). Special TV projects with Dr. Oz Show, NBC15, Discovery Network, local DC news affiliates.

1) What do you see in your future?

A lucrative TV career. After 20+ years of being heard, it's time to be seen. I'm looking forward to expanding my career to television.

2) How did you get into radio?

Many thanks to the Dubose family in Lansing, MI, as WQHH is where I began my radio career while attending Michigan State University. I was Cortney Hicks "Lansing's Homegirl" (94-95). After about a year and little help from then record rep PJ, both Elroy Smith and Monica Starr reached out. WGCI was part-time. WEJM was a midday gig and I started in March 1995 on 106 JAMZ as "The Babygirl." Nicknamed by the late Pinkhouse, folks from Chicago still to this day refer to me as such. I always say that I was born and raised in Detroit but I became a woman in Chicago!

3) Would you share some lessons you have learned in your career?

The best advice given along my career path was the same advice I gave Jay Hicks (my second to the youngest brother who is the PD), which was the same advice Pinkhouse gave me on my first day on air in Chicago -- "Anticipate." And Monica Starks told me, "The only way you survive this business is to operate on a 'need to know basis.'" Meaning, you pretty much need to know a little bit about pretty much everything. Why wait for someone to tell, instruct, direct or force you? Figure it out and use it to anticipate any and every move you make. Hell, that lesson/advice has keep me in the game for over 20 years as I've only been fired twice by some dude named New Direction, that isn't bad at all! #Warrior

4) Who were your mentors in this business?

AJ Parker, Pinkhouse, Bonnie Deshong, Shirley Hayes, Shannon Dell, Frankie Darcel, Janet G, Lynn Briggs, John Mason, Mildred Gaddis, Monica Starr, Maxx Myrick, James Alexander, Elroy Smith, Barry Mayo.

5) Who are some of the people who have influenced you as a person?

Along with the above mentioned, additional influences included, but not limited to, the Electrifying MoJo, Larry "Doc" Elliot, Chris McClendon, Doug Banks, Irene Mojic, Tom Joyner, Bo Griffin, Delilah, Martha Jean "The Queen", Donnie Simpson, Rosetta Hines "The Rose."

6) Who did you grow up listening to and what did you learn?

From the above mentioned, I learned about on-air presence, delivery, and the true pageantry of what is was/is to be an on-air jock.

7) What formats have you worked?

Urban and Urban AC

8) What advice do you have for beginners starting out in broadcasting?

Run. LOL. Network, seek out internships, follow-up, be willing to work for free sometimes. The key is to gain experience, be useful and stay away from mess and drama.

9) What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you in this business? Did you learn anything from it?

While on WEJM, I mistakenly loaded and hit the wrong cart for a money game giving away $1,000 instead of the scheduled $100. What I learned ... pay attention!

10) How do you view the past and the future for radio?

The past -- nostalgic in nature and the overall impact of black radio in the community; the networking conferences like "Jack the Rapper" and Jerry Boulding's Urban Network, the music (how radio played an intricate part in the evolution with rap music & Hip Hop culture), and the big on-air/programming personalities of yesteryear. The future -- A mere reflection of what was while still trying to figure out what it could be, especially as listening habits continue to change, ratings systems appear to be subjective and the evolution of technology remains constant. In other words, black radio's past warms me, its future worries me.