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Charese Fruge (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Sonia Jimenez
November 24, 2020
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Sonia Jimenez started in radio in Sacramento in the 10th grade. She always knew she wanted to be in the business. “I knew from an early age that radio was my calling. I was that annoying kid calling the radio station request line every day just to talk to the DJ!” she says. “One day, KSFM’s night personality Mark S. Allen was broadcasting from a billboard, so I went there to experience the whole radio vibe and next thing I know, I’m interning for the afternoon DJ. I was in 10th grade at the time and I’m always so grateful to my dad for being such a great sport and driving me there every day after school.”
Since then Sonia has risen to the ranks of APD/MD for Hot AC KZZO as well as MD for Country sister station KNCI and APD for AC sister station KYMX. Her resume looks a little like this: She started at KSFM in 1993 and rose to APD there, then went to be the MD at KGGI in Riverside in 1994. She worked in Promotions in Sacramento at KHYL and KFBK and then went to New York’s Power 105.1. Finally, after spreading her wings, she moved back home to program KGBY then transferred back to KSFM and KZZO where she remains (KSFM was later officially transferred to Entercom during a Bonneville swap).
Sonia’s one priority in the business is making her listeners happy. That’s the thing that brings her the most joy she says. “Pre-COVID-19, I loved seeing their faces when they met their favorite artist, or when they saw a concert for the very first time. It’s that same feeling that gave me the radio bug as a young girl.”
“To be honest, my sole endgame was always to meet Duran Duran or be part of their posse,” says Jimenez. “I channeled that dream (which came true a few times by the way, and I cried tears of joy, in front of them every time) into helping others meet their favorite artists. Chad Rufer (our super amazing Head of Programming), our very talented KNCI Program Director Joey Tack, and I have great relationships with our wonderful label partners and we are grateful to get concert tickets and meet-n-greet experiences to give away to our listeners.”
“Nowadays with our great continued label partnerships, we are fortunate to have virtual concerts, artist interviews on our social media pages, and listener interaction from the comfort of their own home or office. Our talented digital department has helped us tremendously in making these successful,” adds Jimenez. “Our ability to adapt to current events and deliver great listener experiences is something that also makes me proud and it’s even better when they tag us and thank us on our social media pages.”
Some of the more exciting things Sonia has experienced over the course of her career also involve her listeners. “Being able to help create organic station concerts with over 18,000 people and watch our audience be so excited to experience live music from their local radio station is just amazing!” she says. “I’m also so lucky to be the Music Director for our country station KNCI. Every year we have our station concert called “Country in The Park,” which sells out months in advance with over 18,000 listeners. I’m always proud of our events team for putting together everything that goes into a festival: from ticketing, staging, sound, and all the way down to our post-concert taco bar. I have a teeny hand in helping get the artists for the show or help put together talent for our intimate VIP events. I’m also getting our air talent on stage to emcee or dealing with some groupie trying to sneak backstage (my favorite drama to tackle at the shows). I enjoy overseeing the meet and greets, so I can see the fans get so excited to meet their favorite artist,” she says. “These shows really bring our listeners together as well as our entire building. I LOVE seeing everyone from every department pitching in to help make our events successful, safe and enjoyable for everyone.”
As history continues to reveal, there are very few women focused on programming in radio. I asked Sonia for some advice for women who want to tackle that angle of the business, because quite frankly, we need more. “I always say ‘go for it’-whether it’s programming, promotions, production, sales -I am lucky to know some fantastic women in all of those areas,” says Jimenez. “I’ve been fortunate and blessed to be in programming and marketing and promotions. I dabble a teeny tiny bit in production but I’m nowhere near as fast, creative, or have the vocal skills like our current Production Director Angie Montoya (a mentee of mine).
“Marketing and promotions was a tough segue from programming because in my world of programming, things were always static. In marketing and promotions, things can change at the drop of a hat. I had a tough time with that part of the job at first but grew to really enjoy being in promotions. Creating fun contests, doing live broadcasts, developing an outdoor marketing plan, managing street teams-it all was so much fun. I needed to learn this side to be a good programmer. In the end, programming fits me best and is my passion, but it took me trying out different things to understand that,” she says. “But I truly enjoy working with our epic air talent, being able to help construct our radio stations musically, promotionally, and so much more on a daily basis.”
Mentoring is very important to Sonia as well as her company. “We have a mentorship program at Bonneville International and I have been happy to participate each time I’ve been asked,” she says. “Mentoring is like a relationship; both parties need to be committed and communicate. I’ve had some mentoring relationships that weren’t as committed as I had hoped, and which turned out to be very disappointing. However, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to help others achieve their career goals,” added Jimenez. “I recently had one that was going well until COVID-19 shut the office down. Her mentorship is over, but I still check in on her as she was really doing well, and I want to keep her motivated.”
“Sometimes I’m lucky to find mentees along the way. I gravitate toward anyone who has passion, commitment, motivation, and a winning attitude. I was lucky to have many (and continue to) mentors throughout my career. It’s really important to me to have a supportive boss, co-workers and family to help me when I’m feeling insecurities at work or when I just need advice in general.”
Outside of Sonia’s three official titles, she’s very productive with her spare time. “I love listening to disco and 80’s new wave music, playing SongPop, being my daughter’s 5th grade room parent, spending quality-uninterrupted-time with my husband and daughter and I love to travel (Caribbean is my favorite area of the globe),” she says. “My husband, my daughter, and my 3-legged German Shepherd bring me balance. No matter how challenging life is for me, I know at the end of the day that they have my back and I feel at peace when we’re together.” Right now, Sonia’s main focus: “Remaining positive, and moving forward. It’s my main goal which I instill to my co-workers, family and friends as much as I can. Optimism, even on Zoom, goes a long way.”
Follow Sonia Jimenez on Instagram @RadioSones
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