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Charese Fruge’ (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Ricki Sanchez
October 4, 2022
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Ricki Sanchez moved to Nashville last April to join “The Woody & Jim Show” on iHeartMedia Top 40 WRVW (107.5 The River). Before that, she spent a little time on the beach after cutbacks hit her station and position as co-host for The Zach Sang Show because of the pandemic. She currently wears a lot of hats for The River. “On top of being the co-host of The Woody & Jim Show, I also co-host the Saturday morning show and have my own solo show on Sundays,” she says. “I run the local social media strategy for the station, do most of the interviews, and I’m an active part of our promotions team. I’m basically doing all the stuff I always wanted to do but didn’t have the opportunity to. It’s been an amazing learning experience.”
“I kinda fell into radio in college when I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do with my Communications degree I was pursuing,” says Sanchez. “I transferred to Pace University my junior year, where my Resident Advisor was the president of the radio station. She offered joining the radio station to all the transfers during our meet and greet. I took her up on it hoping it would be an easy way to make some friends. I made zero friends there, but that’s where my passion started.”
“I had a one hour show that I genuinely looked forward to doing every week. I got such a thrill playing new songs and trying my hand at being a host,” says Sanchez. “From there, I got an internship with ‘Elvis Duran and The Morning Show,”’ which is where my passion was fully solidified. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Elvis say, ‘I overheard intern Ricki and intern Sarah talking in the hallway and we gotta get to the bottom of this!’ I was so stunned that Carla Marie (who was the phone producer at the time) had to say, ‘get up and get in there!’ I was hooked after that.”
“Once I graduated, I couldn’t find an on-air gig. I worked for Dr. Dave’s Ultimate Prep at night and was waitressing during the day for years. I also had a brief stint working on the iHeartRadio App as a stream listener before they cut that department. In the midst of all these random jobs, I started a podcast called ‘20-Somethings Doing Nothing’ that got the attention of the right people. It became part of Elvis Duran’s podcast network and was part of the reason I finally got my shot on-air as a co-host for ‘The Zach Sang Show.”
“I’ve kinda put my podcast on the back burner for now, as I try to navigate all the responsibilities I have at my new job,” says Ricki. “20-Somethings Doing Nothing’ was my baby, so I haven’t given up on it completely yet… I’m just the kind of person that wants to do things right. If I can’t give something the proper attention and effort it needs, then I’d rather not do it.”
So far Ricki has had a blast with her time in the industry, she’s had some great experiences to share. “I take a lot of pride in my interviews. Having the opportunity to interview people like Avril Lavigne, 5SOS, Twenty One Pilots, Louis Tomlinson, and Lizzo have been massive moments for me,” she says. “I even got Pete Wentz to do Halloween style ‘Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response’ while I was at ‘Zach Sang Show’ and it’s still one of my favorite moments of my career. And I love every promotion where we get to surprise fans with tickets or a meet and greet with their favorite artist,” she says. “Their reaction gets me every single time! Especially when it’s an idea I came up with that’s coming to life right before my eyes.”
“Also, being asked to talk on a panel at Morning Show Boot Camp this year was also a career highlight. I was so shocked to be asked to participate in the ‘Talent To Watch’ panel that I had to read the email twice to be sure it was true. What an awesome experience to be able to talk to my peers and meet so many people I’ve known on the internet for years.”
Ricki’s success in the business hasn’t come without its challenges. The pandemic was a big one for her. “I know so many can relate,” she says. “I lost my job at ‘The Zach Sang Show’ because of the pandemic, and it was heartbreaking. I finally felt comfortable in an entirely new city and a totally different job, just to have it all ripped away. To make matters worse, so many other extremely talented people were losing their jobs as well. I thought my career was done.”
“I won’t lie, I sobbed quite a bit for about for three days or so, and then I had to get it together to plan out my next steps,” she said. “I had paused my podcast while working for ‘The Zach Sang Show’ since there was a conflict with my co-host working for a different company. Now that I wasn’t tied to any company, my co-host and I decided we would bring back ‘20-Somethings Doing Nothing’ and I honestly think that saved me from all the self-loathing and sadness. I had a creative outlet again and our listeners were so excited we were back. It all just made sense.”
As for young women who want to get into the radio industry, especially in leadership roles, Ricki has great advice. “Play the game to change the game. It’s a phrase I’ve lived by for years. This industry wasn’t made for us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change it to make it ours. I’ve dealt with a lot of things I shouldn’t have had to deal with as a female and a Latina, but I won’t let those petty, ego-driven instances push me off my path. I’m just out here playing the game so I can change it later and hopefully make it an easier, more enjoyable experience for women to come.”
So, what’s the secret to success when it comes to growing a younger more diverse audience in a world that needs to expand those two categories considerably in order to survive? I asked Ricki for her thoughts. “Radio needs to pull a 180,” says Sanchez. “We can’t keep doing the same things we’ve done for the last few decades. We need to change the way we program music— it needs to be quick to change, the same way TikTok and social media are quick to change. Throw out the old programs and services we all use. People are literally telling us what they want to listen to every single day on social media. It’s right in our face,” she says. “And hosts need to be open to new ideas and trying things like streaming on Twitch, making Instagram reels more frequently, and allowing topics to be discussed that fit the narrative for a Gen Z or Millennial. Basically, radio needs to take risks again.”
In addition to growing a younger audience, the business lacks diversity, equity, and inclusion. Have we moved the needle at all? What can we do better? “Since the very beginning of radio?” Sanchez asks. “Yes. In the last ten years or so… eh, slightly. We should have more women and people of color in leadership roles and on-air, especially in formats that still believe they’re only for one specific type of listener,” she says. “The beauty of music is that it crosses all the barriers. All genres are listened to by ALL people. Any situation you’re going through personally, I can guarantee you that there are so many others going through the same thing— despite sex, race, religion, etc. I’m a half Latina, half white woman who loves pop, hip hop, country, alt, jazz and reggaeton. I watch sports, want to know celebrity gossip, and I like “Rick & Morty.” What box do I fit into? A bunch of them. And all those boxes create the wild, messed up being that is Ricki Sanchez. Once we accept this and stop trying to put everyone in one simple box, we can be more open to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Sanchez thinks people would be surprised to find out that “she’s empathetic almost to a fault,” she says. She does appear to be a very strong woman. “I actually have to give myself breaks from social media and have mental pep talks quite often because I can feel how difficult it is for certain people in certain situations and I just want to help them all,” she says. “I come off pretty ‘aggressive’ when you meet me. I’m outgoing, loud, and opinionated so the empathy tends to get lost in all of that.”
Anxiety keeps her up at night. “Wondering what my dog is dreaming about as he twitches. Planning my dinner for the next day. How to help homelessness and get everyone in affordable therapy. When the aliens are gonna come and tell us this was all one crazy simulation, and nothing is real. You know, the classic things that keep us all up at night,” she says.
Those are just a few reasons it’s hard for her to find balance. “I’ll be totally honest, if it weren’t for my boyfriend and my friends around me constantly reminding me to take a break before my actual breaking point… I wouldn’t. I’m a work in progress,” says Sanchez. “I just recently started taking off work when I’m sick and not just when I’m severely ill, which is a huge step for me when it comes to balance. Took my first real two week vacation this year. I spent the first four days on my phone worrying about work and responding to emails, BUT the rest of the time I left it alone, which was another big step for me. I’m getting there… slowly.”
In addition to continuing to search for a work/life balance, Ricki has big plans for the future. “I have a few Instagram series’ I plan to start soon! I’m really excited about them,” she says. “First episode of my first series may actually be up by the end of this week. It’s called ‘Little Gal. Big Drink.’ It’s a series highlighting different bars in Nashville where I make and taste test both massive drinks and massively delicious drinks. I wanted to do something local, and this city loves them a good drink. A perfect match!” We can’t wait to check them out Ricki!
Follow Ricki Sanchez @ThatChickRicki on Instagram/TikTok/Twitter/BeReal
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