Written By: Alisha Brown
Monasia Baker is the youngest on-air radio personality at 102 Jamz in Greensboro, North Carolina. Known as “The Concrete Jungle Princess” to her Triad listeners, she is ready to take the industry by storm.
To Monasia, “radio is a different way to connect with the people. It is not only about how you look, it’s about the content and the voice, which is something I really value”.
When asked how she got started in the industry, Monasia “did not even know she wanted to go into radio”. Thanks to her human communications professor’s comment on her raspy voice, she decided to give radio a try. After recording a few voiceovers and a conversation with a teacher that worked at 102 Jamz, she joined on as a promotions intern. While as an intern, she worked her way up and network with her peers.
With being from New York in a North Carolina market, she will “have listeners ask where she is from all the time” due to her slang and vibe that she has on air. “I talk to them like I am talking to my friends”.
A typical day for Monasia is spent between working at Victoria’s Secret, classes, co-hosting her webshow, “Point Blank”, coaching a cheerleading team and she ends her night with her 12am- 6am on-air shift. When asked how she balances it all, she says she “has to stay organized and color codes my calendar. If I lose my phone, I would die.”
When asked about being a woman in a male-dominated industry, Monasia admits that at times, “it is difficult but really women run the world. Women, especially in radio, add a creative side to it and get the listeners to feel and provoke more emotion. Even though we are a minority in radio, we have made such great strides”.
Monasia urges her listeners who want to go into radio to be persistent and put in the work. She says, “with the radio industry, apply to as many internships and opportunities as possible because you never know who has connections to what. Even though it may not be what you want at first, you can definitely get to where you want to be. Also, stay persistent and be yourself because if you try to be someone you’re not, people in radio catch that quick. Even though it took me a year to get on air, it takes people three or four years to get on air. Know your time will come when it is supposed to.