(By Charese Frugé) Evelyn Erives is a “Jane of all Trades” at iHeartMedia Riverside. She hosts Middays for 99.1 KGGI, is cluster Public Service Director and podcast host, and serves as APD for Q 103.3 and Radio 94.5. She is also a weekend host and fill-in personality on LA’s KOST 103.5.
I’m not sure how this is possible, but she even has a side hustle. She runs a production company with her husband called This Is Funner, producing audiobooks, podcasts, and anything audio/video-related. She is the voice of many of the projects and he is the chief engineer.
“I started my broadcast career when I was 16 years old on a local access TV show called Campus Daze that aired on PBS and I was bitten by the hosting bug,” explains Erives. “I went to The Academy of Radio and Television right out of high school and began my career in radio at Radio Disney Los Angeles on the street team. I was recruited over to the Radio Disney affiliate in Riverside, closer to home in the Inland Empire, when I was asked to join the morning show down the hall. That was 23 years ago and I have been at 99.1 KGGI since… 20 of those years were in Morning Drive. Now I do Middays and love it. Additionally, in 2020 I joined the lineup at the iconic KOST 103.5 doing a regular weekend shift and fill-in work too.”
“I got into the business because a teacher told me I was good at hosting and my voice was unique. That’s all it took! When I was hosting the ‘Campus Daze’ TV show I felt comfortable in my skin and the producer/co-host of the show was a local teacher who spoke to the talent he saw in me. I don’t know if I would have gone down the radio path if I hadn’t been nudged in that direction. Teachers are amazing and the power they have to influence a young mind is something not to be taken lightly… that’s my two cents!”
If influence and connection are important, then both are a priority for Erives. “I’m on a mission to be the relatable friend you never knew you needed. My listeners have become family through the years, and I aim to provide a fun escape for them, where they can chill out, laugh, and forget about their to-do lists for a bit,” she says. “But I also try to sprinkle in some positivity and shine a light on causes that need a little extra love. Think of me as a friendly neighborhood advocate, armed with a microphone and a passion for making a difference. My goal is to inspire rather than impact my audience. I want them to engage, take action, and maybe even dance a little in their living rooms. After all, who says you can’t save the world while having a good time?”
“I’ve had so many amazing experiences thanks to my career in radio, says Erives. “One that stands out in particular was getting to meet Janet Jackson in her hotel room. I was doing some reporting for the Hollywood Hamilton Weekend Top 30, and I was sent to chat with Janet… We talked about boys! It was so fun and relaxed, like she — this ICON — was my friend and I left the interview on a high. The other exciting experiences are getting to bring my family along for broadcasts at Disneyland and traveling to Jamaica for ‘work.’ I never take these experiences for granted. I pinch myself every time.”
“In the spirit of keeping things positive, I’ll share only one story that stands out to me as one of the biggest challenges of my career, in hopes that it helps someone down the road. I dealt with a pretty big pay disparity issue on my first morning show. Doing the same job as my co-host, working extremely hard, and being a VERY marketable asset to my station didn’t change the fact that I was being paid 50% less than my male counterpart.”
“Finding out this fact broke my heart and forced me to take action outside of my comfort zone. When offered my next contract, I was armed with knowledge and ready to take my manager to task over the issue. I’m happy to say I was able to successfully negotiate a higher salary and learned a lesson in what it means to fight for your value.”
Speaking of which, I had to ask Erives if we have moved the needle at all when it comes to DEI in the industry. “I feel like we are headed in the right direction, but there is always room for improvement,” she says. “This has to start at the top – with superiors who truly want to implement a fair and equitable workplace. What I experienced early in my career was a sign of the old boys’ club still at work, but it’s starting to fade away. I can happily say I have seen a positive difference in this industry, but we aren’t all the way there yet.”
“And over the years, the industry has changed quite a bit in other ways. If we just talk about technology alone, Wow! What a difference. I have a full studio at home that is cloud-based so I can do my job from ANYWHERE and still be able to talk to listeners every single day like I’m at the radio station. That’s something I never thought I would be able to do. It’s amazing!”
“Another huge change is the way personalities are expected to be so much more now. When I started with iHeart (then Clear Channel) I was hired to do one job and over the years that has grown to wearing multiple hats, so to speak. Today, DJs hold multiple jobs within the company, track multiple stations, and are held to a different standard online (social media) which I have seen lead to burnout.”
Erives’ advice for cutting down on the workload is the use of AI. “I have been using AI to help with writing podcast episode descriptions for my Covering Your Health podcast and I use it to help me find fun facts about artists and music and different trending topics. At this point, I think AI is a great tool to have and I think if we continue to use it responsibly the impact on our industry can be positive. It has helped me with show prep and has cut down on time. It’s hard to say what the long-term impact will be, but for the sake of AI listening to me right now… I’m a big fan.’
“If radio hadn’t panned out for me, I think I’d be working with animals, I’ve always wanted to,” says Erives. “So I imagine I would be a Vet Tech or something along those lines. I also LOVE being a mommy, so I’m sure I would still be a mother and would be very content with ‘just’ being Juleen, Aiden, and Cassie’s mom.”
“As for the future, I suppose I see myself taking on more programming duties in our cluster and continuing to engage with my community the way I have loved doing for so long, I want to cultivate more local, fun events and raise money for causes I care about. My long-term goal is to be able to stay in this creative medium for my entire career while growing and nurturing my happy little family. It might be a quaint desire, but happiness and peace are what I crave most, so that’s what I hope I can bring to the world.”
Follow Evelyn Erives @evelynerives on all socials.
Charese Frugé is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talents, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. Find her at @MCMediaOnline. See more Women to Watch here.
