(By Charese Frugé) Nikki Ramirez is an on-air personality for Cox Media Group in Miami and manages Community Affairs for HITS 97.3 and EASY 93.1. On the side, she owns and operates a successful real estate company that has been established for over 14 years and is the President of the PTSO Board of Directors for one of the local schools there.
Ramirez was fortunate in that she went straight to Y100 Miami after college, then to Star 94 in Atlanta and Q100. She then moved back home to South Florida for 97.3 The Coast, Power 96, Lite FM, HITS 97.3, and WLRN NPR. “I’m back at CMG Miami, mainly HITS 97.3 The Rhythm of Miami, but I work with all four of our Miami brands,” she explains.
“I got into the business because I love people, so I love being nosy and talking!” says Ramirez. “Plus, radio lets me get creative and have FUN while helping my community. I started as a board op and instead of going out to the clubs, I was coming in at 4a to get the show ready for Rick Dees.”
“As a talent, I wanna connect with my community. Share my life stuff so they see we’re all in the same boat a lot of the time,” she says. “And what I really love about the community work I get to do is that we help people find answers. Sometimes people don’t even realize what’s happening, and we can help educate them. We also help to provide solutions for things that they may be going through at that time. My show is very upbeat, fun, local, and relatable to my South Florida audience. I love to share my life with my listeners.”
Over the years, Ramirez has been able to do some exciting things and make exciting memories. “There are so many!” she explains. “When Steven Tyler touched my hair and said, ‘Now that’s rock and roll.’ It was incredible! And I love it when listeners come up to us and say that they’ve gone through the same thing that we were just talking about on the radio. Sometimes even my daughter or son says that too. And I love it when we broadcast live from Disney because it turns us into children again! Hosting a concert where listeners get to come see their favorite artists is great too. Seeing how excited and happy they are is so much fun. These are the things that I love about our business.”
Ramirez admits that having a career and a family can be a challenge. “I think learning to manage my work and life balance was the biggest,” she says. “But I now know how be more organized and set my priorities straight to make my schedule work better.”
Like many, Ramirez thinks AI will help make her busy schedule work better. “Yes, I use it, and I have to say I really like it. I feel that it will make our industry work more efficiently and run faster. I think at the end of the day, if you use AI correctly it should be helpful and allow us as personalities to be more creative.”
Her thoughts on DEI and its impact (or lack of) on the business: “It depends,” she says. “I think some changes have started but we still have a long way to go. Some companies talk a lot about how important it is, but they still do not prioritize it.”
“Radio has changed a lot since I first started, especially with voice tracking and listener interaction,” comments Ramirez. “Even community stuff is different. It’s way more of a team effort now. We all wear so many hats and gotta work together to make the station number one. I think CMG Miami is out in the community a lot more than our competition. I think that is what is missing from radio in general right now. Sometimes you would see multiple stations at one remote or broadcast. That doesn’t happen like it used to. For us to continue to be successful, we need to stay relatable and know our audience. I also think we need to be approachable as talent. I love it when a listener comes to pick up a prize they won from our station and then they come upstairs and take a tour, and we get to meet them in person. That’s a great feeling!”
One more thing you should know about Ramirez’s character and commitment to community is what she would be if she hadn’t chosen the radio path. “Good question!” she says. “I would be an Immigration attorney and help those in my community who need help when it comes to Immigration issues.”
In the future, Ramirez’s long-term goal is to track shows in other cities and spread her programming wings. Follow Nikki Ramires and her journey @itsNikkiRamirez.
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.
