Pittsburgh's First Black Woman Radio Program Director: KiKi Jones | The Kalaj Dame Podcast (E0042)

KiKi Jones, Pittsburgh's first Black woman radio program director, shares her journey through WAMO 107.3, breaking barriers in broadcasting, the music industry, entrepreneurship, financial success, and community responsibility. In this episode of The Kalaj Dame Podcast, KiKi reflects on growing up in Pittsburgh as the daughter of radio personality Sly Jock, finding her way into broadcasting, and building a career that eventually led to her historic leadership position. She discusses mentorship, professional relationships, being overlooked for opportunities, and navigating expectations as a Black woman in radio. KiKi and Kalaj explore the business behind radio, including WAMO's history, station frequencies, music programming, record labels, and why independent artists struggle to receive airplay. The conversation also examines the station's relationship with Pittsburgh's Black community and the challenges of balancing business decisions with listener expectations. Beyond radio, the discussion covers entrepreneurship, financial stability, homeownership, supporting Black-owned businesses, work-life balance, and the responsibilities that come with success. KiKi shares her perspectives on personal ambition, professional reputation, community accountability, and defining success beyond a job title. The Kalaj Dame Podcast helps to bridge cultures, business, intellect, and everyday life through long-form conversations with people who’ve experienced their own forms of success. Built around perspective-driven conversations, the podcast connects cultural, economic, creative, and professional experiences through shared stories, lived experiences, and authentic dialogue. Every play cousin has something valuable to teach, and every conversation has the potential to expand how we see ourselves and the world around us. What part of the conversation connected with you most? Join the discussion in the comments. In this episode, we discuss: KiKi Jones's journey to becoming Pittsburgh's first Black woman radio program director Growing up with Sly Jock and building a career at WAMO Women in broadcasting, mentorship, and career advancement Radio programming, record labels, and independent artists WAMO's history and relationship with the community Entrepreneurship, financial stability, and homeownership Supporting Black-owned businesses and community responsibility Professional reputation, work-life balance, and defining success Index 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:00 - KiKi Jones, Radio History & Career Recognition 00:10:00 - WAMO Criticism, Radio Programming & Listener Expectations 00:20:00 - Growing Up Around Radio, Family & Childhood Experiences 00:28:00 - Breaking Into Radio & Building a Broadcasting Career 00:39:00 - Public Recognition, Fame & Personal Boundaries 00:51:00 - Radio Ownership, Frequencies & Broadcasting Technology 00:59:00 - WAMO's History, Community Involvement & Local Music 01:05:00 - Radio Airplay, Artist Submissions & Music Industry Expectations 01:16:00 - Career Demands, Retirement & Future Aspirations 01:23:00 - Personal Life, Hobbies & Life Outside Radio 01:32:00 - Wealth, Class, Financial Goals & Opportunity 01:45:00 - Entrepreneurship, Ambition & Building Generational Wealth 02:04:00 - Radio Personalities, Podcasting & Community Media 02:26:00 - Supporting Black Businesses & Community Accountability 02:34:00 - Music Programming, Industry Decisions & Career Reflections Support the Movement: Website: https://thekalajdamepodcast.com Instagram:   / kalajdamepodcast     / kalajdame   Facebook:   / kalajdamepodcast   Threads: https://threads.net/kalajdamepodcast X: https://x.com/kalajdamepod LinkedIn:   / kalajdamepodcast   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1mmRHZi... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...