Reporter Alumna Waking Up Miami On MEGA 94.9 FM Morning Show

Melissa Rodriguez, a former staff writer for The Reporter,  wakes up every morning at 4 a.m. to prepare to communicate in a blend of Spanish and English about trending topics, celebrity gossip and horoscopes with a mix of Salsa and Reggaeton, broadcasting to all of Miami.

Rodriguez, 21, is co-host of the weekday, 6 a.m. morning program, El Show de Joe Ferrero, on iHeart Radio station MEGA 94.9 FM. Rodriquez started her position in January.

In the fast-paced, high-energy show, she and Ferrero banter back and forth on a wide-range of timely topics. The goal is to wake listeners up.  

In the on-air studio decorated in black and red, microphones sprout out of the middle of the table where Rodriguez and Ferrero sit during the show. The snug room also contains two computers for each host and a sound board controlled by the producer.

On one recent morning, Rodriguez rehashed how Madonna kissed Drake at Coachella.

“Madonna le da tremendo beso a Drake en pleno Coachella!” Rodriquez shouted into the microphone with a big smile.

She keeps up the energy for four hours. Rodriguez said the topics and songs are meant to represent the Latino community and the younger generation.

“I have to be super involved in the English and Spanish media,” Rodriguez said.

Hours before sunrise, before the show, Rodriguez and Ferrero prepare.

Cuban-born Rodriguez has bullet points written down of what she is going to talk about for the trending segment and the celebrity gossip/horoscope section.

“I would’ve never thought I’d start this young. One thing is talent and another is hard work,” Rodriguez said. “I’m trying to improve every day and I like where I’m at. I want to be able to put my ideas out there in a more interesting way and I’m not thinking where am I going to be tomorrow, I just think how can I become better at where I am today. Being an on-air talent you have to think tomorrow is my chance: ‘Melissa you better kill it and show that you can do it and take advantage of every opportunity.’ ”

COLLEGIATE PRESS FOUNDATION

Rodriguez served as a staff writer for The Reporter in 2013 during her last semester at Miami Dade College, producing news briefs.

“I feel like with The Reporter I broke the fear of going up and talking to people, and it was the first time I saw my name in print,” Rodriguez said. “I was very nervous to talk to people and meet people face to face, but it not only helped me to write, but to be a better communicator.”

The paper’s media adviser, Manolo Barco, said Rodriguez’s talent was evident from the outset.

“Melissa always had a special spark about her,” Barco said. “She is full of life and her positive attitude is contagious. She was always willing to do anything to help. It was evident she was going places.”        

Rodriguez continued to pursue her dreams at Florida International University after graduating from MDC. She is slated to graduate from FIU this fall.

“I always knew I wanted to be a part of TV and radio, and radio has given me so much freedom and I’ve fallen in love with it,” Rodriguez said. “I always wanted to be an entertainer but I never thought I’d be able to do it.”

During the fall semester of 2013 Rodriguez started her first internship at SiriusXM: En Vivo Radio which is a Spanish radio station.  

AN EARLY FASCINATION WITH BROADCAST COMMUNICATIONS

“I always wanted to be in the Spanish media. I wanted to aim for the Spanish community, since I was born and raised in Cuba,” said Rodriguez, who came to U.S. from Cuba in 2006 when she was twelve-years-old. “I was in a music conservatory in Cuba and piano and singing lessons.”

During the summer of 2014 Rodriguez landed an internship at Telemundo Network  where she worked as an assistant producer for the national newscast. Rodriguez got to work next to reporter and anchor Vanessa Hauc.

“I produced almost all of Vanessa Hauc’s news stories and I got a lot of good experience from there,” Rodriguez said. “They also sent me out to get footage of protests here in Miami and I got to do a lot of stories about The World Cup.”

Her internship at Telemundo was from June 9 to Aug. 10; two weeks after her internship ended, she received a call for a paid internship. During the summer of 2014 she also worked at the radio station Clear Channel as a promotions intern.

“I learned how to create a good relationship with people and I got the opportunity to be a part of these events where the listener gets to meet the Spanish singers J. Balvin and Farruko,” Rodriguez said. “I would plan the whole promotions side of the event, which is how everything is set up, such as calling all the people that we want to be there and setting up the stage and prizes.”

While Rodriguez was an intern at Clear Channel, the station changed to iHeart Media radio station.

A SENSE OF DETERMINATION

“I worked a lot and always showed my best side,” Rodriguez said. “I knew that I wanted to be a part of the company, and if I left a good impression I knew I could continue there. When my position ended I was a little upset to be ending the internship and there was no position available, but then I got a call back from Jesse Trujillo asking if I wanted to be a part of the promotions team at iHeart Media and was called back from MEGA 94.9, and I definitely said yes without even thinking twice about it.”

Rodriguez began working there as a promotions coordinator in September. She balances her full-time job with her studies as a full-time student.

“The week after MEGA 94.9 began El Show de Joe Ferrero, they decided they would do on the air promotions,” Rodriguez said. “I would go on the street with prizes from Hialeah and they would put me on air.”

Rodriguez began to work her way up by staying in the studio more and helping out with the news and the trends. Little by little they wanted her to interact with them during the show and encouraged her to find out more about the Spanish celebrity news.

“In January I began to be a part of the morning show with the trending segment and the horoscope segment,” Rodriguez said. “We’re just a group of friends talking about the trending topics and getting the news out there.”

Ferrero said the first thing that was appealing to him about Rodriguez was that she was willing to learn and was a hard worker.
“She had potential in her voice and a willingness to do things in a different type of way, especially in the Hispanic market and a team environment,” Ferrero said.