Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Aponte.
Sabrina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The dream of being a radio host/on-air personality began as early as my middle school years. I remember it would take my mom almost an hour to get to my school, but that always seemed less because we would be laughing or jamming out while listening to the local radio stations morning shows (before we all had cars with Bluetooth & Aux cords.) I always thought to myself “wow they have so much fun working. That’s something I can do.” I always loved talking (one of the main reasons I would get in trouble at school ), music, and just getting to know other people’s stories. That dream stayed with me. Throughout my high school years, I was part of the TV production class and the schools’ newspaper as a sports editor. Although the school didn’t have the best or biggest program, I made sure to somehow stay involved in the Broadcast Media world. Then came college, where most of our career choices either take off or seem to completely change route. I have to admit, a lot of times I didn’t feel as motivated as I once was. The classes I was taking at first were all book work and not actually hands-on. Many would say how competitive this industry is and how toxic it can be. I felt discouraged, started doubting myself and what I’ve always thought I’d be doing for the rest of my life. What I didn’t realize was how many people felt the same way I did, no matter what our major was. It was all a part of the process and I guess you can say college experience. There was nothing else that interested me and dropping out was definitely NOT an option, So I stuck with it. At Florida International University (FIU) I started learning about internships, but most of them were not paid and I needed the money. Since I turned 16, I had been paying for my own necessities and didn’t like depending on my mom, a single mother of two. I know how much she struggled raising my sister and I (that’s another story itself). Eventually, during my senior year of college, I landed an internship at a local Spanish online radio station called PangeaFM. Although it wasn’t paid, the hours were flexible and worked with my other job. From Monday – Friday, I practically lived out of my car in between work, interning and school. Interning motivated me, not only did I feel like I fit in, but it also made me realize that I could use being bilingual to my advantage in this field. I started off as board operator for some of the shows then quickly worked my way to co-host, fast forward to today I have my own radio show called 305 Times.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not. Often times, I felt as if I was too shy for this industry or got scared of rejection which caused me to get stuck mentally. I tend to be my biggest critique, but I had to remind myself multiple times that everything happens at its own pace, no need to rush things or compare ourselves with what others are doing at our age. There’s a lot of competition in this industry, but one thing you have to remember is to stay true to yourself and to what makes you different than everyone else.
305 Times – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m the host, producer, board operator and editor of my radio show called 305 Times. As a proud Latina in Miami, I wanted to have a platform where I can invite local artists, entrepreneurs, creatives, etc. To share their own stories. It is a bilingual show, so I like to make my guests feel comfortable and be able to express their work in either English or Spanish. I believe what sets me apart is I don’t like to get too comfortable, I’m always setting a new goal to accomplish for myself and my brand.
You can subscribe to my show on Apple, Spotify, Iheart radio, and castbox at 305 Times, and also listen in live by downloading Pangeafm on your phones, every Friday at 1 pm.
Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for businesses like yours?
In my opinion, the most important thing to do as a city/community is to support one another. Attend your friend’s panel, shop at a local brand store, eat authentic foods at your neighborhood mom and pop shop, stream and download someone’s new song, leave feedback/Repost/RT on your favorite podcast, so many options we have to help each other grow. It is up to us locals to let others know everything the 305 has to offer.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 7866830897
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/305times_
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