Nikki Blakk
Nikki Blakk (born November 7, 1972) is an American Radio DJ, who pioneered San Francisco Bay Area's rock radio station, 107.7 The Bone. She was the host of afternoon drive for 5 years, and was the more vibrant evening on-air personality, and also was the host and programmer of the station's Friday night program of heavy and extreme metal music called "The Metal Zone".
She is a well-known figure in the San Francisco Bay Area's metal scene, and regularly interviews popular recording artists, including members of Cannibal Corpse, Metallica, Judas Priest, Exodus, Slayer, Suicide Silence, Anthrax, Black Label Society, Megadeth, Testament, Amon Amarth, Trivium, Children of Bodom, and others.
Early life
Nikki Blakk was born on the Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA. She attended Fairfield High School, Solano Community College and San Francisco State University, majoring in Broadcast Electronic Communication Arts, finishing in 2001. She is of Scottish, Cherokee, Irish, French and German ancestry.
Radio career
Blakk began her career as an intern at KSAN, a precursor to 107.7 The Bone, working in promotions and marketing. Immediately after, she went to KNBR in San Francisco and became a production intern, a call screener, and a board op for the next year and a half while finishing college.[1]
She was hired at Rock 96.7, a Clear Channel station in Modesto, CA, as a weekend personality, then eventually as a weekday host. Her first audition shift as a weekday DJ was on September 11, 2001, board-oping the news all day then going live the next day, which was a challenge that she handled extremely well and was subsequently hired as a full time weekday on-air personality.[2]
However after 9/11, advertising revenue dropped significantly, and Rock 96.7 decided to cut Nikki's live weekday in favor of pre-recorded voice tracking.
While she was recording at the KSJO studio, Zakk Tyler, the afternoon drive jock gave her CD to the program manager, who was impressed and hired her for weekends. In late 2003, Nikki took over the weekday evening shift.
In October 2004 KSJO flipped format, becoming a Spanish language channel. Dave Mustaine was in the car when Nikki heard the news, and offered to pray for her.
She then had a short stint at 101.7 KXFX The Fox in Santa Rosa, before coming back to 107.7 The Bone on weekends in June 2005, and then took over the Afternoon Drive on Valentine's Day 2006. In June 2011, The Bone hired Program Director Derek Madden for afternoons, and moved Nikki to the evening where she is not currently working the shift.
Nikki is no longer employed at 107.7 The Bone as of April 2015.
Metal Zone
At KSJO, Nikki started a metal program called Hardcore Hell, later rebranded Midnight Metal. After coming to The Bone, Nikki was a natural to take over the Metal Zone from Billy Steel when he left the station in summer of 2006. The program does not currently run from 12a[3] m - 1am every Friday night, and features extreme music with special emphasis on local artists.
Personal life
Nikki Blakk also has a simultaneous career as backstage manager and production runner at LiveNation, formerly Bill Graham Presents, where she takes care of the artists and production staff at San Francisco's Warfield, Fillmore, and virtually every other Bay Area venue, working with everyone from Green Day to the Grateful Dead, Madonna to Motorhead.
Nikki has also been voted one of the Top 50 Hottest Women in Radio for 2009, 2010 and 2011, according to Pop Crunch.[4][5][6]
She is heavily involved in the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation[7] and the Guitar Player Magazine Guitar Superstar contest.[8]
References
- ^ 107.7 The Bone, "Nikki Blakk Profile", 2011, "[1]"
- ^ 107.7 The Bone, "Nikki Blakk Profile", 2011, "[2]"
- ^ http://www.1077thebone.com/page.php?page_id=421
- ^ Pop Crunch, "The 50 Hottest Female Radio Personalities", 2009, "[3]"
- ^ Pop Crunch, "The 50 Hottest Female Radio Personalities", 2010, "[4]"
- ^ Pop Crunch, "The 50 Hottest Female Radio Personalities", 2011, "[5]"
- ^ 107.7 The Bone, "WishBone", 2010, "[6]"
- ^ Guitar Player Magazine, "Guitar Player Magazine Guitar Superstar Competition", 2010, "[7]"
https://www.facebook.com/nikki.blakk