The Bobby Bones Show - (Sponsored) On the Job with Radio Host Enrique Santos

Episode Date: April 18, 2018

Enrique Santos loves his job as the popular host of 2 nationally syndicated radio shows. But his path to radio was not a traditional one. Listen to why Enrique devotes his career to remaining open to the opportunities often sitting right in front of him. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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10 grams. No sugar? Zero. And it actually tastes good? It hits Skypop. Skypop protein soda delivers the refreshing taste you want from a real soda. Crisp and delicious with 10 grams of complete protein, zero sugar, and just 45 calories. So you're not choosing between great taste and real benefits.

You're getting both in every sip. Skypot protein soda, reach for the sky. Get your skypot protein soda now at Target or Ralph's. I'm grateful in that I never had anything handed to me. It's always been clear to me and I've been very appreciative of everything that I have. I know and I recognize that I have that because of my hard work and my dedication. Enrique Santos is a humble yet outspoken personality, sitting in a highly regarded position in his career.

With a strong philosophy of giving back, there is a long list of contributions and accomplishments Enrique has fearlessly made in the public eye. As the popular host of two prominent nationally syndicated radio shows on IHeart Radio, Oh, Dios commigo. I con him. El delante.

El delante. And I trace. And I'm back. Good morning, family. Buenos days. Hello, hello. Enrique has leveraged his successful and often humorous voice to lead the charge on social responsibility

in his local community and beyond. Throughout his esteemed career, he has interviewed several political figures and celebrities and has used his influence to not only speak on behalf of outnumbered communities, but to also join those communities together. Enrique's integrity makes him an indisputable leader who has assembled a diverse broadcast team. Even though I'm the executive producer,

he shares the wealth with others, you know, with his team. So, you know? Right. So everybody gets a piece of the pie. But we all put a little piece of something on the table, and we all talk about it before it short starts. As a team, we come up with ideas. Instead of one person having to do all the work,

everybody has to put it apart. I guess that's why the show is very successful too. That was executive producer of Two Mananas, Julio Ramirez, talking about his boss, colleague, and friend of over 10 years. This morning were guests at the IHeart Media Miami Studios, where the show is broadcast daily. The studio walls are adorned with neon signs stating encouraging phrases like, Do what you love and good vibes only.

And throughout my morning speaking with the broadcast team, it became very clear to me that those luminous words aren't merely motivational adages. They are a manifestation. of Enrique's positive spirit and leadership. Is it possible to truly love what you do? And if so, how does one get there? On this edition of On the Job,

we sit down with Enrique Santos to hear about the unique path he has taken to achieve success and ultimately happiness. Well, I would say I'm just a simple radio guy, but that wears a bunch of different hats. And I would say that I'm a blessed guy because I do what I love.

Radio for me is really, it's a way of life. And so much of my life, not just my day, but my life is dedicated to my profession, especially in such crazy times that we're living, people need a friend. Especially doing morning radio, because you get to dictate basically what people's days are going to look like, whether it's going to be a good day or bad day. There's something in Spanish that doesn't really translate into English, but it's called Confianza. When it's like that confidence, it's like it makes it okay. You have the green light. Latinos are very warm people. when you're able to connect through the radio waves and people feel that connection and they look at you

not just or at least in my case when it's not just Enrique the radio DJ, it's Enrique my friend and they want to talk to you, they want to hug you, they want to tell you how their day went, they want to tell you how important it was, that topic that you just talked about this morning. That to me is success. My first job was working for my family business. at a video store. And that moved to bagging groceries at a public supermarket

in the state of Florida. That was a lot of fun. And, but as a kid, I remember always, and my passion was always to be a police officer. So I've had, I would say, several, a couple of mentors throughout my life. I would say first, my uncle Eddie, who became a state trooper

for the Florida Highway Patrol. He's just now retired a couple months ago. But I remember as a kid, wow, my Uncle Eddie became a trooper. That's so cool. And I used to sit in his police car and play with the lights and with the sirens and listen to the police radio. And I think that indirectly, you know, planted that seed in me and that I wanted to be a police officer. A couple things I can say that I'm very, very proud of, obviously, when I graduated the police academy. It's something that, again, it wasn't easy because at that time I had to go to part-time night academy because I had a full-time job dispatch.

So I would dispatch at night on the midnight shift, sleep during a day and get up in the afternoon and go to a night police academy. I financed that myself because the police department wasn't hiring. They sponsored me through the police academy. So that was a big achievement for me because it was just like my first car. It was just like my first video camera and VHS, you know, my grandparents, you know, helped me to co-sign to get me in my first car. But, you know, I put that money down and I made those payments. My family was very humble but very hardworking family. I can't say I was ever hungry.

In other words, there was never a meal that was missed at home. Mom and dad always provided. Middle income family, we weren't rich. But my parents instilled in me, you know, that everything that should be grateful for everything that I have, as much or as little. But everything I've had always in my life is something. I've never had to hand me down. I didn't get an inheritance.

And I thank God for that. And I thank the universe and the world for that. I'm very grateful. and that early on, the vehicle came with that installed already. It wasn't an add-on. It wasn't an upgrade. I feel bad for a lot of people that have life too easy, have things handed down to them, and then they hit an obstacle and they look at it as a brick wall,

and they can't figure out that they can get over or go around it. So how does someone go from police officer to radio broadcaster? So I was a police explorer since I was a teenager from there right out of high school. I became a police dispatcher. I then went to the police academy and became a police officer. One day calling the radio station that I listened to, the program director picked up the phone, and I wanted to know the name of a certain album.

The guy who picked up was the PD of the station, and liked how Enrique sounded and invited him over, and then next thing you know, he offered him a job part-time. So, Enrique left police work and became a full-time employee. Next thing you know, Enrique is sitting in the spot where they were, and that's where his journey began. I always liked broadcasting and radio and entertainment and comedy, but I never imagined making a career out of it.

But one thing led to another, and my program director friend, you know, I had developed that skill and that interest, and it was all in Spanish, and my Spanish was kind of choppy, but it got better doing overnights and stuff, thanks to mom and dad, because they were immigrants from Cuba,

and they always told me, hey, here, at home, when you get home, you speak in Spanish. You speak in Spanish. I'm so grateful that they instilled that in me and that they had that rule at home because thanks to them, I am bilingual. I'm probably one of the only broadcasters

in, I think in the country, if I'm not mistaken, that's doing the type of radio that I do where we can do, it's not just bilingual radio, it's bicultural radio. So I never envisioned making a career out of radio, but again, life is full of opportunities

and when they tapped me to host the morning show, it was like, wow. So, you know, I kept my, certification. I stayed on and I still am a reserve police officer for the city of Miami. So again, it's, I blessed that I'm able to do what I love. I'm so passionate. And it's like a new calling, right, getting into broadcasting, but still able to hang on to my original career, which was law enforcement and I'm able to give back and inspire other young people to stay away from drugs and gangs and violence and a life of crime.

Because if they see what I've been able to accomplish, you know, my hopes are that they can see themselves mirrored in what I do daily. You're listening to On the Job, the podcast from Express Employment Professionals. One company is on a mission to put a million people to work each year. Sounds like a big number, doesn't it? Not to express employment professionals. Seeking a skilled labor position? or administrative work.

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Every single situation that you find yourself in life, every single challenge, every single worry that you have, every single day that you get up and you say to yourself, what am I doing here? Why, you know, I don't like this nine to five. I don't like this job. I don't like getting up and doing that. You know, you have your ability, you have the ability to change, to change that. But if you don't take the first step to make that change, it's never going to change. At least take that first step. We're surrounded by opportunities. So open your eyes to those opportunities. One of the main thing is sometimes it's sitting right in front and you don't realize

it's an opportunity. That could be a conversation. If something smells wrong, if it feels wrong, it's probably wrong. So do something to change it. If you know it someone's having a bad day and you're able to help that person and you engage that person in that conversation, you don't know where that conversation may lead. Just be open, open to the universe, to opportunities, to conversations, to people's vibes. Talk to somebody.

Follow your instinct in every single scenario. I feel good in this place. I don't feel so cool in this place. Something's off here. Follow your instincts. I've followed my instincts all my life and never steer me wrong. I call him Mr. Gala or Gala. What is the right pronunciation?

Because everyone invites him to MC. I'm like, dude, how many are you going to do per year? His position. So much work and he's not the type that says no. Never. He's just a workaholic. I do have a problem with disappointing people. I feel as if, you know, if I'm able, if I'm in a position to be able to help somebody and I,

and I have to say no, I do have like a guilty conscious, like, wow, I should have. Things do end up stacking up sometimes. And there are occasions when I, you know, I have to pump the brakes and say, you know what, I need a day or two. I need a disconnect. I'm blessed to be in a position. It comes with big responsibility. And when people look up to you for certain things as a community leader, as, you.

a role model in our industry, as a leader in the LGBT community, as a leader in a voice for the immigrant community, especially with so much negativity. It's being spread and so many fears. There's a lot of people that are scared, genuinely scared. People, they need someone to turn to. They need a friend. Sometimes it's hard to shut that door or say, you know what, if I lose an hour or sleep, but I know that I'm going to be able to help X amount of people, even just one person. I have a hard time telling myself no because of that. If it's in our community, you know, since the station is in Miami, so it's a community, we're going to try to, like, help.

Not just give the news, but we give the news here, but what are you doing about it? Enrico would be like, somebody better find that person, bring them on the show, tell the story, or whatever help they need. This kid, they got beat up, and the video went viral, but they don't follow up on the story. Talk about the problem and look for a solution. Last year, I was a young man who was seven years old. I wrote a letter to me and I'll show it to him. He sent it through his mom.

Autistic kid writes a letter to me, telling me how he was bullied in school and how these kids broke his glasses. And that I'm his best friend. Sorry. So how could I tell that kid, no. We brought him to the show. Kid was beyond himself. We cut his hair.

I called the superintendent of the school's superintendent, and took it personally. He says, I'm going to take care of this. One had lunch with Jose. Talk to the teachers. Talk to the kids who are bullying him. So that's the power of radio. That's the power of connecting and the sense of responsibility.

So when they asked me to walk to be a team leader and organize a team and to host autism awareness day, how could I say no? To say no, I'm saying no to who knows how many Jose's. We cover all the nationalities from our listeners. And I think his voice is neutral. He doesn't sound too Puerto Rican or too Cuban, so his voice is just perfect for everyone to like and listen. And he's the guy that stays in between. I think that I'm respected amongst my colleagues, especially the people that I lead in the industry, specifically the jocks.

I wear a bunch of different hats. But at the end of the day, normally I'm the first one in and the last one out. So I think there's a certain level of respect in that I'm on the front lines. So I wouldn't ask you to do something that I'm already not doing. It's a lot of hours. And a lot of people say, oh, you host six to 10 o'clock and go take an app. No, at 10 o'clock is when the problems start. We have a million different things that have to be produced for the next day.

And then we have a bunch of other meetings that we've got to jump into. And then talking and being respectful to other people and having the time. That's something I got to get better at, being a better listener and giving people the time that they deserve. And being transparent and being sincere. and when I'm having a bad day, just opening the mic and being sincere with my listeners and saying, you know what, today's a bad day. I have a headache. Today's a bad day because I'm worried about this.

But it comes at a high price because your personal life and business and your career kind of all mixes. But that's part of what this career comes with. It's not a 9 to 5 job where you just punch out and then you're able to disconnect and do something totally different. This is something where I'm connected 24-7. You need to be on top of, you know, world events and current events and things. are constantly changing and what's important in a priority right this second, something can happen in 30 seconds, which changes all of our days. And again, it's a blessing that I'm able to do what I do, but it's a very big responsibility because I need to know the topics. I need to know what I'm

talking about. But again, I don't like preaching to my audience. I always tell my people, my followers, what I do, why I think the way I think, why I'm voting on certain topics, which is taboo, especially within the Latino community. You know, it's very, people don't say who they vote for. That's like, you don't talk about that. No, I think it's important for me to talk about that. This is why I'm doing it. Let's have a healthy conversation and we can all learn from and hope that that makes sense.

It's ever changing and we're always learning. Myself and everyone on my team. And what my goal is obviously is to be able to replicate what I've been able to accomplish with my team, but create a bunch of these same winning teams. I'm blessed to have talented people that come up with a plan and strategize. that their hearts are in the right place. To be able to recognize talent, it's very fulfilling. Now, with my most recent step,

I've worked for the major broadcasting companies in the country, Spanish. I started with Spanish broadcasting system that went to Univision, and now this new vertical that we just launched at IHeart, Iheart Latino, Mr. Mark Anthony, who's a personal friend, and he'd ask me, why do you do radio this way? Me explaining my industry to him and him explaining his business and kind of fusing those things together

and really sitting down with Mark inspired me to leave a great position that I had at Univision and just to strive for more, not to feel bad about it. It's nothing wrong with you always challenging yourself and always looking for

and making better and new goals. So I would say that Mark, I would attribute my, and being, you know, one of the mentors that really impacted my life. He really took me from being broadcaster, not just a broadcaster, from DJ to boss.

Would you say that your career was a case of being in the right place at the right time? I don't believe in luck. I think, yes, you can be at the right place at the right time. If your heart is in the right place and you're really dedicated in a hardworking person, you can achieve honestly whatever you want, not to make it sound cliche, life is full of opportunities, being able to recognize those opportunities to be open and receptive to change and not be afraid to take that leap. But if you work hard enough for something, you can attain it. I don't like lazy people.

And I recognize that right away. And people that either get complacent. In broadcasting, getting too comfortable is death to careers, to projects, to, you've always got to be thinking a step ahead. Again, it's such a fast-paced, a constant and ever-changing business that we're in that you need to be able to balance a bunch of different things at once. You need to be able to morph yourself into different positions. So it is a big challenge.

but hard work pays off. A hard worker is always going to outshine even, you know, you can be a very talented person, but if you're not dedicated and you're not a hard worker, someone that doesn't have that talent that you have, may not be as good as you, but they're more dedicated and applied to what they're doing, they might outshine you.

I definitely love my job and working with Enrique and the team, and the alarm goes on, and I don't have to drag myself out of the bed. You love what you do, and when you love what you do, you don't care if you work even on weekends. I heart and the team, it's fun. We travel, you know, as a team.

And working with Rika, it's really fun. I'm honestly blessed. Making this huge move to Iheart media. You know, I was very, I was established and very successful on Spanish radio working for Univision. I was making good money. I had my team. Again, going back to Mark Anthony, and he helped me open my eyes, say, hey, you don't have to be an employee anymore. or just an employee. That's okay. If you're happy with that and you're satisfied with that,

you can stay there and you can talk till you're 105. And in broadcasting, we can do that. Casey Kasem's and the Dick Clarks and may they rest in peace and people that really open doors for us and broadcasting. But literally, these men worked until they almost checked out. I always achieved for more and I wanted more. And I like the challenge. And I said, and let's head this new vertical. So I would say also one of the major, major accomplishments permission of my life were to launch this awesome animal. I'm looking for us to grow our footprint and with our events and our reach. That's my goal to really to grow the footprint and to open up the doors and opportunities

for other broadcasters also, not just in the Spanish field, but in the bicultural field that's so important right now in the country. I'm Liz Regan, and that was Enrique Santos. and that's all for this edition of On the Job. Find out more at Expresspros.com, and you can listen to every podcast this season at Expressprose.com slash podcast. This podcast is produced by Decibles Studios in New York,

iHeart Radio, and Red Seat Ventures. You can subscribe on IHeart Radio and iTunes, where we hope you'll leave a nice review. That helps other folks find us. And of course, you can listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you next time, On The Job. All right, if you have ever dealt with a traditional home security company, you know the drill.

Expensive monthly fees, contracts that lock you in for years, and waiting around for a technician to set everything up. It's a lot. Well, now they're Simply Safe. They have completely changed the game. Simply Safe has no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, no being trapped. They earn your business by actually keeping you safe, not by locking you in. Setting up is so easy. You customize your system at Simple.

PleaseSafe.com. It ships to your door in a few days. And with the app guided setup, you can have everything installed and armed in under an hour. No technician needed. And it's not just a camera. It's a full ecosystem of sensors, cameras for inside and outside, and 24-7 professional monitoring. If there's ever a break-in, a fire, or a flood, SimplySafe's agents are on it immediately. They were also named America's Best Customer Service by Newsweek, which honestly tracks. Right now, you can get 50% off your new system by visiting simplysafe.com slash bones. That's half off at simplysafe.com slash bones. There's no safe like SimplySafe. Service opens doors. And at American military university, it can open doors for the whole family.

If you have a loved one who's served in the military, you may qualify for reduced tuition. AMU offers flexible online programs designed to fit your schedule so you can keep moving forward, wherever life takes you. Learn more at amu. .apus. Dot, edu slash military. Open doors to the future

for you and your family with the help of American Military University. That's amu. dot APUS. dot edu slash military. Wait, this is a soda?

Yeah. And it has protein? 10 grams? No sugar? Zero. And it actually tastes good? It's Skypop. Skypop protein soda

delivers the refreshing taste you want from a real soda. Crisp and delicious with 10 grams of complete protein, zero sugar, and just 45 calories. So you're not choosing between great taste and real benefits. You're getting both in every sip. Skypot protein soda, reach for the sky. Get your skypot protein soda now at Target or Ralph's. Air Tasker helps you scratch more off your to-do list.

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