DJ Sandra Dee in the OWWR Live Studio. Photo Credit: Host of St. James Infirmary, Michael J. Mand.
Sandra Cerrone, commonly known as DJ Sandra Dee, is a community volunteer at SUNY Old Westbury’s radio station, OWWR. In addition to hosting and DJing her show, SweetBeatz, Cerrone plays an integral role in the OWWR community. She does “a little bit of everything,” whether it’s working on a promo, overseeing a rotation, or being a mentor for the students.
SweetBeatz, which is on air on OWWR every Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., explores a variety of music artists through exclusive, personalized interviews and the energetic hosting of Cerrone. Cerrone integrates her passion for entertainment and radio through her show. Within the show, she further combines different interests of hers.
“A lot of people go, ‘well how did you take your two loves of pop and country and kind of put them together?’ And I’m like, ‘well, if you listen to the show, I kind of do the pop segment in the first ten minutes and then we go to break and then I come back to the country and then I go to break and then I go back to pop,’” Cerrone explained. “So I kind of interfuse a little bit of everything and create this magical sandwich, so to speak, and it works. You know, a lot of people love it.”
Cerrone conducting interviews at the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo Credit: Facebook, DJ Sandra Dee.
Cerrone conducting interviews at the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo Credit: Facebook, DJ Sandra Dee.
Her show is a way for artists to be heard, and it also showcases organizations, their causes, and ways people can help. “I’m a Make-A-Wish volunteer myself,” Cerrone said, “so, I’m a firm believer of giving back as much as you can, when you can.”
Cerrone started her academic career at Nassau Community College where she spent time figuring out what she wanted to do within the field of entertainment. That is, what she wanted to do if she couldn’t “manage the Backstreet Boys.” She graduated from Adelphi University with a B.A. in Business Management and a Specialization in Marketing. Many of her projects were geared towards her internship at the nostalgic radio network, Radio Disney.
Cerrone landed her internship after her Career Counselor saw a flyer looking from the company seeking out interns. Cerrone expressed, “It said, ‘do you like the Backstreet Boys? Do you like Christina Aguilera and Britney [Spears]?’ And I was like, ‘what, this is so for me!’” This flier led to a 12-year career, working as a Cast Member with the Walt Disney Company.
At Radio Disney, Cerrone worked on promotions. She started off shy, but with the push of another intern, she hosted her first event with a microphone in hand for a hula hoop game. After the event, Cerrone expressed her desire to be on the microphone to her boss, who saw the potential in her. Cerrone’s boss brought her to events. She said, “I would always be there every week with her learning and training on a microphone.”
She soon auditioned during an event being held at a Jewish Museum and put in all of the work to make it perfect.“I remember studying everything or ‘what could I do with these kids’ or ‘how many questions can I ask about how many nights in Hanukkah,’ little things like that,” Cerrone explained. “So I put together a little set list of stuff that I was going to do, almost like a guide.”
Just like that, she was hired. Cerrone was thrilled about landing her position. She reflected on her excitement, expressing, “Wait–I get to hang out, play games, dance and ask trivia questions, give away prizes, and get paid for it?” Her answer: yes! Here is “where DJ Sandra Dee was born.”
While working on Radio Disney, Cerrone got to work with some of the biggest names in pop music at the time and was looking to scout out up-and-coming talent. While attending a Backstreet Boys concert at Jones Beach, their opener who you may have heard of if you are into pop culture at all, the Jonas Brothers, sat behind Cerrone. She grabbed a business card out of her wallet and gave one to the boys and their father. “One thing led to another, and they were doing Six Flags with us and they were doing these little, mini concerts,” Cerrone said. “I noticed they started to just progress and progress and progress, and I was like ‘wow, this is crazy.’ And they just blew up.”
Working at Radio Disney was a unique experience. She once hosted an event for the Jonas Brothers’ first album release party that was “at a mall with floors of thousands of screaming girls.” Cerrone continued, “It was literally…a roller coaster of emotions. You feel nauseous, you feel sick, but then you’re like I’m kind of excited. But then you’re like, I think I’m gonna vomit. It’s very funny. It’s a lot of emotions.”
Her position at Radio Disney was shut down, but Cerrone said, “It’s true what they say: in Disney World, so to speak, people become your ‘ohana.’ So, those people became my family, who I still keep in touch with on a daily basis too.”
Cerrone had to find work elsewhere. While working part-time at a Tony Bennett show in 2013 at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, she met OWWR’s Station Manager, Professor Joseph Manfredi’s, father. “He said ‘you’re in radio, but you’re not on the air?’ And I said, ‘well, not really… I’m trying to learn.’” He then gave Cerrone Professor Manfredi’s business card. From there, Cerrone reached out and was welcomed aboard to the team with Professor Manfredi’s guidance. “He opened his home to me and now that home has become my second home. I’m eternally grateful to him because he has been the person to just really keep the fire going in me, so to speak, but also just know that I have so much talent to give out there,” Cerrone said. “That kind of kept me going because I think after Radio Disney, I was like ‘this is the end for me.’”
She also began working in promotions at a radio company called Cumulus Media. They had a range of genres through their stations, such as country, R&B, and Top 40. Cerrone wanted to explore her different opportunities outside of promotions. “I did a little bit of production. I showed a little bit of interest in wanting to be on the air,” Cerrone explained. “So they put me in board hopping at about 4:00 in the morning at the country station.”
Navigating her role at Cumulus was difficult, whether it was the cold temperatures to keep the equipment cool or the early mornings, but gave her further experience. Cumulus eventually was shut down, leaving Cerrone to find work elsewhere.
She began working at what was a little company at the time called Entercom Media Corp. This was rebranded into Audacy Inc. and is now a widely popular company with many radio stations. Cerrone worked doing promotions there, but, she said, “unfortunately, COVID hit and we never got a call back, just like a lot of other jobs.”
Cerrone’s experience shows the ever-changing nature of the media industry. Through it all, she luckily had OWWR as an outlet to pursue radio. “It’s become a part of my life. That is, OWWR is family, you know. Like I say I have my Disney ‘ohana’… I also have my OWWR ‘ohana’ as well.”
Cerrone’s passion for radio stems from her ability to give a voice to people who may not have one. “There are so many talented people out there who aren’t on labels, who are just out there trying to live their dream,” Cerrone expressed. “I don’t think radio gives them enough attention.” Cerrone’s radio show, however, is the place where they can get recognition.
Cerrone interviewing Morgan Myles for OWWR. Photo Credit: Facebook, DJ Sandra Dee.
Her background at Radio Disney and their program, Next Big Thing, also gave her the push to help other artists. “[Artists like the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus] came down our pipe and they were kind of like nobodies and here comes the radio station to kind of give them that voice.” And, of course, Cerrone is passionate about all genres of music.
Cerrone loves to go to concerts in her free time. “That’s one of my favorite things to do is just go to concerts and you can discover new artists too, along the way,” Cerrone explained. “That’s me–the person going to rush to try to score an interview by just running outside to the lobby to go meet them.”
She also enjoys being active. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cerrone said, “I got into… walking and running and becoming a little bit more conscious of my health.” She also likes bowling and disc golf. Whether it’s watching a movie or playing a board game, Cerrone finds it important to appreciate and spend time “hanging out and just being relaxed.”
In her future, Cerrone hopes to make a career being on the air at a big radio station. Regardless of whether that happens, Cerrone is proud of her achievements and continues to happily follow the natural journey life takes her on. She would also consider working with artists to help them grow. At the end of the day, Cerrone’s goal, alongside working for the Backstreet Boys, is to connect with people: “I want to create that impact on people.”
