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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, assistant program director, host and programmer of the station's Friday night program of heavy and extreme metal music called "The Metal Zone".
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 assistant, call screener and 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, California, as a weekend personality, then midday host. Her first audition shift as full-time 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. [1]
At KSJO, Nikki started a metal program originally called Hardcore Hell, later rebranded Midnight Metal 12 am – 1 am airing Wednesday through Friday nights. 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 aired from 10 pm-1 am Friday nights [2] and featured extreme music with special emphasis on local artists. The Metal Zone was canceled after Nikki's resignation in 2015. Live 365, an internet radio company rebranded the 24-hour heavy metal channel "Nikki Blakk's Metal Zone" programmed and hosted by Nikki Blakk, which ended when the company went out of business in December 2015.
Nikki Blakk also has a simultaneous career as backstage manager and production runner at LiveNation, formerly Bill Graham Presents.[ citation needed ]
Nikki has also been voted one of the Top 50 Hottest Women in Radio for 2009, 2010 and 2011, according to Pop Crunch. [3] [4] [5]
She has been involved in the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation [6] and the Guitar Player Magazine Guitar Superstar contest. [7]