• about Ramona

After more than 20 years as one half of the “Matt and Ramona Show,” nominated for radio’s prestigious Marconi Award,  Ramona Holloway has segued into a corporate role as Community Affairs Manager for Radio One Charlotte. She is responsible for cultivating relationships between businesses, nonprofits and community organizations across all six stations in the cluster.

Her goal is to use these platforms — on the radio and on social media — as bridges to solutions we can share in this post-pandemic life.  

The cherry on top is that she still hangs with Matt on MIX 107.9  from 9-10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and is still featured on two fresh “Off Air Podcast” episodes weekly.

Ramona calls it just “sharing life” when she talks about her 30-year career in media, motivational speaking and event hosting.  She was awarded the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Award for radio comedy, and has been named Best Radio Personality three times by “Charlotte Magazine.” 

Her experience on the microphone includes formats from country and urban to Top 40 and Gospel; she has served in a range of positions from news director to talk-show host. 

Comfortable in front of the camera as well, Ramona co-hosted NBC Charlotte’s “Charlotte Today” for two years; she and Matt hosted “News Edge” on WCCB-TV in Charlotte for four years. She also served as a part-time anchor for WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, and co-host of WOSU-TV’s “Viewpoint” program.

Ramona is a big believer in giving back to the community.  She sets aside time each month to volunteer with numerous charitable organizations and created an all-ages inclusive fundraiser called #FamilyDancePartyCLT to support local charities and teach the next generation about philanthropy. 

She sits on the boards of Holy Angels, serving people with developmental disabilities, and the Western Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. For more than a decade, Ramona was on the board of A Child’s Place, an organization that serves homeless children in Charlotte’s public schools.  She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta, a public service sorority.

Born in Oberlin, Ohio, and raised in Somerset, N.J., Ramona was educated at Penn State University. She is a fan of the arts and history, and in her free time, enjoys decorating, traveling and watching movies. Most Sundays, you will find her fellowshipping with other believers and watching her beloved Carolina Panthers afterward.  On Saturdays, she indulges her passion -- bargain-hunting.

• Love letter to my listeners

I’m feeling like an empty-nester right now. Mattman and I gave birth to this baby in 2001 that Jefferson Pilot VP Rick Jackson named "The Matt and Ramona Show."  The Charlotte area embraced us and for the past two decades, you've given me a professional life better than I dared to dream. You gave Matt Harris and me the opportunity to break ground on so many levels by giving us one of the greatest gifts you can give to another person, you listened. As if listening wasn’t enough, you also showed up for events and shared your stories with us. 

I’ve heard from so many people who grew up listening to us in the car with mom or dad at the wheel. Yes, you trusted us with your kids and our clients trusted us to speak for their businesses.  I have never taken that for granted.  

Behind the jokes was a highly functional, dysfunctional radio family that included account executives who demanded top dollar for our time slot and endorsements, an innovative promotions team led by Matt Dubois that turned our ideas into guaranteed fun, and cheerleaders in every department from engineering to traffic. 

There have been many program directors along the way, but my all-time favorite is in the chair right now. Neal Sharpe has had the challenge of managing Matt, my mom Wheezy, and me at the same time.  He has always understood that the weird kids from school were running the show and it was okay.  He hired two of the funniest, most creative producers for us, Brent " Bandy Boo" O' Brien and Kary "Doc" Bowser. We laughed a lot and "the boys" loved me through a lot.

It was Bandy who volunteered to produce my Sunday morning faith-based show, The Satisfied Life. It was Doc making dozens of World of Wheezy CD's for mom to sell at yard sales.  It was all three of us laughing at the tornado we call Matt.  I will always be his fan, not just as a partner but as someone who loves him like a brother. 

You gave me opportunities to have amazing experiences with charities all over the Carolinas and allowed me to learn from people who are dedicated to making our world better. I'm grateful for all of it.

I wouldn't change a single thing, but it's time for the M&R show to grow into something different. There are simply parts of being one-half of this brand that just don't align with the life I want to have right now.  My body longs for a stable sleep schedule while my soul longs for more time with loved ones and work that feels more purposeful.

After Tuesday, I'll be moving into a corporate role at Radio One Charlotte, taking a Community Affairs Manager position. I'll be responsible for cultivating relationships between businesses, nonprofits and community organizations across all six stations in the cluster. My goal is to use these platforms — on the radio and on social media — as bridges to solutions we can share in this post-pandemic life.  

The cherry on top is that I'll still hang with Matt on MIX 107.9  from 9-10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you’ll still get two fresh “Off Air Podcast” episodes featuring yours truly and Mattman. Starting May 16, tune in for a segment I'm going to call "Adulting with Ramona" or "Ramona's Reality Room."  Let me know which one you like.  

I believe my mom Wheezy, who gave me so much funny material and such a great example of a servant leader, would be really proud to see how Matt and, especially Ramona, have grown up. 

This is a new channel in my life and I’m looking forward to connecting with you there. 

Ramona

PS I LOVE YOU!