Kristina Jolliff knows traffic.
And after 13 years of reporting on the collisions and congestion of Tucson's streets, it only makes sense that KIIM's roadway diva feels the need for speed.
"I love to work on my car," says Jolliff, called Kricket on the air. It's a nickname her mother gave her as a child. "One day I would like to get it up to 300 horsepower."
Kricket, 33, learned about cars mostly from books and her 20-year-old brother. She says she spends much of her spare time detailing her 2003 Honda Civic.
"Controlled explosions are so cool," she says, laughing about the joys of working with internal combustion.
"Right now I'm in the beginning of the import tuning, and I'm working on saving money to do more."
Even with a speedy car, Kricket says she's a safe driver who is only occasionally busted for speeding.
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"My insurance just went down," she says. "I think I'm good, for now."
When she's not zipping through town or telling you how to do the same, the Catalina Magnet High School grad is hanging out with her family or walking her Great Dane, Bruce.
"I'm working on getting a very highly trained dog," she says of her pup, which she got from a local animal control center three years ago. "It's been quite the challenge."
While she doesn't have much time or energy to go out on weekdays, Kricket says she's been known to let loose with friends at places such as Cactus Moon Cafe on the weekend.
For this radio veteran, who is just as spunky in regular conversation as she is on-air, the best part about having a radio job is interacting with the public. It's a gig that never really feels like work, she says.
"I love that it's always changing and it's really fast-paced and fun and kind of stressful," she says. " I like that I get to meet people, and that it's goofy and fun."
On the air:
You can catch Kricket in action on KIIM (99.5-FM) most days of the week.
Her schedule:
6-8:30 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays with the traffic report, and noon-4 p.m. Sundays as an on-air DJ.
