Asked what fans can expect when the It’s Iconic tour — featuring co-headliners TLC and Salt-N-Pepa with special guest En Vogue — rolls into town this summer, industry veteran Sheila Eldridge hints, “It’s going to be a game changer for all three of the groups. They’re going to be doing some very interesting things on this tour.”
Eldridge should know. Behind the scenes, she’s been handling En Vogue’s marketing/PR for more than 30 years. However, in addition to collaborating with the pioneering ‘90s R&B/pop group, Eldridge has simultaneously forged her own trailblazing career. As founder/CEO of Maryland-based Miles Ahead Entertainment & Broadcasting, she has evolved from record promotion and PR executive to multicultural communications/marketing executive to radio station owner and syndicated broadcaster.
An HBCU alumnus who majored in communications at Howard University, Eldridge pursued her love of radio by working at the college’s WHUR-FM. At that time, she also gained a longtime mentor in the station’s then-sales manager and later Urban One (formerly Radio One) founder Cathy Hughes.
When a subsequent move to a Los Angeles radio gig in the late ‘70s didn’t pan out, Eldridge segued into the record biz. She first handled West Coast promotion during Casablanca Records’ disco and funk era for the likes of Donna Summer and Funkadelic. Shifting to Elektra Records marked Eldridge’s first PR stint. When the label’s jazz fusion division was eliminated, she squelched her entrepreneurial cravings by launching Orchid PR in 1981. The agency’s initial clients: Patrice Rushen, Cameo and Phyllis Hyman.
Ten years later, Eldridge rebranded Orchid as Miles Ahead Entertainment (“I’m a Miles Davis fan”) to grow beyond PR to intersect with growing corporate interest in artists for commercial campaigns. The company’s corporate clients currently include Burrell Communications, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and United Healthcare.
Returning to her radio roots in 2007, Eldridge partnered with Perry Publishing to acquire five Radio One stations in Augusta, Georgia as Perry Broadcasting. She next segued into syndication with the weekly Café Mocha radio show in 2011. With hosts Loni Love, Yo-Yo and Angelique Perrin, Café Mocha is now heard in over 40 urban AC markets including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and D.C. The four-time Gracie Award-winning program — tagged as “radio from a woman’s perspective” — recently celebrated its 15th anniversary while also hosting its Salute THEM Awards, the annual fundraiser for the radio program’s Mocha Cares Foundation. Recognized for their impact in moving the culture forward, 2025’s honorees included Academy Award winner Ryan Coogler (Sinners).
Eldridge’s latest passion project focuses on paying it forward to student creatives in the HBCU community. She and her team presented the third annual HBCU First LOOK Film Festival (HBCUFLF) at Howard University last November. The festival initially bowed in 2023 with former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama presiding over an opening night screening of the Netflix/Higher Ground biopic Rustin. Just ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend this February, Eldridge brought the HBCU First LOOK Women in Sports event to Los Angeles, marking both the 25th anniversary of Love & Basketball and the burgeoning intersection of film, sports and music.
Here’s what else Eldridge told Billboard about adapting, pivoting and leveling up in building her multifaceted career — and mentoring aspiring industry creatives and executives of color on how to do the same.
Why does En Vogue’s music still click and — given the tour — might new music also be on the way?
En Vogue’s sound pays tribute to the ‘90s while their lyrics are timeless. “Free Your Mind” is an intergenerational anthem. As for new music, never say never. But for now, they’re focused on touring.
(NOTE: This interview was conducted before reports of a feud between En Vogue’s current and former members emerged. Eldridge was contacted but hadn’t responded by the time this story was posted.)
In making the pivot from Orchid to Miles Ahead, what lessons did you learn?
I learned along the way to keep a nucleus of your team and then staff up for different projects. The highest number that I’ve ever had was 10 people on staff, located around the country in different markets. That’s probably how I’ve been able to survive through the industry, keeping a nucleus of people. Also, part of my longevity in this industry is because I keep young people around me. I stay in a learning state of mind. From them, I’m learning about new technology, the new thinking process with social and digital media. And they’re learning the fundamentals from me.
What prompted the move into radio ownership?
You’ve got to be able to move in different areas; to always have a plan A and plan B to fall back on. The marketing side carried my business for about 20 years. But I had a passion for radio and always stayed in contact with Ms. Hughes. When I told her that I was ready to own some radio stations and asked for her help, I was devastated when she said, “You’re not ready.” She’s the one who suggested I go through the NAB program. Nearly three years later, my partners and I bought the five stations from her while I also kept my marketing business. The radio industry was going through a real downturn between selling off stations and consolidations. I stayed in that deal for about 10 years and then sold my interest.
And what did you learn from that experience?
What I learned is that content is key; that providing content was where the industry was going. So that’s how I moved into the syndication business. This was before a lot of the big companies like iHeartMedia were really getting into syndication. I was on the cusp of that.
Which led to launching Café Mocha?
I realized there were no women leading the conversation. We had Wendy Williams but she moved into television. I decided to take a different route. That the show wouldn’t be one person’s name; it would be the platform. So I trademarked the name Café Mocha and initially began with hosts Loni Love, Angelique Perrin and MC Lyte. When Lyte exited to work with her foundation, she suggested that Yo-Yo would be the perfect person to replace her. Our goal is to assure listeners they can relate via any one of the co-hosts: Angelique, who’s single, polished and looking for a man [laughs]; comedienne/actress Loni, former automotive engineer, HBCU graduate, political and extremely well-read; and hip-hop icon Yo-Yo, rooted in music and dedicated to helping at-risk kids. All of what we term “Lifestyle Radio,” featuring intriguing conversations and the best in urban AC music.
With many decrying radio’s importance now, what’s your take on its future?
Radio no longer means terrestrial. You’ve got to be on various platforms because, as I’ve said, you have to meet people where they are. There are very few people that I know who are still listening to terrestrial radio. When we started Café Mocha, I was told, “You can’t be on SiriusXM and on terrestrial radio.” But we are … and also have the Mocha Podcasts Network.
What propelled your focus on the HBCU student community?
Eight years ago, I thought, “You need to come up with something that’s a career program; a pipeline for people and alumni who are in the industry who can give back and with whom students can also connect.” Like I’ve said, it’s all about networking, building relationships. So I decided after the pandemic to roll it out as a film festival because that’s where content is going. It may be called a film festival but it’s really a content festival in that students can learn about other things too. Like I had a news person from a major market tell students her story from attending an HBCU to now. So it’s also giving them hands-on experiences through master classes and panel discussions.
What’s improved the most for women working in the music industry — and what more can be done?
What’s changed the most is that more women have come to the forefront. And now it’s even better because young women are also coming to the forefront who are speaking up, speaking out and building a strong network. That’s something I’m very proud of and happy to see. Among the women in the industry past and present whose work in bringing women together has inspired me are Hughes, Sylvia Rhone [former Epic Records chairwoman/CEO], Sharon Heyward [former president of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’ Perspective Records] and DeDe McGuire [nationally syndicated radio personality].
But make no mistake about it, [the pushback on] DEI is hitting everyone. However, the good news is that people, especially women, know how to pivot. And women of color are masters of that. What needs to happen is more generational interaction. We need more women of my generation to network and engage with young women who are just getting into the industry. There needs to be a stronger connection between women of all generations. At the end of the day, we’re experiencing many of the same issues. Working together on a broader, intergenerational scale would be a very powerful way to not only survive through this era but also excel.
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