On the Ground With Gabe is a FingerLakes1.com blog that “takes you behind the headlines, practices, techniques and ethics of all things journalism.”
Caring. Compassionate. Courteous. Financing journalism has always been a tall order with advertising revenues draining from local, regional markets here in the Finger Lakes — but Sydney Radka has fulfilled and even exceeded her expectations while staying in full stride.
She’s been the account executive at FingerLakes1.com for the last three years. And client centric, too.
Although the Lyons resident and Seneca Falls native is undeniably a business-minded woman, who stays inside the office managing client marketing relations while directly overseeing web development-related inquiries, you certainly couldn’t miss her appearances as a co host on the ‘FLX Weekly’ in-studio podcast.
Before becoming a mainstay at FingerLakes1.com, Radka was working for a competing traditional media company — but her arrival at the digital-exclusive multimedia platform came from an eavesdropping sales pitch striking all of the correct chords.
Radka walked into a restaurant to speak with a client and that’s when Jim Sinicropi, the founder and president, overheard her pitching a new package. Later on, Sinicropi followed up, offering a position, but change can be “overwhelming” for her — making that crucial decision extremely difficult.
“It took me a little bit to accept the offer, but seeing the way the world was headed and how digitally focused things had become, I knew I needed to make the move,” Radka admitted.
Meeting businesses and the actual people behind those brands has been a gratifying and equally satisfying experience for her throughout her tenure at the company.
But when she isn’t answering calls or emails with clients, Radka enjoys spending time with her family in the Finger Lakes by entertaining everyone around her, playing cornhole and even pretending that she’s “better at golf than I really am.” She’s got plenty of responsibility beyond her work-related ones, as a stepmom, self-proclaimed fur mom and her newest title: a wife, which is still surreal for her to say aloud.
For Radka, her active role and responsibility in “helping our businesses grow” is what she loves most of all about her job.
“I love that I get to form relationships with so many amazing local businesses and confidently tell them you WILL be seen by hundreds of thousands viewers every month and then I can actually SHOW them the statistics,” she explained. “It’s so rewarding, being a part of helping local businesses, sharing their services, promoting their events, bringing more foot to their store fronts.”
Gabe covered health and indigenous affairs in the Finger Lakes between 2019 and 2022. His award winning coverage was cited by the federal government and provided residents with an invaluable service during the coronavirus pandemic.