10 Questions with ... Mike Swift

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I began my career in New Orleans in 2005 with Citadel Broadcasting/Cumulus Media, where I grew from being an on-air talent on Urban AC KMEZ, to the APD and on-air talent/mix show DJ on KKND/ to an on-air talent/mix show DJ on Alt Rock station WZRH before moving to Charlotte to become the PD of WGIV.

1) How did you get started in radio?

My start in radio was abnormal. (Honestly, what is a normal radio career start?) My career journey began in the summer of 2005. I was a sophomore at Dillard University in New Orleans and DJ-ing college parties and various nightclubs. The owner of the club where I was a resident DJ on Saturday nights wanted me to meet him at the Old School 102.9 studios to cut a commercial with their APD, Kelder Summers. After cutting the commercial Kelder asked why I never gave radio a shot. I replied, "I have been active with my college radio station, but never got a shot at an internship or a part-time job with a commercial station." She said she'd keep me updated if anything opened up with the station. A few weeks later ,Hurricane Katrina hit and I evacuated to Houston. Now the crazy part about Katrina was that it hit New Orleans on Monday and the calls to evacuate began Saturday. The club I DJed at was open like normal that night and we had to kick people out even though the storm of the century was about to hit the city. I remember clearly the owner of the club telling me that my stuff would be safe in the DJ booth. I looked at him crazy as hell and was like, "Nah bruh, I'm about to get on this road to H-town because the club won't be here next week." Definitely the wisest move I made as a 21-year-old.

So, I relocated to Houston after 18 hours on the road evacuating and found myself in a shelter outside of Houston. I ended up enrolling at the Univ. of Houston where I had a dope time living on campus and working as a security guard at Target. Sometime in early December, I contacted Kelder Summers to see if she was doing okay and she said she didn't forget about me in regards to a job. I kind of shrugged it off thinking it was just "industry talk." Then two weeks later on the day before my final exams, she called to tell me that there was a job opening as the board op for the Michael Baisden Show with a possible weekend air shift. I immediately packed up and got on the road that night at 3a to make it to New Orleans at 8a. When I got into the city, the New Orleans I knew looked so unfamiliar and at that moment I thought to myself, "Dude, you are failing all your finals to take a job at a radio station in a city that is recovering from the biggest natural disaster in U.S. history. What have you done!!!???"

That decision to leave my education at the Univ. of Houston behind turned into a career with Citadel Broadcasting/Cumulus Media that lasted 12 years! After a week on the job, I became the nights host on Old School 102.9; a spot I held for three years until the format was changed to Rhythmic Top 40 and I became the afternoon-drive host/mix show DJ from 2008 to 2014. I became the APD of KKND (Power 102.9) in the summer of 2013 and eventually moved to doing middays in the fall of 2014. I was also afforded the opportunity to become a popular on-air host and mix show DJ on our sister Alternative station Alt 92.3; my time with Cumulus Media ended in October of 2017 where I left New Orleans for the first time professionally to become the PD/ afternoon-drive host at Streetz 103.3 and 100.5 (WGIV) in Charlotte.

2) What interests you the most about this business?

My biggest interest in the business is branding. I love being in control of a brand and controlling messaging. I spent 2015 to 2017 working as a Public Affairs Director for a rural parish outside of New Orleans where I implemented what I learned in radio. I love communicating with large numbers of people at the same time. That part is a total rush for me. Whether opening the mic for a break, writing new imaging, or holding a press conference with national news media present. This field comes as natural as breathing.

3) Could you share what it was like being involved with Katrina?

Man, it sucked! I never experienced that amount of uncertainty in my life. To leave your home knowing that you're going to come back to it being gone is the most sickening feeling I could ever expect. The bittersweet part of it was that my radio career is owed to the tragedy. Without that happening, I would have given up on the radio dream and focused on getting my ass in law school. The interesting part of coming back home in December of 2005 and watching the city flourish was amazing, but my time working in Plaquemines Parish as their Public Affairs Director showed me how the spotlight was only on New Orleans -- and not the surrounding communities that continue to struggle to recover. Plaquemines Parish was the only part of Louisiana that saw direct landfall from Hurricane Katrina. The entire Parish/county still faces difficulties from Katrina. The recovery for many citizens continues today.

4) How did you get started in programming?

Oddly, this is another gift from the curse of Hurricane Katrina. At the end of 2006, I was given a $50,000 budget to rebuild the campus radio station of Dillard Univ. At this point, I survived my first year in commercial radio and became familiar with RCS Selector. So, I pushed for our station to be built as a replica of the KMEZ studios I worked out of in the evenings. The good folks from RCS came down for over a week and trained me on how to program a radio station from scratch. I learned the Selector program inside out. This experience in itself was priceless. So, while I continued as the night host on KMEZ, my daily responsibilities at Dillard University gave me the chance to learn how to program through trial and error with RCS Selector. That was the best part of my college education! My first mentor and PD in the game was LeBron "LBJ" Joseph. He gave me the opportunity to be his APD in the summer of 2013. I learned a great deal from him until his departure from Cumulus in late 2013. I programmed Power 102.9 KKND alone from December 2013 until the arrival of Talus Knight in October 2014. I continued to work as his APD until my departure into the world of politics in the summer of 2015.

5) Would you share with us influences and mentors in your career?

My two greatest mentors are Talus Knight and Lebron "LBJ" Joseph. These two men had the largest influence in my development as a personality. LBJ taught me the ropes of how to prepare for an air shift. How to really do radio. He was tough and molded me to be a professional. The funny part is that I find myself quoting him at least once a week. LOL! Talus is like the big brother I never had. His work ethic is motivation enough. He's the kind of leader that leads by example. If you see your PD in the trenches and doing the little things, it motivates you to go harder.

6) Besides music, what else is important for radio stations to do?

Community engagement is the most important aspect outside of music. Back in New Orleans, we were involved with helping families who were affected by the BP Oil Spill, Hurricane Katrina, and out here in Charlotte, we've given back to the community for Thanksgiving by giving out turkeys. We fed the homeless on MLK Day, and with the resources of our night host Mario The Mic Man, we surprised an autistic high school senior who was alienated from his classmates by sending him to prom, getting him a date, and providing him with resources so he can pursue a career in photography. It truly is a team effort, which requires all members to pitch in.

7) How do you balance personal with work?

This is my biggest weakness because I don't. I moved out to Charlotte from the place I was born and raised at the age of 34. My life pretty much revolves around the radio station so much so I tease my boss, Steve Hegwood, that I should just give up my apartment and move in here. LOL! I spent two-and-a-half years balancing a government public affairs position and a five-day-a-week mix show and an air shift on our Alternative station before I moved to Charlotte. I never had a work/personal life balance.

8) What's the Charlotte market like?

Charlotte is awesome. It's a city that is growing really fast but it's unique. Before I moved here I would always hear that Charlotte is the "New Atlanta." I'd disagree. Charlotte does have a large number of new people moving in monthly, but it gives me a more conservative vibe than ATL. It's a beautiful and clean city with a controlled turn-up. Everyone I meet here likes to party to a limit. Now granted I've only been here seven months and I came from a city where public nudity and drunkenness is a part of daily life. What is amazing about Charlotte is the potential for growth. According to a recent report from WSOC-TV, over 42 people move per day to Charlotte. By 2050 over 1.8 million people and over 860k jobs will call the CLT home. The growth of the Streetz brand here is promising!

9) How do you see your future?

My future is brighter than a Debarge! This is my first chance to hold the title as PD and it is an honor to work under a respected veteran in the industry like Mr. Steve Hegwood. I love learning and I love challenges and I look forward to growing and mastering my craft as a PD. I never claim to be a person who knows it all and it is great to have mentors such as Steve Hegwood and my OM, Doc Love, to lean on during the growing pains of uprooting my entire life and coming to the Carolinas.

10) What's your advice for up-and-coming air talent?

My advice to for up-and-coming on-air talent is don't be afraid to embrace formats outside of what you think is cool! This is my first time working at true Urban station. I started doing Urban AC from '05-'08; Rhythmic Top 40 from '08-2017, and Alternative Rock from 2016-2017. I'm not sure many folks in the Urban industry can say they went from doing a 6-10p air shift Monday thru Friday with an all EDM mix show on an Alternative station and the following month be the PM-drive host/mix show DJ on an Urban.

Be yourself and don't be afraid to be versatile. Also, don't be afraid to make mistakes! I've made an ass of myself and been chewed out by both my PDs countless times! I mean it is miracle I haven't been fired. I look back at the boneheaded crap I did at 23 years old and it's a miracle that LBJ didn't can me. The crazy part that 23 seems just like yesterday for me so I can relate to the mindset of younger jocks. Cause I was that dude. I will also tell young on-air talent that you have to experience life. The day-to-day stuff that happens to you is show prep. Also, broaden your horizons. I have a background in writing, public relations, graphic design and managing websites. All of which help allow me to do my job as the PD here. My time working in government and learning how to manage a website helped me turn around our website when I took over the helm as PD. In short, it doesn't hurt to be a jack of all trades.

Is there anything about you that would surprise people?

If I wouldn't have taken the PD gig in Charlotte, I planned on running for a council seat in Plaquemines Parish this year. I worked as the spokesperson/public affairs director in Plaquemines Parish for two-and-a-half years before coming to Charlotte. It was a very conservative/rural area, but my father's side of the family is from there. I enjoyed my work and oddly enough went to a political trainee camp in D.C. last summer hosted by the Progressive Movement. My passion outside of the music industry is politics and civic engagement. My other focus in undergrad was Political Science. Before I made the move to Charlotte I was accepted and began taking courses in the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. My second day of our classes is when I received the call from Mr. Hegwood to come out to Charlotte for my interview. I'm pretty much a political news nerd who loves music.