10 Questions with ... Michael "Mike Swift" Powell

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I began my career in New Orleans, La in 2005 with Citadel Broadcasting/Cumulus Media Inc. where I grew from being an on-air talent on Urban AC KMEZ, to the APD and on-air talent/mixshow DJ on KKND/ to an on-air talent/mixshow DH on Alt Rock station WZRH before moving to Charlotte to become the Program Director of WGIV. My previous stop to my current job was PD for Flinn broadcasting Top 40/Rhythmic KXHT Hot 107.1 in Memphis.

1. How did your career in radio begin?

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 deejayed 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 she 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 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 deejayed at was open like normal that night and we had to kick people out even during 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." It was 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 University 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 ok and she said she didn't forget about me regarding a job. I kind of shrugged it off thinking it was just "industry talk.” Then 2 weeks later the day before my final exams she called to tell me that there was a job opening as the board operator for the Michael Baisden Show with a possible weekend air shift. I immediately packed up and got on the road that night at 3 am to make it to New Orleans at 8 am. 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 final exams 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 University 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 night host on Old School 102.9; a spot I held for 3 years until the format was changed to Rhythmic/CHR and I became the PM Drive Host/Mixshow DJ from 2008 to 2014. I took on the APD job of KKND Power 102.9 in the summer of 2013 and eventually moved to middays in the fall of 2014. I was also afforded the opportunity to work on-air/mixshow DJ on our sister Alternative Rock Station Alt 92.3.

2. Did radio meet your expectations?

The thing that surprised me the most when I got into radio (outside of the meager pay, which for a college sophomore wasn’t bad) was learning from my PD Lebron “LBJ” Joseph that the little things go a long way. Doing proper show prep for your air shift really affected how the show sounded. Plus add in the fact I was a 22-year-old millennial with visions that my success would happen overnight. I was blessed to have overseen rebuilding Dillard University’s radio station post-Katrina. I also ordered and got trained on how to program with RCS selector at 23. Being a true millennial, I believed I could become a program director of a radio station with 3 months of experience programming with selector. I appreciate my radio mentors like LBJ, Kelder Summers, and Abraham “Big Abe” Johnson for keeping my millennial ego in check, teaching me accountability, and keeping me humble during my first few years with KMEZ.

3. If money was not an issue, what would be your wish list?

The obvious answer here would be big-budget station concerts, but no budget means we can go a big step further. The function of our stations is to serve our communities. Many of my close friends are educators and I see them year after year take money out their own pockets to pay for school supplies for their classrooms. I’d like to throw a concert that raises money for educators and students alike.

4. What prompted you to want to program?

My first mentor and program director in the game Lebron "LBJ" Joseph, 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. Who have been some of the influencers 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. 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. What inspires you?

I am inspired daily by my beautiful fiancé' Nadia, my unborn daughter Nola, and my 6-year-old daughter Layla. As a programmer who’s spent 90 percent of my career in New Orleans, I am fascinated by the hip-hop culture of each market I've had the pleasure of working in. New York is the birthplace of hip-hop, but I love learning about the creation of hip-hop scenes in each city. During my time in Memphis at KXHT, it was amazing to hear the stories of how Yo Gotti got started and learning about hip-hop pioneers who paved the way in the Bluff City. Diving deep into the community to gain a great understanding of what moves the people is fascinating as well. I was a DJ before I became a radio personality or a programmer. The ability to read a crowd is the strongest gift of a DJ. It’s how you survive. As a programmer on a nomadic journey, I am still enjoying the process of cracking the social code of our listeners D.C.

7. Does the future for Urban/R&B radio have an upside?

I think the current state of urban radio is an ever-changing landscape. I believe radio is what solidifies stars. No matter how important streaming becomes labels are still using the streaming metrics to make the case for their artist to get spins on commercial radio.

8. How important is community involvement?

WKYS stays in the community. My promotions director Janine Brunson-Johnson is aggressive. It’s amazing to be a part of the Urban One DC team where we have the luxury of 3 station vehicles covering community in the DMV.

9. What are you looking forward to?

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.

10. Any advice for up-and-coming air personalities?

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 second time working at true Urban Station. I started doing R&B radio (formerly Urban AC) from 05-08; Rhythmic/CHR 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 an evening shift Monday thru Friday on an Alternative Rock Station and the following month be the PM Drive host/mixshow DJ on an Urban station.

Be yourself and don't be afraid to be versatile or make mistakes. I look back at the boneheaded crap I did at 23 years old and it's a miracle that I didn't get fired. The crazy this is that 23 seems like yesterday for me so I can relate to the mindset of younger air talents, because I was that air personality. I also tell young on-air talent that you must 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. My time working in government gave me the chance to manage a website and it helped me as a PD. In short, it doesn't hurt to be a jack of all trades.