Getting Personal: WHMS-FM's Mike in the Morning

Explain in one sentence what it is you do.

It's my job to create a creative working environment that puts each member of our team in the best position to succeed in reaching company goals and achieving personal job satisfaction.

What time do you typically get up? What do you do the first hour of the morning?

3:40 a.m. I have a banana, breakfast bar, big glass of water, big glass of orange juice and a Diet Mountain Dew. I work on morning-show preparation, take a shower and then out the door by 4:40.

What did you have for lunch today? Where? Who with?

Chicken Kiev at the Round Barn Banquet Center with an awesome group of 250 community volunteers. I was the MC for the 37th annual Retired Senior Volunteer Program awards luncheon.

Best high school memory:

Earning a school letter in swimming.

Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.

Tricky question, as I have very narrow size 14 feet. Both Jed and Will from two different shoe stores help me with my shoe challenges. My feet say don't pick a favorite on this question.

What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include?

Any activity with my family. My daughter, Jennifer, and son, Christopher, are growing up so quickly. The days of the four of us doing things together are, I'm afraid, going to be limited in the years to come.

Was there one book you read as a child that you still cherish? Own? Read?

"The Taxi That Hurried," by Lucy Mitchell, Irma Black and Jessie Stanton. It's the first book I read on my own.

Where on Earth are you dying to go? Why?

I can't get enough of Scotland. I've been there several times. It's so beautiful and a fun place to explore.

Tell me about your favorite pet.

Growing up we had a poodle named PJ who seemed to never sleep and was always ready to play.

Have you discovered as you matured that you are becoming like one of your parents? Which one and how?

My father. My dad was very firm and strict as I grew up. I promised myself I would have more of a parenting decision-making balance and listen more attentively when I had kids. Most days I am very patient, but occasionally, I'm just like my dad.

What would you order for your last meal?

Salmon from the River Ness near Inverness, Scotland.

What can you NOT live without?

My family. They do so much for me every day.

Who do you have on your iPod?

Seven hundred fifty-four of my favorite workout songs that I listen to at the ARC. It's the only time of the day I don't have a radio on. It's my un-plug from radio time.

What's the happiest memory of your life?

The day I got married.

If you could host a dinner party with any three living people in the world, what three people would you invite?

I rarely participate in radio-oriented dinners. So it would be a radio-themed dinner with my mentor Harry Harrison, brilliant broadcast consultant Holland Cooke and legendary Philadelphia radio station owner Jerry Lee.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Every brand-new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.

What's your best piece of advice?

Change equals opportunity.

What was your first job, and how much did you make an hour?

I started a lawn-mowing enterprise at age 10, making $1.75 a yard.

What was a pivotal decision in your career, and how did you arrive at that decision?

Deciding to come to work for WDWS/WHMS. I enjoyed where I had been working for the previous 22 years, but Stevie Jay (Khachaturian) put together a tremendous opportunity for me. And a change did truly equal a great opportunity for me.

Do you have a bad habit? What is it?

I change the radio from station to station in the car incessantly when I am driving on the interstate. It drives my family crazy and that's why they bring their iPods when we take any kind of trip.

How do you handle a stressful situation?

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I step back, analyze and quietly think over the situation and then choose my words carefully. The other 1 percent of the time is something I am working very hard on.

Also on this date

• Compute this: Work on new UI facility ahead of schedule
• Arthur teen dies in rural accident
• Help desk for domestic violence victims launches Monday
• Fire spreads from garage to 2 other homes in St. Joseph
• One year after fire, Metropolitan site is still a mess
• Displaced by fire, law firm remains without quarters
• Stopped Neil Street drivers getting eyeful of eyesore
• Champaign police group members defend its usefulness
• Fire destroys nine garages at Urbana apartments
• Obituaries

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