Mike Sweeney (DJ)

This article is about the British broadcaster. For the American musician, see Mike Sweeney (musician)

Michael Thomas Sweeney (born 15 September 1947, Salford, Lancashire, England) is a broadcaster and radio DJ.

Education and early career

Sweeney attended Mount Carmel School, after which he worked at Associated Electrical Industries in Trafford Park. He was a platelayer at the docks, a labourer, a miner and a computer programmer. He performed in a local band, the Salford Jets, as a singer and songwriter in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The band had one hit single that reached #72 in the UK Singles Charts in 1980.[1]

Radio career

By age 33, he was regularly broadcasting on Manchester's Piccadilly radio station and had begun to include short interviews in his show. He was offered a 12-show trial as one of the station's disc jockeys; it was thought that his Salford accent would go down well with local audiences. He worked prime time slots on the station from 1981 into the late 1990s while branching out into interviewing, sports reportage and documentaries. He plays football, has boxed for Salford Lads' Club and also swum for the city.

He then became a DJ on Capital Gold in London where he presented the morning show on Monday-Friday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, the Capital Gold Rock Show on Friday nights, and Mike Sweeney's 60s Classics and At the Hop on Saturday nights until the station merged with Classic Gold. He presented of the weekday drivetime slot until the summer of 2009.

Sweeney is currently working for BBC Radio Manchester, hosting the morning show Monday to Friday from 9 am until 12 pm and also hosting Sweeney's Sixties Classics on the same station on Sunday from 12 pm to 3 pm. Sweeney still sings with The Salford Jets and with two other groups, The Mindbenders and The Swinging Blue Jeans. His latest project is a duo, Mike Sweeney and Paddy O'Hare.[2] They are working on an EP titled Walking Down the Line, which will be released in 2013.[3]

On TV, Sweeney's Elvis Has Just Left The Building is still showing on Sky's Men & Motors. He also presented The Manchester United Debate Show on Channel M from 2007 to 2009 and a classic car series for Sky in 2000.

Sweeney has won two New York Radio awards, a Sony in 2002 and Guardian Media Group's Presenter Of The Year in 2009.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography: Salford Jets". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Mike Sweeney Still Walking Down The Line" (PDF). Cheers Magazine. Cheers Promotions Ltd. January 2013. p. 8. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "Recording with Mike Sweeney". Manchester Midi School Blog. Retrieved 18 February 2013.

External links