Mike Perini is Michigan Radio’s midday host. He started at the station in 1996 as a temporary, fill-in announcer and was made the full-time midday host in 2002. Mike likes to spend his vacations visiting some of the offbeat places in America’s heartland.
Q&A
How did you get involved in radio?
I started in the mid-80s at WJJX, a tiny Top 40 training station at the University of Michigan. After a hiatus, in 1994 I moved on to WCBN, the student-run eclectic music station. I’m still doing a radio show there once a week.
What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
Aside from eating interesting food and hanging out with interesting people, I love to explore Americana, from the Motown Museum in Detroit to the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.
What has been your most memorable experience as a reporter and on-air host?
I’ve had many, but the one that may have stretched me the farthest as a radio person was going curling in Windsor, Ontario, for a story on Olympic events. I didn’t know I had muscles in those places. I’m still not sure I do.
Do you have a favorite program on Michigan Radio?
What day is it? Let’s see, it could be 1a, On The Media, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me…or…something else. I like to be drawn into conversations…I like to be educated while I’m straightening out the apartment…and laughing brings oxygen to the brain, doesn’t it?
Contributions from Mike Perini
- Get well, Casey Kasem: You've made me a better music fan
The Associated Press is reporting this afternoon that Detroit native and Wayne State University alum Casey Kasem is in critical condition with an infected bedsore at a Washington state hospital. St. A … - Victory for the UAW at a Volkswagen auto plant?
In what could be a victory for the Detroit-based United Auto Workers, a union official in Tennessee says a majority of workers at Volkswagen's assembly plant in the state have signed cards favori … - Motown 'Funk Brothers' get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Detroit musicians who had to wait decades for recognition are getting some high-profile attention lately. The long-awaited discovery of Detroit musician Rodriguez was highlighted last month, when the … - Locations and times for Betty Ford condolence books
People who wish to express their sympathy to the Ford family can sign a condolence book at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids: Tonight (Wednesday) from 7pm-11pm and tomorrow from 7am-10am. There is also a co … - Del Shannon's "Runaway" tops charts 50 years ago this week
Fifty years ago this week, Runaway by Del Shannon was the Number One song in the U.S. It was the first rock n roll song by a West Michigan-born artist to hit the top. He was born in Grand Rapids, and …