My Life; Mike Diem [PODCAST]

Longtime WJON Program Director and morning show host Mike Diem joined me for our My Life series.  We talk about Mike's early start suburban Chicago, his early love of radio, how it made it to St. Cloud, why he left and why he came back.  Mike spent 18 years as WJON's Program Director and Morning Show host from 1963-1981 before leaving for a job in Monticello.  Mike returned to WJON to work in a different role soon after leaving.  He also had a stint as the Program Director and morning show host of Oldies 94.9 FM before retiring from radio in 1998.  Listen to our conversation below.

Mike recalls the many fundraisers and projects WJON was involved with and how he and then, owner Andy Hilger worked well together even though they had a different approach.  Mike says he was a doer while Andy was a a thinker and planner.  He thought they complemented each other well.

Mike says WJON has always been a full service radio station focused on local interests.  He says at one point WJON may have had the largest staffed news rooms in the state with 4 full-time news people, 3 sports reporters and 3 people working in the farm department.

Mike moved to South Carolina following his retirement and he been involved in many charitable causes there and he says he doesn't miss radio even though he has been involved in some promotional speaking projects.