About Mike Sweeney
The best thing about Rock Radio is… for the first time in the North West ever!!! great rock n roll music, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
ABOUT MIKE
Mike joined Piccadilly Radio in 1980 after playing with his new wave punk band, The Salford Jets, at a station road-show in Manchester, for which he also voiced a promo that caught the attention of the Programme Controller. After having played venues in the UK at the same time as the likes of The Cure, Adam and the Ants and U2, Mike left the Jets to spend six years with The Mindbenders during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The Mindbenders’ claim to fame was that they recorded the original version of ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’, a song that later made Phil Collins even wealthier. As well as being a radio star and a bit of a rocker, Mike has also done a fair amount of TV, including the anarchic pop show “Elvis Has Left the Building” for Sky TV. The show was Mike’s concept right down to the theme tune which he wrote, the set which he designed, and the team captains, Noddy Holder and Clint Boon from the Inspiral Carpets, whom he chose!
Mike Sweeney was the first mainstream commercial radio presenter with a regional accent, helping to pave the way for amongst others Gary Crowley, Terry Christian, Chris Evans and Mark ‘n Lard. He is from a working class background, having worked for three years as a coalminer, for another three as a dock-worker, and on loads of building sites, whilst playing in bands. It was with The Salford Jets that he finally found success; signing record contracts, having a hit single and performing on tv, quickly followed by his big break onto the airwaves.
In 1999 and 2000 Mike’s show was finalist in the New York Radio Awards and in 2001 it won a New York Gold. In 2002 he walked away with the Silver Music Broadcaster Award at the Sony’s, the radio industry’s answer to the Oscars. In 2008 Mike was nominated for radio presenter of the year by X-trax Magazine.
On the tv front Mike has presented a mini series on classic cars for Sky and is currently hosting the Manchester United Debate Show on Channel M.
From 2006-2008 Mike presented the Sunday Breakfast Show on XFM Manchester.
Born in Salford, Mike still loves playing non-league football, and over 20 years ago played for Bury in the Central League (including a game against the Man Utd reserve team where he taught the striker Mark Hughes everything he knows!!!). Mike has been married to his wife Viv for 10 years and has three children, Dylan, Siobhan and Niamh plus granddaughter Isabella.
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