We are sharing our interview with Mike Mitchell, the Founder/CEO of the radio station 92.9 FM WDUP based out of New London, CT.
Pro Media Mag : Who or what inspired you to get into music industry?
Mike Mitchell : I was inspired by shows like Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City back in the 90’s, a golden era for me and many others. I’ve always had a passion for music and I’ve always cared about the direction that Hip Hop and R&B would go in. Radio has always been a major factor in that and to be blunt radio has been trash, I’m sure a lot of people would agree. I felt like a change was needed
Pro Media Mag : What was the motive behind launching 92.9 WDUP
Mike Mitchell : I got sick of hearing what was on the radio. No matter what city you’re in, you would hear the same 10 songs over and over. We wanted to bring a breath of fresh air to the game by playing nothing but classics from any era infused with the current music of today. I linked up with our President Lee Mitchell and our VP Geno Marshall and we made that happen.
Pro Media Mag : What kind of content you are publishing on it?
Mike Mitchell : We’re New London’s Home of Timeless Hip Hop and R&B. Genre’s such as Rock, Jazz, Country all have “Oldies” stations but Hip Hop generally doesn’t have those type of stations. So our playlist consists of music from the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s and so on mixed with the music of today. We also play “album cuts,” not just the “for radio” songs, something that isn’t done by other stations and we found a good balance. We have shows such as the Sheryl Underwood Show, Chubb Rock’s Caribbean Show, XXL Magazine’s Higher Level Radio and a live radio debate show called Sports, Drinks & Entertainment.
Pro Media Mag : What kind of response you have received so far?
Mike Mitchell : The streets love us! It’s been nothing but positive feedback. The people have been saying that it’s refreshing to finally have a station that they can listen to and actually enjoy. We have a worldwide audience too because us being on the TuneIn radio app and we have been receiving love from Africa, Germany, the UK, you name it.
Pro Media Mag : What are your next plans regarding 92.9 WDUP ?
Mike Mitchell : We just want to continue to expand. We want to eventually be known as one top music entities out there and possibly break into satellite radio as well.
Pro Media Mag : Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Mike Mitchell : Check us out at 929wdup.com and listen to us on the TuneIn app. I promise you won’t be disappointed, a lot of people talking about bringing REAL Hip Hop and R&B back but we’re actually doing it.
