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

Mike Sweeney (musician)

Mike Sweeney is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska. He currently plays drums in the indie-rock band Criteria.-Bands:*Beep Beep*Bright Eyes*Criteria-Album Appearances:...

Michael Thomas Sweeney (born 15 September 1947, Salford) is a broadcaster

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

 and radio DJ

Disc jockey

A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...

, who was born in Rudman Street, Salford, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

.

He attended Mount Carmel School

Mount Carmel School

Mount Carmel School was established in South Delhi, India on July 10, 1972, with twelve students. With a second branch in Dwarka it has now grown to total over 3000 students. Offering courses in science, commerce and humanities, the co-educational institution is affiliated to the Central Board of...

, after which he worked at AEI

Associated Electrical Industries

Associated Electrical Industries was a British holding company formed in 1928 through the merger of the British Thomson-Houston Company and Metropolitan-Vickers electrical engineering companies...

 in Trafford Park

Trafford Park

Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...

, before becoming a platelayer

Platelayer

A platelayer or trackman is a railway employee whose job is to inspect and maintain the permanent way of a railway installation.The term derives from the plates used to build plateways, an early form of railway....

 at the docks, a labourer, a miner

Miner

A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....

 and then a computer programmer, while performing in a local rock band

Rock Band

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

 known as the Salford Jets

Salford Jets

Salford Jets was a British rock band, who began life in 1976, and operated in the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Biography:The band originally included Mike Sweeney, later of Piccadilly 1152 and current breakfast DJ at 106.1 Rock Radio. The other band members were Diccon Hubbard , Nev Waring , Dave...

, as singer and songwriter during the late 1970s and early 1980s, who had one hit single

Hit single

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

 that reached #72 in the UK Singles Charts in 1980.

By the age of 33 he was regularly broadcasting on Manchester's Piccadilly radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

, and had begun to include short interviews in his show, when he was offered a 12 show trial as one of the station's disc jockeys, where it was thought that his strong regional accent would go down well with local audiences.