T. D. Mischke
Encyclopedia
Thomas David "T.D." Mischke (born September 19, 1962) is a Minnesota writer, musician, and radio talk show
host on WCCO NewsRadio 830 based in Minneapolis. He was formerly employed at City Pages
, a Twin Cities alternative news, arts and entertainment publication. For 17 years he hosted The Mischke Broadcast on am1500 KSTP, until it was cancelled in December 2008. His show featured quirky regular callers, stream of consciousness humor, and experts on any topic he found interesting. Since 1998, Mischke has been the winner of the "Best AM Radio Personality" award given by the local weekly alternative newspaper City Pages nine times.
Mischke hosted a daily webcast entitled In the Stream for City Pages from March 2009 until February 2010. He currently hosts The Nite Show weekdays 10 PM to Midnight on WCCO Radio.
family of six boys and two girls. He grew up in St. Paul's Groveland Park neighborhood. After a stint at Cretin High School
, he graduated from Highland Park Senior High
. He attended Saint John’s University
, the alma mater
of his father and grandfather, planning to follow in his father's footsteps with a degree in journalism
. Finding no journalism program at St. John's, he transferred to the University of St. Thomas
where he graduated in 1987 and became a freelance writer
.
On December 15, 2004, Mischke released Whistle Stop, a collection of his music. He performed on fellow Twin Cities broadcaster Garrison Keillor's
A Prairie Home Companion
on the September 2, 2006 show.
On January 3, 2006, the Mischke Broadcast returned from the Christmas hiatus to a new timeslot and an altered format. The new hours, a late drive-time shift of 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, prompted the new format, the station banning many of the trademark Mischke bits including his prank 411 calls and the pockets of dead air that would occasionally fill large portions of his show. Mischke, in announcing the change, said, "the Mischke Broadcast, as you know it, is finished," though he assured listeners the move was a positive one for both him and KSTP.
Mischke released his second CD, "That Kind of Day on December 4, 2008.
Mischke was abruptly fired by KSTP on December 5, 2008 for making a phone call on the air without first getting the recipient's permission, a FCC violation Mischke said he'd made before.
Mischke hosted a daily webcast for the weekly Twin Cities alternative newspaper City Pages
. The show, entitled In the Stream, premiered on March 4, 2009. Mischke ended the webcast http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/02/mischke_show_no_210.php on February 4, 2010, but continues his weekly column for City Pages.
Mischke started a new radio show on May 10, 2010 10pm-Midnight, Mon-Thurs on WCCO 830 on the AM dial http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2010/05/04/17869/done_mischke_gets_10_pm_wcco-am_showhttp://wcco.cbslocal.com/2010/05/04/tommy-mischke-10pm-midnight/#more-1945
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host on WCCO NewsRadio 830 based in Minneapolis. He was formerly employed at City Pages
City Pages
City Pages is an alternative weekly newspaper serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It features news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews, and music criticism. It is printed in a tabloid format, and is available free every Wednesday...
, a Twin Cities alternative news, arts and entertainment publication. For 17 years he hosted The Mischke Broadcast on am1500 KSTP, until it was cancelled in December 2008. His show featured quirky regular callers, stream of consciousness humor, and experts on any topic he found interesting. Since 1998, Mischke has been the winner of the "Best AM Radio Personality" award given by the local weekly alternative newspaper City Pages nine times.
Mischke hosted a daily webcast entitled In the Stream for City Pages from March 2009 until February 2010. He currently hosts The Nite Show weekdays 10 PM to Midnight on WCCO Radio.
Early life
Mischke was born into a large CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
family of six boys and two girls. He grew up in St. Paul's Groveland Park neighborhood. After a stint at Cretin High School
Cretin-Derham Hall High School
Cretin-Derham Hall High School is a private, co-educational Catholic high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it is co-sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet...
, he graduated from Highland Park Senior High
Highland Park High School (Minnesota)
Highland Park Senior High School is a public secondary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States serving grades 9 through 12. It is located in the Highland Park neighborhood....
. He attended Saint John’s University
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
The College of Saint Benedict , for women, and Saint John's University , for men, are partnered liberal arts colleges respectively located in St. Joseph and Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Students attend classes and activities together, and have access to the resources of both campuses...
, the alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
of his father and grandfather, planning to follow in his father's footsteps with a degree in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. Finding no journalism program at St. John's, he transferred to the University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
where he graduated in 1987 and became a freelance writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Broadcasting career
In 1986-1987, Mischke was known as "The Phantom Caller" on Don Vogel's show, where he would randomly call in (without identifying himself) with tightly-written, sixty-second comedic bits. He so amused the radio personality that he was invited to become Don's sidekick on his show, Afternoon Saloon, on KSTP in 1992, during Vogel's second stint in the Twin Cities. After the stint as a sidekick, Mischke was given his own program on am1500 in January 1994.On December 15, 2004, Mischke released Whistle Stop, a collection of his music. He performed on fellow Twin Cities broadcaster Garrison Keillor's
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
on the September 2, 2006 show.
On January 3, 2006, the Mischke Broadcast returned from the Christmas hiatus to a new timeslot and an altered format. The new hours, a late drive-time shift of 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, prompted the new format, the station banning many of the trademark Mischke bits including his prank 411 calls and the pockets of dead air that would occasionally fill large portions of his show. Mischke, in announcing the change, said, "the Mischke Broadcast, as you know it, is finished," though he assured listeners the move was a positive one for both him and KSTP.
Mischke released his second CD, "That Kind of Day on December 4, 2008.
Mischke was abruptly fired by KSTP on December 5, 2008 for making a phone call on the air without first getting the recipient's permission, a FCC violation Mischke said he'd made before.
Mischke hosted a daily webcast for the weekly Twin Cities alternative newspaper City Pages
City Pages
City Pages is an alternative weekly newspaper serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It features news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews, and music criticism. It is printed in a tabloid format, and is available free every Wednesday...
. The show, entitled In the Stream, premiered on March 4, 2009. Mischke ended the webcast http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/02/mischke_show_no_210.php on February 4, 2010, but continues his weekly column for City Pages.
Mischke started a new radio show on May 10, 2010 10pm-Midnight, Mon-Thurs on WCCO 830 on the AM dial http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2010/05/04/17869/done_mischke_gets_10_pm_wcco-am_showhttp://wcco.cbslocal.com/2010/05/04/tommy-mischke-10pm-midnight/#more-1945
External links
- Mischke's City Pages show website
- T.D. Mischke: Whistle Stop
- In-depth article about Mischke from The Atlantic MonthlyThe Atlantic MonthlyThe Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
- The Rake Magazine article on Mischke
- City Pages article on Mischke
- The Madness of Mischke, an online collection of audio clips
- The Unofficial TD Mischke Archive
- The Night Show....Mischke 'Til Midnight