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Mike and Mike: WMEB duo to go out with nostalgic final broadcast

Posted on Dec. 07, 2009, at 1:52 a.m.

In the fall of 2006, two first-year students had a chance meeting in York Commons. As they now approach the end of their collegiate careers and prepare for graduation, they are not just saying goodbye to the University of Maine, but to a program that sculpted their experiences in Orono.

Mike Maberry and Mike Moody are the hosts of “Late Night with Mike and Mike,” a radio program on WMEB, UMaine’s student-operated radio station, that has been running since the spring semester of 2008. On Wednesday they will broadcast their final show in a two-hour special from 10 p.m. to midnight.

“It’s not really going to be in the style of our old shows,” Maberry said. “It will be more of ‘Here we are, we’re going out, what do you have to say?’”

“It should be a good trip down memory lane for anyone who’s been with the program for a while,” Moody added.

Guests will include friends of the show and frequent participants. Around 10 guests have already committed. The grand finale will also include a phone interview with Prince James of Sealand, a “micronation” built on a World War II naval base in international waters off Suffolk, England.

“It’s our most exciting guest ever to grace WMEB. Certainly better than when Drive Time got Lou Bega,” Moody joked.

When Maberry e-mailed the Royal Family of Sealand to inquire about an interview, he got a response within hours. It simply read, “I will do this.”

The duo tried to get Phil Collins as a guest for their last show, but Collins was too busy.

“Late Night with Mike and Mike” is a talk show that focuses mainly on local issues. They interview Student Government presidential candidates, current presidents and other figures on campus. Although it began as a political show, the Mikes began to include opinion and current events in their show as they progressed.

When the program started nearly two years ago, it was the only talk show of its kind on the station. WMEB broadcasted several sports talk shows, but no political ones.

“Since then we have given starts to a number of other shows,” Moody said. “We’re sort of the go-to people now for when Tom [Grucza], our station manager, has somebody new who wants to do a talk show. He sends them to us for the training.”

Their standing as radio personalities even granted them the moderator position at last year’s Student Government election debates.

“It was a great honor for us,” Moody said.

“I did not expect that,” Maberry said. “Mike and I have a pretty loyal fan base and it grew more than I ever expected it to.”

The Mikes build a rapport with their listeners and student government executives through interaction on their program. Maberry was even noticed on campus and once overheard a group of friends talking about their program.

The program offers the audience feedback through calls in to the show, instant messaging and returning guests.

One caller even provided the Mikes with one of their favorite memories of the show. In a discussion about Al Gore, the name of his 2000 Presidential running mate, Joe Lieberman, slipped their minds quite embarrassingly. When a caller phoned in to remind them of the name, Moody whispered to Maberry, “It’s Lieberman,” while still on the phone. Maberry quickly became excited as he thought Lieberman himself had phoned in to the program.

“There have been bad shows. There have been good shows. There have been great shows. I can’t pick one moment that was the best,” Maberry said.

“Lieberman is definitely up there,” Moody added.

The duo has spent a lot of time together and play off each other well.

“I’m known to not really care or really put much thought into some of my comments sometimes, and then have to either take them back or apologize,” Maberry said.

“I’m pretty vigilant,” Moody said. “I’m pretty quick to call Mike out.”

“But that’s what makes the program different. It’s edgy,” Maberry added.

As veteran talk show hosts at UMaine, Mike and Mike offer this tidbit of advice to those who are interested in starting their own program: “Go for it.”

Although they were almost immediately given a spot when they applied for their program, they suggest applying at the beginning of the semester, to get an optimal time slot.

The Mikes are sad to see their show end, but the timing is inevitable. Moody is graduating this semester and Maberry wants to focus on writing his thesis next semester in preparation for graduation.

Plus, the duo just wouldn’t be the same without half the Mikes.

“I would not go on without Mike at this point. I can’t,” Maberry said. “The dynamic won’t be there.”

This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009, 1:52 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.