Centralight

BY STEVE SMITH, '79 reminisces about time at Central This year's 13th annual BCA Alumni Takeover of campus radio station WMHW-FM featured more than 20 alumni who fi lled 48 hours of airtime with tunes and talk. One of this year's returning alums was Kevin Calcagno, '99, better known to his friends and listeners as "Cal Cagno," the host of a popular afternoon radio show on Detroit's 89X (88.7 FM). "You say 'Fire up Chips' to someone in the grocery store when they have a Central shirt on - they know what it means, you know what it means, and that's all that matters." – Kevin Calcagno, host Detroit's 89x Q: How did you decide to attend CMU? Cal sat down with Centralight to talk about his exciting gig on one of the country's major market radio stations and his days at CMU that prepared him for his big break. I graduated from high school in 1995 and visited three colleges, but as soon as I took the tour at Central I knew this was the place for me. I stood by the seal in front of Warriner Hall and said, "This is it. This is where I want to be." I was originally going to be a TV star until I got involved in radio, and then I got the bug. As soon as I started doing radio on Modern Rock 91.5, I had my own show, and I just loved it. Q:How did you get a foot in the door at 89X? Q: A lot of times people will say, "You're really lucky." I believe a lot in luck, but I also think that there's a lot to be said for hard work. I was the person that always said "yes" when asked to cover for a sick colleague or to work seven days a week. When an announcer was taking maternity leave, they asked if I would cover her shift for six months. I worked my butt off , and they off ered me my own shift. Now, I do afternoon drive 3 to 7 p.m. – something that I never thought I'd be able to do. CMU taught me it's about working hard to make sure that people know your intentions, but also that you are going above and beyond so that you are doing the hard work that takes you to the place that you want to be. How have your experiences at Central shaped your life? 8 centralight winter '12 One of the things that is interesting about Central is that connection that people have. You hear people say, "I went to Michigan" or "I went to Michigan State," but you talk to people who went to Central, and it is like this community or a club. We all know what it means to be a part of CMU, and we stick together. I still stay in touch with professors and friends from here, and it's all because there is something special about Central. An example is Carter Oosterhouse [host of HGTV's "Carter Can" and "Red Hot and Green"]. He is a friend of mine from college. He sent out a tweet that said, "I'm going to make some new wine," and I said, "Make sure you call it Thorpe Hall." He retweeted and said, "No doubt CMU forever." It's something we all know. You say "Fire up Chips" to someone in the grocery store when they have a Central shirt on - they know what it means, you know what it means, and that's all that matters." •

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