Northern Kentucky University undergraduate programs advisor Allison Schmidt made her debut as a DJ on Cincinnati radio station Rewind 94.9 on Jan. 20.

Schmidt, who graduated from NKU in 1998 with a bachelor’s in history and secondary education, was one of three people nominated as a DJ for a Day for National DJ Day.
Schmidt was accompanied DJ Steve Mann in the studio during her 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. shift at the station. Mann had no idea about National DJ Day—which he described as being a national day on par with National Sauerkraut Day—until about a week prior to the event.

Schmidt gained interest in broadcasting when KISS 107.1 held a contest to find a co-host for DJ Jordan in April 2010. Schmidt and other Cincinnati residents competed for the job, but in the end the station chose an applicant who was not a part of the local contest.

After hearing about the DJ for a Day contest, senior music performance major Brian Theis said he nominated Schmidt, hoping to make up for the KISS contest.
“I thought it would be nice,” Theis said.

Apparently Schmidt was a good match for the role. According to Mann, he and Schmidt discussed pacing and phrasing before the shift, and she wound up doing very well with both–so well, in fact, that Mann’s boss called to tease him with the suggestion that Schmidt might take his job.

“I got a call from my boss, who was listening during the shift,” Mann said. “When I answered, he asked, ‘Is this former DJ Steve Mann?’”
Schmidt said the thing she liked best about getting to be DJ for a Day was the level of involvement she had in it.
“It was as if I worked there,” Schmidt said.

One thing that surprised Schmidt, though, was the difference in the way she felt like she sounded and how she actually sounded. According to Schmidt, she had to yell into the microphone to avoid sounding flat or monotone.

“You feel like you’re yelling at no one, like you’re just yelling at this microphone, and it’s almost like you’re overdoing it,” Schmidt said. “But then when you listen to yourself, it comes over the air completely different. It comes over lively and enthusiastic.”

Schmidt was glad for the opportunity to use her radio spot to promote NKU—something she said Mann was “very gracious” about allowing her to do.
Schmidt, who also enjoys promoting charities on her Facebook page, said the reason she wanted to get into radio in the first place was to promote local events and organizations.