Although he is originally from Long Island, New York, Walsh has spent the last ten or so years in Pennsylvania, and it is here that he got his start in the radio business. Like most radio personalities, Walsh came to the business at a young age, largely because, like most high school students, he found himself at a crossroads in life and was unsure what to do next. Comfortable with the fact that he “always loved making people laugh,” he took the advice of the classmates he entertained with his “radio voice” and decided to put it to the test. “I began in this business, I think it was 1994,” Walsh continues, recounting a story that every aspiring disk jockey envies. “I just decided to call radio stations to see if there was anyway I could get my foot in the door and I started calling around and I was pretty much rejected everywhere … so, one day, I just decided to go in person and see if I could get a job that way …” And, the rest is history. Walsh began a career at what is now WQXA, and he’s never looked back.

As a 17-year-old, Walsh was introduced to the radio world on the AM frequency, and although his first duties called for little, if no, on-air time, he took the opportunity to soak in all that went on around him — and learned valuable information that he still makes use of today. “I was forced into learning things by myself … they pretty much threw me into the studio,” he remembers, laughing, “I did all kinds of different things. I did production work, I didn’t do much on-air — not too much talking — but more button pushing, that sort of thing …” It wasn’t too long before time for button pushing gave way to time for talking, and The Handyman had his own show.

Always a fan of music, Walsh admits that his tastes have grown with his time in the business. “I evolved with the radio station, I would say. As I got older, my tastes changed, also.” No longer a fan of the rap that filled his high school days, the DJ finds himself content with the format he’s in, “This kind of music is perfect for me,” Walsh emphasizes, adding, “I love the classic rock that we’ve combined in the active format.” Walsh also takes pleasure in the fact that his position allows him the opportunity to hear new music before it’s released, “I think I have a good ear for music and the cool thing about this job is that I have the opportunity to preview something new – that’s just coming out – and listen to it.”

And listen to it, he does. In fact, one of the favorite listener-related aspects of The X format is the “screamer” competition, a contest that vies new songs in head-to-head battle, and a competition in which Walsh encounters the importance of fan influence on the business. “I think it’s great that people have the enthusiasm to support a band,” he states, adding that he still derives enjoyment from the tunes he spins, as, when he plays music, he always finds himself “looking for something fresh and new in the format” — a difficult task in an industry blanketed with boy bands and one-hit wonders.

Now that he’s been in the field for a moderate amount of time, one might wonder what The Handyman sees in the future … does he see microphones or does he see buttons? When asked, it seems that Walsh is content right now in doing both. While he has nothing but good things to say about being the center of attention, it is also obvious that, at times, he seems just as satisfied watching the action from the control booth. “The reason I got my name, ‘The Handyman’, is that I’m also the assistant engineer,” he says, adding, “And one of the biggest parts of my job — one of the things that I really love — is to work with electronics around here and to fix things that are broken and to just keep the radio station sounding good.”

Good sounding music. Good sounding parts. If you combine the two together, you’ve got one heck of a radio station and one heck of an operator — one who takes pride in working just as hard on-air and off. When talking to Walsh, it is clear that that pride comes from personal contentment in doing a job he loves — one that is the perfect combination of class clown and electrician. “It doesn’t feel like a job,” Walsh states, “It just feels like a hobby, like something fun.”

Laughter. Hobby. Fun. Those are words that work their way into the conversation when Walsh talks about his two-fold position at WQXA. In a short time span, he has managed to successfully cultivate a career that encompasses his two loves — making laughter and making repairs — and most importantly, he has managed to make himself happy. “I want to be successful, but I also want to be happy,” he emphasizes. “Happiness is the first thing, that’s my first priority.”

Mike Walsh has come a long way in a few short years, and he’s more than earned his stripes. He’s got his show. He’s got his tools. He’s happy.