Oakland University graduate Joey Namou, more widely known as Channel 955 personality Joey Radio, didn’t always have the people skills he does now.
He learned them as an undergrad, he says.
“I wasn’t shy, but I really wasn’t as outgoing as I am now,” said Namou, who recently became a full-time web producer and on-air contributor for the Mojo in the Morning show.
Finding the way
“When I first came to OU, I didn’t go with any of my friends, really. I knew by placing myself in a new environment all by myself, I would be forced to make friends. I chose to do the overnight orientation and to this day, I stay connected with the friends I made within those two days.
“After that, I just started talking to everybody, and I realized that’s the person I want to become. I learned so much from that and I became the person that everybody loved. That’s literally the biggest quality I have now.”
Namou graduated in May 2015 with a degree in Marketing. He started at Oakland as an accounting student, but quickly realized accounting wasn’t for him, he said. His interest was piqued each time he walked past the WXOU studio in the Oakland Center, so he joined the university radio station and worked with his classmates his freshman year. He said, “I remember walking through the OC introducing myself to fellow students and networking on a day-to-day basis.”
Not much time passed before Namou got an internship at 955. He said he got his foot in the door by calling the Mojo in the Morning show and asking a producer how to get a job at the station. The radio show had an opening, so he was signed on as an intern.
The 22-year-old started in promotions, then became a disc jockey on a weekend graveyard time slot from 1 - 5 a.m., and in January, was hired full-time. He is known by the station’s 1.8 million listeners and social media followers as Joey Radio. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @JoeyRadio.
“The best part of the journey is not knowing what it is,” said Namou. “One day I was Mojo’s intern and fast forward three years and I am full-time on Mojo in the Morning. Hard work really does pay off!”
Paying it forward
Namou recently gave Oakland Instructor Christine Stover’s Introduction to Broadcasting class a tour of the station, housed in the iHeartRadio complex in Farmington Hills.
“It was such a great experience for the students to get to meet a recent graduate in his professional setting. Joey really helped demonstrate to the students that with hard work they can do anything they set their mind to,” said Stover.
“Oakland University offers many opportunities for students wanting to work in radio or television. There are plenty of course offerings and student activities such as WXOU and Student Video Productions, but getting off campus and seeing it in the ‘real world’ was inspiring.”
Students in the broadcasting class, after seeing the home of Mojo in the Morning – the station’s most popular segment – asked Namou for advice.
“Work hard,” he said. “You might not really know what you want to do, but as long as you have an idea, try it. You’ll know if you like it. I started doing radio, and soon enough, it became addicting.”
Namou said he’s grateful and still in awe that he’s on the Mojo in the Morning show because “I grew up listening to Mojo every day on my way to school”.
“Early on, I did not know what I would be successful at in life,” he said. “I followed my heart and realized radio was my true passion. It's your life, so do what you want to. It's all about what makes you happy. There isn't a day that I wake up not happy.”
 | Marketing alum Joey Namou recently gave a tour station to Christine Stover’s Introduction to Broadcasting class a tour of the station. |