Stay Tuned with Kirk Baird: Andi McKay

<b>Position: </b>On-air personality. <b>Station: </b>I start the day from 5 to 7 as the morning traffic reporter on WTVG-TV, Channel 13. I then head over to Cumulus Broadcasting, where I am on the air at WXKR-FM (94.5) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. When I am done there, I walk down the hallway to WWWM-FM (105.5) where I'm on the air from 3 to 7 p.m. <b>Age: </b>40ish. Hometown: I was born in Los Angeles and moved to Gladwin, Mich., when I was 8. <b>College: </b>I attended Central Michigan University, but I wasn't there long; I moved to Detroit after my first year. <b>Family: </b>I have two sisters and one brother, all older. I have two boys, Kyle and Anthony, and the most beautiful granddaughter in the entire world, Cheyenne. I can't forget about Wyatt Earp! He's a 150-pound bullmastiff-rott mix. I love my dog!

You have heard their voices on radio and seen their faces on TV. Now The Blade goes behind the scenes to introduce you to your favorite media personalities. Stay Tuned appears the third Monday of every month.

Today, meet radio and television personality, Andi McKay.

First job: I was a grocery store bagger when I was in high school. After school, I started driving limousines in the Detroit area. I drove the Monkees to an in-studio interview at WKSG-FM in Detroit. When I got there, the program director, Paul Christy, invited me in and he couldn't get me out! I loved it so much that he hired me on a part-time basis.

First salary: I was an intern, which means I worked for FREE! Who does that?! Once I finally got a full-time job, it didn't really matter how much I was paid. I had such a great time then … to be honest, still do today.

My idol is: Outside of the industry, I would have to say my mom. She is such an inspiration to me. She's pushin' 70 (sorry, Mom) and still works a full-time job. She doesn't do it because she thinks it's “fun,” she does it to spoil her grandkids! She has always put her needs aside so she could provide for me and my siblings. It was a tough road for her. My father passed away when I was 16 and she did so much to give all of us everything we ever wanted.

Most embarrassing TV moment: Where do I start? I remember when I first started at Channel 13. I was in a different location than the studios and we were using a simple camcorder and an extremely small TV for a monitor. It took me a week before I realized I wasn't even looking in the camera!

Highlight of my career: I would have to say I've loved meeting all the bands: Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, KISS, Tom Petty, Bob Seger, and so many others. I once went to a convention in California where Don Henley put on a full-blown concert for only about 100 people. It was a formal event and my seats were next to Clint Black and Lisa Hartman-Black. That was a blast!

My favorite thing to do outside of work: Anything that involves my kids! My youngest son, Anthony, is a senior at Maumee High School. He's in the marching band and also band president. My oldest, Kyle, is the BEST country singer in Toledo and surrounding areas! I can say that, I'm Mom! He's the lead singer for the band Haywire. He works as an EMS/firefighter, as well as attending school. I am so blessed and proud of them.

I think Toledo's best-kept secret is: It's all about how you feel! To help me with that, I love Gregg at American Mobile Fitness in Sylvania and Tiffany at AnVa Spa and Salon in Toledo. I love to support local business!

People may be surprised to know that I: Well … I would have something to say to this if I didn't blab everything about me already!

In five years, I see myself: Doing EXACTLY what I'm doing. I love everything about my life.

My dream job is: I would love to be the game announcer at Jacobs Field for the Cleveland Indians! I know it's now called Progressive Field, but it will always be The Jake to me.

Contact Kirk Baird atkbaird@theblade.comor 419-724-6734.