GARDEN & GREEN MEDIA: Mike Nowak

Mike Nowak (Pronounced NO-VAK) is a radio man with gardening as his subject. He flows effortlessly through pop media history and Chicagoland hyperlocal info. His warm bigheartedness seems almost embarrassing to him. As if he thinks he should be "more mean". He is obviously enjoyed by his listeners and gives back with self deprecating humor and solid urban gardening knowledge. When I reached out to interview him he creatively invited me to come on his show and interview me live as I interviewed him. His producer Heather Fry called right on time...was charming and efficient. The interview was weird fun as we traded questions and obtuse non-sequitur banter with each other. But miraculously learned a few things from him about gardening and broadcasting.


Though he was for many years on radio before doing his first "green" show - Nowak got started in gardening radio in Chicago with Kathy O'Malley (from the Kathy and Judy Show)  Saturday evenings at 8:00 on WGN Radio. Mike (sarcastically) said this was prime gardening time. A phone caller remarked that he found Mike had migrated to his current station from another - To which Mike responded that in radio they don't really say where you are going after you leave a station and that he was happy to have been found again by him. Mike explained radio listeners are a faithful bunch and stay tuned to the station they like - not usually venturing out. So Mike praised the caller for his adventurous spirit. They chatted about a funny rendition of "it's a wonderful life" that Mike did (and is doing again this year) - Nowak does hilarious impressions and has nailed the characters from what he calls- "it's a wonderful slice".

Point being - though talented and seasoned Nowak is super humble and even tempered. I think I got under his skin a little by mispronouncing his name and talking about Metropolitan Gardening as if it was "my show".  I got him going a a bit by the end of the interview when he mildly "dismissed me" - but not so much. This guy's doing this with good spirit. The most he would say is that he was "getting fiesty". Refreshing to find a broadcaster willing to poke fun at himself -  knowledgeable about his topic and looking to support and encourage others in the field.

MIKE NOWAK AND PRODUCER HEATHER FRY 

Nowak said he discovered that the gardeners listening to his show were interested in doing just that - listening. At first he was looking to do the show as sort of talking over the fence in the backyard at the home garden and invite callers to call in about anything. But he found that the good folks focused on gardening had open ears more so than open mouths. Rather than propping himself up as a gardening "guru",  he saw himself as a conduit to seek out others that knew their craft.

This is an era of talking heads getting digs in with opinions of  little grounding and tons of fertilizer. That's where Mike Nowak is a settling voice. His tendency to "wander in the woods" with callers when on the air makes for light conversation and good company. Mike is something like a big shady tree in the forest  you can sit near and relax. Speaking of which - when the subject of the Million Trees initiative here in NYC was brought up - Mike responded that Chicago was also doing tree plantings for the city but that their plans included increasing the canopy over the city rather than numbering the trees to measure progress. I thought "either way lot's of trees get planted - but what a cool idea!". Cool guy that Nowak. Look him up on www.mikenowak.net. and you can listen to the show where we interviewed each other on his podcasts page.