Today we’d like to introduce you to DeDe McGuire.
Hi DeDe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a military brat whose family got stationed in Texas after a three year deployment in Stuttgart, Germany. We relocated during my junior high years. I graduated from high school in Killeen/Ft. Hood and then pursued my journalism degree at Texas Women’s University. After experiencing the lack of college tuition, I went back to Killeen/Ft. Hood to attend the community college and finish my degree but radio called me. I was working at a country radio station as the receptionist and one day I went in to the studio to speak to the afternoon personality. He asked me to get on the mic and talk to the audience and as I did so the owner of the radio stations, Wife heard me. She loved my voice and my personality and suggested the owner train me to be on the air. It was a country radio station and years ago. You didn’t see too many African-Americans as a part of their radio station Makeup. After they trained me, I went to work across the street for the urban radio station. I worked there for one year left and went to San Antonio. I stayed in San Antonio one year, then went to Dallas for two years Chicago for two years in Philadelphia for three years. I ended up working on a nationally syndicated show called The Doug Banks Show, as the cohost. I always had designed to have my own show and an opportunity came up in Dallas on the local radio station. KKDA/K104 hired me as the cohost and eventually I became the host. After a few years syndication came calling and now the Deedee in The Morning Show has been syndicated around the country for the last seven years. Thankfully, we have made our way to Atlanta!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. There have been a lot of lonely nights, holidays away from family and horrible hours. It also has been tough garnering the respect of my peers and garnering the respect of the industry.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a national radio personality I specialize in making people laugh, informing them, and making them have a great time. I am known for being one of the few African-American women in the country to have a highly successful syndicated radio show. We are now heard in almost 90 cities! I am most proud of the show and the staff because we work hard, we’re all invested and we all enjoy working with each other! What sets us apart from others is, we’re really funny! We’re really fun! The chemistry you hear is real! And the obvious thing is what sets our morning show apart from others is it is run by a woman. I am not just a woman playing the role of a sidekick.
What does success mean to you?
I define success by having good health, a positive mindset, attained goals, personal freedom, a giving heart. I also define success by having purpose and a relationship with God.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://DeDeMcGuirefoundation.org
- Instagram: @dedeinthemorning
- Facebook: @dedeinthemorning @dedemcguire
- Twitter: @dedeinthemorning
- Youtube: @dedeinthemorning
Image Credits
Pics courtesy of Lorenzo Wallace & Steven D. Hill
