Radio personality, Drew Garabo, has been providing the Tampa Bay area with news, good conversation, and positivity ever since joining the air waves in 2011.
Born in Rockaway, New York, Garabo spent part of his childhood in Framingham, Mass. near Boston before his family relocated to Orlando in 1978 where he attended middle and high school.
While going to college at the University of Central Florida, Garabo found himself frequently listening to the Rollins College radio station because he liked the indie rock music they played. In the summer, he took advantage of the students being away and volunteered for any on-air shift they would throw his way.
He continued working there for three years until WTKS-FM 104.1 in Orlando offered him a gig playing music on the weekend late-night slot. At the time, he was working as an assistant food and beverage director at a Holiday Inn and worked both jobs until he was offered a full-time position on the air.
Garabo knew this might be a risk, but took the job anyway, working as a producer. Garabo’s climb continued at WTKS when he got the opportunity to work under veteran radio host Jim Philips, one of his inspirations and someone he had listened to since age 16. They struck up a friendship and on one rainy afternoon, Philips asked Garabo to fill in for his producer when she went on vacation.
“I was just sitting there working with my radio idol. Like, the lights barely on, me looking at him, him looking at me. Me feeding off him and him inviting me to contribute to a show I was a fan of. That’s when I realized what radio could be,” said Garabo.
In the late 90s, he worked solo overnight from midnight to 6 a.m., five days a week. He calls this the greatest learning experience of his entire life, working out what gets people to call in as well as acquiring a firm appreciation for truckers and their contributions to the show and American society.
Following his experience with hosting overnight, Garabo switched to working 7 to 11 p.m. He did this for 11 years before joining WOCL-FM 105.9, an alternative rock station. Unfortunately, Garabo and everyone else from WOCL were let go from the company following a change in the station’s format, which Garabo explained was devastating to him.
For the next three years, he worked selling season tickets for the Orlando Magic. He continued podcasting for his fans and making the occasional radio appearance until out of the blue one day, he was contacted by a friend in radio who offered him the chance to get back on the air as a morning show host.
“Radio had broken my heart and I didn’t want to give it the chance to do that again,” he said.
Nonetheless, he submitted a tape of his highlights and began the waiting game. Eventually, the waiting and wondering process paid off and he joined “The Morning X” as a co-host.
In 2013, Garabo went to host his own show on WHPT 102.5 The Bone, a budding FM talk radio station. His mid-morning show “In Your Face with Drew Garabo” involved arguing with callers on the air and stirring the proverbial pot; people absolutely loved it.
“It was so rewarding to see how the bigger of a jerk I could be, the more people would listen and call,” said Garabo.
This style of hosting is Garabo’s niche, and while many listeners know him for his insulting quips and witty on-air persona, he is a very compassionate and down-to-earth person who wants to use his platform in this community to make a positive impact. Nobody would know this better than John Senning, Garabo’s co-host on his current show “Drew Garabo Live.”
“In Your Face” would eventually metamorphosize into this afternoon program, bringing in an ensemble of personalities and sometimes guests to discuss relevant topics and news, pop culture, and the lives of those on the show. Senning has been working alongside Garabo for two years.
"I don’t know if I’ve ever worked with anybody who is as easy to work with as Drew because he is open to anything. He’s very open and generous with the show, which I don’t know that a lot of people in radio are,” Senning said. “I’ve been nothing but nurtured to be myself.”
Mika Rotunda, a social media influencer and trainer, also joins Garabo and Senning on the show a few days a week. She and Senning started working at the show within about a month of each other and share the same great experiences in working with Garabo.
“He allows you to be yourself and to be a young female who’s working in media, to have somebody who has been in the business for so long who has done so many different things and to look at me as a, at the time, 23-year-old, and say ‘I see what’s in you, I love who you are, we are polar opposites, be you,’ was a gift,” said Rotunda.
Garabo is involved with several charity organizations and is focused on making a positive difference within his community. He is the vice president of the Down Syndrome Association of Tampa Bay, as well as a volunteer for Apple A Day, gifting iPads to children undergoing chemotherapy treatment at local hospitals. On top of this, he is a Busch Garden Ambassador, walking families into the park where they will get free admission.
“I approach everyday with such enthusiasm and such gratitude because hardly anyone gets to do something this much fun,” he said.
Giving back to Tampa is something that Garabo enjoys and his presence within this community is notable and appreciated. Few people use their position in society for good but charitable acts and conveying his uniquely positive message are among his highest priorities.
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