E.J. Greig
Radio Personality & Programming Assistant
E.J. Greig (Mr. Afternoon Drive) is a young veteran in urban radio. The business is in his blood, as he is the son of a former TV news anchor and reporter. E.J. grew up playing and exploring behind the scenes in TV newsrooms as his mother anchored the news. His first radio job was an unplanned and spontaneous gift.
A major influence in E.J.’s life was his grandfather, the late Bishop H.W. Speights, who was the presiding bishop of the Original Churches of God (O.C.O.G.) for 18 years. A lot of E.J.’s passion for youth is fueled by his continued love and appreciation for his grandfather. At 10 years old, E.J. was sent to live with with his grandparents in Battle Creek because his mother was worried about his well-being. His mother was a producer at CNN in Georgia during the 1980’s. At the time, serial killer, Wayne Williams, had not been caught. Williams killed 27 black youths, between the ages of 7 and 14 in Atlanta from October 1979 to May 1981. Two children from E.J.’s elementary school had been murdered.
The move to Battle Creek was a pivotal time in E.J.’s life and where he discovered his love for radio broadcasting.
“I accompanied my late grandfather, Bishop H.W. Speights, to his weekly Saturday religious radio broadcast, and the board operator never showed up. I figured out how to work the board, and had him on the air and up and running in a few minutes. I was 14. They hired me that day,” said E.J.
While E.J. was growing up with his grandparents, he was an active Civil Air Patrol cadet, which is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. From age 12 to 21, E.J. rose to the rank of Michigan Wing Cadet Commander. At age 17, he was the first black to hold that position and was entrusted with 1,186 cadets under his leadership.
When he was a senior at the University of Michigan (U of M), he met the ultra popular Detroit urban radio host John Mason of FM 98 WJLB , who is now the P.A. announcer for the Detroit Pistons and still hosts a radio show. E.J. worked part-time while completing his degree and his love for radio never waned.
After receiving a Bachelors of General Studies (BGS) from U of M, E.J. snagged a job as the night show producer and side kick for the Tre Black Show at FM 98 WJLB, which was #1 in the market at that time.
From there it was off to Chicago to work briefly for the now-defunct 106 WEJM Jamz. E.J.’s big break came when he was offered a job at Hot 97.5 WHTA Atlanta. He was in for a big surprise when he finally found the station in the countryside outside Atlanta. It consisted of a Radio Shack dj mixer, a reel-to-reel and a cart machine inside of the transmitter shack.
E.J. said, “We eventually moved into a trailer connected to the transmitter but the experience is one that I will never forget.”
It was in Atlanta that E.J. worked with Ludacris, La La, Chaka Zulu, and other big stars in the game now.
E.J. said, “I was the first person to put Chris (Ludacris) on the radio rapping. He did my intro song.”
Since then, E.J. has worked for V103 WVEE Atlanta. He set a record at night at 103 Jamz WOWI in Norfolk, Virginia with a 22 share 12 plus. He was at that station for 9 years.
Currently E.J. serves as afternoon drive host at 96.5 WQHH in Lansing, Lansing and assists with daily programming and developing talent. E.J. is also super-active in the community, and implemented Faith Based Sharing, which is a food donation program for a local food bank with Reverend Nathan Dixon, pastor of Trinity AME. The program set a record for the most food collected during a drive 2 years in a row. He also sponsors a Thanksgiving dinner for the youth at Ingham County Family Center, which is a high school for troubled teens committed to bettering their lives.
