Ric Federighi has the life that most radio, TV, music and news talk enthusiasts wish for. It was always a dream of his to run a radio station and now he does just that along with serving those in his listening area.
Being a proud owner of Michigan City’s WIMS AM 1420 with his brothers in the Gerard Production Company, Federighi could not ask for anything more. It has been nearly six years since the Gerard Production Company produced an all new format for their radio station; mostly centered on news talk personality with a mix of music.
When asked about his experience at WIMS, Federighi stated, “I love it. I absolutely love that we are live and local. We work with great people in the community and we’re definitely in this for the long haul.”
All of this success did not happen overnight though. Federighi knew almost all of his life he wanted to be involved with people and music. The lives of those in his community always interested him and he was never afraid to ask questions.
“I love talking to people; I’m a people person. I knew I wanted to be in front of an audience somehow which I still accomplish today. Whether it was in the TV side of things, the commercial side of things, the voiceover side of things or the radio disk jockey side of things, I wanted to be there.”
Federighi’s career began while attending North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Even though he worked several DJ jobs while attending Fenton High School in Bensenville, he finally could talk on the airwaves as he dreamed. “I was getting paid to do my radio shows. Plus I was a news director, music director, and program director. I was working for a small market radio, doing commercial work, and running my own disk jockey business.”
Federighi’s big break also happened while attending college as well. Karen Hand, a former news director of B96, gave him an opportunity to work as a news intern. He also interned and produced for WMAQ 670 which included servicing 77 of their radio stations and overseeing three TV stations. When a late night traffic host did not show up for his shift, Federighi stepped up.
“They went to Traffic on the 1’s, I opened up my mic, and started spewing traffic reports. That spun me into immediately getting hired to do late night overnights on WMAQ and the morning drive.”
From there, he coasted into his television years at NBC5, FOX Downtown and CBS2 to name a couple.
WIMS radio is honored to have such hardworking individuals in its midst.
“We love the live and local. That is what we’re all about,” said Federighi. Almost every day the crew is out and about giving voice to community events. “The local businesses thank WIMS by partnering up with us. We treat all of our partners, clients, listeners and extended WIMS family with the utmost respect.”
Whenever neighbors and listeners come to him for help, he welcomes them with open arms. Whether it has to do with community concerns or private matters, Federighi does the best he can to assist them by opening up events with the help of local businesses to donate whatever is needed.
“The Lord was good to me. I always give back to those in need and I always try to give people a break no matter what age they are,” he shared.
When asked for advice to share with aspiring radio and communication enthusiasts, Federighi gave an answer that was fitting for everyone, not just those in the entertainment business.
“Don’t ever let people tell you that you can’t do something. You will have people along the way trying to beat you down and see you fail, but you need to keep moving forward. You follow the path of light you want to follow and enjoy it. Always make a difference in the lives of other and always give back.”