Q&A with Dan Michaels
Radio DJ & Market Manager, Eagle Communications
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Q: Most people around Manhattan know you as "DJ Dan," but let's start at the beginning. Tell us about growing up in Blue Rapids and the path that eventually led you to broadcasting.
A: I grew up in Blue Rapids and graduated from Valley Heights High School in 1993. After graduation I joined the Navy because I thought that was going to be my career. Unfortunately, I received a medical discharge, so I came back home and enrolled at Kansas State. Around that same time I was DJing weddings, dances and clubs just for fun. I wasn't looking for a career in radio. Then I ran into someone I knew at Country Stampede who told me I had the voice for it and encouraged me to apply. I figured, "Why not?" I walked into the station, filled out an application, interviewed, and before I even made it home they called and offered me the job. Looking back now, it's amazing how one conversation completely changed the direction of my life.
Q: Was there a moment when you realized this wasn't just a job—it was what you were meant to do?
A: Absolutely. A few days after I was hired, we had a remote promotion, and the morning host decided he didn't want to emcee the event because he'd been up so early. He literally handed me the microphone and said, "You're up." I'd never emceed anything before, but the second I walked on stage and started interacting with the crowd, I knew. That adrenaline rush has never gone away. Even today, when someone hands me a microphone, it still feels like home.
Q: Most people would be terrified to stand in front of thousands of people, yet you make it look effortless. Where does that confidence come from?
A: It's funny because I'm actually more nervous speaking to twenty people than I am twenty thousand. A big crowd comes expecting to have a good time, and as an emcee your job is to give them permission to enjoy themselves. Energy is contagious. If you're excited, they're excited. I love figuring out how to connect with people, whether it's through the way you use your voice, your timing, or simply making everyone feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves.
Q: You eventually returned to Manhattan to launch Q Country 103.5. What excited you most about that opportunity?
A: I believed in this market. When Eagle Communications purchased the stations, I studied the coverage map and thought Manhattan deserved a true country station. I pitched the idea internally, and after some time the company asked if I wanted to move back and lead the stations. It was an easy decision. I already loved this community, and I saw the opportunity to build something people could really connect with.
Q: You're involved in what feels like nearly every major event in Manhattan. Why has community involvement become such an important part of your life?
A: I just genuinely enjoy being involved. Whether I'm serving on a board, helping organize an event, emceeing a fundraiser or volunteering behind the scenes, I like helping bring people together. Through the years I've learned that communities don't thrive by accident. They thrive because people are willing to give their time, their experience and their energy. If I can help make an event a little better or help a nonprofit raise more money, then that's time well spent.
Q: You wear a lot of hats—radio personality, market manager, corporate production director, board member, emcee. How do you balance it all?
A: I honestly don't think about balancing it. I simply enjoy what I do. Every day is different, and that's what keeps it interesting. One day I might be producing commercials, the next I'm in a board meeting, and that evening I'm introducing a concert or hosting a fundraiser. I love the variety, and I love staying busy.
Q: You've accomplished a great deal professionally. What's still on your bucket list?
A: I've never been someone who waits for opportunities to come to me. I want to keep learning, keep growing and keep finding ways to improve. Whether that's advancing within Eagle Communications or taking on bigger events around the region, I'm always looking for what's next. I think once you stop learning, you stop growing.
Q: After all these years, what keeps you rooted in Manhattan?
A: Without question, it's the people. I could do radio in a lot of different places, but the relationships I've built here are what make Manhattan special. I love Kansas State, I love the traditions, and I love the events, but it's the people who have welcomed me, supported me and become lifelong friends that keep me here. At the end of the day, that's what community is really all about.
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More commonly known around town as DJ Dan, Dan Michaels has spent decades becoming one of the most recognizable and energetic voices in the Manhattan community. But beyond the microphone, the longtime radio personality has built a reputation for something even more meaningful: showing up for people.
Originally from Blue Rapids, Michaels graduated from Valley Heights High School before serving in the Navy. After receiving a medical discharge, he eventually found his way to Kansas State University, where his path toward broadcasting slowly began to take shape. What started as DJ work at weddings and clubs soon turned into a career after a chance encounter at Country Stampede encouraged him to audition for a local radio station. He was hired almost instantly.
Not long after, Michaels was unexpectedly handed a microphone to emcee a live event for the first time. From the moment he walked on stage, he knew he had found what he was meant to do. Over the years, that passion evolved into a career that eventually brought him back to Manhattan to help launch Q Country 103.5 under Eagle Communications in 2013.
Today, Michaels serves as Market Manager for Eagle Communications’ Manhattan, Junction City, and Salina markets, while also acting as Corporate Production Director. Yet despite his professional success, his greatest impact may come through his constant involvement in the community itself.
Michaels serves on numerous boards and committees throughout Manhattan, including the Aggieville Business Association, Downtown Business Association, Downtown Business Development Board, Purple Power Play, Rock The Plains, and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Board of Directors. He is also heavily involved with local festivals, fundraisers, charity events, and organizations like the Boys & Girls Club and Praise Fest.
That simple philosophy has made him far more than a radio voice. In many ways, Dan Michaels has become part of the soundtrack of Manhattan itself.