WRAL-FM Surprises Two Men & A Mom For One-Year Anniversary On Air

What better way to celebrate a first anniversary than with a throwback to a first birthday party? No cake was eaten with hands, that we’re aware of, but MIX 101.5 chose a special way to celebrate the team behind Two Men and a Mom. The staffers threw a surprise party to mark their one-year anniversary of being on the air.

“We themed the party as a 1-year-old birthday party, which was based on a stick-figure drawing the three of them drew (of themselves) during their first week with MIX,” explained WRAL-FM Promotions Coordinator Molly Donovan. “We photocopied the drawing and covered the glass panes of our conference room with it.”

WRAL-FM General Manager Katie Phillips and WRAL-FM Program Director Michele Williams helped make the surprise a true surprise. They took the Two Men and Mom – aka, Bryan Lord, Kyle Smelser and Sarah King – out to lunch so the rest of the staff could decorate the conference room and get everyone in place for their arrival.

“We filled the conference room with baby decorations, like ‘Happy Birthday’ balloons, a sign that said ‘Fun to be one,’ streamers, etc. and sang them Happy Birthday when they came in!” said Donovan.

The snacks included two cakes, a watermelon carved into a “1” and sparkling cider.

“It was so fun to pull off a big surprise for Kyle, Bryan and Sarah in celebration of their 1-year anniversary!” said Phillips. “They have poured so much of themselves into making Two Men and a Mom a success, it was a real joy to show them how much we all appreciate them, to see their reactions and to hear what this first year has meant to them.”

The trio dove in only a few days after launching their morning show at MIX together working on their first Radiothon for Duke Children’s Hospital together. They’ve shared the antics of King’s first year of motherhood, Smelser’s wedding and followed Lord via video as he proposed to his now fiancee. They took part in the Mannequin challenge and Lord spent two days atop a scissor-lift to get listeners to donate toys during December. They washed the remains of winter weather off cars and competed to collect the most food for the BackPack Buddies.

“Looking back it’s amazing to see how much they’ve accomplished and grown during such a short amount of time,” said Phillips. “They work so hard and have so much fun, they are just a joy to be around. I look forward to their continued growth and achievement in the years to come.”

Thanks to WRAL-FM’s Molly Donovan for this capcom scoop, video and for these capcom photos.