DATE: Monday, November 17, 1997             TAG: 9711150064

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS 

                                            LENGTH:  107 lines

KEEPING FLAVA FLOWINGWOWI'S MUSIC DIRECTOR HAS EARNED A NATIONAL REPUTAION FOR HIS SONG SELECTIONS

IT'S COMMON TO see Michael Mauzone, tucked at his desk in the Clear Channel Metroplex, poring through bins that brim with CDs and tapes.

His fingers flip through the radio play lists he's constantly perfecting. His ear leans to the Aiwa midi-system that sits inches away from him, playing tracks from wanna-be hit discs.

That ear keeps his stations - WOWI-FM most notably - on top in an industry that constantly changes. It earns Mauzone props as ``the man'' in Hampton Roads radio. And nationally, according to Billboard magazine.

The Nov. 1 issue of the industry bible named Mauzone ``Music Director of the Year'' for midsize markets - the second time in six years.

Most know Mauzone as ``Heart Attack.'' He is an assistant program director, a music director and a DJ.

At 32, he has come a long way from mixing it up with 45s at rec center parties and b-ball throwdowns around Hampton Roads.

``I'm a perfectionist,'' Mauzone said. ``I want the perfect mix. I want the perfect log. I want it to be right.''

His ear has been plugged into music for years. His mom, a librarian, and his dad, a graphic artist, played plenty of classic soul around their Norfolk house - Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Millie Jackson.

Plus a little ``Hee Haw.''

``I got amazed by - what's that guy's name who played his butt off?'' Mazoune said, pausing. ``Anyway,'' he continued, ``I wanted to go that angle.''

That country corn led a school-aged Mauzone to the strings, first the violin, then on to cello and bass. He also dabbled with the saxophone, flute and harp.

He gave it up when he entered Booker T. Washington High School, opting for athletics instead.

``You know how you're trying to `find yourself.' People told me, `You'll get the girls if you run track.' So I said, `I'll do track.' ''

Asthma hijacked that dream. He wound up an athletic assistant. When Mauzone went to Norfolk State University as a communications major, his reputation for working hard won him an assistant's position with then-coach Dick Price.

``He was good for the team,'' Price recalled. ``If we lost a game, or when we were down sometimes, he found a way to pick us up. He has a good sense of humor.''

Mauzone's smile is as quick as his feet.

``When I was in school, coaches used to walk around saying, `You better slow down or you're going to get a heart attack,' '' Mauzone said.

The name stuck.

Good thing. He needed a catchy handle when he debuted as one of Bobby Roscoe's local party DJs.

``I used to wear a cape and everything,'' Mauzone said. ``I was part of the camp. Wherever Roscoe's name was, that's where everybody went.''

Mauzone's phone rang. A record label wanted some information from him. He scribbled down some notes and promised to call back. A stack of messages already climbed on his desk. He turned back to his music logs.

Mauzone, who is his ``own worst competitor,'' tries not to drive himself quite as hard as he did when he started in the early '80s.

That's when he was with the now-defunct WRAP-AM. He learned the ins and outs of radio there, from what goes across the airwaves to how those waves work. Mauzone joined WOWI-FM in 1989. Two years later, he moved into the music director's slot. Now he also programs for WSVY-FM and WSVV-FM, both ballad-laden-old-school-R&B stations.

Mauzone, who is single, is learning to take time to unwind, with pool, Nintendo, friends and family. But when it comes to music, his focus is there.

``I'm fascinated by mixing,'' Mauzone said. ``You can hear something. You can envision what will come of that record.''

He spends a lot of time interpreting his vision for listeners. He spends hours in production studios stacking beats and tracks. Sometimes record labels send his creations to other stations as the preferred radio mix.

On weekends, Mauzone can be found spinning in clubs.

By keeping his hands on wax, Mauzone keeps on top of the music scene in a way some music directors can't, said Cappriccieo M. Scates, who runs Precision Management, a Hampton-based promotions company.

``He's so familiar with what's going on. He's so involved with everything,'' Scates said. ``People will call him and say, `What record are you pulling for the next single?' ''

Pulling the right singles has helped WOWI-FM catapult to the top of the ratings. The summer Arbitron book listed WOWI as No. 1 in the region, with an 11.9 share.

``For five or six years, they've had a reputation for being one of the most musically progressive stations in the country,'' said Sean Ross, editor of Airplay Monitor, a weekly trade magazine based in New York that tracks the radio industry.

``To some extent, the rest of the country may have caught up with them (WOWI-FM),'' Ross said.

It's all about sustaining a vibe, feeling what will work, Mauzone said. Things such as shifting hip-hop airplay from nighttime nooks to morning and midday mixes. Hearing something in the sound of unknowns such as Erykah Badu. Mauzone's moves on what grooves keeps his stations smooth.

And that's cool. For now. He enjoys his work, keeping faces smiling and bootys wiggling. But he has other goals, finishing his degree among them.

Amid all the phone calls, the log sheets, chats with announcers and DJs, Mauzone stays focused on advice he received from the late Daddy Jack Holmes of WRAP.

``He told me, `Something about you is different,' '' Mauzone said. `` `Don't get in this business just to have a name. Make a statement.'

``I took what he said. I make a statement.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Motoya Nakamura/The Virginian-Pilot

Michael Mauzone...

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