David Mawby

David Mawby, alias 'Delta Mike', is an English-born journalist based in Finland since 1974. His first claim to fame on Finnish television was an interview in 1975 with the internationally renowned pop star Demis Roussos. Prior to this David had already made several radio interviews in Finland with visiting festival artists such as Elkie Brooks, John McLaughlin and Gary Brooker from Procol Harum. In the late seventies, David served in the Corporate Communications section of Finland's largest paper producer Kymmene, where he assisted in producing a customer journal. Articles written for the journal included an in-depth interview with Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, the then publisher of the New York Times. David's love of broadcast media soon got the better of him after scoring a slot on Finnish national radio YLE in the mid-eighties where he interviewed such stars of the decade as Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys, Jimmy Somerville of the Communards and many others. While in-charge of youth programming on a major Finnish commercial station in the late eighties and nineties, David's list of interviewees grew to include Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys as well as just about every Finnish rally racing champion! His interview with four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen was broadcast worldwide on the BBC World Service in 1991. After a stint as Finnish stringer for the BBC's "Europe Tonight" program in the mid-nineties, David's attention turned towards news and current affairs in Finland. In fact he earned his spurs as a backroom assistant in BBC news and current affairs back in the early seventies prior to his departure for Finland. From 1999 David worked in the external service of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE providing news and facts about Finland to a global radio audience. Later he continued with YLE NEWS as a member of the team producing daily news bulletins in English on Finland's national tv channels. David interviewed at least three serving Finnish prime ministers of the time including Harri Holkeri, a statesman who later assisted in the international mediation process which led to the Good Friday peace deal in Northern Ireland. David became a well known face on Finnish TV via these news broadcasts which also incorporated feature interviews with international politicians and celebrities. On the fun side of broadcasting, David was asked to sing in a special program celebrating the 50th anniversary of Finnish TV News; his rendition of "Sixteen Tons" was watched by an estimated audience in excess of half-a-million people! In 2008, David took time out to write and present a six-part personal look at his native city "Dave's London", which was later aired on Finnish TV channels YLE and TEMA In 2013 David turned his attention to being presenter on 'Delta Mike News' for ONYAFONE delivering news commentaries, thus fulfilling a long-term ambition to present matters of political interest with full editorial control.