Michael Bendure

Michael Bendure hosts KGOU's newest local program addition, Tonic: The Funky Groove Show, broadcast Fridays from 9 to 11 p.m. He says he created the show to scratch a musical itch that had been growing for a couple of years. A singer-songwriter himself, who performs alternative country rock in local bands Heartbreak Rodeo and The Whiskey Gingers, Michael had a growing desire to experience funk music, especially the instrumental side. His curiosisty led him to more than 60 years of recorded instrumental funk, groove, soul, disco, jazz, hip hop and other genres.

Mchael also serves as Director of Communications and Events at the University of Oklahoma's Michael F. Price College of Business, where he is responsible for college-level coordination of media and outreach activities and the execution of in-person stakeholder engagements. For nearly a decade, Michael served as the Director of Communication at OU’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, where he led all areas of external and internal communication for the museum’s exhibitions, educational programs, special events, and other museum news.

Prior to joining OU, he was the News Bureau Director at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, his alma mater. Michael has earned several distinctions, including accolades from Norman NEXT, the Norman Chamber of Commerce, the Norman Arts Council, and the Oklahoma College Public Relations Association. He is a 2018 graduate of the OU Leadership Council and the 2020 recipient of the Price College of Business Dean’s Excellence Award for Community Impact.