Wichita State alum Tony Sweet comes across as a man with a vision and the drive to see it come to light. Sweet is the co-founder and President of the Universal Broadcasting Network, an online trans-media company based out of Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood, Calif.

UBN is a 24/7 station that currently has 22 shows in their lineup consisting of music and talk shows. It reaches almost one million people worldwide, with 70 percent being in the United States. And it’s still growing.

“We are not only an internet radio station, which is the way the future is going. We are also transitioning into Internet television,” said Sweet.

Sweet earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies at Wichita State, but he also dove into the entrepreneurship program knowing that he didn’t want to work for other people the rest of his life.

UBN co-founder Ann Walker, Sweet is still a Kansas boy who has maintained his moral compass and identity without letting Hollywood jade him.

“He’s still the same great guy and he’s taught me how to help our hosts,” said Walker.

Walker says that Sweet is the worker at the station while she is the helper, but he is always willing to help. She called him a true mentor to everybody at the station, including herself.

“He’s got the perfect name,” said Walker.

According to Walker, it was Sweet who encouraged her to start The Ann Walker Show by pushing her in the right direction and playing to her fan base.

Sweet records the hugely popular On Air with Tony Sweet, which celebrated its 300th broadcast a few weeks ago. On his show he has interviewed over 800 people, including television and movie stars and other celebrities.

His first big actress to interview was comedian Mo’Nique, just before filming Precious. A week after winning an Oscar for her role in the film, she agreed to an interview with Sweet after turning down several other shows.

“It made a huge impact on the direction that I knew that this is what I was supposed to do,” said Sweet.

Sweet always had a dream of having his own business. He and used his experiences in life and working at other stations as the steping stones.

“When I started out five years ago at LA Talk Radio, I could see the things that they were doing right, but there were many things that I saw that they were not,” he said.

After leaving LA Talk Radio, he started Global Voice Broadcasting in 2011. He sold it at the end of 2012 after realizing he and his business partner had different visions for the network.

A short time later, Sweet and Walker put their heads together to create UBN. His five years in the radio industry her and her experiences in the entertainment industry as an actress offered a strong foundation. Sweet is pleased with the success that they have had so far.

“It’s grown so fast, it’s really almost hard to believe in a way,” he said.

According to Sweet, what took 18 months at Global Voice Broadcasting has only taken three months at UBN. He hopes to have 30 – 35 shows available by the end of the summer, staffed by qualified former DJ’s, radio personalities, and syndicated talk-show hosts.

Sweet is currently working on adding Internet television to the network. His goal is to become a media mogul that makes a difference in the way the audience receives their media.

“I think the sky is the limit for us,” said Walker.