HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I was happy to see two of our favorite grads named in the annual Metro Times Best of Detroit issue. WDFN's Sean Baligian was voted "Best Radio Sports Talk Show Host" by the newspaper's readers, and credited under "Best Reason to Turn on the Radio During the Day" was recently returned host of WDET's Detroit Today, Craig Fahle. I was also glad that their news director, Jerome Vaughn, was given well-deserved credit too even if he's not a grad -- but a really good friend!
My sincere congratulations also go to grad Ian Douglass on his recent promotion to Deputy Press Secretary and Appointments Director for Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, Andy Dillon. In addition, Ian hosts talk shows for the democratic party.
It was great to be visited by grad Jennifer Freel (pictured left with yours truly) in from the west coast to visit her dad, who accompanied her on a tour of our facility. Jennifer handles e-commerce operations for Universal Music in Universal City, California and also happens to teach part-time at a school for broadcasters.
After working for Cumulus Broadcasting in Toledo for many years as an air talent and music director, grad Mike McIntyre has been promoted to program/music director and PM
drive host at the company's brand new classic hits station, 97.1-WRQQ, in Nashville. If Mike's name sounds familiar, in addition to working in Toledo, Mike also spent many weekend air shifts at WRIF and WYCD over the years. I don't expect he'll be making the commute from Nashville! Congrats, Mike!
Last but certainly not least, I think it's time to recognize graduates of our long discontinued electronics program. Although the school no longer offers an electronics program, I have kept in touch with a number of grads through the years and feel they should still get recognition from their alma mater. I'm going to try real hard not to miss anyone, but I'm probably destined to fail so please accept my apologies and feel free to let me know so I can do a make-good for you. So in no particular order:
• Ralph Hunt: Chief Engineer for WWJ, WXYT & WKRK
• Ross Lusk: Chief Engineer for WVMV, WOMC & WYCD
• Chris Arnaut : Chief Engineer for WJR, WDVD, WDRQ and was recently hired by WDIV-TV
• Mike Kernen: Chief Engineer for WRIF, WMGC & WCSX (and yes, he's my nephew)
• Malloy Farley: Chief Engineer for WDET-FM
• Randy Auerbach: Chief Engineer for WDFN, WMXD, WJLB, WKQI, WDTW & WNIC
• Dave Sapp: Chief Engineer at WDMK, WHTD & WCHB
• Hal Buttermore: Regional Chief Engineer for CBS
These were taken from the RADIO Book and may be out-dated, but it's still an impressive list. If anyone would like to send me an update, I'd appreciate it.
Trick or treat! ~UK
It was a treat to see many of our recent -- and not so recent -- grads last week at the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation Job Fair that we hosted here at the school last Tuesday. In addition to our grads, there were literally hundreds of others seeking information on jobs in the broadcast industry. We broke our old record of 250 with a total of 300-plus attendees.
The Specs Howard Placement Department also emailed a quick newsletter out to our grads last week, which resulted in increased traffic on our website. Visit GRAD CENTRAL regularly and keep us updated. That way, you’ll have access to our alumni directory, get our e-newsletters, and we can brag about you too. Here are some of the updates we received recently:
(Note: the locations are in Michigan unless indicated otherwise)
Tina Burnside is a producer at KTNV-TV in Las Vegas, Nevada. Samantha Watha is the media coordinator at Frankel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield. Nick Candela is now a videographer, writer and editor for Fox Sports Net in Detroit.
Amanda Mitchell is an air personality at WYCD just down the street here in Southfield. Danielle Roper co-hosts the morning show (and reports on entertainment news) for WSAQ-Q Country 107 in Port Huron.
Mark Whitehead of RTV-08-05 started WJLB’s “Off The Air” video and continues to shoot, edit, and produce the entire show himself. In addition, he’s a promotions assistant for WJLB and a board operator for WMXD. In his spare time, he’s filling in for one of WJLB’s morning show producers while she’s on maternity leave!
Students often ask why they have to learn “everything,” and I’d say Mark is a good example of the need to have multiple skills in this field to get ahead, especially in the early days. But it’s not just radio. Steve Richardson from RTV-01-04 is an associate producer, editor and videographer for WDIV-TV and Fox Sports Detroit.
We also heard from Ivory Moore, who is a talent executive for One Source Talent in Troy; Laura Brown is doing promotions for Clear Channel in Farmington Hills; Ross Mullican is the news director for KURM-100.3 in Rogers Arkansas; Tameka Wright is Media Coordinator for Pitney-Bowes Marketing in Farmington Hills; Kelly MacIntyre is Morning Co-Host and News Director at WMDH in New Castle, Indiana; Doug Lapp is over at Mad River Post working as an assistant editor; Richard Smith is in Lima, Ohio at TV 67, Inc. (Fox 25, ABC 18 & CBS 38), holding down the title of Senior Production Editor; Michael DeVille is managing Audio-Visual Services for Carnival Cruise Lines in Miami, Florida; and Emily Lahtinen is a producer at Speedy Spots, a voice over service in Chelsea.
Kevin Seguin-Scollin (Placement Director for Specs Howard) and I also got a lovely letter from Jennifer Hobson of RTV-10-89.
Dear Dick & Kevin,
Thank you so much for your help last year with regards to helping me get back into a broadcasting career. I wanted to drop you a line and let you know how I am doing. As you might recall, I have been over here at WMUZ/WEXL/WRDT for almost a year now as their assistant engineer.
Thanks to your lead on this job, and the training I received at Specs Howard many years ago, I am very blessed with this opportunity to be here and learn as much as possible about my field. Specs Howard has given so many people in this business the best start possible to follow their dreams of working in broadcasting. I am very grateful for the skills that the instructors gave and the leads that the school has given me over the years with regard to on-air work at various stations in Michigan.
Dick, you have always been there to lend an ear when I needed it to give me encouragement or to talk to me about a possible lead. I feel I have found my calling in this business and I have great ambitions to become a valuable and seasoned broadcast engineer. Thanks again for giving me this opportunity!
I also heard from Tim French from RTV-8A-07:
Hi Dick,
I haven't kept up much with the Specs crowd lately but I just wanted to drop you guys a line to tell you what’s been going on with me. Early in June, after graduating from Specs in April, I took a Job with WEYI-TV NBC25 here in Flint as the producer of their newly formed 7 o'clock news broadcast on their CW sister station.
In less than four months time, I have been promoted to producer of the 6 and 11 pm newscasts. It’s been a really fast ride, and honestly a hell of a lot of hard work, but every bit of it has been worth it.
I just wanted to say thanks to you guys in the placement department for helping me find this job, as well as my internship at WDIV (which I am almost positive got me this job).
And finally, Kevin heard from Tabetha Lott who is now over at Pluto Post in Birmingham:
Hey Kevin! I just wanted to take a minute to thank you. I really appreciate you lining me up with this AMAZING job! I absolutely love it here and for once I’ve started looking forward to work! I know this is going to be an incredible learning experience and a step in the right direction. I really can’t thank you enough!
WHEW! And I remember when we only did radio!! If you haven't checked in, please let us know what you’re up to!
Until next time.... UK
Many who are reading this blog may be too young to remember the fabulous fifties and sixties, but if you grew up in the Cleveland area at that time, you started your mornings listening to our one-and-only fearless leader, Specs Howard, before he moved to Detroit.
As part of the legendary "Martin & Howard Show," Specs helped invent the two-man comedy/music-type morning program that we now take for granted with the likes of Drew and Mike, and team shows like Purtan’s People or The Breakfast Club.
This past Sunday night was an exciting “return to the scene of the crime” for Specs in – believe it or not – Akron, Ohio, as he was inducted into the Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame of Ohio. Nine other new members were inducted into the Hall of Fame, which is opening a sparkling showcase inside the Akron Westfield Mall in February 2008.
At the festivities in Akron, Specs was reunited with his music director/producer John Wellman, and Ray Koeppen, who was the prolific writer of the Martin and Howard Show. The 350 attendees enjoyed audio and video highlights of radio and television careers that spanned the past 40 years or so. The honorees were newscasters, television anchors, and of course, funny DJs like Specs. Here’s the scoop for those who don’t know the background of the guy whose name is on our building.
Specs Howard was born Jerry Liebman in Kittanning, PA on April 8, 1926. He later graduated from Allegheny College and started his career at a small radio station in western Pennsylvania where he met and worked with Joe Finan, who soon moved on to NBC in Ohio.
Liebman received a call from Finan a couple years later, and Joe passed the word about a staff announcer opening at WTAM, NBC’s Cleveland affiliate. Specs interviewed with Lawson Demming (who later played Sir Graves Ghastly on television), and aced the radio audition, but then was taken into the TV studio and told to “stand and talk for five minutes.”
Accustomed to filling only 30 seconds or so on the radio, Liebman walked out after about a minute, saying “I can’t do this!” Demming, however, needed someone right away, and Liebman was hired on the strength of his radio audition on April 1, 1954.
Two years later (1956), Westinghouse came to town and changed the radio station’s call letters to KYW, and decided to go with the fledgling “Top 40” format. The staff of “announcers” was asked to turn in audition tapes for the new job of “disc jockey.”
Liebman was one of the few to embrace the opportunity, which some felt was beneath them. He was awarded the 10–2 shift, but the Westinghouse execs thought that a snazzier DJ name was needed. Liebman’s ever-present glasses suggested “Specs,” and the old finger-in-the-phone-book yielded “Howard.”
The newly-named Specs Howard was a solo jock on KYW from 1956–1962, spinning the hits and interviewing the likes of Bob Hope (pictured with Specs above left), Sonny & Cher, Chuck Berry, Barbara Streisand, The Everly Brothers and Mohammed Ali.
In 1962, Specs was cast as straight man on a new program with Harry Martin (pictured to the right in the studio with Specs and a couple of pigeons) and a talented writer named Ray Koeppen. The morning show, which was a relatively new concept at the time, featured a mix of music, funny bits, interviews, and the infamous “Congo Curt” comedy serial. After a slightly bumpy start, the “Martin & Howard Show” enjoyed good ratings and a happy run in Cleveland from 1962–1967.
Martin and Howard received an “offer they couldn’t refuse” from WXYZ-Detroit in 1967, and bid a fond farewell to Cleveland. Martin and Howard did two years on “Wixie,” and when the show was cancelled in 1969, Specs returned to a solo career in Cleveland on WKYC. A short time later, he was back in Detroit, working at several different stations, but with his eye on a new adventure, one that would make his name an institution – literally.
On January 14, 1970, the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts opened its doors to aspiring radio broadcasters. I began working at the school in 1972.
In 1981 (right around the time this picture of the two of us was taken), the school expanded to include practical education for future professionals in television and video production.
With close to 60 years in the business, Specs was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Detroit Producers Association in 1996, and was inducted into the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2005. In Akron on Sunday night, we were thrilled to see Specs receive the same honors from his peers in Ohio.
So most of you youngsters know that Specs still arrives at the school every morning with a smile, and keeps us all on our toes, teaching and learning what we need to know about “The Business.” As Paul Harvey likes to say -- now you know . . . . the rest of the story.
Congratulations Specs, on a well-deserved honor!
