When I first joined the staff at Specs Howard School back in the last century, as the glaciers melted (for the first time), I’d be looking through the trade publications and wonder if any of our grads would get a mention one day.
Well, to my delight, Specs Howard grads have long surpassed anything I could’ve imagined back then. You’ve been out there making headlines, cover stories and winning magazine awards for years. I learned of three of them just this past week.
For starters, I was thumbing through the year-end special issue of FMQB (Friday Morning QuarterBack), a national radio/music industry publication, and discovered that two of our grads won awards.
Alex Tear of WKST (KissFM) in Pittsburgh, PA, won Best Program Director in the CHR (Contemporary Hits Radio) format, and Billy “The Kidd” of KHKS Dallas won best Music Director in the CHR format.
Now it might interest you to know that Billy got his start in radio by working as an intern at WDRQ here in Detroit where Alex was the program director a few years ago. I guess that says a lot about the value of learning from the best. My congratulations to them both.
In addition to the trades, I’ve found that our grads get featured not only in the trades, but in the consumer press as well pretty regularly.
Biz X magazine, a publication based in Ontario, Canada for businesses along the Canada-USA border, recently awarded Armand “Arms” Bumanlag of CKLW & 89X (CIMX) their "Pilot Of The Airwaves" Oscar.
Arms actually began his career at Chum Group Radio as an intern before he graduated. They liked his attitude and work ethic so much that they kept finding him more and more to do over there and so he hasn't left since!
It’s always good to hear that the grads most committed to their careers get recognition. I’m like a proud … UNCLE this week!
And just so that the people on the Specs Howard faculty who lead by example get their due praise, I’d like to share an excerpt from a letter we received from Andrea Lemle, a recent grad from RTV-02-07, this week:
"I want to thank you for all the help and all the pushing you guys did. Without your help I would not be where I am today. Just the other day I landed a job as a part-time news personality in Big Rapids at WYBR. I will actually be replacing another Specs grad.
"I want to thank you John Stockwell for being so understanding when I had a question about Broadcast Writing. I want to thank you, Eric Braun, for being an amazing first and second quarter instructor. You pushed me further then I thought I could go when I first attended Specs. I love the fact that the first week you teach us verbally what to do in the studio... then throw us in... and freak us out. Now I feel like I can handle anything.
"I want to thank you, Sue Kinney, for pushing me beyond my limit. Thank you for taking on the horrible task of taking a class not ready for anything and making us ready for everything. For pushing me to do better... to do more. Without your help with my demo and pushing me I don't think I would have landed this job.
"I would just like to say thank you. I know you all have long days. and I just want to let you know that I do appreciate everything you all did for me. You helped my wildest dreams come true. So, thank you for being the awesome people that you are!"
And thank you, Andrea, for giving back!
'Til next week, folks... How's everyone doing on their Christmas shopping?
~Uncle K
Work the holidays to your advantage!
Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
I know you’re all sorry you missed out on seeing me dressed up as something like a stuffed turkey on my blog last week, but I do hope you had a nice holiday even if some of you had to spend the evening at work.
After all, the show must go on in this business. While it may not be ideal, holidays are usually a great time to take your career to the next level. By that I mean filling in for someone with a better job than you. For instance, it’s a great time for reporters to play “anchor” for the night.
Don’t sweat it too much. Not only is it good for you, one day you’ll be the one to give the new kid on the block a shot while you go home. That is, if you don’t act like a turkey now. Such is the biz… it can be demanding but it's also rewarding.
Take Mike Embry, a grad I heard from recently. After working as a technical director at WWTV-TV (Channels 9 & 10) in Northern Michigan for several years, Mike was offered two jobs -- one at CNN and one at WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida.
After carefully considering both, it’s not terribly surprising that he accepted the job in West Palm Beach. After all, he’s done his time in the Snow Belt!
"The people I work with are the best I've ever worked with,” Mike said about his new position. “Every question was answered, and every concern was taken care of!”
As an added bonus, the pay is twice what he was making and the weather ain't bad either. Thanks for staying in touch, Mike.
I also had the pleasure of catching up with grad Tara Lipinsky. She’s back in her hometown of New York City working full-time as a digital media producer for CBS 2. She produces six web casts a day and often gets to star in them. She produces and acts as talent in a daily entertainment wrap, as well as a weekly sit-down interview with a gossip magazine.
Here are a couple examples of her work:
Daily Entertainment Wrap
Weekly Gossip Interview
It’s hard to believe it’s only been about 6 years since she graduated from Specs Howard School!
I also wanted to mention the MCA-I Golden Cassette Awards, which I attended with one of our placement advisors, Denise Lippert. As always, it was great to see a number of grads help produce the event and, and of course, win awards. Grad Darryl Bartlett took home three, Terrance Vails was awarded two, and RMS Productions (owned by grad Randy Stephenson) and Gail Costello (owner of Costello Communications) each won an award.
Grads Sonja Crosby and Terrance Vails, along with our very own video department supervisor, Brad Richter acted as presenters and Bob Daniels of BlueWater Technologies, Jon-Eric Cornellier and Frank Denkhaus provided tech support.
Overall, it was a great night and once again I felt proud to be a part of what we do at Specs Howard School. As always, please let me know how YOU'RE doing!
Above: Participants at the Broadcast Career Builder Conference line up for opening keynote speaker, Doug "The Doc of Rock" Podell. 
It’s been a busy couple of weeks in Uncle Kernen Land...
In addition to our usual 9 to 5, Placement Director Kevin Seguin-Scollin and I put a full day in at the BCBC – the MABF’s annual Broadcast Career Builder Conference – at Lansing Community College on Saturday, October 27th.
Over 150 students and young professionals participated in this year’s event, which featured an inspiring opening keynote by my good friend, Doug “The Doc of Rock” Podell, and numerous breakout sessions on employment – from the new careers made possible by new technology, to not-so-obvious career choices, to learning how to market yourself successfully.
In addition, the event included a job fair featuring numerous employers and a thought-provoking closing keynote by Specs grad Ross Marroso (pictured above right).
Ross encouraged attendees to explore a number of opportunities within the entertainment industry rather than focus on a single one. As an airborne reporter for WDIV-TV (Channel 4), an independent filmmaker and co-owner of Motor City Movies, and a screenwriting instructor, it is advice he himself obviously practices. By the way, Ross has another screenwriting workshop coming up at Specs Howard in January. I'll keep you posted on the details!
If you missed the BCBC, get out your 2008 calendar and plan to attend the MAB’s Great Lakes Broadcasting Conference on March 10th and 11th. It too is a great place to network and gain information about radio and television. For more information on this and other MAB-related events, bookmark the MAB web site!
But that's not all! I told you it's been a busy few weeks...
Kevin and I took newly appointed placement advisor, Katie Peters, to an open house at WADL-TV (Channel 38). The three of us thank Kevin Adell and Louis Gibbs for their hospitality. They have a beautiful facility for their newly christened Urban TV and an equally gorgeous facility for sister station, The Word Network. We ran into many old friends and many grads on the tour and really enjoyed the great food!
Speaking of old grads -- and I mean really old grads -- I heard from Rick Staeb, who is now the general manager of a six-station cluster in Bellingham, Washington. The stations are owned by Saga Communications, who own over 90 radio stations and 9 television stations.
The picture below was taken at Saga’s annual managers meeting this year and in addition to Rick and yours truly is Debbie Chavez, the program director of KGMI, which was named “Station of the Year” by Saga’s management. Out of 90+ stations, that’s not bad.
I also took a trip to Toledo and re-connected with several grads that are some of the best-known talents in the market. It was great to have lunch with veteran anchor Lee Conklin of WTVG-TV (Channel 13), who has been the 6 & 11 anchor for some 16 years, and Fred Lefebvre, host of WSPD radio's morning show where he provides his listeners with "Freducation" every weekday.
I also re-connected with Kelly Brown, late of 89x and now the mid-day personality at WIOT-FM. Among the many features of her position, is that she not only lives in the same building as the station, her apartment is literally DOWN THE HALL ... from her studio! Wow.
I also got a chance to visit WTVG-TV and toured their beautiful facility courtesy of grad Matt Black, long-time operations director of this ABC owned station.
I also met with their news director, Brian Trauring, who like every other news executive I've met within the past several years, emphasized how hard it is to find ----- STUDENTS AND GRADS TAKE NOTE ----- news producers! As an example, he indicated he was flying in a potential candidate from California! Take a lesson!
Coming Up!
I attended the MCA-I Golden Casette Awards ceremony on Friday night. I will have a full report later this week. 'Til then -- uk
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!
A tip from your Uncle Kernen: When it comes to dressing for an interview or career fair, take note of how these folks are dressed! You only have one chance to make a first impression. Choose your outfit wisely!
Hello, there!
There are several very cool things going on in the next month and if you're sincerely committed to a career in radio, TV or video production, you really should attend one or more of them.
MABF Career Expo at Specs Howard School
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 4:00-7:00 PM
This is a career fair specifically for Detroit area radio & TV employers put on by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation. Several radio and TV stations will be on-site and ready to meet you. Show up looking good (and by that I mean dressed for the office not the bar) and bring resumes and other relevant materials.
The following employers are scheduled to be here:
• WMYD-TV Detroit
• Ann Arbor Radio (WWWW-FM, WQKL-FM, WTKA-AM & WLBY-AM)
• WMUZ-FM, WEXL-AM & WRDT-AM Detroit
• WDET-FM Detroit
• Citadel Broadcasting, Lansing & Grand Rapids (WHTS-FM, WBBL-AM, WTNR-FM, WLAV-FM, WKLQ-FM, WITL-FM, WJIM-AM/FM, WFMK-FM, WVFN-AM, WMMQ-FM)
• WHMI-FM Howell
• Radio-One Detroit (WHTD-FM, WDMK-FM, WCHB-AM)
• WEYI-TV and WBSF-TV Flint
• WJBK-TV Detroit
• Michigan Public Media (WUOM-FM, WVGR-FM, WFUM-FM, WCBN-FM & WFUM-TV)
• ABC Radio Detroit (WJR-AM, WDVD-FM, WDRQ-FM)
• WXYZ-TV Detroit
MPA’s Production Assistant Bootcamp at Specs Howard School
Saturday, Oct. 20, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
If you're interested in a career in film or video, don't miss this opportunity to learn more about being a great production assistant in this workshop put on by the Michigan Production Alliance. Production Assistants (PAs) are entry-level positions which put you in the biz and allow you to begin pursuing your goals. These jobs are where you have the opportunity to network and impress those in the industry -- either positively or negatively. This event will emphasize the things that will make you stand out from those who are just spectators.
The workshop includes a lecture about what is expected from a PA on the set, followed by a moderated discussion led by a panel of of local producers, coordinators and assistant directors.
A registration fee of $20 ($10 for students with ID) includes the 2-1/2 hour seminar, beverages and light snacks and access to a production handbook.
We've had a lot of students work as PAs on major motion-pictures like Tranformers and Semi-Pro that have come to town so if you're like-minded, I think you'll agree it's worth giving up a Saturday to learn more about.
Broadcast Career Builder Conference (BCBC) at Lansing Community College
Saturday Oct. 27, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
This is THE BEST event of the year for people interested in a career in radio or television put on by the MABF. There will be sessions all day on many aspects of the business and the opening keynote address will feature "The Doc of Rock" Doug Podell, Program Director of WRIF and veteran radio maven. The closing keynote will be Specs grad Ross Marosso, airborne reporter for WDIV-TV and independent film producer.
A detailed schedule of events and registration materials can be accessed at the MABF's official website. DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT!!!
IN OTHER NEWS...
My sincere congratulations to grad Carolyn Stone of WRWK Toledo on the birth of her daughter Sweetness Marie Bernadette! Congratulations to Jerry Noble, PD of WIOG in Saginaw on an awesome rating book and to Chris Chynoweth of Mad River Post for being named a finalist in the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICS) Awards Competition held recently in Chicago.
And last, but certainly not least, I was delighted to read in the trade publications that RIFF2 won the National Association of Broadcasters HD Radio Multicast Award. Congrats to Mark Pennington on this very well deserved award.
ROCK ON, NEIGHBORS!!!
Hey, all! I’m baaaaaaaack, which is kind of funny because I actually didn’t go anywhere. My editor, however, was whooping it up on vacation after two weeks of intense budget planning so I apologize for my absence!
KUDOS TO WGRD
First off, I’d like to give a big shout out to WGRD. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, the latest Arbitron show them at #2! A lot of the credit has to go to the morning show Free Beer & Hot Wings and of course, Program Director J.T. (after all, he's a grad).
MABF's BROADCASTING CAREER BUILDERS CONFERENCE
In related news, WGRD’s morning show producer, Joe G., has agreed to take part in the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation’s upcoming Broadcasting Career Builders Conference to take place on Saturday, October 27 at the west campus of Lansing Community College.
This is a “must attend” for anyone pursuing a career in radio or television. The opening keynote speaker will be "The Doc of Rock" Doug Podell, the program director and longtime air personality at WRIF 101 FM.
The closing keynote speaker will be Specs grad Ross Marosso, an airborne reporter for WDIV-TV and accomplished filmmaker.
There will also be a career fair featuring representatives of Michigan radio & TV who will discuss employment opportunities at their facilities. Visit this link for details and SAVE THE DATE!!!
I recently heard from grad Rob St. Mary, the news director at WOOD radio in Grand Rapids, who is finishing a documentary he started five years ago at his first radio job in Bad Axe, Michigan.
It's a fascinating story about the deep divisions, which occur in a small town called The Separation on State Street. (Thanks for the title correction, Rob!)
Also fascinating to me is the large number of film projects our grads have been involved in recently.
ELKO OR BUST?
A year ago, to the utter astonishment of our placement department, we were informed that two of our grads were hired three months apart at two different stations in Elko, Nevada. Huh?
We'd never heard of Elko and had to avail ourselves of a map to find it. Imagine my surprise to discover an article in Time magazine recently featuring numerous Presidential hopefuls campaigning in -- you guessed it – Elko, Nevada. I hope that Erin Coyle & Don (Bud) Burch had an exciting time covering them!
30 MINUTES AT DONER
On a recent visit to Doner Advertising, I discovered that grad Bill Julian was just hired after many years at GTN, joining grad Ken Warzebok in Doner’s production department. Bill asked me if there were any other grads working there, and to my knowledge, they were the only two.
He then took me on a tour of their facility and to our surprise; I ran into two more grads working in the edit suites! And I was only there for 30 minutes.
GRADS IN THE PRESS
Lastly, there was an inspiring article in a recent issue of the Toledo Free Press about two of our grads that live with disabilities.
If it seems at times that I’m a little impatient when it comes to excuses, it's because we've had students who have faced serious challenges – from child care issues to having to rely on Michigan’s terrible mass transit system – but still managed to have great attendance records and great grades.
We've also seen students with disabilities complete our program and pursue very successful careers.
The grads profiled in the article are Kim Devlin, a producer and traffic reporter for the Cumulus Radio Group in Toledo who lives with cerebral palsy, and Jim Snyder, an air personality at CKPC in Brantford, Ontario who is legally blind.
Both have had negative experiences with employers in the past because it was assumed that they would not be able to perform the jobs they'd applied for. But neither of them gave up seeking jobs in radio, and ultimately, they both found employers who believed more in their abilities than their disabilities.
As one of Jim’s previous PD said, "I overlooked Jim’s disability because he sounded great on the air and had great knowledge of radio.”
Kim’s current PD says "...he does a great job for us and does everything we ask of him.”
I couldn't finish this piece without mentioning Ron Bachman, a Specs grad and dear friend. Ron gets around on a scooter and is one of the most sought after motivational speakers in Michigan.
When you're familiar with the challenges faced by these folks, and how successfully they've dealt with them, excuses like “too busy”, “too tired”, or “I forgot” sound REALLY LAME!
GRAD RETURNS TO WDET
Specs grad Craig Fahle recently returned to WDET-FM from Charlotte, North Carolina to host the daily talk show, Detroit Today. I am very proud of him, and the fact that the station also employs several other grads in high profile positions.
Amy Miller anchors Morning Edition, Pat Batchellor anchors All Things Considered, Amanda LeClair co-produces Detroit Today, Barbara Smith works in the Development Department and Malloy Farley is Chief Engineer. I'm sure I've overlooked others, but needless to say, I’m very proud of all of them.
NOTES FROM GRADS
Ask and I did receive several updates from grads. In addition to the kind words provided by Craig Fahle below, we've posted several others worth a look on the Specs Howard website. Check out Happy Trails for more exciting news from our grads!
Dick...You should be proud. Going to Specs was the best decision (outside of marrying my more than patient wife) that I have made. As someone that has been responsible for making some hiring decisions down here in Charlotte, I can't tell you how many applicants lack basic radio skills. They may be great journalists, but I don't always have time to train them in the ways of production and board operation. One thing I try to do for all of my interns is to make sure they have SOME training in this area before they leave us. More than one has called me later to thank me, since they were chosen for a job because they had skills other applicants didn't. I am a happy advocate for the school. I'll talk to you soon! --Craig
Until next week, folks!
I love my job. Our grads continue to give me reasons to get up in the morning. One of the many cool things about working at Specs Howard School is actually hearing or seeing grads interact with other grads on the radio or television.
Just recently, I caught an exchange on WDET 101.9 FM between Pat Batchellor and Rob Morrosi. Pat is WDET's afternoon news anchor and Ross is the media relations director for the Michigan Department of Transportation. Both are grads.
The two of them were talking about the numerous road construction projects underway in Southeast Michigan, and while I’m not a fan of road construction, I thought it was fantastic to hear them talk about it.
Speaking of roads, I was in Lansing visiting employers last week, including the Citadel group under good friend Rob Striker, and was able to re-connect with Brent Alberts, Chris Reynold and J.J. McCrae -- some of Michigan’s finest program directors (PDs).
I also dropped in to see WLNS-TV News Director, Phil Hendrix and topped off the visit at MacDonald Broadcasting to visit with GM Rick Sarata and Program Directors, Brant Johnson and Scott Loomis.
When I got back, I heard from grad Mike Wheeler. He has a new job as PD of 92.9-Dave FM in Atlanta. So he sends me a run-down of his air staff, and what to my wondering eyes doth appear, but Margot Smith! I haven't heard from her since she left WGRD in Grand Rapids ages ago. She's extraordinarily talented and I'm delighted she's doing well.
It was very cool to receive the latest newsletter from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and see that not one, but two of our favorite grads have been elected to the organization’s board of directors! Al Blinke, Vice President and General Manager of WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and Bob Peters, Vice President and General Manager of WCZY-FM in Mt. Pleasant, are highly respected members of our industry and I am extremely proud of them both.
The mayor of Houston, Texas, is apparently proud of one of our grads too. Roger Beatty graduated from Specs Howard School in 1979. He and his morning show partner, Dean, recently celebrated ten years on the air at classic rock station, KKRW.
To commemorate the occasion, April 27, 2007 was named "Dean & Rog Day," and the mayor presented them with an official proclamation during their live broadcast at Houston’s Hard Rock Café. Roger and Dean have been a morning team for 20 years after getting together at WIOG in Saginaw.
I’d like to offer my congratulations to Bob Daniels as he joins Blue Water Technologies as operations director. Blue Water does event staging, equipment sales and rentals, and other hi-tech presentations. And last, but not least, I was really glad to hear that Joe Adams of MetroTraffic has joined Ross Marosso manning the Local 4 helicopter. Ross is WDIV's air borne news reporter and Joe is now their Morning Traffic person.
I think that's all for this one, folks. You've got to save me something to get up for tomorrow morning! Send me a line! Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens (center) was among the VIPs to attend a party for grad Roger Beatty (far right) and his morning show partner Dean (left) commemorating their 10th anniversary at the station.
There was a lot of excitement going around Specs Howard School last week because Channel 7 was here to tape our new ad campaign to promote our upcoming “Walk-in Week” (Aug. 6-10) and Open House (Aug. 8) for prospective students.
It was really great to see so many recent grads taking such an active approach in launching their careers. My sincere thanks to those that came out and took part in interviews with old pal Warren Pierce. It really was an impressive group. In addition, Internship Advisor Katie Peters put together a great group of interns to basically be themselves in front of the camera.
 Fallon Jamil (pictured right) has been busy chasing after her dream long before she graduated this past January. She started out interning as a production assistant on Ross Marroso’s Osama Bin Latte (another one of our exceptional grads), modeling for the school and even put her previous career as a cosmetologist to use by doing hair and make-up at a couple of TV commercial shoots.
Since she graduated, she’s been to the Grammy Awards to interview celebrities on the red carpet as a citizen journalist, apprenticed at SWOCC Oakland Cable Commission Center and has been in several television commercials, most notably as an on-air host and marketer for a series of product spots titled, Shop Smart, which will be airing on My TV 20 Detroit.
 Chris McLeod (pictured left) started a freelance career working as a production assistant and grip before he even graduated from Specs Howard last September. Since then he has continued freelancing on projects for Comcast, NBA Films, Comerica, Ford Motor Company and Habitat for Humanity. While Chris prefers to work behind the scenes, it seems we're determined to put him in front of the camera. By the way, Chris, you did a great job!
 Tom Slaski and Sean Redenz are both 2007 graduates that have jumped right in to pursuing careers in filmmaking.
Tom Slaski (pictured right), who graduated in March, has worked as a production assistant, grip, and weapons assistant since joining the crew of InZero: Fragile Wings.
InZero: Fragile Wings is a full-length feature film being produced by Thought Collide, a local production company headed up by yet another grad, Jamie Sonderman.
 Sean Redenz (pictured left) actually began working on the feature as an intern and while he was still a student was promoted to Assistant Director. Sean just graduated in June!
Thanks to Jamie, working on the film has been a great learning experience for students, graduates and even staff members that have been involved.
The feature is expected to be released in 2008 and will make the film festival circuit!
 Grad Nicole Sylvester is also a filmmaker and owner of Autumn Rain Features. It was so good of her to make the time to come in and be interviewed since she was right in the middle of preparing to move her film company to New York City.
Nicole recently completed two feature films, Layla’s Girl and 16000 Block, that are making the rounds at various film festivals, including the very well known Tribeca event.
 Pictured left with Admissions Representative Renee Vitale is grad Jay Hudson, who came in to represent the radio side. After working as weekend air talent at the RIFF for several years, he was hired on by 89X to take over the 7-to-midnight shift full time and within a few months, he became Music Director as well.
In addition to her duties here at Specs, Renee Vitale is on the air at WDVD 96.3 FM on the weekends so she is always a natural when it comes to representing the school on-camera. This time around, the topic revolved around schools that accept credits earned at Specs Howard, so our students and grads have a head start when they wish to go on to earn a college degree. (Click here for a complete list of participating colleges and universities.)
 Specs grad Amanda LeClaire also came in to talk about her job in the news department at WDET. In addition to reporting, Amanda produces several talk shows, including Detroit Today, the station’s excellent daily public affairs show. And to think, she began working at WDET as an intern.
Radio Department Supervisor John Stockwell and Video Department Supervisor Brad Richter each represented our amazing faculty. The quality of our instructors is inspiring!
Many thanks to the crew from Channel 7 (WXYZ-TV). Host Warren Pierce is always a pleasure to work with and Producer Tammy Sortor always does an amazing job.
Also many thanks to our student interns: Karen Skoczen, Ilona Fenke, Jenna Bommarito, Kyle Horner, Jamie Harris, Luke Hursh, Grigol Gogava, Rana Zdrojewski, and Robert Hunacek. Also a special thanks to staffers Johnny Robinson, Jon Kavalos and Katie Peters for stepping in front of the camera as well. You're all rock stars!
The ad campaign on Channel 7 runs next week!
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