People
Jim Alexander – MSU ’85 - Is Vice President of Consumer and Strategic Research for The Weather Channel. After graduation, Jim had a tour of duty with Leo Burnett and then spent a decade with CNN and Turner Broadcasting. JIm worked all different hours at WMCD, usually evenings and weekends. His tour of duty in Lansing radio included the graveyard shift at WMMQ, which he says was a motivator to move behind the mic, first as a producer with WHMI in Howell, Michigan and subsequently as an intern with Detroit rock powerhouse WRIF. He received a MBA, Marketing in ’87, paying his way by working for Gary Reid as his graduate assistant for TC 301 – Basic Audio Production. in 2004 Jim was named a Distinguished Alum by the College of Communications Arts and Sciences. “The FM was real battle at the time,” Jim recalls. “It seemed like it would never happen. However, Gary’s tenacity finally paid off. My hat’s off to him.” Contact Jim at g-force@mindspring.com
Dave Altmeyer – MSU ’74 – Started at WBRS in fall 1967 with the ever-popular 5AM to 6AM shift (thank you Donn Allen). After a variety of name changes and time slots, Dave became program director for manager Chuck Tweedle, then was named WBRS station manager for the 68-69 school year. Dave moved to WMSN as program director(69-70)for manager Mike Smithson, then became WMSN station manager for 70-71. Dave’s commercial Radio-TV career spanned the 70′s and included work at WKAR radio, WJCO-AM, Jackson, (thanks again Donn Allen), WILX-TV as a booth announcer, weathercaster and weekend program host, as a radio program producer for the Michigan Farm Radio Network, and as a production crew member for WKAR-TV. Between jobs, Dave got his BA in Radio/TV in ’74. He earned his MA in Advertising (MSU ’79) and promptly moved to California. He is currently Vice President at Creative works., an agency in Irvine, CA, working with e-commerce companies on Internet strategies. Contact Dave at d_meyer@hotmail.com.
Judy Barahal – MSU ’78 - Came to campus radio as a broadcast journalist. She says, “I started at MSN my first week at school and worked alongside such famous flames as Chuck Goudie and Pat Foley. Followed them to WILS. Followed them to Chicago (detect a pattern here?). Actually, once in Chicago I got into the music business and spent about 20 years begging PDs for airplay. Now, I’m working for Westwood One, representing network news product to radio stations in the Midwest. Almost full circle.” Once bitten by the news but, it always stays with you.
Katy Baetz-Matthews- Never worked an air shift, but was a major contributor to the operations at WMSN and WVIC. After graduation, she made made the jump to a career in Television, highlighted by assignments at WOIA in San Antonio and a long career as Director of Promotions for WJBK. She is currently a Promotions Consultant in the Detroit area.
Mark Bashore- MSU ’75 – is the longest serving morning man in Lansing, currently at the helm of the WFMK morning show. Mark polished his radio chops at WBRS and WMSN, working weekends at WILS-FM during their glory years as an album rocker. After a stop in Boston Mark returned to FM 99 and succeeded Lansing radio legend Erik Furseth as the voice of Spartan Stadium.
Bob Berry – MSU ’70 - Worked at WBRS as a Jock, Music Director and Program Director from 1968-1970. “I Got an “A” on a TR 201 tape editing project,” he recalls, “by dubbing sound bites to cart machines at the station and “A/B-ing” them back to reel to reel!” His BRS cohorts included Chuck Tweedle, John Hanley, Mark Westcott and Kevin McCarthy (a giant at KNUS, KFRC and elsewhere). Bob left campus radio to work part-time at WFMK, just after Bob Liggett bought the property. “I’m Looking for my share of the proceeds from the sale to Citadel,” he says. “B. Bumble” has had a long and distinguished career with stops at WVIC, the legendary CKLW (“There’s no truth to the rumor that Brody Hall was named for the Big 8′s Frank Brody.. but it would be nice if it were true,”). and elsewhere. After a stint in the agency biz, Bob spent many years as the afternoon drive hostr at Big100.3 in sunny Orlando, working with MSN vet JJ Duling, and Super Gold host Mike Harvey.
Kip Bohne – MSU ’75 – Began his campus radio career at WBRS in the days when carrier current was evolving from Top 40 to Album Rock. He served as president of the MSU Radio Board in 1973. After a stint at WILS-FM, Kip was an entrepreneur and engineer before beginning a long and successful relationship with WSYM-TV in production and station management. His Three Stooges Engineering team was responsible for constructing a number of studio facilities for Michigan broadcasters.
Mike Clark – MSU ’71 - Is the Editorial Page Editor for the Florida Times Union in Jacksonville. Mike’s covered all kinds of news during his three decade career in journalism, but some of the most colorful stories he reported happened during his stint as News Director at WMSN. Mike was on scene during the campus riots that virtually shut down the campus and held the distinction of being tear gassed while trying to cover the action for MSN news. He long ago jettisoned his reel-to-reel aircheck collection, “figuring we would never even find a player for it.” He saved his news copy including filings that made the Associated Press newswire. In those days, the reporters who contributed to the story had their names slugged at the bottom of the report so that other stations might contact them to record “actualities”, with their own voices reading the copy that they had written. Those of us in radio news often collected these small segments of yellowing wire copy, our thirty second bytes of fame. Click Here for a look at Mike’s MSN news-writing, and AP filings.
Kolyan DasGupta – MSU ’92 - Works in video production for CNN/Sports Illustrated. Koylan grew up in Northville, Michigan and worked at WLFT after WDBM started up. By then, WMSN was a memory and the carrier current station had moved to WKAR’s old haunts in the Auditorium building. Kolyan changed his focus to television and landed an assignment at CNN after graduation.
Rob Disner - had a show on WLFT from 8-10pm on Sunday nights in ’84 and ’85 during his Freshman year. “I used to love those freezing cold walks to the station in the middle of winter!” Rob transfered to the Berklee College of Music after two years at State, majoring in Music Production and Engineering. After graduating in 1989, he moved to Los Angeles, working as a Recording Engineer and Production Sound Mixer on album and film projects. Currently, Rob is a Network Technician for an Internet company, and can be reached at rdisner@equinix.com. Visit his website: www.marilyncarolyn.com.
Vic Doucette – Was a WMSN Air Ace in the late 70s, leaving the University just after the blizzard of ’78 for the pro ranks. Vic amassed an impressive portfolio of call letters including WILS (with Mark Bashore and Kip Bohne), WSJM, WRIX, and WSAM (with Bob Berry), and following the action to Florida and New Mexico. Returning to Michigan, Vic moved into the research department with a gig monitoring airplay statistics for Mediabase, Inc., with MSN vet Dave LaPorte. But it wasn’t long before the microphone beckoned again and he was soon entering a long association with Metro Traffic in Detroit, providing coverage for WJR, WWJ and WXYT. After finishing a degree at Wayne State, Vic turned to journalism and is currently connected with Crain’s Detroit Business.
David Foote – MSU ’78 – Is CEO of Illini-Swallow Coach Lines, a motor coach business located in Indianapolis. David remembers being low on the WEAK senority totem pole in the Fall ’75 Winter ’76. “I played a lot of Jazz, especially CTI recording artists Grover Washington, Diana Washington, George Benson, Les McCann, Deodato and a lot of Philadelphia International Records stuff too. (O’Jays, Herold Melvin and the Blue Notes, TSOP, etc… with some Mott the Hoople thrown in to piss off the purists…” David’s long experience in tickets and travel included 16 years with Northwest Airlines and a stint as co-owner of a company that handled travel for Infinity Broadcasting and Westwood One. Howard Stern was a client as was the play-by-play team for Notre Dame Football. That goes to show that you’re never more than 6 degrees of separation from broadcasting.
Dave Hanna – MSU ’84 - I started as a DJ for WMCD my freshman year, where my lack of on-air talent quickly convinced Marc Conlin and others that I would be a better administrator than “personality,” so in subsequent years I served a program director for WMCD, station manager for WMCD, and, finally, Network Operations Manager, where I “nurtured” such up-and-comers as Mario Impemba (ask him about the Cotton States Classic trip sometime), Phil (The Original “Big Tuna”) Turner, Matt McConnell, and Jim Alexander, as well as countless others whose careers succeeded despite my interference. Currently, I live in South Bend, where I serve as publicity services manager for the St. Joseph County Public Library.
Mario Impemba – MSU ’85 – Is the radio voice of the Detroit Tigers. Mario worked at MSN from 1981-1985, serving as Sports Director from 82-85. It was a great time for MSN sports with live broadcasts of MSU hockey and basketball originating from road sites for the first time, including basketball games from Michigan and Purdue and CCHA playoff hockey games from Joe Louis Arena. Prior to succeeding the legendary Ernie Harwell as the voice of the Tigers, Mario broadcast for the Anaheim Angels. There were some outstanding broadcasters from Mario’s era who have gone on to make it to the “Big Leagues.” Matt McConnell is currently the television voice of the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL after stops with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jim Kozimor served as the radio play-by-play voice of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Pat Foley, a 70′s MSN play-by-play announcer is the long time voice of the NHL Chicago Blackhawks.
Joe Kylman ’77 – Worked at WFEE and WMSN between 1969 and 1972. Dick Ott recommended Joe for an overnight shift at WJIM and he became Joey Burns, handling just about every possible shift at “The House that Gross Built” for the next 12 years. Currently an auditor for the State of Michigan, Joe remembers that, “There was no way to eq the buzz out of the carrier current signal. I remember once we were thrilled when someone discovered that you could pick up the signal from the electrical lines as you drove down Shaw Lane. The current MSU students on the FM band have it great. I can pick up the signal 20 miles away in Charlotte.”
John Landecker – was one of the original WMSN staffers when the station first went on the air from the Student Services building. After a stint in Ann Arbor at WPAG, John found his way to East Lansing. After graduation, he worked in television at WJW-TV in Cleveland before making his way to Chicago and a long run at WLS, punctuated by brief forays at Philly powerhouse WIBG and Canada’s CFTR. He was recently inducted into the radio division of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Dave Lange ’75 - Arrived at MSU from Eastern Michigan in 71 and worked at both WBRS and WEAK and WMSN all at the same time. Eventually programmed WBRS in 73 and later WMSN in 74 moving the stations from their Top 40 days to the new ‘progressive’ format. After graduation programmed WILS-FM changing it from Country to the first AOR/Rock station in the market. Moved to program WDVE-Pittsburgh, WSHE – Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, WLAV -Grand Rapids, WCKG-Chicago. Joined the consulting ranks first with Fred Jacobs, moved on with his own company DL Consulting. Joined Clear Channel as SVP of Programming in the Midwest and North East and currently the VP of Rock with programming consultant Mike McVay’s group. All thanks to MSU and the Campus stations that gave so many ‘the bug’.
Dave Logan – MSU ’76-Is program director for WCBS-FM in New York. During his MSU years, he launched a legendary broadcast (and softball) career at WMSN. After graduation, Dave worked at WLAV-FM/Grand Rapids and later, with current programming co-conspirator Lee Abrams, created WLUP/Chicago and KFOG/San Francisco, two of the leading rock stations of the 80s. Other experience included a two-year stint as consultant for Burkhart/Abrams, the top radio consulting firm in America during the 80′s. In the 90′s, he served as Program Director for WNEW-FM/New York; at the time, America’s most listened-to rock station. Dave was also VP/Programming for Sony’s SW Radio Networks and was on the founding team that launched XM Satellite Radio. For 20 years he’s been on the leading edge, creating popular broadcast programming formats both domestically and abroad.
Jim Marshall – MSU ’77 cut his teeth at WMSN where he served as Program Director. That’s his voice telling comedian Robert Klein, “you’ll have to laugh at your own jokes,” during a live concert broadcast Jim produced at the Stables night club. He made the jump to commercial radio at WVIC before migrating to WEYI-TV as Sport Anchor for the Saginaw CBS affiliate. The sales bug bit and Jim began a long career with professional sports organizations, culminating in 2003 when he launched the Sandler Sales Institute in Florida, where he is a sought after trainer and consultant.
Gary Mescher – MSU ’75-“Thank you Skip Bearance! Skip was Sports Director at WMSN when I arrived on campus. He let me join the staff and by my junior year Iwas Sports Director for WMSN. Whata great time! Sports shows and play-by-play for baseball and hockey (even a remote hockey broadcast from Ann Arbor in ’75). Worked with great people like Skip, Rusty Hills, Pat Foley, Steve Schram, Scott Westerman, Katy Baetz-Matthews, Mike Zeko, jeff Smith, marty pennoni, Bob Benenson, Judy Barahal, Kip Bohne, Al Muskovitz and the late Dennis Kauff. I worked as a newscaster at radio stations in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Detroit after graduation but left broadcasting for a new career in sales and marketing in 1981 and never looked back. Today, I’m Director of Business Development for BDO Seidman., a Consulting company with offices in Grand Rapids. Just got elected to MSU’s national Alumni Board. My wife Marlene and I celebrated our son Joe’s graduation from MSU in 2004 and are applauding daughter Meredith’s foray into Senior Year as a Spartan. Life is good! My email is gmescher@rrpc.com.
Dick Ott – MSU ’73 - Started his campus radio career on WFEE in the fall of 1969. By the fall of 1970, he moved up to WMSN. Dick served as WMSN’s Station Manager during the 1971-72 year. In 1971, he also worked at WJIM in Lansing under the name Rick Shaw. (He’s kept the first name Rick ever since, but was known as Dick during his campus radio days.) After graduating from MSU in 1973 (BA in Advertising), Dick/Rick moved to WKLX in Norfolk, Virginia, and then to Q94 in Richmond, Virginia, where he stayed until mid-1984. He started a radio consulting company in 1984, eventually expanding it to serve other industries besides broadcasting. Today, Rick is a professional speaker. He delivers keynote speeches and seminars at conventions and conferences across the country for corporations and associations. He has written two books (Creating Demand and Unleashing Your Productivity) published worldwide by McGraw-Hill and Ocean View. He’s recorded two audio programs (Unleashing Your Productivity and How to Survive & Thrive Alongside the Superstars and Category Killers), published by Simon & Schuster, Nightingale-Conant, and Ocean View. Contact info for Rick Ott: Phone: (804) 276-7202 Fax: (804) 745-7778 E-Mail: Rick@RickOtt.com Web: www.RickOtt.com
Marty Pennoni – MSU ’77 – Was a fixture at WMCD and WMSN (where he served as P.D) in the mid-70s. After building and owning a broadcast facility and a turn as an advertising executive, Marty returned to his roots as Director of Media Services at Lansing Community College. “We have an awsome facility that’s about a year old, including television production studios and faclities, audio labs, telelearning studios, and cable TV and our campus radio station, WLNZ. WLNZ is run by Dave Downing, an msucampusradio and telecom alum.” Marty also does financial and software consulting for ad agencies nationwide (www.clientsandprofits.com/support/consultants/).
Gary Reid- MSU 76′ – has dedicated a quarter century to the development of some of the nation’s top telecommunications talent as Professor of Telecommunications at MSU’s College of Communications Arts and Sciences. From humble beginnings in Don Kemp’s multi-track studio on campus, Gary grew into the leading advocate for broadcasting and multimedia education in the College, fulfilling the dream of launching a student run FM station in 1989. His students have won the prestigious Michigan Association of Broadcasters award for the best run student radio station on several occasions and his graduates are some of the most respected and successful leaders in Radio, Television and Film from New York to Hollywood.
Mike Runge – MSU ’92 – Mike worked for a short while at WLFT and then had the llustrious distinction of being the first person to have a shift on WDBM after the station went on the air. Shortly after WDBM began to offer block programming for various music niches, Mike started a show called the “Cultural Vibe”, a weekly five hour show that displayed the talents of local mixing DJs that played a variety of rap, hip-hop, house, R&B, and dance music. After graduation, he worked part time at various stations including WVIC-Lansing, WKFR-Kalamazoo, and WIOG-Saginaw. Shortly after getting married in 1994, an opportunity arose to work for the National Science Foundation in Washington DC which led to a position at America Online, where Mike has worked since 1995. He is currently a Network Architect at AOL, designing IP and optical networks to support AOL, Compuserve, Netscape, and other AOL technology brands. Email him at michaelrunge@hotmail.com.
Steve Schram - MSU ’75 – Is Market General Manager for Infinity’s Detroit radio portfolio. With over 30 years in broadcasting, Steve has served in a variety of management roles in Detroit, Milwaukee, Fort Wayne and Columbus. He was general manager at the legendary WOWO and built the Clear Channel cluster to six years of dominance as the top performing radio group in Motown from his post at WNIC. Prior to his Infinity assignment, he was an executive with AOL Web Properties, guiding the fortunes of Mapquest, Netscape and AOL Radio.
Jeff Smith – MSU ’75 – recently celebrated two decades with the Katz organization, most recently is Vice President in charge of the Detroit Katz Eagle Television Sales operation. Jeff began his campus radio career as Music Director at WEAK, before hosting the popular Artist Spotlight program on WMSN. He worked at WFYC and WILS and gained fame as the number one mid-day personality at WVIC. Jeff then began a successful sales career as an account executive with WOTV, Grand Rapids, before beginning his long run with the nation’s number one rep firm.
Walt Sorg - Was a fixture on WBRS from 1966-1969 and was a charter staffer on WMSN. Also known as Rick Power and Donn Allen during his campus radio days, he worled with the original MSN team, including WKAR veteran Tim Skubick. Walt went on to a wide ranging career as a journalist and program producer in radio and television, both in Lansing and Detroit. Claiming to be “one of the worst entrepreneurs in Michigan,” Walt found his passion: “Changing the economics of the legal system..” through an association with Pre-paid Legal Services, a company that gives people access to quality lawyers for a low monthly fee. Click Here for Walt’s rememberance of his campus radio days.. and beyond.
Scott Westerman – MSU ’78 – Is Area Vice President for Comcast Southwest, based in New Mexico. “Ed Cohen gave me my first campus radio gig at WEAK in Wonders Hall,” he says. “But, thanks to Jim Marshall, I was soon on the air at WMSN. Campus radio was an excellent training ground. Like vaudeville, it was a great place to be bad. We played Monty Python, George Carlin and pushed the edge of the envelope of good taste on a regular basis. It seemed pretty risqué back then, but sounds tame compared to the stuff on most Morning ZOO shows today. I used an air-check I made of one of my shows to convince Erik O Furseth to give me a weekend overnight gig at WILS. Listening to it now, I’m not sure why he took the chance.” After stints at WVIC and WATT, Scott spent 17 years as a cable television executive. He tried retirement from corporate life in 1998, during which he launched an overseas radio network, a record company, an Internet messaging service and an aviation leasing firm, before being lured back into cable in 2003. He and MSU roommate Steve Schram host www.keener13.com celebrating the legendary Detroit 60s rock radio station.
Mike Zeko – MSU ’75 – The MSN news department produced an eclectic group of successful broadcasters in the mid 70s, including Mike Zeko, an MSN sportscaster who is a sought-after television producer. With stops along the way at PBS, ABC-TV, Generations The Soap Opera, and J. Walter Thompson, Mike’s now president of MZCS, Inc.which serves clients in Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia. Mike won two Emmys, a Cable ACE and a slew of local awards for his video projects. He’s also a member of ABADIE an alumni group from 1 North Abbott Hall which is reputed to be the longest running nonaffiliated yearly reunion group at MSU.
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