“21 years ago today this tree was planted in remembrance of you…Gloria AL Jones…and each year it’s more beautiful then the year before…just like you …continue to rest in peace my friend” = May 12, 2026 – Vivian Hoze

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WXYZ: British disc jockey with a short term two-week contract on WXYZ-AM during “Beatlemania.”

Died: 1995

References:

• Reelradio.com

Recommended Reading

Radio Broadcasting: A History of the Airwaves

2020 marks the centenary of Marconi’s experimental transmissions and this book seeks to commemorate this anniversary. The book examines the history of radio and traces its development from theories advanced by James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz to the first practical demonstrations by Guglielmo Marconi. It looks back to the pioneering broadcasts of the BBC, examines the development of broadcast networks in North America and around the world. It spotlights radio’s role in the Second World War.

The book also features the radio programs and radio personalities that made a considerable impact on the listeners during the ‘Golden Era’. It also examines how radio, faced by competition from its electronic progenitor – television, adapted and survived. Indeed radio has continued to thrive despite increased competition from mobile phones, computers, mp3 players and smart speakers. The book looks to the future and speculates how radio will fare in a multi-platform future.

The post Benson, John first appeared on .

KMGH: Talent
KOAA: Talent
WXYZ: TV sports and news.

Died: 2025

References

• Facebook

• Channel Seven’s Great Sport’s Team

  

Recommended Reading

Mike Wallace: A Life – by Peter Rader

The untold story of how the world’s most feared TV reporter transformed his inner darkness into a journalistic juggernaut that riveted millions and redefined the landscape of television news

In his four decades as the front man for 60 Minutes, the most successful show in television history, Mike Wallace earned the distinction of being hyperaggressive, self-assured, and unflinching in his riveting exposés of injustice and corruption. His unrivaled career includes interviews with every major newsmaker of the late twentieth century, from Martin Luther King to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Behind this intimidating facade, however, Wallace was profoundly depressed and haunted by demons that nearly drove him to suicide. Despite reaching the pinnacle of his profession, Wallace harbored deep insecurities about his credentials as a journalist. For half his life, he was more “TV Personality” than reporter, dabbling as a quiz show emcee, commercial pitchman, and actor. But in the wake of a life-changing personal tragedy, Wallace transformed himself, against all odds, into the most talked-about newsman in America.

Peter Rader’s Mike Wallace: A Life tells the story of a courageous man who triumphed over personal adversity and redefined the landscape of television news.

The post Harms, Steve first appeared on .

WXYZ: TV Engineering.

Retiring in 2018 after 40 years of service with WXYZ-TV.  Nate was a photojournalist in the news department and worked on many production events as well.

• Reconnecting with Ol’ Pals from WXYZ

  

• Earl Wilson and Nate Penn Photograph

  

  WXYZ: Earl Wilson and Nate Penn – Photo Credit: Terry Pochert / 1986 Archive Collection

• Relaxing During A Break at Sea World Remote

  

• Nate Penn and Synka Curtis

  Taking a break while doing a remote at Sea World in 1984.

  

• WXYZ Crew After Hard Days Work at Sea World Remote

  

• A Great Sport’s Crew

  

• GAD – Good Afternoon Detroit Anniversary Show 1984

  Help us name the people we are missing from the caption.

  

  Back Row: Dex Sieger, Chris Stepien, Pete, Jim Ochs, ?????, Junie Bond, Tom Cleeves, Randy Silverman, Harriet Rotter, Jillayne Pautsch, Gene Taylor, ?????, Synka Curtis, John Kelly, Glenn Pearson, Gail Parker, Shirley Eder, Geoff Brock, Doug Kole, Bob Dear, Sioux DeOrlow Goodman, Tom McKinnon, Yanni

  Middle Row: Cathy Alfafara, Jackie (Astrologer), Angela Addison, Nate Penn,  ?????, Laurie Leinonen, Cheryl Ross, Suzanne Timma, Don Carter, Claire Carmichael, Marilyn Turner, Barbara Koster, Keith Booth, Kathy Linwood, Lisa Fisco, Colleen Burcar, Debbie Avery Canter, Lynda Hirsch, ?????, TJ Elliot

  Front Row: Dayna Eubanks, Jim Johnson, Al Sieger, Sid Day, Tony Tillman, Dave Riley, Vic Hill,  Del Warner

  Leave Your Comments At The Bottom of the Page

Recommended Reading

Detroit Television (Images of America) – Tim Kiska and Ed Golick

It began atop the Penobscot Building on October 23, 1946, when WWDT shot a signal to the convention center, part of a “”New Postwar Products Exposition.”” WWJ-TV offered scheduled programming in June 1947, and WXYZ-TV and WJBK-TV jumped in a year later. The medium has influenced the city’s personality and social agenda ever since. Soupy Sales turned getting a pie in the face into an art form. Mort Neff celebrated the state’s outdoor charms. George Pierrot showed Detroiters the world. Other beloved personalities include: Milky the Clown, Ed McKenzie, Sonny Eliot, John Kelly, Marilyn Turner, Robin Seymour, Bill Bonds, Dick Westerkamp, Jingles, Bill Kennedy, Lou Gordon, Captain Jolly, Johnny Ginger, Auntie Dee, and many more.

The post Penn, Nate first appeared on .

Social Media:

• Facebook

• Reconnecting with Ol’ Pals from WXYZ

  

• More Videographers at Reunion by Chris Ruzzin

  Photo from the 2013 WXYZ Reunion.

  

• John Gross with Bruce Kimball

  

• Olympic Crew in Los Angeles 1984

  

• 1984 Olympics – On Assignment

  

• 1984 Olympics – The Party Is Over, Heading Back Home

  Waiting at the airport in Los Angeles heading back to work at WXYZ-TV, Detroit.

  

• Gary Westbook and Geoff Pekarek – WXYZ Crew on Assignment in Los Angeles

  WXYZ-TV crews were on assignment throughout the entire world.  Here’s one crew shooting features stories during 1984 while on assignment for the 1984 Summer Olympics.

  

• Just a Few of the Legendary Videographers from WXYZ

  The strength of a television news department always relies on the field crews and their videographers.  Here are just a few of the legends of WXYZ-TV, Detroit, Michigan.

  

Recommended Reading

TV Land–Detroit

An in-depth and personal look at the most popular and best-remembered local shows from the golden years of Detroit TV

Long before cable, prepackaged syndication, infomercials, do-it-yourselfers, and reality shows cluttered the television dial, there was a brand of entertainment that has today nearly vanished from the airwaves: local TV. And with its colorful and quirky cast of characters, Detroit TV arguably offered some of the best of the best of local programming anywhere in the nation-a smorgasbord of exuberant, one-of-a-kind television shows.

Based on actual interviews with the people who made Detroit TV, Gordon Castelnero’s TV Land-Detroit awakens the emotional attachment and nostalgia our community has for these shows, bringing the beloved characters and memorable programs back to life.

From the glamorous Rita Bell to the insanity of the Ghoul, the zany Jingles in Boofland to the opinionated and often confrontational Lou Gordon and the gruff-voiced and somnolent George Pierrot, Castelnero reacquaints us with the talent and behind-the-scenes people, of the creative spirit in Detroit, and the intimacy they shared with the community both on and off the air.

Gordon Castelnero was a producer at WNIC radio for four years. He produced the acclaimed documentaries for WDIV and WTVS, Michigan, It Started Here! Michigan and the American Dream, and Titanic: The Final Chapter. He currently lives in Livonia, Michigan, and works at Technicolor in DVD and game media distribution. 

The post Pekarek, Geoffrey first appeared on .

WJBK: Editor
WXYZ: News assignment desk.

• WXYZ Assignment Desk

  Always lively discussions!

  

• WXYZ Newsroom circa 1980s

  WXYZ: An amazing group of people making WXYZ News number one in the market during the 1980s.

  Nelson Burg, Fran Victor, Marv Rockford, Audio: Greg Karrer, Val Clark, Cheryl Chodun, Bill Miller, Jeff Rundell, Bill Becker,  Garrett Glaser,  Terry Frisco, Mark Zahnow,  Denny Shleifer, Andrea Parquet-Taylor, Garry Kelly,  Dean Erskin,  Al Volker, Jim Powers,  Pat Elnicky, Phyllis Eliasberg, John Gross, Charles Munro,  Judy Miller, Tom Cleeves

• Herman McKalpain and Nelson Burg at WXYZ Party

  WXYZ: Over the course of decades, there were always parties. The parties built many friendships between co-workers and helped create an environment in the 1980s-90s that made the station number one in the market.

  Herman McKalpain and Nelson Burg – Original photo from the Terry Pochert retirement collection.

Recommended Reading

WYXIE Wonderland: An Unauthorized 50-Year Diary of WXYZ Detroit by Dick Osgood and Martin Grams Jr.

WYXIE WONDERLAND by Dick Osgood is possibly the first comprehensive exploration into the inner workings of a broadcasting enterprise. Fifty years of national radio and television history, from 1925 to 1975, are reflected in the fundamental and accidental specifics of a single station — WXYZ, Detroit — AM, FM and TV.

WXYZ was more than just the birthplace of The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, and Sgt. Preston of the Yukon. It was the starting point of investigative journalist Mike Wallace, comedian Soupy Sales, actors John Hodiak and Danny Thomas. This extraordinary book traces the beginnings of five networks; the rise and decline of radio network programming. It sees the radio actor replaced by the disc jockey. WYXIE Wonderland explains how the scandal of radio payola grew out of the discovery of rigged TV quiz programs. It tells of a sound created in Texas that revolutionized radio, and how the Top 40 format emerged from a bar in Omaha.

WXYZ influenced American culture — and sometimes it was American culture.

“Whether you are a fan of The Lone Ranger or old-time radio in general, this is one of the dozen essentials for your bookshelf.” — Martin Grams, Jr., Pop culture historian, from the introduction.

The post Burg, Nelson first appeared on .

WXYZ: TV news assignment desk.

References

• fleetowner.com 

Press Release from TruckLine.com (PDF)

MIKE RUSSELL 1941 – 2006  – June 20, 2006 9:00 AM

Michael B. Russell, ATA vice president of Public Affairs and veteran newsman, died in a white water rafting accident in Colorado June 15, 2006. Mike fell from the raft on Clear Creek and was declared dead when pulled from the river. Extended efforts to resuscitate him were not successful. He and his wife Rita were in Colorado for a large family reunion. Funeral services are pending.  

Mike, 64, was a resident of Potomac Falls, Va., and joined ATA in 1999 after serving as director of public and consumer affairs for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.   

Mike was a familiar face at many state trucking association meetings, industry trade shows and ATA’s MC&E, where he conducted media training, managed communications committees in his role as super-promoter for the trucking industry. He also worked as a television reporter, editor and anchor in Pennsylvania and Michigan before moving to Washington and a 25-year public relations career in government, including House and Senate staffs and the Executive Branch.  

Mike was a four-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a graduate of Boston University and the Milton Hershey School. He is survived by his wife, Rita; a daughter, Michelle; a son-in-law, Mike; a granddaughter, Morgan; as well as four brothers, a half-sister, a half-brother, two step-brothers and a step-sister. 

The American Trucking Associations family extends its deepest sympathy to Mike’s family and friends. 

Sightings:

• Senator Don Riegle’s Press Secretary – Mike Russell was Sen Don Riegle’s Press Secretary for nine years.  Before coming to DC, Russell worked as assignment manager for then ABC owned WXYZ-TV in Detroit. [Media Research Center – August 1989 MediaWatch]
• US Representative Bill Ford (D-Mich) – Press job. [Media Research Center – August 1989 MediaWatch]
• WJRT-TV, Flint. [Media Research Center – August 1989 MediaWatch]

• WXYZ Assignment Desk

  An amazing crew!

  

• Congress, the Press, and Political Accountability

  

  Congress, the Press, and Political Accountability is the first large-scale examination of how local media outlets cover members of the United States Congress. Douglas Arnold asks: do local newspapers provide the information citizens need in order to hold representatives accountable for their actions in office? In contrast with previous studies, which largely focused on the campaign period, he tests various hypotheses about the causes and consequences of media coverage by exploring coverage during an entire congressional session.

  Using three samples of local newspapers from across the country, Arnold analyzes all coverage over a two-year period–every news story, editorial, opinion column, letter, and list. First he investigates how twenty-five newspapers covered twenty-five local representatives; and next, how competing newspapers in six cities covered their corresponding legislators. Examination of an even larger sample, sixty-seven newspapers and 187 representatives, shows why some newspapers cover legislators more thoroughly than do other papers. Arnold then links the coverage data with a large public opinion survey to show that the volume of coverage affects citizens’ awareness of representatives and challengers.

  The results show enormous variation in coverage. Some newspapers cover legislators frequently, thoroughly, and accessibly. Others–some of them famous for their national coverage–largely ignore local representatives. The analysis also confirms that only those incumbents or challengers in the most competitive races, and those who command huge sums of money, receive extensive coverage.

Recommended Reading

Mike Wallace: A Life – by Peter Rader

The untold story of how the world’s most feared TV reporter transformed his inner darkness into a journalistic juggernaut that riveted millions and redefined the landscape of television news

In his four decades as the front man for 60 Minutes, the most successful show in television history, Mike Wallace earned the distinction of being hyperaggressive, self-assured, and unflinching in his riveting exposés of injustice and corruption. His unrivaled career includes interviews with every major newsmaker of the late twentieth century, from Martin Luther King to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Behind this intimidating facade, however, Wallace was profoundly depressed and haunted by demons that nearly drove him to suicide. Despite reaching the pinnacle of his profession, Wallace harbored deep insecurities about his credentials as a journalist. For half his life, he was more “TV Personality” than reporter, dabbling as a quiz show emcee, commercial pitchman, and actor. But in the wake of a life-changing personal tragedy, Wallace transformed himself, against all odds, into the most talked-about newsman in America.

Peter Rader’s Mike Wallace: A Life tells the story of a courageous man who triumphed over personal adversity and redefined the landscape of television news.

The post Russell, Mike first appeared on .

WXYZ: TV talent. Co-host with John Kelly of Kelly and Company and Good Afternoon Detroit.

Passed: May 2024 [wxyz.com]

References:

• Pintrest

Marilyn Turner, a real expert at handling many of the technical issues that come with broadcasting news had a struggle with the mechanical weather board.

• WXYZ’s Wanda Doerner with John and Marily

  

• WXYZ Reunion 2013 at the News Set

  

• Kelly & Company Weddings

  

• A Great News Team – Circa 1980s at WXYZ

  

• Great Memory from WXYZ Holiday Past

  During Channel Seven’s Prime Years

  Bell Ringers in order:
  Marilyn Turner, John Kelly, Doris Biscoe, Bill Bonds. Guy Gordon, Diana Lewis, Erik Smith, Rob Kress, Robbie Timmons, Bill Bonds, Mike Holfeld, Dave Lewallen, Frank Turner, Bill Bonds

• Kelly and Company – Anniversary Show

  The last show, 1994, which was hosted by John Kelly and Marilyn Turner. The show continued for another year hosted by Marilyn and Nikki Grandberry. The final show was in June 1995.

  

  Back Row: Tom MacKinnon, Dennis Fairchild, Sally Victor, Cheryl Hall, Jeffrey Bruce, Don Ritter, Jim Ochs, Ralph Cash, Dan Weaver, Danny Jacobson
  Second from Back: Maria Ang, Shirley Eder, Lynda Hirsch, Connie Farell, Gene Taylor, Harriet Rotter, Tara Wall, Phyllis Seel, Brad Hurtado, Randy Barone, Chuck Derry
  Second from Front: ????? (cowboy hat), ?????, Robert L. Woodruff, Sylvia Hacker, Mary Pelloni, Lori Weiss, Ellen Kennedy
  Front Row: ?????, Florine Mark, Mel Shaw, Bunny Miller-Shaw, John Kelly, Marilyn Turner, Gail Parker, Linda Solomon, Dell Warner

  Please help us identify some of these folks.  We welcome your comments at the bottom of this page.

• Kelly & Company – WXYZ’s Premier Morning Show

  WXYZ: Morning Show hosted by John Kelly and Marilyn Turner.

  Hollywood gossip, fashion shows, beauty secrets, cooking segments.  Ran from 1978 through 1995 in the 9 am time slot, Monday through Friday.

  Originally aired on Tuesday morning, October 21, 2008. WXYZ is an ABC affiliate in Detroit Michigan.

  As part of the 60th anniversary of WXYZ in 2008, the station aired a special celebrating the local talk show “Kelly & Company.” It was the last of its kind in local Detroit television and it was aired during its traditional 10 AM time slot. Hosted by John Kelly and Marilyn Turner.[1]

  Just some of the “behind the scenes” folks that made this show so successful

  Karl Garmager, Technical Director; Mason Weaver, Director; Pat Underwood, Assistant Director; Larry Goldsby, Video Tape; Clyde Adler, Chyron; Steve Thomas, Features Editor; Brad Hurtado, Producer; Keith Booth, Videographer

  

  If you have information regarding this photo such as location and photographer, please drop us note below or use our Contact Page.

  

  

  References:

  1. YouTube.com

• Kelly & Company – Just For Fun!

  John Kelly and Marilyn Turner having fun with some “new” technology. Brad Hurtado is handling the script cards. Just some fun times on the set of this great Detroit morning show.

• Phil Nye Celebration

  

• John Kelly and Marilyn Turner at the September 21, 2013, WXYZ Reunion

  

  Marilyn Turner and John Kelly at the September 21, 2013, WXYZ-TV Reunion. It was almost like they simply could have stepped into the studio and bring another sparkle to Detroit television. Photo by Lynne Pedlar, used with Permission.

Recommended Reading

Soupy Sales and the Detroit Experience: Manufacturing a Television Personality

When Soupy Sales left Detroit in 1960 after seven years on WXYZ TV, he was the highest-paid local television personality and one of the most well-known and loved celebrities in town. His daytime television programs in the early morning and noontime had an enormous and devoted following. The latter, Lunch with Soupy Sales, was nationally syndicated on ABC on Saturday, starting in the fall of 1959. His late evening program, Soupy’s On, featured everything from renowned jazz artists to pop singers to satirical skits. While he would achieve more celebrity status in Los Angeles and New York during the 1960s, the template for the puppet characters, comedy routines, and zany sketches had been set in Detroit.

This study of the content and context of Soupy’s time on WXYZ TV provides important insights into key threads of popular culture in the 1950s, including the role of television and its impact on the family and children, the influence of Cold War and consumerist ideology, Jewish-inflected humor, and jazz, especially as a component of the Detroit socio-cultural history in this period. All of these seemingly disparate topics, however, lead back to identifying the manufacturing of a television personality at a particular moment in time and in a specific location.

Beyond the network of Soupy fans, anyone interested in how a television personality achieves local and national prominence should consider reading this book. Also, those who want to understand the role of the media and popular culture in the 1950s will be enlightened, and even entertained, by this exploration of Soupy Sales’ Detroit experience.

The post Turner, Marilyn (nee Miller) first appeared on .

WXYZ: TV engineering, ENG news editiing

Wanda Doerner with one of her Emmy awards for her amazing editing skills – From the Terry Pochert’s retirement collection.

Wanda retired on October 31, 2023, after 41 years with the station.

Wanda died unexpectedly in April 2026. (PDF)

References:

• WXYZ.com – Wanda Doerner, longtime Channel 7 editor and beloved WXYZ alum, has passed away at 71 (PDF)
• WXYZ.com – Beloved Channel 7 editor Wanda Doerner retiring after 42 years (PDF)
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

• A Part of the WXYZ Family

  

• WXYZ’s Wanda Doerner with John and Marily

  

• WXYZ Reunion 2013 at the News Set

  

• Robbie Timmons, Wanda Doerner and Diane Sawyer

  

• Bill Bonds with Wanda Doerner

  “It was the year I won my first Emmy – First Place for Editing in the UPI TV Awards and placed as a finalist in the New York International Film Festival for Editing. Nothing beats a brag photo with Bill Bonds to celebrate those victories.” – Wanda Doener

  

• Expert Editing Team at WXYZ

  WXYZ has a large team of video tape editors. Among them are Wanda Doerner and Harry Greener. Both have provided tons of support to the entire team and each other. This team has made WXYZ one of the great TV stations in the United States.

  

  

• WXYZ News Teams

  

• Cracker Jack News Team

  

• Wanda Doerner and Terry Pochert

  

• Terry, Wanda, and Glenn

  

Recommended Reading

Detroit Television (Images of America) – Tim Kiska and Ed Golick

It began atop the Penobscot Building on October 23, 1946, when WWDT shot a signal to the convention center, part of a “”New Postwar Products Exposition.”” WWJ-TV offered scheduled programming in June 1947, and WXYZ-TV and WJBK-TV jumped in a year later. The medium has influenced the city’s personality and social agenda ever since. Soupy Sales turned getting a pie in the face into an art form. Mort Neff celebrated the state’s outdoor charms. George Pierrot showed Detroiters the world. Other beloved personalities include: Milky the Clown, Ed McKenzie, Sonny Eliot, John Kelly, Marilyn Turner, Robin Seymour, Bill Bonds, Dick Westerkamp, Jingles, Bill Kennedy, Lou Gordon, Captain Jolly, Johnny Ginger, Auntie Dee, and many more.

The post Doerner, Wanda first appeared on .

References:

• Obituary – William “Nick” Wetherby, born August 19, 1951, passed away peacefully at home on May 5, 2025. He was the beloved husband of Arlene, devoted father to Jessica, and proud grandfather of Elise and Samantha.

  Nick had a lifelong passion for music and animals, welcoming many rescue pets into his home over the years. His spare time was spent playing and working on his many guitars.

  Professionally, he worked as a TV engineer at WXYZ for many years, where he was respected for his dedication and skill.
  Nick will be remembered for his warmth, creativity, and love for his family. He will be deeply missed.

• Facebook.com

• The Three Mustaches at WXYZ

  

  Lee Volchoff, Bruce Hamilton, Nick Wetherby – Photo from Terry Pochert’s retirement collection

  

Recommended Reading

TV Land–Detroit

An in-depth and personal look at the most popular and best-remembered local shows from the golden years of Detroit TV

Long before cable, prepackaged syndication, infomercials, do-it-yourselfers, and reality shows cluttered the television dial, there was a brand of entertainment that has today nearly vanished from the airwaves: local TV. And with its colorful and quirky cast of characters, Detroit TV arguably offered some of the best of the best of local programming anywhere in the nation-a smorgasbord of exuberant, one-of-a-kind television shows.

Based on actual interviews with the people who made Detroit TV, Gordon Castelnero’s TV Land-Detroit awakens the emotional attachment and nostalgia our community has for these shows, bringing the beloved characters and memorable programs back to life.

From the glamorous Rita Bell to the insanity of the Ghoul, the zany Jingles in Boofland to the opinionated and often confrontational Lou Gordon and the gruff-voiced and somnolent George Pierrot, Castelnero reacquaints us with the talent and behind-the-scenes people, of the creative spirit in Detroit, and the intimacy they shared with the community both on and off the air.

Gordon Castelnero was a producer at WNIC radio for four years. He produced the acclaimed documentaries for WDIV and WTVS, Michigan, It Started Here! Michigan and the American Dream, and Titanic: The Final Chapter. He currently lives in Livonia, Michigan, and works at Technicolor in DVD and game media distribution. 

The post Wetherby, Nick first appeared on .