Derry, Charles – ‘Chuck’

WXYZ: TV Production. Chuck worked for over 30 years at the station including the summer of 1963 as an engineer then from 1968 through 1998 as a Stage Manager and Director. Chuck taught many young broadcasters and media students at Madonna University until his retirement in 2016. His students now work in Hollywood, NFL and other aspects of the industry.

“We had some fantastic times at WXIE. So many memories and so many wonderful people. I still remember peddling my bicycle up to the Wigilew(sp) and radio studios on Jefferson Avenue in an old mansion. Fred Wolf invited me in (after watching for about a half hour or so) to be with him inside the booth as he did the morning drive. He let me tell a joke on the air every morning that whole summer and gave me a tour of the radio studio to see where they did “The Lone Ranger,” “Green Hornet,” and “Sargent Preston of the Yukon” before I had to go back to school. I had just finished the 5th grade. That was more than 70 years ago. Little did I know that some of the people I met then would be my colleagues later at the station as they came over from radio to the TV station. WXYZ was always the place I wanted to work and I got my dream. Wonderful!” – Chuck Derry, Facebook, October 16, 2023

References:

• Facebook.com
• Broadcast and Cinema Arts at Madonna University

• The 1980s WXYZ News Team

  Okay folks, start naming those that are not already identified.

  

  Back Row: Bob Baker, Chuck Derry, Dan Dmitrik, Chuck Bowman, ?????, Val Clark, Megan Sanders, Bob Rowe, ?????, Barry Cutler, ?????, ?????, Steve ?????

  Middle Row: Harry Greener, ?????, Shelly Greenberg, Gayle ?????, Walter Kraft ?????, Ted ?????, Bill Becker

  Front Row: Wanda Doerner, Donella Crawford, Glenn Therian, John Terry, ?????, ?????, Al Upchurch

• 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 and Company Daily Planning Meeting

  

• Behind The Scene of WXYZ’s Kelly and Company

  WXYZ: This newspaper article gives a glimpse of what it was like to be behind the scenes of Kelly & Company.

  

  

  

  John Kelly, Marilyn Turner, Nancy Lenzen, Dianne Atkinson Hudson, Randy Barone, Howard Makkonen, Calvin Houts, Lisa Klein, Chuck Derry, Mason Weaver
  Eddie Dorfman

  References:

  • Canton Observer – August 23, 1979 (PDF)

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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.