Friday, July 24, 2009

My Moment


CBS News legend Walter Cronkite passed on one week ago. I've read several obituaries and remembrances since Cronkite died. Many were written/spoken by people in the business, and a lot of people said words to the effect of "Walter Cronkite inspired me to get in to journalism..."

Okay then. I sat back, and thought about it for a while. Did I have a "moment?" Was there an epiphany? Was I struck by a bolt of lightning and said "This is what I want to do for a living."?

No. Sadly.

I do remember always playing with a radio as a kid. I was a news junkie as a child, leafing through the newspapers, watching Cronkite and locals John Perry and Tom Powell.

Things got kicked up a notch when my teens arrived. I recall the early days of Newswatch 16 with Ed Martelle and the slick news presentation on WPIX when the folks from Verto cabled up the house.

There were stages. It was only WARM for me very early, but I do remember being a WILK fan when the station made a short lived spurt in the late 70's.

By the time I got to college, the radio fad had passed and all I wanted to do was TV. Then, because I was anxious to get my feet wet in something, I weasled my way onto the college radio station as a freshman, during a time when you had to be at least a sophomore to get behind the microphone. The radio bug bit. TV occupied a spot on the back burner. If you count the college years, I was in radio from 79 to 91.

Toward the end of that unspectacular run, I realized I had gone as far as I could go in radio. I lucked onto a part time TV job in 1990, which became full time a year and a half later. I won't bore you with the the last 18 or so years. I will say that it's been a good time, in spite of a few stumbles along the way.

Radio was good to me. I have no complaints, and I respect those who do radio well. There are times I miss it.

Getting back to the original point, I can't point to a "Cronkite moment." It was more of an evolution with a "big bang" coming when it was time to pick a college and a major.

I envy those who had "moments." It makes for great story telling rather than a mediocre blog entry.

Enjoy the weekend. I'll see you in the morning.