Yesterday was the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. Where you around then? What do you remember about it?

Ken: I was in grade school at the time, and our teachers never said a word about the assassination. At 3pm, I was walking home with several friends, and a kid who had gone home for lunch told us the president was dead. We didn’t believe him. However, he persisted that the president had been shot. So we asked a milkman who was making deliveries if this was true, and he said it was. That President Kennedy had been shot in the head. We were still skeptical, but when I got home, and saw that the soap operas were not on TV, I knew it was true. I don’t think I left that TV all weekend.

How do you go about preparing for a news interview?

Ken: I try to read up on the interviewee and the subject before hand. But it helps to stay constantly informed on a variety of issues, because we frequently find ourselves in situations where there is no time to prepare. It’s best to think of questions other reporters might not ask, which may produce a revealing, unusual or insightful answer. Think of questions your audience may want answered. Regarding controversial subjects and topics, it’s good to ask tough, probing questions, so you don’t get the standard answers that everyone expects. You can tactfully ask tough questions without being brash or disrespectful.


What do you think is the great TV commercial of all time?

Ken: I’m no expert, but it could be the “Hertz Puts You in the Driver Seat” spot from the mid-1960s. Featuring a jazzy big band soundtrack that sticks in your head, matched with vocals by the legendary Hi-Lo’s, it shows a man and woman actually flying into a rental car. While the special effects look cheesy by today’s standards, this was amazing stuff 40 years ago.




What happens to the audio bytes of newsmakers that air in your newscasts after the newscasts are done. Are they disposed of or do you keep them for a few days?

Ken: All soundbytes with local newsmakers, and those made by our reporters are digitally saved for posterity. 100 years from now experts will be able to retrieve the golden tones of Greg Saber and marvel at his vocal wizardry


If you owned a radio station what format would it be?

Ken: Alternative oldies. I would feature rock & pop hits from 1950 to 1990, but I would also play album cuts, along with lesser and non hits by these artists, to capture the complete feel for the era. In addition, I would play remakes of these hits by recent artists, and current hits that also have the feel of classic rock and soul music to keep the sound fresh and up-to-date.


Did you ever think of writing a book about your radio experiences?

Ken: No, actually I’ve never thought of writing a book about anything. I love reading what other people write. In fact J.J., one of the cameramen at Action 19 News has been working on a book about Cleveland radio for a number of years. I keep telling him that I don’t care what he says about me, as long as he spells my name right.

When did you become a fan of reggae music? I see you also a jazz fan, who's your favorite jazz artist?

Ken: I became a fan of reggae in the 60's, and it started with the huge hit "My Boy Lollipop" by Jamaican singer Millie Small.



Actually, there was no reggae at the time, and Small's song was actually a form of music called "bluebeat". It paved the way for the creation of reggae, and Small became the first Jamaican artist to hit the Top-40 charts in the U.S. and U.K., so for that, I believe she should be in the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame. Desmond Dekker later hit the charts with the reggae tune, "The Israelites". Musically at that time, it was the weirdest most fascinating song I had ever heard, and I was hooked. Then, American artist Johnny Nash made the Top-40 airwaves with the reggae song "Hold Me Tight", and shortly thereafter gave a free concert at my high school. Being the one of the staff photographers for the school newspaper I got to cover his arrival, and activities back stage, and became a reggae fan for life. However, I am a bit disappointed with today's reggae music because it sounds more like calypso and rap to me. As for jazz, it’s music I grew up with and always liked since birth. There are too many favorite artists to mention. A few are Wes Montgomery, Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola, Dave Grusin, David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Brian Culbertson, Waymon Tisdale, Keiko Matsui, Joe Sample, Spyro Gyra, Weather Report, and Ramsey Lewis.


Do think that illegal music downloads are the reason why CD sales of popular music have fallen?

Ken: I believe downloads are only a small part of the reason why sales are down. Popular music just isn’t as fun to listen to as it was 20 or 30 years ago. Many of the songs sound the same, and employ the same instruments. You have fewer professional song writers because performers want more royalties so they make their own songs and many aren’t that good. Broadcast radio program directors have become far more selective about what goes on the air so there is less variety and exploration, plus there are fewer broadcast stations playing music. It seems the only forms of popular music that still have a sense of fun are country, and rap, but rap is usually riddled with four letter words, violent, sexist, drug-related lyrics that are a turn off.


Are you looking forward to the Presidential Debates?

Ken: Not really. I would be more interested if the minor political parties were included. I would like to hear what the Green Party, Libertarian Party, Constitution Party, Socialist Party, etc., have to say about the issues. I think it’s sad that we call ourselves a democracy but limit the political process to just two choices. I may not agree with the minor parties but they many have one or two good ideas. Americans complain that there isn’t much difference between the Democrats and Republicans but never demand that other voices be added to the platform.


I enjoy your reporting. I find it interesting that within the past week, 3 motorcyclists were killed by drivers over the age of 70. Two out in Sandusky/ Norwalk/ Bellevue area and one here in Westlake.

It sure does bring to light the controversial topic of retesting elderly drivers or even restricting times of travel. Maybe these people don't need to die in vain. With a swollen population of baby boomers what will the roads be like in the next 10-15 years?

Ken: Thanks for the kind words...I agree this merits further consideration. However, I would hate to see politicians put new laws and restrictions on the books, that would affect a large group of people, just because of the bad actions of a few. I know a lot of seniors who have stopped driving on their own, because they knew it was time to quit. Maybe we could start with a public service/public education campaign, like the ones urging teens to drive safe, and if that doesn’t work examine the issue of senior testing.


There are so many stories about high gasoline prices. Are there any other items that have risen as much over the years, but we haven’t noticed them?

Ken: Let’s go back to 1978. Thirty years ago, gasoline was 63 cents a gallon. A new home cost $62,500, monthly rent was $260. A dozen eggs cost 82 cents, a gallon of milk $1.71, a first class stamp was 13 cents. Median household income was $15,000. A new Chevy Impala cost about $5,000. The Dow-Jones Industrials hit a high of 893 points. But would you want to go back to 1978? Inflation was running at more than 12% a year. Unemployment was 7.1%. The Prime Rate reached 11.55%.


You guys do a lot of stories about murders. Do yoo have any idea how many murders there are in Ohio each year?

Ken: According to disastercenter.com there were 539 murders in Ohio in 2006, which is latest year for which data is available. That’s down from 590 in 2005, which so far has been the worst year for killings this decade. Going back to 1960 the worst year for Ohio was 1974 when 952 people were murdered. The best year was 1961 when only 306 people were slaughtered.

According to icasualties.org, 902 U.S soldiers were killed in Iraq in 2007 the worst year so far. 822 perished in 2006. The least loss of life was 486 in 2003. That year 526 people were murdered in Ohio.

So it seems at times, life in Ohio rivals a war zone.



With the economy slowing down, what do you think can be done to generate more jobs?

Ken: Actually, I think there are a lot of jobs here already. The problem is workers face too many barriers in getting those jobs. Employers place too many qualifications before most positions, often requiring 5 to 10 years experience for a low level occupation. Let’s face it, there aren’t very many jobs that require a lot of experience, outside of medicine, law, and technology…..just a willingness and drive to learn. When Henry Ford was starting his auto empire he didn’t ask workers if they had degrees or experience in auto assembly. He hired them, and trained them. Businesses today seem to want prepackaged employees already to go, and don’t want to spend any money on training. This keeps far too many people from getting jobs. Here at WTAM we have trained countless employees. Not only does it open up opportunities to employment, but it also assures that workers learn how to do things our way. I think businesses would do well to lower job barriers and increase training efforts.



I am really upset that the Cavaliers didn’t go farther in the playoffs. Why is it so difficult for Cavs, Indians, and Browns to win a championship? I’m sick of other cities winning while the drought continues here. I just want to see us win a championship before I die. Why can’t we win one?

Ken: I think the real question is, what championship have you won? We are always down on our sports teams for not winning, but what have WE done to win a championship in our professions? What have we done to make Northeast Ohio a better place. What have we done individually to lift the spirits of people here? While winning a championship would be nice, we have to keep in mind that these are professional athletes who are working on their own careers. Maybe we should concentrate more on being at the time of our game.


I was wondering how you felt about news websites like Digg.com that aggregate news from other sources. Do you feel that sites like these are legitimate sources of journalism, or put forth too many unworthy stories?

Ken: Even though there are some problems with sites like Digg, I think anything that encourages the exchange of news and information at the "people" level is a wonderful thing.

I have a colleague who hates Wikipedia, he claims it's inaccurate and contains a lot of false information because the public at large can add information to it. However, I have found as many errors, and as much misinformation, and mistakes in scholarly journals and textbooks.

As far a spreading unworthy stories, I feel that many traditional outlets, especially local television have a long history of leading the way in that regard.

I think Digg and Wikepedia are a great service to the public and I don't believe journalism has to be left entirely to us professionals.