Sundays With Mike: Video (almost) killed the radio star

(Shenandoah) – As I have indicated before in previous blogs, the road to KMA and Shenandoah, Iowa went through southern California.

Long before I came to KMA – and years before I arrived in Iowa -- I was a college student at Cal State L.A., graduating with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting in 1986.

But, let's flash back to two years earlier. Some major developments in my young life occurred in 1984. First, I served the winter and spring quarters as editor-in-chief of Cal State L.A.'s student newspaper, the University Times (and lived to tell about it). Then, there was my stint as a media relations volunteer in the Olympic judo events at Cal State's Eagles Nest Arena (I will never forget the summer of ’84 as long as I live).

Also that summer, I learned there was an sports announcer at Falcon Cable Television in Alhambra, California, serving a good portion of the San Gabriel Valley. As a service to its coverage area, Falcon Cable aired high school and college football and basketball games on its public access channel. Games would be recorded on Friday evenings for playback the following Wednesday night.

Following an interview process and an audition, I was selected as a color commentator. Mind you, this was the big break I was looking for, as it marked my first real broadcasting experience for any mass audience. And as I approach a major milestone birthday a week from today – namely the 30th anniversary of my 30th birthday -- that fall has become more meaningful to me with the passage of time.

Working with our play-by-play announcer Bob Bria, who was a well-known high school coach and official in the Valley, yours truly and the intrepid Falcon crew covered games at schools all over the region, such as Pasadena High, John Muir High School in Pasadena, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, and Monrovia High.

Until recently, I believed that no recordings of those games existed. Although a few of my games were recorded onto VHS tapes, I no longer have a VHS machine to play them on. Then, through a fluke, I discovered that one of my old TV broadcasts was downloaded onto someone's YouTube channel – a September, 1984 matchup between two crosstown rivals – St. Francis High School in La Canada versus nearby La Canada High School (in this case, La Canada is pronounced Lah Cun-YAH-duh).

Somehow, I mustered up the courage to watch the game, which was placed on YouTube in two halves. Clips of that game were made available in a video preview of today's blog placed on kmaland.com and my own YouTube channel Saturday afternoon. In case you missed it, here it is:

If you REALLY want to kill some time, click onto part one and part two of the game.

Watching the 21-year-old version of myself in the early stages of my broadcasting career generated a range of emotions – amazement, nostalgia, laughter, embarrassment, and sadness, just to name a few. Here's a few observations from reliving that moment almost 39 years ago:

--- How I wish I still had my California body! As I recalled, I weighed around 150 pounds at the time – probably the best shape I’ve ever been in my life. All in all, I looked great dressed in my dark blue Bob Costa blazer. And, would you believe I still own that same tie I wore in that broadcast?

---It's also amazing how I stayed thin back then, considering the Friday afternoon pregame meals at Shakey's. How I long for their lunch buffet, with pizza, spaghetti, chicken and those wonderful mojo potatoes. Sigh.

--- What happened to all that blonde hair? It looked like a cross between a Beach Boy and a reject from A Flock of Seagulls.

--- My voice was incredibly high-pitched to the point of being grating—as if I inhaled a giant tank of helium. One of the knocks from my detractors over the years was that I never had a great voice. True, my vocal chords will never resonate like James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman. But then, they must have been good enough for KMA to keep me on the air for the last 23 years – and counting.

--- Admittedly, my on-camera presence was not the greatest. For one thing, my beady eyes moved around too much, instead of focusing on the camera. It's probably one of the reasons why I never made it to television – and why I’m known as Radio Face.

---If the McGruff PSA in the game broadcast (you remember--"Take a bite out of crime!") doesn't make you nostalgic for the 1980's, I don't know what will.

--- As for the game, the Golden Knights of St. Francis (not to be confused with the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights) beat La Canada, 36-13. Star of game was St. Francis running back Alan Grant, who went onto play college football at Stanford, and NFL stints with four teams – Indianapolis, San Francisco, Cincinnati and Washington.

--- Other memories come to mind, such as how I traveled to the schools featured in Falcon's "Game of the Week" to observe practice, and to record a pregame coach's interview. Sometimes, the trips originated from Falcon's Alhambra facilities, courtesy of one of the production vans. Other times, I would have to provide my own transportation. Since I didn't own a car, it meant extremely long bus rides.

That brings to mind one of the first big lessons from my cable TV experience: if you live anywhere in L.A. or southern California, you need a car. Period.

Beyond transportation issues, watching that game from nearly 40 years ago reminds me of the hours I spent preparing for those broadcasts – including researching and reviewing statistics, and memorizing each team's rosters. Little did I know back then that the groundwork invested in those games helped me develop a work ethic that would serve me well in radio news.

Cosmetics and work ethic aside, in watching myself from 1984, I see a young man who had a lot ahead of him. Little did he know that future meant leaving the warmth of L.A. for the cold and snow of Iowa. And, little did the skinny, blonde-haired kid on that YouTube video know of the twists, turns and disappointments that lay ahead of him –- along with some very happy moments.

Watching the younger me also makes me wonder what might have been. What if somehow, my cable TV sports stint led to breaks at TV stations or networks, or with some professional or college sports team. What if my internship at KCBS, Channel 2 lead to a job in L.A.?

Then, I realize that nothing in SoCal would ever replace anything I have here in Iowa – my wife Mary, daughters Abby and Anna, son-in-law Derek. Working at radio stations in Estherville, Creston and Shenandoah. All of my SWITG productions and the Shenandoah United Methodist Church. My Iowa Broadcast News Association involvement. All of the friends I’ve made, and the relationships developed. Then, there's the Huskers, Chiefs and Royals (fortunately, I can also root for the Dodgers, Lakers and Rams remotely!)

Granted, the future I imagined for myself nearly 40 years ago turned out differently. No, I didn't become the next Vin Scully or Bob Costas. And, my mother was right when she told people, "he’ll never be rich."

But, I’ll never complain. Nor, will I ever apologize for spending my entire career in Iowa.

Now for the punchline: As of last August, I’m back on TV again – courtesy of all the video stories and KMA News Headlines placed on our website and my YouTube page. All the lessons learned from my TV classes at Cal State plus my Falcon Cable gig are coming full circle – along with some inspiration from a certain Las Vegas YouTuber.

In closing, I would like to offer a quote from that great philosopher, Mick Jagger: "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes, you get what you need!"

Mike Peterson is senior news anchor/reporter with KMA News. The opinions expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of this station, its management or its ownership.

At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing [email protected].

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.