Came across this year-old interview with Dick Purtan, one of the great talents of Detroit/Windsor radio. He sat down for some reminiscences with Michigan State University and recalls a long career that was peppered with huge successes – and sometimes, a lot of controversy.
 
He talks about his start in radio, growing up in his hometown of Buffalo, no less, listening to and learning from Clint Buehlman, appearing as “Guy King” on WWOL there for about 10 minutes, how he came to The Motor City and wound up at WKNR Keener 13, a great story on why he was almost fired for defying a despotic PD despite having the #1 one show in town, how a PD at the station he worked at in Cincinnati (WSAI) took the place from an incredible 42 share down to almost nothing by making one dumb change, why he never went to WJR despite numerous offers, why he ultimately quit the business and the two surprising and unlikely mega-successful on-air personalities who still consider him their hero.
 
And that’s just a partial list of the topics covered in this terrific 45 minutes of memories. It’s rare that a radio legend gets into such detail about what happened behind the scenes at some of Detroit’s most famous stations and if you have the time or were a fan, it’s worth a listen.
 
The Life And Times Of Dick Purtan