Talk:My best and toughest journalism professors at WSU

Robert McDonald, Port Townsend

I'll never forget my initial encounter with Mr. Bob Mott, head of the broadcast journalism school.

At the end of my freshman year (1961) I decided to switch my major from Geology to Broadcast Journalism. But first I had to run the gauntlet with Mr. Mott to earn his approval. He had me cut an audition tape.

A week later, I returned to his office for a review. Wow! Unmitigated disaster. And he didn't hold back with his critic, noting that I mumbled, left off word endings and seemed to be insecure! I insisted that I could work out those wrinkles.

That summer I worked as a wiper on a tug, Alaska Freight Lines, towing barges from Seattle to Anchorage. And once I got my chores done, I spent the engine room watch, walking back and forth between the scream diesels, reading Mickey Spillane detective paperbacks out loud, working on projecting my voice and enunciation. The Second Engineer on the upper level of the engine room would glance down at me, from time to time. He could not hear me above the din, and never questioned what I was up to.

Upon my return for my sophomore year, I had to cut another audition tape. The following week, I checked the bulletin board outside Mr. Mott's office, to find out the results. I went through the list, starting at the bottom - D announcers. Not there. Read the list of C announcers. Now panic sets in. Turned to the B list. And there I was! This rating opened the door to work on the newly opened KUGR, a carrier current station, broadcasting to dormitories at Washington State University, AND KWSC! I was assigned a speech coach - Barry Serafin - who went on to ABC News.

I have fond memories of Mr. Mott who focused my determination to succeed. And I worked on several radio stations as on air personalty and news director in Washington and Oregon for about seven years.

A couple of EE majors, one of whom was Bill Flatt, manufactured a induction radio station in the basement of Gannon Hall. The signal was induced into the power line of the Hall. You had to place your radio next to a wall outlet, to listen deejays yack and play their favorite records, barely audible above the background buzz. I believe the fire department made us dismantle Radio Gannon Hall, KGH!