Yeah.....Dat's Right!  The color analyst on WNDS TV50's
          Candlepin Stars & Strikes as well as the man responsible for
           tweaking the radio waves way out of proportion with his
           long running hit show"Morin in the Morning"
   on

    First,  there's just one thing we gotta say before we start...........................

 We're not worthy!!!!!! We're not worthy!!!!!

But seriously though, its a real pleasure to have you here as a new member
of the Candlepin Corner Alumni. First, before we talk about your work on
Stars & Strikes, I'd like to know where your broadcasting career all started?

My career in radio began in 1971 at a tiny northern Michigan station: WGRY, 1590AM.
One thousand hot watts of airborne hospitality for 2,000 people and 65,000 deer!

Where has the long, winding road in broadcasting traveled for you all these years ?

  Since then, I've worked in Detroit (my hometown--a BIG  bowling city), Toledo, Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston and now New Hampshire.
  I've been lucky in that I've seldom been out of work and have worked with many talented and personable broadcasters.
  Not only have I been a music DJ but I've been a talk show host, a color commentator for the Toledo Goaldiggers hockey team of the now defunct International Hockey League.
  I’ve covered 10 Pin Pro Tour stops in Toledo where I interviewed Earl Anthony, right after he broke the $1 million dollar career mark, Dick Weber, even bowled with Marshall Holman and interviewed many other Hall of Fame 10 Pin stars.
  In 1983, I was one of 5 personalities selected from 350 to work at the nation's first all-comedy radio station (WJOK) in Washington.
  I've covered the Grammys in NY and LA, interviewed hundreds of stars and have worked as a comedy writer for Djs and was a TV weatherman in Toledo.
   Whew, I've been busy for the past 30 years! I still love going to work at WHOB every morning. I get paid to make people laugh. Now THAT'S a joke!
 

 93.7 WCGY played on my radio at work all the time backaround 1991-92. Unfortunately, when I changed jobs, I was forced to change radio stations. The "Morin in the morning" show was  the best morning show around! I loved the   " Louie from East Boston" bit.  Looking back, what were some of your funniest or wackiest moments that come to mind while you were there?

 WCGY was my favorite 8 years of radio. Curt Gowdy owned it and management gave me carte blanche to "do my thing". We had sooo much fun...
  One morning we had 6 people (listeners) in the studio to see who could drink water all morning and be the last to have to go to the bathroom. It was our "Urinary Olympics"...the winner was a guy who drank about 120 ounces of water (about a gallon) before he won the prize which I think was an autographed Depends from June Allyson.
  I was buried alive twice in a coffin for 48 hours to raise money for charities, gave Guns 'n Roses tickets away to the first woman who came to the station and made a snow angel in just her undies.
  Another day a guy came in and drank live goldfish for concert tickets and another freak shaved his chest for a prize.
  I could go on and on, but I don't want to overwhelm your hard drive's memory capacity.

Today you’re on the airwaves at 106.3 WHOB radio. What kind of trouble are you stirring up there these days with the "Morin in the morning" show?

  My biggest prank came in July 2000 when I announced one of the Tall Ships had broken ranks from the fleet in Boston Harbor and sailed up the Merrimack River to dock at the foot of the new Tsongas Arena in Lowell. With a little complicity from a couple listeners who I let in on the joke, we began a groundswell of interest in this "visit" from the Europa. Of course it's physically impossible for a Tall Ship to navigate the shallow riverbed and dozen bridges on the Merrimack River...but our portrayal of this event was so real, people drove into Lowell looking for the Europa.
  A frustrated woman from Hudson, NH called WHOB to complain she'd been "had" and the station decided it must punish me for "irresponsible broadcasting". Well, incensed listeners protested my 1-day suspension (which I spent winning money at Mohegan Sun) and one guy even brought 500 teabags to the station...his own Boston Tea Party protest.
 The Nashua Telegraph picked up the story and put me on the front page with the headline:                   "Tall Ships Tale Lands DJ in Hot Water".
 The Associated Press picked it up and I had 15 minutes of national fame! I have clippings from several regional papers that carried the story and my lovely face. A great prank like this only happens a few times in one's career. It was a glorious moment of shameless self-promotion!

With all the insanity going on at WHOB, how did you manage to land the job as color analyst on Channel 50’s Candlepin Stars & Strikes?

  When WNDS was sold about 5 years ago, it became a shopping channel outlet. All local programming, including Stars and Strikes, was discontinued much to the dismay of its loyal fans and pro bowlers.
  After awhile, the deal fell through and the original owners had no choice but to take back the station.  It was decided that the bowling show should be reinstated. An agreement could not be reached between WNDS and the original hosts Doug Brown and Dan Murphy, so Dick Lutsk and I were asked to do the show.
  Dick has a great sports broadcasting resume and I've worked in the bowling industry so it was a natural match, though I don't think Channel 50 realized at the time that I actually had a considerable background in the sport. Dick and I got along well and I must say he is a true professional and makes my job as analyst a sheer pleasure.

Viewers see a one-hour show of Candlepin Stars & Strikes every week. How much time and effort is involved in producing that hour-long show.

   I can only address preparations as they apply to me. The crew arrives around 8AM for the set up. We begin taping around 10. Dick and I arrive around 9 to 9:30 as I come straight from my show at WHOB. I am in charge of compiling the bowler's profiles.  As soon as the Leda Lanes roll offs are done, I call the top 5 qualifiers and conduct a brief phone interview. During that call, I update their stats, job info, family data and other material that Dick and I use as "color" for the show. I also talk a little bowling with them to get a bit of a better feel for their personalities.
 After each taping, I compile all the scores and keep a paper and computer file of all shows and all bowlers for future reference. This is our 5th season, so my stats are complete beginning with the 1997/98 TV season.
 Of course no prep is complete until I've selected my clothes for the broadcast: 2 suits, sport coat, 2 or 3 shirts and 4 ties. We must be fashionable you know!
 If there are any fashion consultants reading this, call Dick! He needs a little guidance in this department!

 As we published our pages on the 2001 Tournament of Champions finals last April, we made note of the loyal regulars in the audience who come to all of the tapings whether it's rain, sleet or snow outside.We noticed plenty joking and wise cracks going on between the crowd, bowlers and TV crew when the cameras are off. Is it all one big happy family out there?  Does it make your job as fun as it appears to look when the lights and cameras are on?

   I must say it's a bit like the Cheers bar in that there is the usual cast of suspects sitting in the same places. Harold the cackler, Irene the glamour queen, Gary the hyena...We love them all and we all tease each other. The crowd really gets antsy when there are delays due to technical snafus. That's when Dick does magic tricks or drops his pants to amuse the impatient fans!
  I really do love our fans. They are incredibly kind and loyal. They give Dick and I homemade candy and Christmas ornaments, birthday cards. One guy gave me a bag of 1950s ties...c'mon! Is my tie selection that bad??? The ties were hideous but I was gracious as always.
  I've known many of the bowlers a long time and even bowled with a few in the old Amateur Candlepin Tour in the late 80s. They've turned pro and I jumped into the broadcast booth.

Alright Mike, about that candid picture we got of you kissing Dick Lutsk before the first match in the Tournament of Champions, is there any other good dirt from shows in the past that we may have missed ?

  I wish I had some hot, tawdry tales to tell, but alas the bowling world is not as trashy as say, the pro baseball or basketball world.
  I do recall one broadcast in 1999 when I dared Dick Lutsk to broadcast an entire string without pants. Unfortunately, Dick caught a cold from the adventure.
  You can buy that pair of pants on eBay for about 16 cents.

 Those of us who watch the show saw your one game extravaganza against Dick Lutsk, which televised two boxes at a time, each week, during the Tournament of Champions. You could have buried him good at the end but you put a whopping "1 fill" on your second mark, beating him 93-86. What was up with that??

  Truth is, we're both awful bowlers. After Dick beat me in our first match in 2000, he never shut up about it on the show. This past year, when we brought the cameras to Pilgrim Lanes, the cream rose to the top. Dick needed 19 pins to beat me in the last 2 boxes but threw big splits and the rest is history.
  Next year will be the rubber match and I predict he'll either not show up or begin crying when I take the lead 78-34 in the fifth frame.

 You mentioned the old Amateur Candlepin tour earlier, after seeing that tape of you guys, I can see why you didn't bother with the Pro Tour! When did you start bowling candlepins?

 When I arrived in Massachusetts in 1984, I was shocked to discover candlepins. Since there were few 10 Pin centers near my house in Maynard, I opted to try my hand at candlepins on a weekly Tuesday night men’s league at Acton Bowladrome owned by Bob and Sharon Sundberg. I think my first year I averaged 98 and eventually got to about 107 after a few years.
  I bowled 10 years before quitting because of a scheduling conflict with a new radio job. During those 10 years I was a regular competitor in the Amateur Candlepin Tour and was lucky to win 1 title at my home lanes in Acton, which was very exciting as my friends were there to watch me win almost $1,100 that weekend.
  The following week I finished 2nd in Mixed Doubles with Mary Wall in Haverhill.
  I also spent a few years helping organize events for the International Candlepin Bowling Association. I was in charge of preparing a quarterly newsletter for members as well as coordinating the annual convention for members and support businesses. During this time I met many owners and bowlers, which combined with my league and tournament bowling, gave me the necessary background to serve as analyst on Stars & Strikes.

 Tell us a little about your early days out there in "Bowling Country"

  I grew up in one of the best bowling cities in America: Detroit. Only Milwaukee and St. Louis are possibly better.
  In 1958 at age 7 I began watching "Championship Bowling" on ABC every Sunday at noon. I became a bowling addict as a kid and by time I was a teenager I was bowling on the top teen league in Detroit: "The Detroit News Teen Masters League”.
  However, during college I decided that radio deserved more of my attention and I shelved it for several years. Until I moved to New England in 1984, I carried a 190+ average consistently and one year averaged 199.6 (missed a 200 average by 34 pins).

OK, last question. my eyes are getting all watery from all this tenpin stuff!
If this magnificent career in the broadcast business never happened, what might you have done instead?

 Had I not been in broadcasting, I may have been a priest or meteorologist. But since I wanted to be on the radio since 5th grade, I never really considered doing anything else. Had I worked harder on my 10-pin game, I may have tried my hand at professional bowling.
 When I get tired of radio, I think I might drive one of the Duck Tour vehicles in Boston.

Hey, that sounds like a better idea! Just watch out for the Tall Ships !

Thanks so much for everything Mike!
We wish you continued success in all your ventures.

Let me know if I can do anything else for you guys.  You're awsome!
 
 

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** SPECIAL NOTE **
 

Since the interview, Mike Morin threw a little curve ball at
us and moved on to another New Hampshire radio station

Now you can hear his great morning show at
 WZID
95.7 FM

CLICK HERE to go to his WZID "Meet the voices" page