Mike Whorf
Encyclopedia
Mike Whorf is an American
radio personality based in Detroit, Michigan. He was an announcer and program host on WJR
from 1964 to 2003. Whorf was producer and host of the George Foster Peabody Award-winning documentary/narrative program Kaleidoscope, a blend of storytelling, interview, historic recordings and music on a particular topic.
, Massachusetts
and spent his childhood and teen years in Provincetown, Massachusetts
. His father John Whorf was professional watercolorist. Whorf's sisters Carol Whorf Westcott and Nancy Whorf were also Provincetown artists. Whorf's son Peter Whorf has served as a program director at WNYC-FM. Whorf is nephew of linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf and nephew of actor and television director Richard Whorf
.
Whorf graduated from Provincetown High School in 1950. Upon graduation, Whorf enlisted in the United States Air Force
(USAF) where he served as a radio announcer and entertainer on the Armed Forces Network. His tour of duty included assignments at air bases in California
, Texas
and Morocco
.
in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts
and at WCOJ
in Coatesville, Pennsylvania
, where he met and married his wife Barbara Ann Brown. He later developed the Kaleidoscope predecessor "Tempo" while on the air at WTAG. Whorf also put in a brief stint at WLW
in New Orleans, Louisiana
before returning to WTAG. Shortly after, he went on to WJR
.
Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Whorf was part of a line-up of radio personalities known throughout the region including J. P. McCarthy
, Karl Haas
, Jimmy Launce and MLB Hall of Fame
broadcaster Ernie Harwell
. Whorf's Kaleidoscope topics ranged from religion to politics, from the arts to sports. Some of Whorf's extended series included oral histories of Native American
tribes and a collection of personal interviews with many popular American song composers of the 1920s and 1930s entitled "The Bards of Tinpan Alley".
Whorf is himself a published composer. His Christmas
song "The Man with A Hundred Names" muses on the many names by which Santa Claus
is known worldwide.
In 1970, Whorf formed the company Mike Whorf Inc. which enabled many schools, libraries and individuals to purchase cassette tape copies of Kaleidoscope programs for personal and educational use. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he partnered with nephew, author and retired United States Marine Corps
Captain Charles "Charlie" T. Westcott III on numerous radio dramas and comedies that were featured during the Kaleidoscope hour, including the old-time radio parodies "Big Jim Small" and "Another Man’s Family."
Whorf briefly parted from WJR from 1983 to 1984 to serve as program director
of classical station WQRS-FM in Detroit. While with WQRS, Whorf created the program "Quest for Excellence," a juried music competition show for young talent broadcast live before a studio audience. Whorf later brought that program to CKLW
in Windsor
, Ontario
and took it with him upon his return to WJR.
Whorf's programs were also broadcast by WVXU-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate station of Xavier University
in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In addition to his Peabody-winning work on topics including the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Whorf also received multiple broadcasting awards from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
.
In 2008 he was inducted into the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio personality based in Detroit, Michigan. He was an announcer and program host on WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
from 1964 to 2003. Whorf was producer and host of the George Foster Peabody Award-winning documentary/narrative program Kaleidoscope, a blend of storytelling, interview, historic recordings and music on a particular topic.
Early years and family history
Whorf was born in BrooklineBrookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and spent his childhood and teen years in Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
. His father John Whorf was professional watercolorist. Whorf's sisters Carol Whorf Westcott and Nancy Whorf were also Provincetown artists. Whorf's son Peter Whorf has served as a program director at WNYC-FM. Whorf is nephew of linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf and nephew of actor and television director Richard Whorf
Richard Whorf
Richard Whorf was an American actor, author, director, and designer.Richard was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah Whorf. Richards's older brother was the well-known American linguist, Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager then moving...
.
Whorf graduated from Provincetown High School in 1950. Upon graduation, Whorf enlisted in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) where he served as a radio announcer and entertainer on the Armed Forces Network. His tour of duty included assignments at air bases in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
Professional history
After his honorable discharge from the USAF, Whorf worked as an announcer at WOCBWXTK
WXTK , known as "95 WXTK Newsradio", is a news/talk radio station licensed to West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and headquartered in Hyannis, Massachusetts...
in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts
West Yarmouth, Massachusetts
West Yarmouth is a census-designated place in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,460 at the 2000 census.- Geography :West Yarmouth is located at ....
and at WCOJ
WCOJ
WCOJ is a 5,000 watt AM radio station licensed to Coatesville, Pennsylvania consisting of a 4 tower array broadcasting on 1420 kHz.WCOJ airs religious radio programming under the control of Philadelphia-based Holy Spirit Radio Foundation. The Holy Spirit Radio Foundation also owns WISP in...
in Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville is the only city in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,100 at the 2010 census. Coatesville is approximately 39 miles west of Philadelphia....
, where he met and married his wife Barbara Ann Brown. He later developed the Kaleidoscope predecessor "Tempo" while on the air at WTAG. Whorf also put in a brief stint at WLW
WLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
before returning to WTAG. Shortly after, he went on to WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
.
Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Whorf was part of a line-up of radio personalities known throughout the region including J. P. McCarthy
J. P. McCarthy
Joseph Priestley "J.P." McCarthy II was a radio personality best known for his over 30 years of work as the morning man and interviewer on station WJR in Detroit, Michigan.-Early life:...
, Karl Haas
Karl Haas
Karl Haas was a German-American classical music radio host, whose distinctively sonorous voice and humanistic approach to making music appreciation contagious made him well-received by many...
, Jimmy Launce and MLB Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
broadcaster Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
. Whorf's Kaleidoscope topics ranged from religion to politics, from the arts to sports. Some of Whorf's extended series included oral histories of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes and a collection of personal interviews with many popular American song composers of the 1920s and 1930s entitled "The Bards of Tinpan Alley".
Whorf is himself a published composer. His Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
song "The Man with A Hundred Names" muses on the many names by which Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
is known worldwide.
In 1970, Whorf formed the company Mike Whorf Inc. which enabled many schools, libraries and individuals to purchase cassette tape copies of Kaleidoscope programs for personal and educational use. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he partnered with nephew, author and retired United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Captain Charles "Charlie" T. Westcott III on numerous radio dramas and comedies that were featured during the Kaleidoscope hour, including the old-time radio parodies "Big Jim Small" and "Another Man’s Family."
Whorf briefly parted from WJR from 1983 to 1984 to serve as program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
of classical station WQRS-FM in Detroit. While with WQRS, Whorf created the program "Quest for Excellence," a juried music competition show for young talent broadcast live before a studio audience. Whorf later brought that program to CKLW
CKLW
CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
in Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and took it with him upon his return to WJR.
Whorf's programs were also broadcast by WVXU-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate station of Xavier University
Xavier University (Cincinnati)
Xavier University is a co-educational Jesuit university in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4,000 students and graduate enrollment of 2,600 students. Xavier is primarily...
in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In addition to his Peabody-winning work on topics including the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Whorf also received multiple broadcasting awards from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
.
In 2008 he was inducted into the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters
Michigan Association of Broadcasters
The Michigan Association of Broadcasters represents radio and television broadcasters across the U.S. state of Michigan. It gives out yearly awards to both of these categories, including "Lifetime Achievement", "Hall of Fame", and "Broadcast Excellence Awards."...