Remembering the great Van Miller from my days at WBEN in Buffalo

I’ve experienced deep sadness upon hearing the news that the late, great Van Miller has passed away. It didn’t come as a surprise. His health had been in decline for some time. But I’m forced to focus on my pleasant memories of his remarkable talent, humor and genuine kindness. For those who aren't aware, he will be best remembered as the beloved, longtime voice of The Buffalo Bills.

WBEN and WIVB channel 4

I came to know Van when I was working at WBEN in Buffalo in the mid 1980s. Van was the lead sports anchor at WIVB, channel 4 which shared the same facility. My routine during the roughly 18 months while I was working at “Radio 930” and “Rock 102” was doing traffic reports by helicopter during the afternoon for both the AM and FM stations (interesting work during a Buffalo winter) and doing news at night during John Murphy’s “One-on-One Sports” program, which ran until 11 p.m. (Murph introduced me to my wife during this time). John was color analyst alongside Van and has since served as his play-by-play successor for years now.

Back then, Van would occasionally roam the station offices, including our newsroom and studios in the hours leading up to his own 11 p.m. sports segment. Some nights were busier than others for me. Those which were not so busy is when live sports essentially pre-empted our regularly scheduled hourly newscasts, which culminated with a full half-hour radio newscast at 11 p.m., after which I was free to go home, or go out on the town, which Murph and I would occasionally do when we were single back in those days. Buffalo bars notoriously stayed open until 3:30 a.m. as I recall.

(Photo: Bills broadcast teammates, Van Miller and John Murphy. The photo/mural is now seen in the Van Miller Club at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY)

Van's career advice

I was about 24 or 25 years old then and I remember one night Van and I had time to talk alone (I was the only news staffer working at night) in the WBEN newsroom.  He related that he could have gone to work for a network like some of the folks he knew over the years. I found this remarkable given that Van was an institution in Western New York and has since been honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his more than half-century of broadcast work. I didn’t have a sense that he regretted remaining where he was, but perhaps just wondered what the other path might have lead to.

But he then told me served as a major boost of confidence and motivation. He said “You’ve got to get out of here” and find something better.  It was true that I was struggling to pay my bills then and I yearned for a bigger stage, so to speak. I figured if Van was saying it, there was no doubt about what I should do.  It wasn’t long after that I had a terrific stroke of good luck that a professional contact asked me to apply for an AP Radio job in the Dallas bureau. I had the opportunity to transfer to Washington after a year in Texas and remained with AP for 26 years, eventually migrating to business/financial news and video/television, etc.

He was equally kind and engaging with my wife, the former Jeanne Golanka, who also worked for WBEN for a short time. She also knew Van through her public relations job with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres back then. He would call out “the Mark of Excellence” when seeing me or “Jeannie Bikini” when seeing her. You couldn’t help but laugh or smile. Once, when my mom visited the station (she must have been close to Van’s age back then, he joked that they’d known each other years ago. 

The last time I saw Van

My other enduring memory of Van will be his omnipresent sense of humor. The last time I saw him was nearly 3 years ago at Bills training camp.

While his physical presence wasn’t what it was, he launched into a 20-minute string of jokes and stories, engaging all the members of my family who’d came to the camp at the kind invitation of John Murphy. My son, my brother-in-law Joe Golanka, Dr. Bob Flynn and nephew Spencer Golanka, who hadn’t known Van in person previously came away amazed by the force of his personality and strength of his sense of humor. In the photo you see here, Van insisted that we pose as if we were on either side of the line of scrimmage.

Celebrating his memory 

There’s a part of me that wants to shed tears as the news sinks in about Van’s passing. But his sense of humor continues to radiate. I’m reminded of my deep gratitude that I was able to spend some time with this remarkable man who took offered me genuine, heartfelt encouragement. Rest in peace Van. Heaven is now a happier place.

Van, me, Joe Golanka and Murph summer 2012.
Training camp, St. John Fisher College, near Rochester, NY.

Words of the great Edward R. Murrow

How should journalists treat their audiences?

"You are supposed to describe things in terms that make sense to a truck driver without insulting the intelligence of a professor." -- Edward R. Murrow.


These were the words of the late Murrow, perhaps the greatest broadcast journalist in U.S. history. Thanks to former CBS News Correspondent Marvin Kalb, a National Press Club member, for sharing this wisdom that came from the man who hired him years ago.

Journalists today would do well to follow Murrow's advice. That's true whether they're serving print, online, broadcast or cable consumers of news.

Here's archived video from "The Kalb Report" on "Why Murrow Matters."
Why Murrow Matters In The Digital Age

Wondering aloud about the TSA's apparent information disconnect

I travel on commercial aircraft a fair amount, for both business and leisure. Not a jet-setter by any stretch. But because I cover the federal government in Washington, I've been cleared by a variety of federal departments to go past the virtual velvet rope after going through their disparate and jarringly dissimilar credentialing processes. It occurred to me recently that in this increasingly perplexing era of big data we live in, shouldn't all of those federal databases be very obviously connected?  Similarly, shouldn't the TSA have immediate access to the same information that allows me to go inside the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Treasury, etc. More to the point, why doesn't it know that I'm good to go for places deemed off-limits to the general public?

Where things got a bit strange

The point was further hammered home recently when going through an airport with a family member.  The TSA agent said the other person had been randomly selected and cleared to participate in the expedited security clearance process. Good for my family member, right? They can go through immediately. Meantime, I needed to go separately through the usual part where the belt and shoes come off, you know the drill. And for goodness sake, don't go into the body image scanner with anything in your pocket. 

Who's to blame? Not the folks on the front line

Let's make a couple of points clear. I have immense respect for the people on the front lines of the TSA screening process. I appreciate the work they do. They get plenty of grief for doing their jobs through no fault of their own. This is an issue with folks at a much higher level. Secondly, I'm not suggesting that I should get special treatment. I'm just wondering aloud about what seems to be a disconnect among all of these databases. I looked online and signed up to be interviewed to join the expedited screening program. A kind officer at the airport suggested it after seeing we were being split up in line.

Thank goodness we've been protected so well over these many years amid the massive security apparatus put in place over the past decade or so.  It is possible that all of the information that's been collected has become virtually impossible to manage?

My 10 Tips For Using Twitter

Like most folks, I began using a couple of social media platforms just thinking I’d try them out.  Little did I know then that they would become seemingly indispensable tools not only for personal utilization but also for professional use.  For me, one of the turning point moments came when I learned over Twitter that Osama Bin Laden was dead, not on television or radio.  If you are just getting into the Twitter game, or have been at it for a while, here are some of the things I think about when using this amazing platform.

5 things I look at when deciding to follow someone on Twitter:

1. The person or enterprise appears to have something interesting or useful to say on an ongoing basis. It helps to be at least slightly clever or creative. That can include work with photos or videos or curation of information on any number of subjects.
2. The account holder generally uses acceptable language. Too much cursing is gross whether in private conversation or in public channels.
3. If the person/enterprise is following me, I’m interested to see if they are Tweeting in an effective way.  If they’re just lurking, I won’t follow.
4. The user appears to be real and safe. With the risk that there’s something fraudulent or even technologically risky about the account, I’ll stay very far away.
5.  Is this someone I could help, such as an aspiring professional or artist, by following?  No harm in giving it a shot.

        5 things that help me decide not to follow someone on Twitter:

1.       There’s a long lag between Tweets, or no sign of real presence on the platform.   There’s no set frequency that’s needed, but the user needs to be engaged.

2.       There’s no profile photo or description of the account. Come on, how hard is it to upload a photo or image? Please don’t call yourself a tech evangelist.

3.       An abundance of insults, of other users or random targets, suggests following won’t be a positive experience.

4.       An extension of the last issue: tolerance.  Is the account user intolerant of others with different opinions, including in the political realm?  There’s enough intolerance and hate in the world, thank you.

5.       Careless writing, grammar or spelling are strong clues that following could be a bad idea.  A bit of care, including a last-second look for an edit, before hitting “Tweet” can make the different between adding followers, landing some Retweets and Favorites or just getting lost in the Twitterverse.

Follow me on Twitter: @Hamrickisms

Washington's Changes Over The Past 50 Years

A lot can change in 50 years, particularly around the nation's capital.  

Fueled by the tremendous growth of the federal government, given an added boost after 9/11, the population around the Washington metropolitan area has tripled over the past five decades.

One way you can see the changes is on a map published by a predecessor to Exxon, known to drivers as Esso back then.

Look at this part of the map, showing the eastern side of what would become the beltway.

The core of downtown Washington was radically different.  Pennsylvania Avenue was open to traffic along the North side of The White House.  One section of the map notes tours of The White House are given between 10 a.m. and 12 noon Tues - Sat. For the F.B.I tour, "activities of 'G-Men' are described."  I was personally pleased to see The National Press Club noted on the map.

The Labor Department headquarters was to the west of the present location. An amphitheater, long gone, was in the shadow of the Washington Monument. The wildly popular modern version of the National Air and Space Museum, now along the National Mall, would open over a decade later.

The Metrorail system wasn't opened until 1976 and airplane travel was mostly an expensive luxury. The best option for most tourists, driving was regarded as less of a chore and something almost romantic back before Washington became noted for the congestion of its roads.  The map is emblazoned with "Happy Motoring!" It probably didn't hurt that a gallon of gasoline cost about 29 cents back in 1963.

And Now This Old Christmas Radio Ad For Cigarettes (or how times have changed)

If you have last-minute Christmas shopping to complete, how about purchasing a package of cigarettes?
That was the message in this commercial in the Dec. 1953 Christmas edition of the classic radio show "Dragnet." Seems shocking by today's standards, doesn't it?

Here's the link to 41 seconds of audio closing the Christmas program titled "Big Little Jesus."

Click hear to listen via SoundCloud Just click on the orange "play" arrow.

Cigarette advertising was huge years ago, particularly on radio and television. They touted health benefits, and sex appeal. But a ban in 1971 put an end to all of that.

Another old commercial I heard recently from the "golden days" of radio said the tobacco company hired "a doctor" to do a study of cigarette users and found no health problems at all.  One can only imagine what kinds of revelations future generations will learn about unhealthy things we're doing now.

As a footnote, Jack Webb, the creative force both on and off-screen for "Dragnet," died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 62.

6 Things For Which I'm Thankful

While I try to say a prayer of thanksgiving on on a regular basis, the tradition of the holiday provides an opportunity to reflect. Here are a few thoughts, mostly serious.

1. Good health and a sound mind. Okay, one out of two isn't bad.

2. The love of friends and family, both near and far.  We miss those we don't see as often as we'd like or can, usually because we are separated by distance. Still, we are sustained by these relationships.

3. A home in the Washington area, where we've lived for more than two decades. It isn't always easy to relocate for career purposes, but we've been blessed to live in Washington while its economy has thrived. It was a wonderful place to raise our son and provide him with an education.

4. A career I love with opportunities to work for great organizations with tremendously talented colleagues. Growing up in a small town afforded the luxury of making mistakes early and to learn from them.  There's still much to learn and that's a good thing.

5. The good fortune of having been born in the U.S., which provides remarkable opportunity, freedom and security. Despite our challenges, our nation still sets examples in many areas including innovation, technology and civil rights. Because we strive to do better, we most often find a way to succeed.

6. Connections with smart, kind and engaging people who've helped me along the way. They've shared their knowledge and passion involving many things such as journalism, public speaking and the business world.
As for those who tried to teach me about golf, I guess we can all equally share the blame.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!