Radio Neighbors Begin 77th Years in HS Sports
September 6, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Local radio coverage of high school sports can still be found in a lot of places these days – and for a couple of stations, they’re celebrating 77 years of service to school sports in 2018-19.
WTCM-AM in Traverse City and WJMS-AM in Ironwood are literally adjacent on your radio dial, but they’re 250 miles apart as the crow flies across Lake Michigan and through a lot of northeast Wisconsin. In 1941, they started their streak of broadcasting the preps into their local communities.
Mind you, there weren’t that many radio stations as you might think back then, when it was the only electronic medium. WJMS had signed on in November of 1931 and was only one of two stations in the Upper Peninsula at the time and one of 19 statewide, according to Federal Radio Commission records. One of the early issues the station faced was interference with its signal because of the density of iron mines in the area.
When WTCM went on the air early in 1941, there were still only 28 radio stations in our state; five were in the U.P., and WTCM was the only station in the Lower Peninsula north of Saginaw.
Les Biederman owned WTCM and was quickly persuaded by the locals to broadcast a Traverse City High School basketball game.
“So he got the equipment ready and got everything set up, they got permission and everything,” said Jack O’Malley, current program director at the station and a long-time play-by-play voice. “The night of the game, the superintendent says ‘You can’t do the game – the local newspaper is not real happy. They said if people listen to the game, they won’t buy the newspaper in the morning. So you can’t do the game.’
“So the town had already been told – they were promoting it; and when 7 o’clock rolled around, they went on the air and they announced they were going to do the game tonight, but permission had been revoked, so we can’t do it. And then they left the microphones open at the gym so that everybody could hear the basketball dribbling, the crowd cheering, the horns honking.
“About 15 minutes later, the superintendent was at Les’ door, saying that the phones had gone crazy, you’ve got to do the game. They started with the game and we’ve been doing high school sports ever since.”
WTCM added football and other sports to the mix over time, which played well with Traverse City High School being the only public school in town. The station’s focus these days is football, alternating between Central and West High Schools.
“The whole idea is that we’re part of the community, and WTCM has always been a community radio station,” O’Malley said. “High school sports are all about community. People say, I remember when this kid played on that team and you watch all the kids as they grow up. It’s really a connection through the ages.”
The Biederman family continues to serve radio listeners in the north, with Ross Biederman as the president of what has become the Midwestern Broadcasting Company with four stations in the Traverse City market and two in the Alpena area. And yes, one of the Alpena stations is involved in covering high school sports.
The paper trail isn’t quite as tidy when documenting the history at WJMS. The station moved from its original frequency of 1420 to 1450 after being on the air for about six years, then to 630 in 1947 and its present 590 on the AM dial in 1968. Veteran observers of U.P. radio concluded that WJMS began broadcasting high school games in 1941, which was confirmed by several newspaper articles in the old Ironwood Times from that year.
The station’s signal footprint, which would eventually reach from Marquette to well west of Duluth, Minn., by day, was the early stomping grounds for some great broadcasters.
“I can remember when I was 9 or 10 years old, listening to Bob Olson and Joe Blake doing high school basketball and football in the early 60’s,” said Rod Halverson, who currently calls games for the station. “We had four local schools, Hurley (Wis.), Bessemer, Ironwood and Wakefield, which were all in the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference; and we covered those four schools. I remember listening and seeing those guys at the basketball games.”
Bob Olson, who died earlier this year, and Joe Blake went on from WJMS to purchase WMPL in Hancock in 1969. Olson would spend 35 years behind the microphone calling Michigan Tech ice hockey games and was legendary for his high-pitched tag going into commercial breaks: “This is Huskie Hockey from Houghton!” Blake would purchase WCKD in Ishpeming in 1971 (which later became WMQT-WZAM in Marquette) and run its operations until his death in 2004, calling Northern Michigan ice hockey and volleyball games. Both gentlemen received all kinds of accolades over the years.
But it was the style of an another announcer who followed Olson and Blake – Harry Rizze – who Halverson has worked hard to apply as he calls the games now.
“Harry Rizze was doing games when I started playing basketball,” Halverson said. “He made the games really personable. He would get to know the players by their first names – and he would use their first names on the air sometimes – that’s how close he got to the program. I thought it was a really nice touch. I’m doing some of that now, and I’m trying to emulate the two guys before me – Harry Rizze and Gary Aho.”
And in a place like the Iron Range of the Western U.P., there’s nothing like local radio covering local high school games.
“Some of the players I broadcast now, I played against their dads,” Halverson said. “You get to know everybody. Up here, we cover all of the schools the best we can. I feel bad for the areas that don’t have radio coverage.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Longtime WJMS broadcaster Harry Rizze conducts an interview. (Middle) Late WTCM owner Les Biederman.
Century of School Sports: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 25, 2025
Logos and slogans are meant to stick in your mind – and the MHSAA has created several that have become synonymous with the story of school sports.
When was the first time you saw the MHSAA logo? For me, it was on a ticket to watch my school at the 1993 Girls Basketball Semifinals at Kellogg Arena.
And I thought “Good Sports Are Winners” was just something everybody said about all things sportsmanship. I had no idea it headlined as the first of now several memorable MHSAA statements meant to do precisely what it did inside my teenage head – bury itself in our minds so we would hopefully recall the importance of being a good sport whenever we heard it.
The MHSAA’s “Century of School Sports” have really included only about a half-century of this type of messaging and branding. But no matter if you’ve spent your time with us as an athlete, coach, administrator, official, fan or a combination of those roles, some of what follows should jog your memory – and hopefully stir up plenty of good ones as well.
- Good Sports Are Winners!
Jack Roberts was hired as the MHSAA’s fourth full-time executive director in 1986. His first hire was John Johnson as one of, if not the first-of-a-kind communications director at a high school athletic association in the nation. One of their first undertakings was a campaign to improve sportsmanship – and “Good Sports Are Winners!” became their first and perhaps still most recognizable phrase.
- Sportsmanship Begins At Home
- We Need You To Be A Good Sport!
Sportsmanship is an idea that never graduates, but it also needs to be reintroduced frequently as generations of families make their ways through middle school to high school graduation. These were two more messages meant to encourage appropriate behavior at sporting events.
- Help Wanted: Just Whistle
- You Can Be A Referee
Recruiting and retaining game officials also is an annual drive, and these became part of the slogan-sphere over the last 15 years as those efforts increased due to decreasing numbers. “Be the Referee” became a weekly segment of the “This Week in High School Sports” five-minute show that airs on radio stations all over the state during the fall and winter seasons, and they always end with the call out “You Can Be A Referee” to enlist those who might be interested.
- We Are The MHSAA
This carried a certain boldness when read over the microphone at tournament events, and summed up neatly what being part of the MHSAA was all about. Paraphrasing: “We are … Coaches … administrators … and officials. … We are your school. We promote and protect the privilege of interscholastic competition. We make rules and follow them as a condition of membership. … We Are The MHSAA.”
- Promoting The Value – And Values – Of Educational Athletics
This sums up the MHSAA’s work and remains perhaps the favorite of all slogans used to describe it. We believe educational athletics have value – to participants, to their communities, and to society as a whole because of the adults they help produce. We also believe that educational athletics are reliant on specific values – sportsmanship, scholarship, safety and scope.
Those are the messages you’ve likely heard. But producing an identifiable image with the MHSAA and its work has been just as important – and below are explanations behind some of the familiar logos you see at the top of this page.
- First Logo: A Traditional Emblem (Last Used in 1987-88)
The first MHSAA logo featured the seal from the state flag, with “Michigan High School Athletic Association” surrounding it. It appeared on medals and official documents through the 1987-88 school year.
- The Round Logo: A Recognizable Symbol
In 1988, the MHSAA introduced a circular logo featuring Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas within a red border, with "MHSAA" prominently displayed.
- The Championship Logo: A Mark of Excellence
During the early 2000s, the MHSAA introduced a “championship” logo initially for tournament merchandise. Over time, it became the standard for all championship-related materials.
- The Modern MHSAA Logo: Evolving with Time
Debuting in 1987 – and designed by a pair of Sterling Heights Stevenson students as part of a contest – the modern logo introduced the bold "MHSAA" lettering with an interwoven "S" designed to convey motion and energy. Over time, its contours softened while maintaining its distinctive look. Initially, "Michigan High School Athletic Association" appeared beneath it, but in recent years, the text was removed for a cleaner, more streamlined design.
- The Centennial Celebration Logo
To mark its 100th anniversary, the MHSAA introduced a centennial logo, honoring its history. This commemorative design reflects a century of commitment to student-athletes and school communities.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read