Channel 3 Reporter Mike O'Mara steps into the spotlight in this month's "Get to Know Team 3" feature. Mike is a four time Emmy award recipient and has been honored many times by the Press Club of Cleveland for his reporting excellence. We recently sat down with Mike and threw a couple of questions his way:
Q: You started your broadcasting career in radio, much like I did. First you worked in Toledo, then you went on to Detroit, what were some of the positions you held?
Mike: I started as disc jockey doing the night shift at WMHE 92-5 FM. Then I added vacation relief shift at the same time in Detroit (WRIF) from 10am - 2pm. The Toledo station then moved me to morning show and made me music director and then program director. When I made the transition to television, I was hired as a reporter, photographer and editor. I had to quickly learn how to shoot film and tape and edit both mediums. A few months later, the news management made me weekend anchor, producer, writer and weather person, plus reporting 3 days a week. Happily, they hired a retired National Weather Service expert about a year later for the weekend news.
Q: Did you ever have a mentor who helped you develop your radio & television of style of anchoring?
Mike: I had no mentors. However, many years later I worked with a "talent" coach while at channel 8 in Cleveland.
Q: What other televisions stations have you worked for over the years?
Mike: WTVG-TV13 Toledo (formerly WSPD), WJW-TV 8 Cleveland and WUAB/WOIO 43/19 Cleveland
Q: Besides being a reporter, you are also a lawyer - what is broadcast law all about?
Mike: Broadcast law is a broad umbrella that covers a lot of territory from slander, defamation, and libel to 1st Amendment issues, privacy, copyright, and contract rights. I have helped some colleagues with divorce proceedings and estate planning. I am sometimes asked to review personal service contracts for friends in the business.
Q: Name a couple of your favorite local stories you've done?
Mike:
(1) Killing Cancer: A Local inventor who may have discovered a way to kill cancer cells using radio frequency and targeted nanoparticles while being transparent to healthy cells. The story is still developing but could be the cancer treatment that we have all been hoping would be discovered in our lifetime. If it works, the device could be used to target any cancer anywhere in the body. That same inventor may have also come up with a way to use RF to burn salt water as a clean fuel. Scientists at Penn State University are reviewing that application right now.
(2) Diamonds in the rough. The small island of the Dominican Republic has sent more players into professional baseball per capita than anywhere in the world. Several years ago I went to the island to find out why their athletes do so well in baseball.
(3) Robotics in Japan. Why did giant automaker General Motors choose a tiny Japanese company as their primary robotics partner over American companies? I spent 10 days in Japan exploring the reasons for Japanese domination in robotics.
Q: You own a boat and travel the Great Lakes often. Where's your favorite place to sail?
Mike: We have a sailboat. Our annual summer trip goes like this: We cross Lake Erie, up the Detroit River to Lake St. Clair, into the St. Clair River up to Lake Huron, continuing up to the North Channel of Lake Huron into the deep blue Canadian coves and the clear cold water north of Manitoulin Island. Then we head back through Georgian Bay to Lake Huron and points south until returning to our dock in Sandusky. The trip takes a month on a sailboat or five days in a power boat.
Q: What do you feel is the worst household chore?
Mike: We have five rescued cats and that means a lot of litter box cleaning. Sometimes they miss the edge of the box. Enough said.
Q: Tell us your favorite type of car?
Mike: I have an Audi S-8 which is a pretty amazing blend of comfort, great automotive engineering, and power. If I won the lottery I would be tempted to get a Bentley, Ferrari or a Maybach.
Q: Are you a traditional radio, satellite or i-pod user for your musical entertainment?
Mike: I was a big WAVE jazz fan until the local radio station went after the pop audience and changed the play list. Now I have XM in the car and sailboat. I flip back to AM for local news at the top and bottom of the hour.
Q: So Jazz must be your favorite type of music then?
Mike: Jazz is the mainstay of my musical diet. However, I also play a lot of rock, non-twangy country, new-age music, and Puccini operas.
You can email Mike:
mikeomara@wkyc.com
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An Exclusive Mike O'Mara Photo Gallery:
(Click on Pictures for a larger view)
Mike's Caption: On assignment in the Dominican Republic
Frank's Caption: Mike working "really hard" during his assignment in the Dominican Republic:
Mike's Caption: Reporting in the Rain
Frank's Caption: Mike about ready to break into "Singing in the Rain" during a Channel 3 liveshot:
Mike's Caption: Covering a Flood Story
Frank's Caption: "All Ashore who's going Ashore! If I could only find the shore" threatens Mike while covering a flood story with Channel 3 Photographer Dan Bowman:
Mike's Caption: Rowing on Vacation
Frank's Caption: Mike rowing the dingy during a vacation while humming the words to "Sailing":
Mike's Caption: My sailboat "Adagio"
Frank's Caption: The S.S. "O'Mara" getting ready for that 3 hour tour - Nice boat!:
Mike's Caption: Mike receiving his 2007 Emmy Award
Frank's Caption: Mike thanking "Deputy Midge" for his latest Emmy Award:
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If you watch both "Channel 3 News" at 6, 7 & 11 PM and the "Akron Canton News" at 6:30 & 10 PM this week, you'll notice Eric Mansfield anchoring both. Eric is filling in for Tim White.-761150.jpg)
Truth be known, we are cheating this week...Eric is really here in the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center.-707551.jpg)
Then at the end of the 6:30 show, Eric walks back over to the Channel 3 set and joins Romona for the 7 PM show. Ah, the power of TV!
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