Westwood One Sports Executive Producer Howard Deneroff, Class of 1989
Today's episode is a must-listen, especially for those of that are sports fans or ever had aspirations to get into the field.
Howard Deneroff, WJPZ Class of 1989, is the EVP and Executive Producer of Westwood One Sports. He's been with the company since immediately after graduation, and has worked the Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four, Stanley Cup Finals, and more.
Like many of us, Howard decided on Syracuse because he wanted to be as involved with sports as possible. He went to WAER, writing for the likes of Mike Tirico and others. But when it became clear that he could get much more hands on experience at WJPZ. This proved true his sophomore year, when in addition to calling women's sports and minor league baseball, Z89 was able to cover an undefeated SU football team (wow that seems like a long time ago), and a basketball team that made it to the NCAA Championship game.
Additionally, their Saturday morning show "The Press Box" morphed into coverage of Central New York high school football. Staff would call the games, interview coaches and players, and bring the cassettes back. Then the real work began, splicing highlights on reel-to-reel decks until 3 or 4am, to have them ready for air the next morning. This is where Howard says he really learned the skills, attitude, and perfectionism that carried him to where he is now. This really came to fruition when working on a piece commemorating the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. The desire to always make his work better led to Howard getting some unbelievable audio and previously unheard stories for the presentation.
In addition to talent and hard work, sometimes you need to be in the right place at the right time. We hear a wild story of coincidence, and how a chance meeting turned into a job at Westwood One upon graduation, and a three-decades plus career there.
Deneroff started at CBS Radio in 1989, working on baseball and football, where his encyclopedic knowledge and preparation quickly impressed his coworkers. He also learned how to think quickly on his feet - when he was in studio for an Earthquake during the 1989 World Series. He's worked with everyone from Jim Nantz to Greg Gumbel, Brent Musburger, John Madden, Terry Bradshaw, Pat O'Brien, Vin Scully, Ernie Harwell, and more.
Howard tried to learn from the best, and take pieces from folks he's worked with - this led to his "index card system" used in the booth for broadcasts - color coded index cards for promos, sponsorships, and commercial breaks. If you are into the behind-the-scenes of broadcasting, you'll geek out of this like we did.
Despite the responsibilities that come with his current title, today's guest still loves producing radio broadcasts. He still gets the adrenaline rush and tries to do at least one game a week. We spend some time talking about the magic of radio, and the advantages it has over television. We also talk about the future of audio.
Deneroff has made it a point to give back to Z89, after the station gave him so much. He's airchecked play-by-players. provided internships and more. He firmly believes what he learned at the station got him to where he is now.
We close with a couple of funny stories. Will Howard confirm Lippy's story about shaking a spatula at him? And you won't believe Mr. Deneroff's reaction when Howie came home and played him a tape of his first sportscast.
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