88.1 the Park Distinguished Alumni Award – 2019
88.1 the Park will honor three deserving alums when the station presents the Dr. Andrew Melin WSDP Distinguished Alumni Award on Friday June 7, at 7:00 p.m. at Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center in Plymouth. The honors will be presented at the station’s annual banquet.
The award was created in the Spring of 2017 in honor of former WSDP Station Manager, Andrew Melin. The purpose of the award is to recognize WSDP Alums that have used their experience at the station, and Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, to further the mission of WSDP by achieving success in their chosen career field; investing in the lives of young people; or supporting their local community. It is the hope of the station’s management that the honorees will serve as role models for future students at 88.1 and P-CEP. The first recipient was June Kirchgatter, Plymouth-Salem ’83. The 2018 honorees include Rob Milford, Plymouth ’73, and Glenn Bar, Plymouth-Canton ’82.
This year’s honorees are Mike Schulte, Plymouth-Salem ’78, Scott Herrold Plymouth-Salem ’98, and Jake Bugeja, Starkweather ’02.
Right out of high school, Mike Schulte started work at Channel 2 in Detroit, where he filled in for the regular technicians as they went on vacation. The job at WJBK included operating cameras and running the audio board as well as the videotape machines and doing field audio covering news stories. He learned from the co-workers who had put the first TV stations on the air some thirty years earlier. He came back to WSDP in 1979, while continuing his work at channel 2 and attending Michigan State University. He was hired full time at Channel 2 in 1982, just before he completed his degree at MSU. During this time at WSDP Mike installed the first stereo control rooms and later helped to create a news room and third control room before departing WSDP in the early 90’s. In 1994 Mike shifted to full time engineering maintenance at Channel 2. Gradually he took on larger projects culminating in the design and installation of Channel 2’s digital HD infrastructure. WSDP again called around 2011 when Mike became one of the first members of the advisory board and served there for several year.
Scott Herrold is the Program Director & Morning Show Host for SOS Radio (a network of 35+ radio stations). He was named one of “Radio’s Best Program Directors” by Radio Ink. Edison Media Research also listed Scott as one of “Radio’s 30 Under 30 Shining Stars” two different times. In addition, Scott has had the #1 morning radio show in Las Vegas according to Nielsen. Scott is a dynamic personality who’s always looking to challenge the creative. He’s worked with 96.3 WDVD/ Detroit, 93.1 DRQ/Detroit, 106.9 K-Hits/Tulsa, 102.5 WIOG/Saginaw, 100.3 The Kross/Tulsa, SOS Radio/Las Vegas & CreativeCardio.com. Scott is also a Cum Laude graduate of Eastern Michigan University’s business school. He is also a former member of WSDP’s Advisory Board.
Named one of Radio’s Rising Stars by Radio Ink Magazine and one of broadcasting’s 30 Under 30 in America by Edison Media Research, Jake Bugeja is the Program Director and Afternoon Host at Mix 94.9 in Cincinnati. At age 18, he was hired as afternoon drive host at WTWR in Monroe/Toledo, Ohio. He has a diverse media background including stops at MTV Networks in New York City and radio stations in Detroit, Cincinnati and Cayman Islands. He has worked as a program director, on-air personality, video editor, imaging director, emcee, and voiceover artist. He helped develop the first MTV podcasts, hosted a nationwide afternoon show on XM Satellite Radio, and has been the voice of multiple radio stations & syndicated radio specials. Jake volunteers as a member of the Board of Directors and is a Past President at the Music Resource Center in Cincinnati, where he helped start a low power FM station for teenagers, 95.7 MRC. He also serves on the WSDP Advisory Board, where he assists the station with music programming. When he’s not on the radio, he serves as emcee for the Cincinnati Cyclones professional hockey team.
Dr. Andrew Melin is now the Chief Innovation Officer for the Indiana Department of Education. He has served as Superintendent for school districts in Indiana. He served as Station Manager of WSDP from 1982 – 1987.
88.1 the Park is owned and operated by the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. The station has been serving the Plymouth-Canton Community since February 14, 1972.