Remembering WJR Radio Legend Frank Beckmann

<p>I’m remembering Frank on the program today. In 2006 on a beautiful June day at MSU’s <a href="https://golf.msu.edu">Forest Akers Golf Course</a>, Frank told me he was hired on September 11, 1972, in the news department at WJR.</p><p>“At time, I was the youngest newsman they’d ever hired at WJR; I was 22 years old when I started there. People move around a lot in radio. My goal was to be at one place for five years, and I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do next.” Frank cites Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, and <a href="https://www.wkar.org/msu-today/2017-08-16/remembering-wjr-legend-j-p-mccarthy">J.P. McCarthy</a> as mentors.</p><p>Conversation Highlights:</p><p><strong>On always wanting to be in radio</strong>. “I grew up with a tape recorder in my hands and I would announce tabletop games sitting at the dining room table. Then I would watch TV and announce football games that were on television. Then I would critique myself later. My parents had a son who talked to himself at the dining room table so they could either try to nurture that or have me committed, and I’m glad they chose the former!”</p><p><strong>On the transition from news to sports then to play-by-play</strong>: “It wasn’t too long after covering the Jimmy Hoffa disappearance – for which we won a lot of awards – that WJR was looking to do some new things in the sports department, which was run by Bob Reynolds at the time.” Frank became sports director when Reynolds retired. </p><p>He talks about beginning the transition to play-by-play by doing the Lions pre and postgame shows from the studio. Then he lobbied to go on the road to do the show and began to do that. Eventually Mike Lucci left his role as color analyst and Frank began doing color on the game with Bob Reynolds. </p><p>“One time Bob became ill when we were in Chicago; he went to the hospital with some heart problems. He was out for a couple weeks so I did the play-by-play while he was sick. Bob’s health continued to deteriorate, and I became the play-by-play guy fo