Behind the Mic with Tatjana Thuener-Rego
7/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
For the spring semester I interned with the radio station Sports Talk 1050 WTKA, working on the Michigan Insider morning show with Sam Webb and Andy Evans. I worked with the board, editing pieces, answering calls and conducting prize giveaways but I also got to go on the air sometimes to debate topics with the hosts. Working with Sam and Andy is a lot of fun even if I have to wake up at 5 a.m.
I get to go on the air and talk about entertainment related topics a lot because my views vary greatly from our two male hosts. We always get a big discussion going because of our differing opinions. One morning, I argued the importance of good nutrition and reprimanded Andy for eating Pop Tarts. When Sam said he could not live without Coke, I pulled up nutritional facts about Coke on the Internet and proved how bad it is. It's used to clean rust off cars and can melt an entire steak in two days if you immerse it in Coke.
We often have very interesting guests on the show. Recently, Fritz Seyferth, the co-author of "The Heart of a Champion," was on and spoke about being coached by Bo Schembechler and chronicled his battle with heart disease.
One morning while answering the phones, a man called in and asked to be put on the air. I asked for his name, and had to have him repeat it because I didn't understand him. He asked me, "Do you know who this is" and when I said I did not have a clue, he told me he was a writer for The Ann Arbor News. I quickly said, "Well, excuse me!" and put him on hold.
When he got on the air he told Sam and Andy that he liked me because I had "spunk." Later, Andy told me that the caller was actually Jim Carty, one of the contributors who wrote a lot of the articles bad mouthing Michigan athletes and independent studies. I would have loved to have had a few choice words with him, but I did not want to lose my job.
Players Mentioned
