The Scene
BEHIND THE SCENES page 47
For information, call Brentwood
Travel, (800) 628-3941, or Julie
Glaser, (314) 432-6780, Ext. 213.
SUNDAY,' SULY 13
Basketball with Hillel of Metro
Detroit. 2 p.m. Meet at Hoopsville
in Farmington Hills. For infor-
mation, call Jeff Klein, (248) 788-
3346.
TUESDAY, JULY 15
Mix and mingle coffee house with
Jewish Professional Singles. At
Mudee Waters Coffee House,
2949 W. 12 Mile Road, west of
Coolidge. For information, call
(248) 988-1300.
Matt Friedman listens to WDIV Managing Editor Paul Menzella while in the control
room during a newscast.
Instead, he stands just a few news lore, the broadcast is "con-
feet away from the studio, in the ceived" in the newsroom, but the
darkened control room which — control room is where producers
with highly caffeinated over- "give birth." With clocks rapidly
achievers yelling into micro- counting down and staffers hov-
phones, 20-plus screens displaying ering over controls, it feels a little
advance footage and broadcasts like a space shuttle about to take
on competing networks — off. And then, 30 minutes later,
the credits fall, and everyone
screams stress.
For 30 action-packed minutes, breathes a sigh of relief.
"I've always loved the news,"
with each ticking second displayed
on his computer monitor, Fried- says Friedman. "My mom said I
man calmly watches the comput- watched the news in my high
er, keeps his eyes on the screens, chair."
A native of West Bloomfield,
fields questions and rectifies last-
Friedman launched his broad-
minute errors.
As producer of the 6 p.m. news- casting career at the tender age of
cast, Friedman is responsible for 11, through a program called "Be
managing almost all the details a DI' on WBFH radio in Bloom-
in a half-hour segment. It's a 10- field Hills. He continued there
hour day with no lunch and is throughout high school (at An-
punctuated by almost hourly dover), working up to sportscast-
er status. At Syracuse University
deadlines.
Arriving at 8:15 a.m., Fried- in New York, Friedman worked
man's first task of the day is to ab- as news director of the school's ra-
sorb as much news as he can from dio station. In the summers, he in-
the competition. "I go through the terned at Channel 2 and WWJ
wires, NBC, CNN and look at as radio.
Thanks to his experience and a
many newspapers as I can," he
promising market for producers,
says.
At 9, Friedman sits down with Friedman landed his first-choice
other staff members to plan what job out of college: as a writer/pro-
to cover and how to cover it. Be- ducer for WSBT in Atlanta.
Working seven days a week
tween 10:15 and 11, he meets with
reporters and tracks down infor- and quickly ascending the ranks,
mation, and by 12:15 p.m. he Friedman moved on to a full-time
sketches a preliminary rundown producing job with a CBS affiliate
of what the newscast will look like in Orlando, Fla. A year later, he
—with the exception of all the un- was offered his current job in De-
expected stories that are bound to troit. Eager to return to his home-
happen over the ensuing five town, Friedman "couldn't pass up
the opportunity."
hours.
After working almost every
Throughout the afternoon
Friedman runs around the news- shift at the station, Friedman was
room making sure stories are writ- finally promoted to his current
ten and edited, graphics and art time slot: 6 p.m. Which makes it
a little easier to live a quasi-nor-
LLI coordinated and the final lineup
= set in place. Of course at any mo- mal life and spend time with his
(/) ment, a breaking news story could fiancee, Jodi; the pair live in Farm-
come along and upset the whole ington Hills and will marry in Sep-
tember.
order.
Friedman is not sure what's
On the night of this interview,
1—
o the only disruption was at 5:35 next on the horizon career-wise
cc
1 _ p.m., when a Channel 4 reporter but hopes to keep moving up.
ran into the newsroom with the "When I started this, I said I want-
announcement that Kodo, a po- ed to run a news organization
= tentially rabid ferret and cause someday, whether as a news di-
celebre of local animal rights ac- rector or vice president of news,"
he says. "I'm a news junkie. I like
tivists, has been executed.
At 5:59, Friedman heads for the a lot of stories, I like a lot of news,
control room. According to TV I like to put it all together."
o
48
❑
FRIDAY, JULY 18
Shabbat service for singles at
Temple Emanu-El. 7:30 p.m. An
Oneg Shabbat will follow. For in-
formation, call Federation's com-
munity outreach and education
department, (248) 642-4260.ies,
(248) 354-1050.
t
Ilappenings will list events
of a Jewish nature for singles
of any age and occasions for
young adults. Please send ma-
terials to Lynne Meredith Cohn
at The Jewish News, 27676
Franklin Road, Southfield, MI
48034, at least two weeks prior
to the issue in which you'd like
the event to appear.
AUG. 2=10
Visit national parks with Jewish
singles vacations (ages 30-49).
Yellowstone National Park, the
Grand Tetons, Mt. Rushmore,
the Black Hills. For information,
call (617) 782-3396.
AUG. 4-11
Alaska cruise, Denali to Vancou-
ver. With Premier Jewish Sin-
gles. Cost: $1,275 per person,
inside twin cabin; $1,599 per per-
son, outside twin cabin. Plus air-
far e , port charges. For
information, call (314) 994-9600.
AUG. 8-10
Washington, D.C. , with the
Michigan Jewish Singles Net-
work. For information, call Sue
Ellen at (248) 851-1100.
AUG. 14-31
Israel Encounter's National
Young Professionals Tour, by
Young Jewish Leadership Con-
cepts. Cost: $3,449 base price. For
information, call (800) 223-YJLC,
AUG. 22-24
SINGLES TRAVEL
Camp Young Judaea for Jewish
singles, 20s-30s. Sponsored by
Vanguard, Hadassah's singles
group. Featuring outdoor activ-
ity plus discussion and prayer,
with scholar-in-residence Rabbi
David Ackerman. Cost:
$205/members, $230/non mem-
bers, plus busfare from New York
City. For information, call (212)
303-8061.
-
Visit national parks with Jewish
singles vacations (ages 30-49). The
Grand Canyon, Bryce National
Park, Zion National Park, Mon-
ument Valley, Lake Powell. For
information, call (617) 782-3396.
JULY 28-AUG. 4
Alaskan cruise for Jewish singles.
Sponsored by the St. Louis Jew-
ish Community Centers Associa-
tion and Brentwood Travel. Cost:
$2,139 per person, double occu-
pancy; $2,739, single occupancy.
AUG. 29-SEPT. 1
Sixth Midwest Regional Jewish
Singles Conference in Kansas
City, Mo., over Labor Day week-
end. Cost: $180 for reservations
postmarked by Aug. 11, plus air-
s
fare and hotel accommodation
occupancy).
($89 single/double
For information, call Annette
Fish, Temple B'nai Jehudali,
(816) 363-1050, Ext. 129.