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.