<*:• Newhouse Maur Kapetansky SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News helby Newhouse has many memories of working in live television, but the one that stands out has to do with a commercial for unbreakable dinnerware. After being told at the final rehearsal that he was not hitting a plate hard enough to demonstrate its durability, Newhouse gave all his strength to the on-air demonstration and made a hole in the sup- posedly unbreakable product. "If this happens to you, take the plate right back," Newhouse told viewers in a face-saving -- and client-saving -- improvisation. "This dinner- ware is fully guaranteed." Mort and Mary Lou Zieve, chairpersons of the "On the Air!" Preview Par at the Detroit Historical Museum. "Detroit has been a ma or broadcasting market-, and were glad to focus attention on it," says Mary Lou Zieve. 10/22 1999 ON THE AIR Am* Today's viewers would not see a similar emon- stration, Newhouse is glad to report. Thanks to the use of videotape, the segment would simply have been reshot. "In the early days, performing on television was like performing on stage," Newhouse says. Like so many broadcast personalities with a lono - history in the businessioNe .; _whotise has watched technical and other changes that have been revolu tionary. He is among many Jewish pros whose voices have become familiar in households across the state. "Society and culture drive the medium, and the area reflection e of society," who s start announcing before se el\e fTorwehg°rau d uating from Cass Technical High School in 19 - from page 73 On the heels of a highly successful run at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing, "On the Air! Michigan Radio & Television Broadcasting 1920-2000" is scheduled for Oct. 26-April 30 at the Detroit museum, located in the city's Cultural Center. The exhibit, which begins with Detroit's first commercial radio station and ends with high-definition televi- sion (HDTV), takes visitors on a chronological walk that features radios, televisions, sound clips, a video montage, music, microphones, scripts and photos, while providing interac- tive exercises. The Detroit show has been modi- fied from the original look in Lansing to reflect a greater metro area perspec- tive. "Detroit has been a major broad- casting market, and we're glad to focus attention on it," says Mary Lou Zieve, who has done commercials and been a talk show co-host. "We have the first full-time radio station (WWJ) in the country, and there were many pro- grams that came out of the city, including The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet." On the evening before the exhibit opens to the public, preview party guests will follow the route open to all visitors. Just before entering the exhib- it, they will see a showcase depicting the innovations of Detroit radio pio- neer and inventor Tom Clark along with early crystal set radios. In the Booth-Wilkinson Gallery, they will find a display of original equipment used by WWJ. An Armed Forces Network segment features items belonging to John Fetzer, a broadcast pioneer who served as a U.S. military censor. A replica of a 1950s television studio is shown in the midst of the evening weather fore- cast. A nearby monitor shows TV pro- grams of the era and includes footage of Detroit's Soupy Sales. Mort Zieve, before switching to an advertising career, was the director for Soupy Sales. Zieve also directed the