sports
ww thru
CI ER 31
AIR
2013
Matt At The Mic
Steve Stein
Contributing Writer
T
iming is everything, and the
time was right for Matt Dery
to make a move.
After nearly two decades of doing
play-by-play and hosting pregame,
halftime and postgame shows on
TV and radio and providing news
updates and producing shows on
sports talk radio stations, the Detroit
sports broadcasting veteran has his
own daily radio show.
It's called "The
Discussion with
Matt Dery," and it
airs from noon-3
p.m. weekdays on
WMGC-FM (Detroit
Sports 105.1),
Detroit's newest
sports talk station,
an ESPN Radio
affiliate.
Dery, 40, left CBS Radio Detroit-
owned WXYT-FM (97.1 The Ticket)
in July after his contract expired.
He was the producer of "Valenti and
Foster:' the station's drive-time show,
for four years.
Detroit Sports 105.1, owned by
Greater Media Detroit, went on the
air Aug. 12, and Dery's first show on
the 50,000-watt station was Sept. 16.
"I loved working at The Ticket. It
was a great four years, and I have
great friends there. But it was time to
move on, to go somewhere where I
was more valued," Dery said.
"There's no reason why we can't
have two FM sports talk stations in
Detroit. Many cities do:'
He said he's more comfortable
with Detroit Sports 105.1's format of
frequent interviews with newsmak-
ers than The Ticket's caller-driven
format.
When it comes to callers, Dery
said, there's a reason why his show is
called "The Discussion:'
"I have opinions, of course, but
I'm not going to lecture callers like a
fifth-grade math teacher," he said.
Dery said the biggest problem with
sports talk radio — not necessarily in
Detroit — is a lack of accountability
by hosts.
"There's an open mic and people
just spew things out:' he said. "I feel
I have the necessary credentials. I've
covered all four Detroit professional
teams. I've traveled with teams when
I've done play-by-play. I know the
players and coaches:'
Even though he's been on the air
with his own show for only about a
month, Dery said he's seen on several
levels that he made the right career
move.
"Greater Media is a good company
to work for. It's nice to see people
happy at work:' he said.
Dery said his work schedule is bet-
ter now for his family life. He does
prep work for his show at home in the
morning, arrives at the Ferndale studio
at about 10:30 a.m. and is back home
in Shelby Township by about 4 p.m.
He and his wife, Heather, have been
married for two years. He has two
children and a stepchild.
"Being a father and husband is No.
1 on my priority list:' Dery said. "My
family motivates me:'
The Cleveland native said he's
a huge baseball fan, especially an
Indians fan.
As for his broadcasting favorites, he
likes Howard Stern ("he's entertaining
and conversational") and ESPN's Scott
VanPelt ("he's cool and hip — he gets
it").
Dery is a Syracuse University
grad. His agent is Mort Meisner of
Huntington Woods.
Maccabi Meetings
Here's a quick reminder about kickoff
meetings for the 2014 JCC Maccabi
Games & ArtsFest that will be held in
Detroit.
Meetings will be at 4 p.m. Sunday,
Oct. 27, at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield and 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park.
Teens will meet coaches and sign up
for sports and arts. Parents will receive
information about the local delegation
and volunteer opportunities.
More than 2,000 participants, along
with their coaches and families, are
expected to come to Detroit next
August.
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October 17 • 2013
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