JerseyIntern.com's interview with Merrill Reese
Merrill Reese: The Voice of the EaglesHe's been the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles for over three decades, and the one Philadelphia fan's depend on to give them the real scoop about the Eagles.
Merrill Reese, graduate of Temple University and Eagles broadcaster for 94.1, WYSP, has brought Eagles fans live broadcasts of the games for over 30 years. His long standing reputation has earned him the respect of players and the devotion of Philadelphia fans.
Reese has seen it all from Jaworwski to Cunningham to McNabb. He remains a fan of the team that has seen many up's and downs. Being a broadcaster for the Philadelphia Eagles is something he loves to do. In fact, he hopes with each passing year he gets better.
"Someone once told me that you should never stay the same, you should strive to get better each day, that's what I plan to do." said Reese.
The players know that Reese will not hold back his true feelings on the team's performance. After so many years with the team, he developed a rapport with team members and coaches. They know he has a job to do and he will call the plays accordingly.
"I've become friends with a lot of the players, but they know that it is my job to deliver an accurate assessment of their performances on the air.
A true sports lover, Reese knew even at a young age, that he would be involved in sports. "Sports are a love of mine. Everyone has been an inspiration to me; my parents, my friends, they have all subconsciously guided me." Reese said.
Reese didn't have an easy start in the business. He was criticized early in his career. "I was told by a program director that I would never make it in a major market because I didn't have the right sound".
The devastating news at a young age was difficult. "My mom helped me through those tough times. She was the one who got me to look past the criticism and move forward."
As a student at Temple, Reese was the sports director for Temple's radio station, where he handled the play-by-play of college football, basketball and baseball.
After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Reese went into the Navy. As a naval officer, he was stationed at Norfolk VA, and the Pentagon. His reporting experience didn't stop as Reese often reported on the Naval Academy football team players and sent the reports home to listening families.
Even though he loved his military experience, he stayed true to his dreams of sports broadcasting. "I always dreamed of being a play-by-play announcer. That was all I wanted to do."
Reese admits that, even now, he still gets very nervous before the game and is incredibly superstitious in his pre-game rituals.
"I eat the same breakfast, 2 pancakes every game day. I leave at the same time, run through the same drills," said Reese. "I'm a believer in Psycho-Cybernetics. This is the practice of visualizing yourself achieving your goal. I will visualize the game early in the day before I leave for the stadium".
On game day, Reese is usually in the booth an hour before the game running through his own list of drills. "I will look at the yard lines and practice calling the lines: 5yard line, 10 yard line, 15, 20, 25 and so on. I will go back and forth to loosen up my tongue. Then I will practice saying the player's names and numbers. I will chart the kickers, take note of the wind directions and notice how the kickers are adapting to certain weather conditions."
Reese is an avid supporter of education and internships. "I feel that those opportunities should be a stepping stone to greater success".
At the time there weren't any internship's available for Reese to gain experience. Reese's involvement with the Temple radio station was where he gained most of his experience.
'They didn't offer internships when I was in school, that's why I feel it's so important for students to take advantage of these opportunities now."
Today, Reese feels that interns are often attracted to internship programs with big companies. "Most students are looking for big name internships, but with a smaller organization, you can get hands on experience."
A product of that belief is Margaret-Ann Kavanaugh, who interned for Reese's AM station for two weeks before she was moved up to the News Director position and has been with WBCB ever since.
"I interned in New York, but then coming here to a smaller station has been such a great experience, everything is so hands on. This is a great place for interns." Kavanaugh said.
In the off season Reese owns and operates WBCB 1490 AM. "The station offers a variety program format to our listeners" said Paul Baroli, WBCB Program Director and former intern at WBCB. "Internships at WBCB vary from four to seven spots. Our interns gain experience on everything from programming to on air-time. We try to get them on-air as soon as possible" At WBCB Reese and Kavanaugh both agree that internships at smaller stations may provide the best experience for students.
"I want young people to come here and gain experience that they would never get somewhere else" said Reese. I want them to use it and go on to something bigger and better."
(Jerseyintern.com offers students an opportunity to find local internships in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the tri-state area. Mr. Reese was interviewed by Tara Riddell, Jerseyintern.com 2006 Intern. Ms. Riddell is a Senior student majoring in Journalism at Rowan University.)
