2009 Special Awards
Hall of Fame
Michael "Mike" Porcaro
Hall of Fame Introduction by
Gary Donovan,Vice President Clear Channel Radio
Sometimes the magnitude of someone’s accomplishments later in their career, completely over-shadows their contributions at an earlier time in their lives. I think that may be the case when it comes to the career of tonight’s inductee into the Alaska Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Most of us in broadcasting, whether radio or television, commercial or public, rural or metro, probably are most familiar with the advertising and underwriting revenue that comes from the clients of his highly successful advertising & public relations agency – GCI, the Alaska Railroad, Alaska USA Federal Credit Union…
Most of you know this year’s inductee -- Mike Porcaro. What many of you may not know that long before there was a Porcaro Communications, there was Mike Porcaro – BROADCASTER!
Mike began his broadcasting career in Rockford, Illinois in 1965, and after a couple of years in suburban New York-New Jersey, arrived in Alaska to work for KFQD in 1970.
Mike spent time at KENI, KENI-TV, KBYR and KJZZ, before being named Assistant Director of the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission in 1975 -- a year later he was named Executive Director.
While at the APBC, Mike was instrumental in introducing public radio to Anchorage, Juneau, Barrow, Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Homer, Kodiak and McGrath, as well as public television to Juneau.
Mike helped garner the special permission necessary from the FCC to create a network of mini-TV stations and along with Augie Hiebert gained the permission of the networks to allow their copyrighted content to be retransmitted across the Alaska satellite system.
During this period Mike initiated an FCC rulemaking opening the lower frequencies of the FM band to both commercial and non-commercial broadcasters. Some of you may be old enough to remember when the military controlled all of the lower FM frequecies and commercial stations in Alaska, could not be assigned a frequency under 100.
When the United States Senate rewrote the Communications Act in 1978, Mike was summoned to Washington as an expert witness.
After his tenure at the APBC, Mike opened his own Advertising and Public Relations firm, but remained on the air via a multitude of commercial voice-overs for clients and pro bono accounts, and in 2000, Mike returned to the air on a daily basis, hosting a 2-hour talk show on KENI Radio.
Over the years I’ve known Mike as a client, and as a vendor, I’ve been fortunate to be his employer, and even more fortunate that he’s been a mentor. Mostly I know him as a friend, and a person of uncompromising integrity.
It’s my pleasure to be the first to welcome Michael F. Porcaro into the Alaska Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame.