Ron Cameron

[Momo]

When Martin brought up CNN's hiring of Bob Costas, Ron took that as an opportunity for him to say that he only met Costas once, and while they were out in public together no one recognized Costas, while a number recognized Ron. "You're a star," Ron claims Costas noted.

[wtfdetroit]

Of course, Bob Costas who worked 40 years on NBC vs Ron who pays to be on AM stations with a 3 mile range and lives out of a motel.

[Momo]

Ron's begging for Kurt to call for yet a 3rd time today. He should pray for Kurt's continued good health.

[wtfdetroit]

I was thinking the same thing. If Kurt stops calling, this show is toast.

[Momo]

And he's back. Ron should risk the wrath of Lance Parrish & take Kurt out to one of his sponsor restaurants.

[wtfdetroit]

I found this Ron gem

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

[Momo]

That's a great find..

[MWmetalhead]

I tuned into super flimsy, flea powered AM 1460 around 3:15 this afternoon, and lo and behold, Ron was on.

Boy, what a trainwreck!!!

He gave out the phone number about a half dozen times within a five minute span. I heard three or four pregnant pauses of dead air. The guy clearly was struggling to find something to talk about to fill air time.

I am unsure of Cameron's age, but he sounds like someone in their mid 80's.

1460 has a garbage signal, does zero marketing, and was off the air for many years. I'd be stunned if has even 200 listeners in an average quarter hour.

[Mr.Transistor]

So has Kurt been buying airtime for Ron's show? It was the Kurt and Ron show today. What a drag! Martin has been trying to help Ron out but seemed to be sticking his hand in hornet's nest on the show yesterday. Sounded like the building security guard had to go into the studio to see what all the yelling was about. If Ron had picked up any new listeners from the "No Filter Sports" Podcast on Thursday what an introduction they received to what Ron Cameron is all about. MW and just to think you tuned into a tame broadcast of the show. You should have heard them on Friday...LOL

[uncleb67]

I enjoyed how when Martin was getting tangled up with Ron on Friday, Martin was like “You don’t pay me a PENNY” to help with his show. Ron wanted nothing to do with that! It definitely brought some life to a rather drowsy Friday morning on that show. Ron is the gift that keeps on giving. Ron’s show was missed by this board.

[wtfdetroit]

I found it fascinating that he had 2-3 callers that told Ron that they didn't know he was still on but they heard him on the podcast. Martin needs to do some video of Ron and post it on YouTube/twitter.

[Momo]

I came upon a lengthy feature article about Ron, written by Neal Rubin, appearing in the Free Press on 1/26/90. Much of it rings so very familiar even 30 years later.

Rubin notes that Ron was "45 years old and lives in a hotel." "He has one sport coat and about that many social graces."

Eli Zaret states that Ron "has no discernible life that anyone can determine outside of sports." "I don't know if he has ever read a book about anything else, been to a movie about anything else or had a friend involved in anything else." Zaret regards him as a friend, but points out that he was was contentious, abrasive and crude. "I do love him, in a certain way. But you can't sugar-coat Ron Cameron."

Ron, Rubin adds, "brags reflexively, hustles constantly and sees dark shadows everywhere." "For every setback, there is a sinister explanation."

Rubin writes that Ron's parents divorced when he was too young to remember exactly how young he was. "My father looked a little like Jim Backus." "He worked for Ford. I don't know what he did, really."

After summarizing Ron's umpiring work, Rubin points out that "while he regularly lambastes athletes [they're "only out for the almighty dollar"], coaches and executives, [Ron] will not criticize an official."

Rubin then turns to Ron's WXYZ stint, which began in 1978. "The show," he recounts, "aired from 6-8 pm, [and] exploded." Here, Ron is in his full glory. "I captured the whole town. I was the single most written-about personality in Detroit." Things, though, went bad in 1980 when he was moved to the 4-7 pm slot. "He didn't like dealing with 'clock work,' the drive time traffic updates and news shorts. 'It was terrible. I wasn't happy.'" "Then, Cameron says, came the murky conspiracies and machinations that knocked him off the air. He was too strident, too independent, too popular. 'They couldn't control me, and they knew it.'" After being fired at WXYZ, he was also fired years later from WKSG (102.7) for using the phrase "Chinaman's chance."

Bob Page observes that, after a lifetime of battling, Ron had no idea how to live in peace. "He was a lunatic. A crazy man. ... He just did not know how to work with people. He'd go through producers every two weeks. Screamers and yellers get a reputation in this business."

But Ron, according to Rubin, is unapologetic. "If i had played it differently, maybe I'd still be on WXYZ. ... Maybe I'd be doing a TV slot. But I can't change. I'm never gonna change."

Rubin concludes that '[t]he grind is getting to [Ron]. If he could only find a good sales manager, he says, hewould slow down. Take a cruise, maybe. Relax." "What I really want to do," Ron says, "is start getting to more games."

[Willie108]

Does the radio station have an archive of his shows?

[Momo]

Does the radio station have an archive of his shows?

Not WPON, but his old station, WDTK still has some of his archived shows, from 10/2019 through the first week of this year.

https://patriotdetroit.com/podcast/local

[wtfdetroit]

Wow Ron hasn't changed a bit in 30 years. That article holds 100% true today even down to the yelling at producers.