Remembering Dick Kernan
• Michigan radio legend Dick Kernan, who positively influenced several generations of broadcasters in his longtime role as Placement Director and chief ambassador of the Specs Howard School of Media Arts in Southfield, MI, passed away Friday, Dec. 18 of natural causes at the age of 82. According to a story in the Oakland Press, Kernan started his radio odyssey as an “errand boy” at WXYZ-AM, where he came in contact with Motor City radio legends like Paul Winter, Dick Osgood and Lee Alan. It was Alan who helped Kernen make extra money by DJing for dances around the metro area — including at the Walled Lake Casino, where Kernan met his future wife, Charlene.
Kernen later became the first program director of WRIF/Detroit, where he discovered and hired the legendary Arthur Penhallow. But the rigors of commercial radio were not to his liking, and he moved to Specs Howard in 1972, traveling around Michigan to build relationships — and find job opportunities for graduates, while helping the school achieve national accreditation. Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media noted, “Joining the Specs Howard School of Broadcasting (as it was known at the time) was the wisest — and ONLY — career move Dick ever made. He really loved helping young people get into radio. And I know of no one who has personally started more radio careers in Michigan — and maybe all over the country.”
Last month Kernen received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Specs Howard during a virtual Hall of Fame induction ceremony for alumni. School founder Specs Howard (left, with Kernan) posted a statement on the school’s website that reads, “Dick Kernen was much more than a colleague. He became, over the years, a dear friend. The day I hired Dick Kernen, all those decades ago, I could not have possibly known what a difference he would make in my life, the lives of the staff and the lives of thousands of Specs Howard School students and graduates. His passion for the broadcasting world permeated his every encounter. He was loved well beyond the walls of the school. Broadcast industry leaders relied on Dick for his unique brand of advice, his encyclopedic knowledge of the business and his ‘oh-so-Kernen’ way of looking at the world. He was one of a kind and will be missed forever. Our hearts go out to Dick’s wife Char and the entire Kernen family.”
Kernan’s longtime friend Michael Seltzer, retired CEO of SKM Marketing told RAMP, “Dick, myself, Art Vuolo and the late Millie Felch started the Detroit Radio Reunions in 1988 where we gathered with hundreds to honor broadcasters like Casey Kasem, Soupy Sales, Dick Purtan, etc. We also gathered monthly for lunches.” Seltzer added, “I last visited Dick on Oct. 22, where I suspected it would be our last visit… He was buoyant.”
Kernen is survived by Charlene, his wife of 56 years; son Bob Kernen and his wife Patty; daughter Chris Sehoyan and her husband David; five grandchildren; brothers Tom and Jim Kernen and sister, Janis Redinger. Memorial arrangements are pending. Donations in Kernen’s name are suggested for Hospice of Michigan.
