Dave Michaels (news anchor)

Dave Michaels was a news anchor on CNN & CNN Headline News from 1985 - 1993. He had previously anchored Eyewitness News at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, and Eleven Alive News at WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

Dave was born November 15, 1934 in Flushing, New York as David Michael Potts - but changed his name when he started working in TV.

Michaels was raised in Flushing and Franklin Square, New York. He graduated from Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, New York, and attended Hofstra College. Sewanhaka HS had an FM radio station – WSHS-FM, and he broadcast football and basketball games and got hooked on radio & TV. He had planned on being a cartoonist and illustrator.

Later he worked at NBC in New York as an NBC Page in 1954. He ushered such shows as The Firestone Hour, The Hit Parade, Mr. Peepers and Howdy Doody. He also worked around such Golden Age of Television programs as Philco Television Playhouse and Robert Montgomery Presents.

Following his NBC days he moved to announcing radio in Binghamton, New York and later in Freeport, Long Island. In Binghamton he hosted one of the areas most popular disc jockey shows, “Moonlight Serenade” on WKOP. He even had three fan clubs. Later he was invited to host an all night show on WINR, all of this time using his full name, David Michael Potts. That would change when he got to TV.

On Long Island, he was a disc jockey on WGBB, Freeport. However, he was beginning to think he wanted to be an actor and attend the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles. With the military draft hanging over him, he decided to volunteer for the draft to honor his obligation. That way he had more control about when he would be entering the service. He was soon in uniform! After training at Fort Dix, and an interim assignment at Fort Jackson, Dave received orders to report to Third Army Headquarters, Fort McPherson, Georgia as a broadcast specialist in the Third Army Information Office.

While in service he also worked nights at WGST radio, then owned by Georgia Tech. During his two years of active duty he changed his mind about acting and decided to concentrate on television.

Following service he took a job as a staff announcer at Atlanta's WAGA-TV, the Storer-owned CBS affiliate. He did everything a staff announcer in those days was asked to do and a great deal more – station breaks, morning news, daily weather, movie hosting, live commercials and even a children's show, Mr. Pix, on which his talent for drawing was displayed.

In the winter of 1974 Dave hosted AM New York for a short time on WABC-TV and was sent to KABC-TV, Los Angeles to anchor Eyewitness News. He also hosted AM Los Angeles with Maureen Reagan, Sarah Purcell and a number of other well known celebrities. Maureen was a good friend, and wrote about their experience in her book First Father, First Daughter. When he left the show, Regis Philbin replaced him.

In 1976 he returned to Atlanta to anchor the 6 and 11PM news for WXIA-TV for nine years. He was nominated for an Emmy four years in a row. He won on his third nomination. Following his third contract he joined CNN, anchoring Headline News in 1985, and later CNN. He also anchored CNN's coverage of the first Gulf War.

He has appeared as himself in numerous movies and TV shows including Sharky's Machine, Fun with Dick and Jane, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Made in Heaven, ^[1] and CBS's One Terrific Guy. In Neil Simon's Prisoner of Second Avenue he and Gary Owens did the voice-over radio newscasts scattered throughout the film. He also hosted the pilot for one of Canada's most popular game shows, Definition, and during his days at WAGA-TV, was the announcer for the short-lived syndicated game show Matches 'n Mates with Art James.

He is retired in Atlanta and continues doing Industrial and Commercial Spokesman work. For a modest stipend - Dave also delivers a humorous talk about his broadcasting experiences and the personalities he's interviewed.

In the Fall of 2007, ILLUSTRATION Magazine published an article he wrote about his boyhood hero, Sports Cartoonist Willard Mullin - "Remembering Willard Mullin and the Lost Art of Sports Cartooning." When he was a teenager Mullin sent him an original drawing from The New York World Telegram. Dave never forgot his kindness.

References

1. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0584314/

External links

• Dave Michaels' personal website
• Video clip of Dave Michaels closing a Headline News half hour

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Name	Michaels, Dave
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Date of birth	1934
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