We are comm. - Fall 2008

Radio Legend Ed Ingles
Tricks of the Trade, Outlooks on Living and a lifetime in radio
by Alexandra Cortes

Ed Ingles has spent 53 years in broadcasting, 24 of them at CBS. He’s done sports broadcasting for the New York Jets and St. John’s University sports teams, and reported on 11 Olympics tournaments and 35 Masters golf-tournaments. He has 11 years under his belt as a professional in-resident at Hofstra University. Professionalism naturally exudes from this gentleman. Currently, he speaks with pride about his experience working with students at Hofstra’s WRHU radio for the occasion of the station’s 50th anniversary.

“The key [with teaching] is to take a lot of time with students, to teach them how to be pros,” he said. “Expectations are high in New York! Almost unrealistic. But, this year we’ve [Hofstra] beat out the big Universities in awards; the station’s come very far.”

The awards he refers to are the 2008 national Hearst journalism award, won by student Lauren Brookmeyer and the 2008 RTNDA (Radio TV News Directors Association) journalism competition won by Kim Saltmarsh.

Ingles’ method on professionalism correlates with working as a group. He says it takes camaraderie to bring about quality broadcasting, though it takes students giving up many of their own desires.

In this respect, he views himself as a mentor as well as a professional. He said:

“If students don’t want to listen, you’re not a mentor. They need to learn to put their personal desires on the back burner, but they need sense and pleasure to learn and feel good about themselves.”

A native of the Bronx, Ingles began his interest in radio at about ten years old. He says it “wowed” him at a young age, especially since his family loved sports broadcast. After spending four years in the Navy, he studied journalism at University of Georgia and then, in 1962, moved back to New York to work for New Jersey’s Daily News newspaper. From then he began his work at CBS as a sports broadcast director on AM radio. Television and network radio since then, he says, has become “overwhelming.”

“Things have changed,” he said. “When I started, we focused on the past. I learned from the few old-school writers at ‘Daily News.’ Now the sheer number of media people is enormous.”

Ingles first found himself at Hofstra in 1997 when he presented an award at the University. He was still a CBS sports broadcaster. Hofstra’s president at the time James M. Shuart gave Ingles a tour of the University and mentioned his desire to find more professionals to work within the school. Bruce Avery, then-and-current WRHU General Manager, then asked Ingles to come work as a professional in-resident.

“Avery really had a great thing going with the radio station,” said Ingles. “WRHU’s success is due a lot to him. His secret was to allow people to do what they had to do to make it work.”

Since then, he mentions, the station has been up-to-date and very successful.

On the change in technology, Ingles has only positive things to say. He emphasizes that although the growth in technology differs greatly from when he learned about broadcast, the demand for credibility and accuracy in the news remains the same. As a mentor to WRHU students, this gives him the ability to connect to and influence the future professionals.

“Technology drives us, so the way we teach is different,” he said. “One thing that’s remained is the style of writing, the good fundamentals.”

Working with the students, he says, is his best advice to any adult.

“If you’re an older person, hang out with young people!” he says with a laugh. “They have great energy and possess a very interesting view on life. Most importantly, they laugh at all your jokes.”