(UB-Day marks the birthdays of people born between 1955 and 1964. If you want to know more, please read this post.)
Michael Main (6/28/1957)
This may be an apocryphal story, but it’s fascinating anyway. On March 30, 1981, following the assassination attempt on President Reagan’s life, ABC news anchor Frank Reynolds was live on the air when he appeared to lose his composure. The conversation in the control went something like this:
“Damn! Frank’s losing his composure! What can we do?”
“I’ve got it! Quick! Get me that Michael Main fellow from Texas!
“No can do, chief.”
“Why not?”
“He’s in Texas.”
“Damn! Oh, all right. Get me that Koppel guy!”
And history was made. Or so they say.
Michael Main clawed his way up the journalism ladder, leaving claw marks and everything. Raised on the mean streets of New York, orphaned as an adolescent, sent to Texas to live with relatives, Michael attended the University of North Texas and quickly made a name for himself (lacking in imagination, he just used the same name he always had, though).
He’s currently a popular radio news anchor in San Antonio, although his dulcet tones can be heard as far away as north San Antonio. He’s known as The Main Man, The Voice of South Texas, and sometimes Pepe.
Michael is married to the lovely Amy Main, and is stepfather to three apparently outstanding young adults, for whom he takes little credit, but then. I’m giving him some of the credit. I know Michael a little, and he seems pretty credit-worthy.
You should maybe meet some of my other friends, though.
Of note: According to legal experts, Michael will always be one year and 28 days older than I am.
Aside from the dulcet tones thing (not covered by health insurance), Michael is active in his church community, has some very strange pets, and writes a blog at MichaelMain.com.
Trivia: If you ever run across Michael, introduce yourself as “Wayne” and watch for the expression on his face. It helps if you’re armed. Also, I’ve been in his house and it’s not as messy as he says.
Age Today: 50.
Shares Birthday With: Mary Stuart Masterson (41), John Cusack (41), John Elway (47), Kathy Bates (59), Sen. Carl Levin (73), Dr. Hans Blix (79), Mel Brooks (81), and A. E. Hotchner (87).
7 responses so far ↓
Michael Main // Jun 28, 2007 at 8:47 am
You couldn’t find ANY ÃœberBoomer more noteworthy for this date of significance, you had to dig this deep?
Truly, I feel honored, considering there is some speculation that Osama Bin Laden shares the same birth date (albeit that is unconfirmed)…his bio certainly would lessen the need for “apocryphal” (I had to look that one up by way) creativity.
For the record, when President Reagan was shot I was the “News Department” of KDNT AM radio in Denton, TX. I had no national radio network, no TV, just a GIANT UPI wire machine.
The station was located on the ranch of the owner, which was also home to several hundred head of cattle. Station employees often considered the cows were the more favored occupants, although many feared our fates would eventually merge.
Looking back, a radio station in the middle of a cattle ranch there is a certain metaphoric irony in that much of what cows produce, radio air personalities spew as well, albeit from differing orifices and I ain’t talking milk.
It was the epitome of small town radio. Initially I started the days broadcasts by reading off a list of dead people…not celebrities, just anyone who died in Denton County with the exception of a very brief moment in time when I was forced to host an early morning agricultural show called “Farm Out with Michael Main.” Mercifully that experiment in ignorance ended when somehow the program’s only sponsor got a quick lesson in radio from some still unidentified person and realized the show went on the air so early in the morning that the station was still on low power, meaning unless you were among the privileged bovines sharing the acreage with the radio station your chances of hearing it were virtually nil. He pulled his commercials and my Farm Editor title vanished. I didn’t mourn the loss, and the cows didn’t seem to notice either.
Anyway on that day UPI provided me with the following information: “SHOTS HAVE BEEN FIRED AT THE PRESIDENT!”
That was it.
For about 2 hours.
I remember reading that a lot…tap dancing, ad libbing…begging the DJ to play a really long song…I think I finally called someone who had a TV and asked them to give me information, any information so I could stop saying “Shots have been fired at the President!”
I survived…so did President Reagan…it’s debatable who endured more suffering though.
Thanks for the notoriety…I will always remember this tribute…:)
Much like I recall the old saying, “Pay back is Hell.”
Seriously, I feel honored to be the featured Ãœberboomer…although I have my suspicions I was selected because Julie said, “You sure seem to be picking a lot of females lately.”
Grace & Peace,
MM
Michael Main // Jun 28, 2007 at 8:48 am
P.S. I hate those damn smiley faces…but I could just be a cranky old fart.
Deb // Jun 28, 2007 at 10:41 am
Happy Birthday Michael! I hope to have the honor of meeting you sometime soon. Meeting you would have been an honor before but now that you’re a “UB-Day” man well, it will be a double honor!
Carroll // Jun 28, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Awwww, what an EXCELLENT choice for today
g // Jun 28, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Finally some info on the infamous MM of “Chuck” and “RLP” fame!
I’ll bet time with the two of you would be more than entertaining.
Mrs. Main // Jun 29, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Wow, Chuck. This was pretty cool of you to do.
He is a remarkable man without whom I would be lost. He is my rock and my one true thing (speaking strictly of earthly things, lest anyone think I worship Michael more than God :-)). If you think his blog writing is good, you should read some of his love letters to me. He’s quite the romantic. However, in his very first letter to me, he wrote something like, “I’ve worked very hard to maintain the image of a sarcastic caustic schmuck and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say or do anything that would undermine those efforts.” Basically, he didn’t want anyone to know that he was a softie at heart.
That was about 14 years ago, give or take, and he’s long since dropped that image. He’ll cry if a cute McDonald’s commercial comes on the tube. And, contrary to what he said in his post about his Father’s Day gift from the kids, he did more than “get misty” or “tear up.”
He is an amazing husband, a great stepdad (at least from my perspective), and he loves me in the Ephesians 5 way :-). Who could ask for anything more?
I will have to agree with him on one “main point” …. he IS a cranky old fart. But he’s MY cranky old fart! I love you, Mr. Main.
Thanks again, Chuck. You’re a dear man for whom Michael carries a great deal of respect.
amy/mrs. main/me (and, in some circles, mamie or evangelina)
g // Jun 29, 2007 at 6:42 pm
MM is not the only “romantic”! I would call the above comment a love letter from Mrs. Main to her husband, and I wish them many happy, romantic years (and wishes for good health to Evangelina).
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