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NBA Play-by-Play Announcer Chuck Swirsky talks about his start at WOUB in new book
< < Back toThe book was released on October 26
ATHENS, OH – Chicago Bulls Radio Play-by-Play Announcer Chuck Swirsky has been collecting notes and stories his entire life, so he decided it was time to put all of them down on paper in a book. Always a Pleasure was released on October 26 and is a compilation of Swirsky’s life in and out of the landscape of sports broadcasting. It features stories about personalities and life-changing experiences that have shaped who he is. The book details Swirsky’s journey from Virginia to Chicago and heavily features a stop in Athens, Ohio at WOUB which helped enable him to benefit from the virtues of perseverance, passion, and positivity through the leadership and mentoring of others.
“One of my favorite stories from Ohio University and WOUB was when Willie Mays came to Athens, and I got to cover it,” said Swirsky. “The story is in the book, but I had to fly with Mays in a very small plane from Columbus to Athens, and he was not happy.”
Swirsky talks about how experience at Ohio University and WOUB helped to shape him.
“I am so appreciative of the professors and my WOUB colleagues for their support and assistance during my three-plus years on campus. I lived at the station 24-7. I am a proud graduate,” said Swirsky. “WOUB was a changing period in my life, a turning point. I will never forget how the school and WOUB embraced me and how in return I gave every ounce of energy I had to it.”
In the book, Swirksy also talks about how he learned the power of positivity, passion, purpose and perseverance when he was very young. Swirsky was in the 6th grade when his father died suddenly of a heart attack.
“He was only 50 years old,” said Swirsky. “I was at school on a Friday, and we had just sat down for lunch at our desks when the principal called my teacher, Mr. Filler, out to the hallway. After the principal left, Mr. Filler called me out into the hallway. All the other children in my class thought I was in trouble because I was kind of the class clown. But when I got out there, Mr. Filler told me my dad had died that morning. I fainted right there in the hallway.”
During the time after his father’s death, he saw his mom, who was a parochial school teacher, take on two additional jobs to put food on the table. And she did it with a positive attitude.
“Not once did she ever complain,” said Swirsky. “This was the hand we were dealt. We all pitched in and did things around the house. I learned that life is not a straight line. There are going to be setbacks, but also joy. There are going to be challenges and successes. You can’t get really too high or really too low. There will be some success. There will be some setbacks. And there will be some in between.”
As people read his book, Swirsky hopes they learn that you get out of life what you put into it. And he hopes those pursuing a media career like his grab every opportunity to grow.”
“Work hard and prepare to grind,” said Swirksy. “As your skillset develops over the years, you will make it. You make your own breaks. Media has changed. It’s a new frontier with opportunities in social media, streaming and podcasts. This is a wonderful time for young people to enter this new frontier. But it’s going to be very, very competitive.”
To purchase the book visit: chuckswirskythebook.com