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LESTER GRAHAM
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IFyou listen to talk radio, you may be familiar with Lester Graham, the host of The Environment Report at Michigan Radio. As a journalist, photographer, painter, and co-author of a book on craft cocktails, Cheers to Michigan, his endeavors provide countless stories and experiences of interest. But, more importantly, his contributions to journalism through reporting on essential topics attest to his heartfelt desire to make a real difference in the world.
Graham is a Tecumseh resident since moving there in 2009 to live in his wife’s hometown. While he has worked from his home studio for the last 18 months, something he says he’s done during different periods of his 23 years with Michigan Radio, he misses certain aspects of working at the main studios in Ann Arbor, which he will return to in October.
Since cutting his teeth in journalism in 1985, Graham has reported on public policy, politics, environmental issues, and issues regarding race and gender inequity.
Graham has served as a news director for public radio stations, as a board member of Public Radio News Directors Inc., and as President of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association. In addition, he has consistently remained a member of various professional groups, including the Radio-Television Digital News Association and Society of Professional Journalists.
Boasting 15 first-place national awards for journalism excellence and more than 100 awards at the state, regional, national, and international levels, his contributions through quality journalism have received widespread praise.
Journalism matters – even in the age of technology and social media, where it seems that everything you could want to know, see, read, or listen to is at the tip of the finger. Quality of journalistic content is crucial to its survival, and that has remained Graham’s focus throughout his career. His approach is simple, “I always strive to be better than expected.” Graham says he strives to be better and do more than his editors expect of him. His willingness to go above and beyond is evident through his work. Now a seasoned and respected journalist known throughout Michigan and beyond, Graham continues to dig deep into little-known issues, as well as popular topics and often overlooked incumbrances.
He posits that high-quality journalism revolves around the drive to dig and uncover truths. “Journalism gives hope – there are
Lester Graham
Story by Christine MacIntyre Photo submitted by NPR Michigan Radio
journalists out there who seek truth every day because they want to produce unbiased reports. I’d rather think of a story that nobody else is doing at all and shine a light on what people don’t know about.”
As a testament to the potential for journalism to truly count, Graham’s previous article on lead abatement led to an increase in the state budget for the hazard. In addition, after completing a series regarding pollutions’ negative effect on asthma, he received a note from a state representative thanking him for his work. “You don’t know what kind of difference you make. This kind of thing makes me happy because it shows that you’re hitting the right buttons and making a real difference,” Graham says.
The Environmental Report explores the relationship between the natural world and people’s everyday lives in Michigan, investigating issues such as oil spills in lakes, harmful invasives, pollution, and climate change and how they affect the Great Lakes. Additional topics include coal ash contamination or how cities are turning to natural infrastructure to deal with extreme rain events, to name a few.
Graham began college with the desire to be a disc jockey. “Everyone wants to be a DJ. That’s the cool job that everyone wants,” he says. However, after completing his first news course, he switched gears to news broadcasting and journalism. “[News] was attractive to me – it’s more important. That’s where it started. I kept taking news courses,” he says.
Common to many occupations, the best education and training was his first job with the station WBGZ Illinois. “I had a good news director. He really pushed me hard; it was an invaluable experience.”
Mentors throughout his career include the late Tim Emmons and the late David Candow. “[Tim Emmons] had an excellent feel for how to communicate news better. David Candow became known in public radio and coined as the ‘host whisperer,’” Graham says, adding that Candow held training programs during which time the two became close. “Both of these gentlemen taught me how to communicate better,” he says. He learned how to make a news story something to which people would want to read or listen. “When you’re an early journalist, it’s all about facts; you are dead set on getting the facts down. There is no greater context; there is no analysis of any kind,” he says. With time and practice, journalists such as Graham learn to spend time setting the scene, focusing on sound, and amping up the story’s overall quality through such details.
Apart from the fact that his job involves talking or telling the story on air, it is all about writing. “The trick is to learn to write the way you speak so that when you tell the story, it sounds like a conversation rather than sounding like you’re reading a report,” he says. Humans learn to write one way and talk another. We know to write in different ways that allow the content to read naturally; however, Graham has learned to transform his writing to sound natural to his listeners. These nuances lead to an interactive program that grasps listeners’ attention and interest.
After 35 years, feeling bored or feeling as though the work is dry and mundane is inevitable. However, Graham says there are always new ways to tell a story. “If it’s important enough, you’ll find a way.” Being involved with the environment beat is paramount to his career because he is passionate about the topics. “There’s science and facts involved and not as much politics,” he says. “When it comes to science, there’s an evolving science, sure, but you also know at least it has been researched and peerreviewed, and you can be confident in the information. So while people may not be fond of everything Graham reports, it isn’t wrong – it isn’t merely an opinion.
While fresh, young reporters straight out of college may have a bit more pep in their step or fire under them, Graham holds his own in his profession. “What helped me get where I am today is I would do the story, then take it two steps further than anyone else to make it better. I wanted to exceed my editors’ expectations every chance I got,” he says.
As he advanced in the field, people have sought him out for mentorship. “It’s been fun working with some people who I was fortunate enough to have sought me out,” he says. “There are limits to our knowledge, both of the professional and knowledge of the world in general, especially when we’re young.” Graham strives to give those seeking advice “big feet.” He hopes to instill a sense of passion in them and teach them the technical aspects of the business, including audio quality, equipment, audio production, and more. “I hope to give young people a broad knowledge of the world,” he adds.
While his career is a priority, Graham is passionate about photography and consistently captures magnificent photographs of nature and wildlife. “Photography is the pursuit of beauty – even if you never find exactly what you’re looking for or what you’ve set out to take photographs of, you can still find beauty,” he says. His social media page is sprinkled with photographs taken in Tecumseh and the surrounding area often portray his interest of the natural world.
Graham has demonstrated through his lengthy, productive career in radio news broadcasting and reporting that journalism matters. Moreover, his achievements in life, both professional and otherwise, set the bar high. Fortunately, much can be learned from him, as he blazed a path for those of us just starting out to learn from and follow. n
