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 Larry Morrow
Larry Morrow is one of the best known and respected personalities in Ohio. In 1979, Mayor Voinovich proclaimed Larry as “Mr. Cleveland.” Larry is known as "The Presidents Man." When Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton came to Cleveland, Larry was asked to introduce them.
Honorary Major Lawrence D. Morrow, USMC, traveled to Viet Nam at the height of the war in 1969 to bring interviews of Cleveland area boys home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. He has also worked with over 150 charities in Cleveland.
In 1979, during Cleveland’s turn-a-round, Larry played an important role. From his # 1 rated prestigious morning show on 3WE, Larry made sure that everyone knew Cleveland was the greatest city in America to live, work, play and raise a family.
When Cleveland celebrated its bicentennial in 1996, Larry was asked to MC and introduce President Clinton and actress Debra Winger. There were over 450,000 in attendance, the largest crowd ever assembled in Cleveland.
In 2000 Larry was the MC and help cut the ribbon for the opening of the brand new Cleveland Browns Stadium. Larry also appeared on the 100 anniversary of the Drew Carey show.
Larry is a 1980 graduate of Leadership Cleveland and a 2006 graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy.
Click here to email Larry Morrow.
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Balancing information and entertainment
Dawn is breaking...
As the morning sun slowly rises over the horizon, you can hear alarm clocks going off all over your city rattling brains into oblivion. “WHAT TIME IS IT?
Most working people wake up at 6:30am, out of the house by 8am and arrive at their destination by 8:30am. So you have 2 hours to inform, entertain and climb into the heads and hearts of your listeners.
The average morning-show listener needs a lot of important information to get their body engines started and running. And they need it subliminally. If you were to ask each of them, individually, what is it they need in the morning? Most wouldn’t be able to answer the question; it’s in their subconscious. During several of my “ weekly “Breakfast Breaks”, which consisted of me going to an office with donuts and coffee, I would spend at least an hour with my listeners retrieving precious information on how they got up, prepared themselves for work and how much time they spent on the road. What turned them on? More importantly, what turned them off?
Just for a moment, let’s put ourselves in the mind of a 25-40-year old female whose two young children have to be on the school bus by 7:15, her husband at the airport by 8 and she at an important appointment across town by 8:30. In her life this morning, time is one of the most critical elements because every minute counts. I truly believe you cannot give the time too often in morning drive. Secondly, what’s the weather? Oh oh, it’s raining. Where are their raincoats? Where’s my umbrella? Thirdly, the traffic. My husband has to get to the airport and I have to be on the other side of the city in 45 minutes. Oh no, my expressway is blocked? How long is the delay? How do I get around it? I can’t be late!
You see the role you play balancing information and entertainment, especially in music driven formats, only a magician can pull off. Those who do it day in and day out are
the ones whose audiences are so loyal they cannot start their day without them. Your morning team may not be as clever or as funny as your cross town rival but if you own the information blocks-you win. When the mercury hits 100 degrees on a sun baked morning or it’s a blinding snowstorm paralyzing the city, your audience comes to you. When you make good decisions based on critical information, those decisions will translate into profitable actions.
Once you deliver the critical information needed to start their day, what is it you know about them that’s meaningful and will keep them entertained on their 20-minute ride to work? What are they thinking about? What do you know about their kids? What venues do their families go to on weekends or vacations you can talk about? Nothing massages the heart faster than for you to zero in on the things that add to their quality of life. Go to the places they go. Visit their schools, their offices, and their malls. See the movies they see and read the books they read.
I once took our news/talk on-air staff to a popular news stand in Cleveland. I said, “Look at all the best sellers. See the covers of these magazines, that’s what America is talking about. Your job is to find the angle.” How will you cut through the darkness and shed light on what’s really important? Numb their pain. Find the sunshine in them.
The planning and strategic execution of your Flight Plan re-assures you and guarantees your audience and informative and entertaining journey to their destination.
Nothing massages the heart faster than for you to zero in on the things that add to their quality of life. Go to the places they go. Visit their schools, their offices and their malls. See the movies they see and read the books they read.
Popular writer of children’s books, Cynthia Tobias, in describing one of her characters, said, “How you imagine the world is the way you live in it.” How prolific. That’s your job. To know and understand how the world and your morning audience come together. When you do, you will differentiate and distinguish yourself and your radio station from all the others. It’s hard, diligent and thoughtful work. The morning teams who astonish me the most are the ones who, despite all the bad news out there, find a way to leave their morning audiences, informed, entertained and most of all, lifted up!
The axiom works:
- Fill out and execute your Flight Plan.
- Go to them first, and then they’ll come to you.
- Be the nerve center of their lives.
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