Listen Up! It's Radiothon Day!

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It’s finally here… As I write this the 27th Annual Salvation Army 16 Hour Radiothon benefiting the Bed and Bread Club is underway live at the Oakland Mall and being broadcast live on 760 AM WJR. 

This is THE major fundraiser for this amazing program that feeds 5000 men, women, and children every day - 365 days a year - and shelters nearly 600 people a night.  

A donation of $10 a month ($120 a year) FEEDS ONE  PERSON FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR; $20 a month ($240 a year) FEEDS TWO PEOPLE FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR.  If you are able to donate $240 - you’ll receive a commemorative "Bed & Bread Truck Snow Globe" (How appropriate for this record breaking winter! ) as a reminder of your kindness and generosity. But whatever you can afford to give is welcome and appreciated!

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And I am thrilled that Big Al, Jackie & I will be back behind the mics to host the 4pm to 8pm segment of today's Radiothon.  It's a "Purtan's People" Reunion and it couldn't be for a more worthy cause. 

There are thousands of people in our community who count on The Bed & Bread Program - funded exclusively by your donations - to survive.  For many it is the difference between eating or going hungry;  Sleeping in a freezing cold abandoned building or in a warm Salvation Army Shelter.  In reality, for so many men, women and children, it’s the difference between life and death. And with the snow and sub-zero temperatures we've endured this year, I can honestly say that need has never been greater. 

I thank you so much for your support and contributions over the years and hope that - like me - today you’ll be donating by calling 248-528-0760 or going to www.wjr.com!

-Dick

Happy Birthdaze!!!!!

Welcome to July 1st…the start of my Birthday Month Festival, and the day after my daughter (and Web and Podcasting partner) Jackie’s Birthday! She arrived at 9:03pm on June 30th…or as I like to say, she was “Born on the Cusp of July”! 

Speaking of getting older, Saturday night the Rolling Stones performed in front of a crowd of 170,000 in England, and got rave reviews! Not bad for a band who’s aggregate age is 276! One reviewer said “The last time they performed in front of that many people was when they played the Stonehenge Opening Ceremony in 2300BC”. (I always thought it was when they played in Egypt at the opening of the Great Pyramid in 3000BC!)

Lots more in our daily blog, plus our weekly Podcast, now at www.dickpurtan.com.

Have a great week!

-Dick 

"And The Emmy Goes To..."

Congratulations to my daughter JoAnne for winning the Television Emmy for “Best TV News Anchor” in Michigan! Way to go Jo!!! You made this father extra proud on Father’s Day!

Chelsea Clinton says it’s time for a woman in the Oval Office… Apparently she was too young to remember all the one’s her Dad had there.

Lindsay Lohan has transferred from the Betty Ford Center to a Rehab in Malibu…Turns out Betty Ford only had Pepsi products, but the new one has Coke! 

More…plus my latest Podcast (#82) now @ www.dickpurtan.com.

P.S. Hope you all (especially you Dads) had a Happy Father’s Day!

-Dick 

"And The Winner Is...YOU!"

Thanks so much for your generous donations to Friday’s 26th Annual Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon! Over $1.3 Million was raised which will feed thousands of local people everyday!
Meanwhile, Oscar host Seth MacFarlane did a great job with funny and edgy material last night. I thought he was one of the best Oscar hosts ever…following in the footsteps of Billy Crystal! Check out some of my favorite Academy Award moments from last night @www.dickpurtan.com. And again, thanks for your support!

 

I'm Baaaacck! (With Important News!!!)

Hi there…

It’s been a while since I’ve sent out an e-mail but this is too important to miss! 

The 26th Annual Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon is just two days away…this Friday, Feb. 22, live from the Oakland Mall! I’ll be broadcasting all 16 hours - from 6am to 10pm on 760 WJR - as we once again raise vital funds that feed 5000 men, women & children every day, 365 days a year, and shelters more than 400 Metro Detroiters every night. 

Your donation of $10 a month (that’s $120 a year) FEEDS ONE PERSON FOR ONE ENTIRE YEAR! Or if you can afford $20 a month ($240 a year), you’ll be feeding TWO PEOPLE FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR.

Every penny raised during the Radiothon goes directly to this incredible feeding program. There are 4 “Bed and Bread” Trucks that head out to the streets loaded with food everyday, no matter the weather. They literally take what is often the only meal of the day right to the people. No other city in the country has this unique and essential program!  

If you prefer, you can donate right now by going to www.dickpurtan.com and clicking on the “Donate Now” button, or simply call 1-248-528-0760. The phone lines are up and running and Salvation Army volunteers are ready to take your call! 

The need is great and any donation you can afford will be greatly appreciated! 

Thank you so much…

-Dick

P.S. You can also watch live-streaming of the entire event @ wjr.com as well as on Channel’s 2, 4, & 7’s websites.  

 

Welcome to October!

Tigers’ magic number to clinch American League Central Division title down to 1! 

Cabrera looking good for winning ALC Triple Crown! (The only Tiger to ever win the American League Triple Crown Championship was Ty Cobb… and that was in the year 1909! Just a 103 short years ago!)

Lions lose to Vikings - almost made me wish we had the replacement refs back so they could have made some bad calls in our favor! 

Both Obama and Romeny Camps trying to “lower voter expectations” for performances during Wednesday’s 1st Presidential debate.  Both agree that best strategy is to let Joe Biden warm up the crowd! 

Have a great day, week and month! And don’t forget to check out my daily blog and my latest Podcast (#59) right now @ www.dickpurtan.com.

-Dick

So Much For The "Decline Of America"!

As the American athletes leave London with the most overall Medals, 104… and the most Golds, 46, Team USA gave us more reasons that we’re all “Proud To Be Americans”! 

And what a spectacular Closing Cermony last night! Congratulations to our British Cousins across the pond for hosting, not just a great finish, but two-weeks of incredible competition that came off without a glitch! 

On a personal note, today I start training for the 2016 Games in Rio. I’ll be competing in the “Solo Synchronized Swimming” event! 

-Dick

BTW…tomorrow, Tues. the 14th at 5pm, is the deadline for nominating your favorite charity in the Suburban Collection’s “Great Charity Giveaway”! There’s a total of $40,000 to be awarded. To nominate, just click on any SC ad @ www.dickpurtan.com

Welcome to Monday!

US Olympic team in England continues to score with 28 Gold, 14 Silver, 19 Bronze…and 50 Shades of Grey! 

It’s National Fresh Breath Day… 

The Tigers breathed “Fresh Breath” into their season last night with an incredible 2-out, 4-run, bottom-of-the-tenth rally to beat the Indians 10-8.  

And you can breathe fresh air into your favorite local charity by going to www.dickpurtan.com right now and clicking on any one of the Suburban Collection ads. They’re giving away $40,000 to be shared by 10 local charities. Nominate your favorite right now @ www.dickpurtan.com!

Thanks and have a great day! 

-Dick 

The Face Of Evil...

Colorado: How do we begin to comprehend the incomprehensible? We’ve been through this before… and unfortunately probably will be again. As a clearly disturbed “Joker” appears in court for the first time, I share my thoughts and feelings about this tragedy @ www.dickpurtan.com

-Dick

Annual Purtan Family "Birthday Blast"!

July is the big Birthday month in the Purtan Family, including mine on the 11th. (Like I didn’t mentioned that on the radio show every year!).  Although his birthday is in January, I couldn’t resist putting up a picture of the newest family member, taken yesterday at our annual “Dick-Jessica-Preston & Jack’s Birthday Party!”

It’s 5 1/2 month-old Brayden, the son of my daughter Julie and her husband Brad. Pardon me for bragging… but he’s a pretty cute kid, huh? 

Check out today’s blog - including some info on the passing of Ernest Borgnine - right now @ dickpurtan.com

Have a great day and a great week!

-Dick 

Decisions... Decisions!!!

No decision on Obamacare from Supremes today.  Looks like it will be Thursday. Delay causing great anxiety. Big question: Will that be covered under President’s plan?

Have a great day! 

-Dick 

 

Hope You Remembered Your Mother On Father's Day Because...

… If your Mother hadn’t married your Father, would your Father be your Father? So you should always remember Mom on Father’s Day! 

I had a great Father’s Day… I hope you did too! 

We start the week with some good news: If you live in higher altitudes, researchers say you have a better chance of living longer. So congrats to those of you who live in Mt. Clemens, Mt. Pleasant or on Mt. Elliott Street!!! 

Since I made it a long Father’s Day Weekend, we have an encore Podcast from last March entitled, “While Dad’s Away… aka… ‘The Purtan Girls Gone Wild!’”. For those of you into numbers, it’s Podcast #35. You can find it on the dickpurtan.com homepage or just click on the link right here! Encore Podcast 

Have a great day! 

-Dick 

 

"A Purtan Family Affair"

In case you missed it over the weekend, Podcast #46 is up! It features me and three of my daughters… Jill, Julie and Jackie talking about Jill’s recent wedding, Julie’s new baby Brayden and Jackie’s new… uh… well not really anything. She says compared to getting married and giving birth, her life is pretty much a snoozer right now!

Despite that, we manage to talk about everything from new research that proves there really is an “Old Person Smell” to Rolling Stone magazine’s recent pick for the “Worst Song Ever”. They picked Starships’ “We Built This City”… but we have a few suggestions of our own.  

You can listen to the Podcast by going to iTunes, the DickPurtan.com homepage or simply by clicking on the following link. 

Purtan Podcast #46: “A Purtan Family Affair”

Have a great week! 

-Dick

Surprise! I'm Back!

Happy Monday! 

It’s been a while. Either things have been crazy busy or I just haven’t had that much to say. You decide. 

But I’m back with what turned out to be the rather ironically-timed passing of famed “Hogan’s Heroes” and “Family Feud” star Richard Dawson at the age of 79. I say ironic because less than two weeks ago, my Podcast featured former “Purtan’s Person” Tom Delisle, who worked with Richard Dawson in California for years. He wrote more than 20 monologues for the witty Brit that Richard used when he filled in as guest host for Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show”. Through our discussion, we not only got great stories about Johnny Carson - but also about Richard Dawson himself. Tom spent a lot of time with him over the years as both his writer and his friend. 

If you haven’t heard the Podcast (#44) you can find it on iTunes, the DickPurtan.com homepage, or by simply clicking on the following link. 

Hope you enjoy it, and as Richard used to say… “Give us a kiss luv!” 

-Dick 

Purtan Podcast #44

Liquidating Ohio State!!!

Big Congrats to both Michigan and Michigan State for making it into the NCAA Big Dance! And especially to the Spartans for winning the Big Ten Basketball Title by Liquidating Ohio State 68-64! 

Regarding what to do about my recently shaved ‘stache, which I “liquidated” enabling us to raise $100,000 for the Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon… I’m still in limbo.  I haven’t shaved that area in a week-and-a-half… leaving me looking like a cross between Justin Bieber and Rosie O’Donnell. To see the original video of me shaving it off at the Salvation Army Headquarters on March 1st, just click on the following link. Dick Shaves Legendary Stache For Cash! 

For today’s blog… and my latest Podcast (A musical stroll, twist and watusi down Memory Lane), I’ll see you over at DickPurtan.com

Have a great day! 

-Dick 

 

 

Have A Super-Duper Super Tuesday!

It’s Super Tuesday in ten states today… here in Michigan, where we already voted, it’s just “So-So Tuesday”!

Speaking of patriotism… every person should be proud of their country. And Kazakhstanians are certainly no exception! Thus on today’s blog at DickPurtan.com we offer up a short clip of Sasha Baron Cohen singing his country’s national anthem at an American rodeo in his movie “Borat”

Speaking of “clips”… vasectomies are in the news.  And I’ll tell you why Christmas is so much sexier than Valentines day!

And btw… as you may know… I performed a “vasectomy” on my mustache last week to make good on a promise that ended up raising $100,000 for the Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon.

Still deciding whether to grow it back. Your input appreciated! 

Have a great day and I’ll meet you over @ DickPurtan.com

1.7 Million Thanks To You!

Thanks to all of you who contributed to the 25th Annual Salvation Army Bed and Bread Club Radiothon that took place last Friday and was heard on 760 WJR. Last year WJR raised $1.5 million to feed the hungry and homeless. This year I was fortunate enough to co-host the radiothon, and you responsed with an increased total amount of $1,733,977. Many thanks for your heartfelt contributions. That money will feed 5,000 people a day for the next 365 days. Once again, an amazing response from my readers and listeners on DickPurtan.com.

Over the last 2 years, I have moved from radio, to a website and now a podcast, and you have been there with me every step of the way. When I have done the Salvation Army Bed and Bread Club Radiothon every year with exception of last year, I am proud and amazed at what we, together, have been able to accomplish and this year is no exception. I thank you for that. 

-Dick

P.S. We have a picture gallery of photos from our day at Oakland Mall.

P.S.S. Don’t forget to check out Podcast 31, it was posted over the weekend instead of Friday because of the Radiothon. Tom Delisle joins us again and we discuss Coleman Young, UFOs and the story Tom teased last time about Ricky Gervais. 

My Last Radiothon...

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! The 25th Anniversary Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon kicks off Friday morning at 6am - live from the Oakland Mall on 760 WJR.  And as always, it will run a full 16-hours until it wraps up at 10pm. 

I will be out at the mall, behind the mic one last time, along with “Purtan’s People”, and the guys from WJR as we raise funds for this amazing program which feeds 5000 men, women and children every day of the year. (Even on big snow days!) For many, it’s the ONLY meal they’ll get all day. 

While any amount you can give is appreciated, A donation of $120 (that’s $10 a month) feeds one person for an entire year; A donation of $240 (that’s $20 a month) feeds two people for an entire year and gets you a throw blanket featuring the artwork seen here. And not one penny goes to administrative costs - every single cent goes towards providing hearty soup, sandwiches, fruit, hot chocolate, coffee, lemonade - whatever the season calls for - to people who are desperately in need.  


And so now, once again, I’m asking you to find it in your heart to help those who are in less fortunate circumstances.  

I hope you will tune in as we broadcast live on 760 WJR; listen to the live stream on WJR.com; or stop by the Mall! You can even donate right now by calling 248-528-0760 or clicking on the following link. Donate Now.

I thank you so much for your support and look forward to a busy and successful 25th Anniversary Radiothon tomorrow! 

-Dick

Now… to hear one of my all-time favorite bits from the radio show featuring Howard Cosell at the Iditarod… go to DickPurtan.com!

 

Huge News Day...

- Red Wings get 20 straight wins at home (only three teams have done that!)

- Adelle gets 6 wins at Grammy’s. She had laser throat surgery and came back strong. I had the exact same injury years ago (a polyp and burst blood vessel on vocal cord) and was told by doctors I couldn’t talk for three weeks. How come the ratings went up while I was off the air?  

- And of course the biggest news of all… Whitney Houston dead at the age of 48. The latest reports say that she took sedatives and drownd in the bathtub. What a voice! And, unfortunately, what a seemingly self-induced tragedy. To watch and hear her amazing rendition of the National Anthem, recorded at the 1991 Super Bowl, go to DickPurtan.com

Note: I’ll be back behind the mic at the 25 Annual Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon on Friday, February 24th - 6am to 10pm - on 760 WJR! 

Have a great day! 

-Dick 

 

Small Step For Man... Giant Leap For Manning!

Monday morning Quarter-Backing…

- Manning beats Brady again. But Brady could have used some support from his receivers by actually holding on to the ball. (Just ask his wife Giselle Bunchen who said, “My husband can’t “bleeping” catch the ball and throw the ball at the same time!)

- U of M represented well with Mario Manningham making the big catch for the Giants. 

- Spectacular halftime show with Madonna - although at times she looked like a cross between Lady Gaga and Betty White. 

- Between Madonna and Clint Eastwood, kids thought they were watching Nickelodeon. 

More on the Big Game, the Halftime Show and the favorite (and cheapest) commercial right now @ DickPurtan.com

NOTE: Don’t forget “Comedy For A Cause” to raise money for the Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon tomorrow, Tuesday night, at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle on Fourth Street in Royal Oak. I’ll be there along with 6 very funny comedians, including one of my favorites - Mike Green! Tickets $25 - including free BBQ & Salsa. Doors open at 6p.m. Showtime 7:30! Call 248-542-9900 for reservations. 

See you tomorrow night! 

-Dick