Straight Shooter-- Detroit radio sportscaster learned his 'Lesson' well

By Paul Janczewski Legal News A pre-teen Jeff Lesson grew up watching "Monday Night Football" and idolizing its bombastic and controversial announcer, Howard Cosell. Cosell, who appeared on the sportscast from 1970 through 1983, was among the most loved, and most despised, announcers of the generation, due to his pompous, know-it-all attitude. Besides his career as a sportscaster, Cosell was also an attorney. But Lesson, then 12, loved sports, and knew he wanted to follow Cosell's path into broadcasting. Now, more than three decades later, Lesson has become like Cosell, albeit on a smaller scale. Lesson has a radio gig on a Detroit sports station. And he is also an attorney. Lesson, 49, was born in Detroit and attended Southfield Lathrup High School. But he also began crafting his desire to get into broadcasting when he worked for WSHJ, a station out of Southfield High School in his school district. By the time he was 16, Lesson became the station's sports director. After high school, Lesson looked at his stint in radio as "a great opportunity. But Jerry and Joan Lesson wanted their child to continue his education and get into a good profession. So Lesson put broadcasting dreams on hold and entered Michigan State University, majoring in telecommunications and political science., Lesson decided to attend law school after graduating from MSU in 1982. "I had lot of lawyers and judges in the family while growing up," he said. A cousin, Richard Kaufman, was Chief Judge in Wayne County Circuit Court. His father, Charles Kaufman, was also a judge there years earlier. And he had uncles and other cousins in the profession. He clerked for family members while in law school, and then graduated from the Detroit College of Law in 1985. Lesson hooked up with a law firm and became involved in a general practice. "I enjoyed trials and interacting with people," he said. "I like being on my feet talking to people, moving around." But he still had the urge to work in radio, and late in 1985, Lesson said he saw a newspaper advertisement to work five minutes each week as a sports commentator on someone's paid show. Lesson said he doesn't remember who the person was, or what type of show, only that it was on WCAR, an AM station. He applied for, and got the job. "I got paid next to nothing," Lesson said. But money was not factor to him. He was back in broadcasting. And his work as a lawyer offered him the flexibility he needed to do both. From that short stint, Lesson said he cobbled together a tape of himself, and soon after he found himself working on the Associated Press network. WWJ 950 AM in Detroit was one of the affiliates. Eventually, it opened doors and he became known. He covered the Detroit Red Wings playoffs in the late 1980s, and Lesson said one night, the AP was "desperate" and needed a 20-second burst for one of its live updates. "To me, it was huge," he said. "They liked me, so they hired me as a stringer." His law practice was also beginning to take off. "I was building a pretty decent practice in law. But it was a pretty tough balancing act" with law and radio, he said. From stringing with AP, Lesson said that other networks - such as ESPN, ABC, and CBS - also sought him out. For some games, Lesson said he found himself stringing for a dozen networks in the same night. And he collected a paycheck from each of those. "I could make up to a couple hundred bucks for each game," Lesson said. He continued that for about eight years, putting in day hours in the courts and at law, and nights at various sporting events. Then came a call from WWJ. Lesson was asked to cover a hydroplane boat race. "I didn't know the first thing about boats and racing," he said. "But I had dreamed about working for WWJ since I was a kid." "From there, WWJ started calling me in as a fill-in sportscaster, and as a stringer. In 1996, they offered Lesson a job, "and I've been there ever since." Lesson started as a sportscaster on weekends, and an occasional fill in during the week, for a two-minute sportscast. Now, he works on WWJ AM and also on 97.1 The Ticket, in Farmington Hills, its FM station. He still juggles the hats of being a lawyer and a broadcaster. "I like helping people with the law. With radio, I try to keep them informed and entertained." In 1997, he started his own show, called "Lesson on Golf." It originally was a feature on WWJ, but has since grown to a one-hour show twice a week on 97.1 The Ticket, and generally airs from April through September. The show is in its 14th season, and has won awards as "Best Feature" from both the Associated Press and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, about 10 awards in all. The show features the best places to play golf in Michigan, tips from the golf pros he interviews, and also refers listeners to Lesson's website, Lessonongolf.com, where the public can receive half-off discounts to play golf and vacation at some of the state's best known courses. He said the website and the show complement each other. "I don't do many trials anymore, but I still handle all sorts of legal matters," he said. "Each profession tends to keep the other one fresh." Lesson continues to practice law in the Southfield and Livonia areas. And he says he'll continue to be a sports broadcaster, "for as long as they let me." Published: Thu, Jul 29, 2010

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