Myron Earl Grossman

Retired broadcast pioneer, Mel Grossman, passed away at age 90 in Centerville, Ohio.

He is survived by his wife Shelley; three children, Linda Huotilainen (Kalevi) of Indianapolis, Julie McElfresh of Moravia, NY and Todd Grossman (Christi) of Centerville, Ohio; three step-children, Joe Halladay (Carol) of Talkeetna, Alaska, Jennifer Cameron (Jim) of Seldovia, Alaska, and Christine Halladay of Flowery Branch, Georgia; four grandchildren, Kelley, Erin and Ryan McElfresh and Jessa Grossman; four step-grandchildren, Meredith and Michaela Cameron, Kylie and Kenna Beaman; and his sisters, Mildred Grossman of Waverly, Ohio and Lucinda Herschel of Webster Grove, Missouri.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Homer and Lula Grossman of Alliance, Ohio; brother, Herbert of Jacksonville, Florida; and granddaughter, Sarah Grossman of Columbus, Ohio.

An American Broadcast Pioneer, Grossman’s 53-year career in radio and television broadcasting included on-air, sales and management positions from 1953-2006. A native of Alliance, Ohio, he fell in love with on–air broadcasting as an Alliance High student quiz show participant on WFAH-FM. He held a B.S. degree in Speech-Radio from Kent State University, and an M.A. in radio-television programming from The Ohio State University.

Grossman started his professional on-air career in 1953 at WHKK, Akron, Ohio as a weekend announcer, later briefly becoming its ‘morning man.’ Later on-air positions included WBNS Radio, Columbus, Ohio; WJJY-FM, Brainerd, Minnesota; and WREL-FM and NewsTalk 1450, Lexington, Virginia. He served as Merchandising Director for WBNS-TV, Columbus from 1958-62 before leaving to become sales promotion director of H-R Representatives and H-R Television, NYC, where he and his family resided in Montclair, New Jersey. Later he became Vice-President, Sales Development for H-R Television, returning to Columbus Dispatch-owned WBNS-TV in 1972 as national sales manager before being transferred to Indianapolis as general sales manager of the corporation’s newly acquired WLW-I, an ABC affiliate which later became WTHR-TV, an NBC affiliate.

Grossman retired briefly from broadcast management during 1983-1988 to purchase and run a Northwoods housekeeping resort – Eagle’s Nest - in Nisswa, Minnesota with his wife Shelley, returning to television in 1988 as vice-president, general manager of WOGX-TV, Ocala, Florida, a Wabash Valley Broadcasting station owned and operated by the Hulman-George family of Indianapolis Motor Speedway fame. During his tenure, the station became the number one rated Fox affiliate in the country. In 1994, he was transferred by the corporation to Indianapolis to put WNDY-TV on the air before becoming Vice-President, Corporate Relations. He and his wife retired to Lexington, Virginia in 1998, then re-retired to Bristol Village in Waverly, Ohio in 2007 where he continued volunteer broadcast and PR activities.

The Grossmans moved to Bellbrook, Ohio in 2015 where most recently he was a columnist for the Xenia (Ohio) Gazette. He was active in the Pike County Ohio Republican Party, prior serving as Chairman of the Rockbridge County, Virginia, Republican Party. He was also active in church work as a trustee of Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio, and as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Montclair, New Jersey. He was a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow and a founding member of the Zeta Zeta Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. Pastimes included writing, table tennis, golf, and woodworking.

Contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, Kent State University or Ohio State University, in behalf of radio-television majors, or the Alliance (Ohio) High School Alumni Association.