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Dennis Wholey (born July 2, 1939) is an American television host and producer, and the author of a number of
Wholey then became the host of the morning show ''AM Detroit'' on
Biography of Dennis Wholey at ''This is America with Dennis Wholey'' website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wholey, Dennis American television talk show hosts American game show hosts Living people People from Cranston, Rhode Island Television in Detroit 1939 births
self-help
Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subs ...
books, one of which was a ''New York Times'' bestseller. He currently hosts ''This is America & The World with Dennis Wholey'', an interview program shown throughout the U.S. on public television stations and distributed worldwide on Voice of America Television.
Life and career
The son of an attorney father and a librarian mother, Wholey received aB.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree from the Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
in 1959. He started his media career as a tour guide for NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
in New York City and then became the host of a radio talk show, ''The Age of Involvement'', on WBAI-FM
WBAI (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to New York, New York. Its programming is a mixture of political news, talk and opinion from a left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoint, and eclectic music ...
. He also produced and hosted a television talk show on WNDT-TV in New York. In 1969, Wholey moved to WKRC-TV
WKRC-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to MyNetworkTV affiliate WSTR-TV (channel 64) under a lo ...
in Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
, where he hosted ''The Dennis Wholey Show'', which was syndicated to stations throughout the midwest, including Taft Broadcasting Company sister station WTVN-TV
WSYX (channel 6) is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC, MyNetworkTV and Fox. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to TBD station WTTE (channel 28, owned by Cunningham ...
in Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
. In 1969 he was the emcee of a short-lived game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...
, '' The Generation Gap'', on ABC.
Wholey then became the host of the morning show ''AM Detroit'' on WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside independent station WMYD (channel 20). Both stations share studios at Broadcast House on ...
in Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
from 1973 to 1977 and a similar show, ''Morning Break'' on WDVM-TV
WDVM-TV (channel 25) is an independent television station licensed to Hagerstown, Maryland, United States, serving the Washington, D.C. television market. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station WDCW (cha ...
in Washington, D.C. in 1977 and 1978. He moved to late night programming with ''PBS Latenight with Dennis Wholey ''Late Night America'', formerly ''PBS LateNight'' is PBS's first nationally broadcast talk and viewer phone-in television program, hosted by Dennis Wholey
Dennis Wholey (born July 2, 1939) is an American television host and producer, and the aut ...
'', an interview show on WTVS-TV
WTVS (channel 56) is a PBS member television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, owned by the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. Its main studios are located at the Riley Broadcast Center and HD Studios in Wixom, with an addi ...
in Detroit from 1982 to 1985, which was widely distributed by PBS. He also hosted ''LateNight America with Dennis Wholey'' for PBS beginning in 1989. He currently hosts ''This is America & the World with Dennis Wholey'' since its start in 1998, which is distributed nationwide by NETA (on PBS and independent public stations) and the AmericanLife TV cable channel.
''Radio/TV Mirror'' magazine named one of Wholey's talk shows an "outstanding program" in the Midwest, and he received the Golden Mike award from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was a performers' union that represented a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording a ...
(AFTRA) for ''AM Detroit''. In 1984, Wholey began a successful career as an author with his book ''The Courage to Change: Hope and Help for Alcoholics and Their Families'', which sold well and was on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for several months. The book recounted Wholey's own struggles with alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
and valium
Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, a ...
addictions, which reached serious proportions during the 1970s before he found help in an alcoholics' support group. The book also included interviews with other recovering alcoholics, including former Congressman Wilbur Mills
Wilbur Daigh Mills (May 24, 1909 – May 2, 1992) was an American Democratic politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 until his retirement in 1977. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from ...
, rock musician Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Towns ...
, ''Monty Python
Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over fou ...
'' performer Graham Chapman
Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two P ...
, and trumpeter Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...
.
Wholey followed ''The Courage to Change'' with a book on the sometimes elusive nature of happiness, ''Are You Happy? Some Answers to the Most Important Question in Your Life'' (1986). Featuring interviews with such figures as chef Julia Child
Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...
, reporter Helen Thomas
Helen Amelia Thomas (August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013) was an American reporter and author, and a long serving member of the White House press corps. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten U.S. presidents—from th ...
, actress Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (1 ...
and critic Cleveland Amory
Cleveland Amory (September 2, 1917 – October 14, 1998) was an American author, reporter, television critic, commentator and animal rights activist. He originally was known for writing a series of popular books poking fun at the pretensions an ...
, the book advised active involvement in life and a careful avoidance of self-pity
Self-pity is an emotion in which one feels self-centered sorrow and pity toward the self in regards to one's own internal and external experiences of suffering. Self-pity has also been defined as an emotion "directed towards others with the goal ...
and resentment. Wholey's third book ''Becoming Your Own Parent: The Solution for Adult Children of Alcoholic and Other Dysfunctional Families'' (1988) focused on poorly functioning families and included some material on Wholey's own often difficult childhood.
Wholey continued in the self-help genre with ''When the Worst That Can Happen Already Has: Conquering Life's Most Difficult Times'' (1992) and ''The Miracle of Change: The Path to Self Discovery and Spiritual Growth'' (1997). His newest book, published in 2007, is ''Why Do I Keep Doing That? Why Do I Keep Doing That?: Breaking the Negative Patterns in Your Life'', which discusses how to escape counterproductive behavior patterns.
Wholey is also the author of a sports fantasy, ''The Chance of a Lifetime: An Amazing Super Bowl Story''.
Wholey is a part time professor at his alma mater Catholic University; teaching courses where he shares his experiences interviewing politicians and the media industry in general.
Bibliography
*''The Courage to Change: Hope and Help for Alcoholics and Their Families'', Houghton Mifflin Company 1984 *''Are You Happy? Some Answers to the Most Important Question in Your Life'', Houghton Mifflin Company 1986 *''Becoming Your Own Parent: The Solution for Adult Children of Alcoholic and Other Dysfunctional Families'' Doubleday 1988 *''When the Worst That Can Happen Already Has: Conquering Life's Most Difficult Times'', Hyperion Books 1992 *''The Miracle of Change: The Path to Self Discovery and Spiritual Growth'', Atria 1997 *''Why Do I Keep Doing That? Why Do I Keep Doing That?: Breaking the Negative Patterns in Your Life'', HCI 2007 *''The Chance of a Lifetime: An Amazing Super Bowl Story''References
External links
Biography of Dennis Wholey at ''This is America with Dennis Wholey'' website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wholey, Dennis American television talk show hosts American game show hosts Living people People from Cranston, Rhode Island Television in Detroit 1939 births