Fall 2007 - SCOOP Magazine

Who We AreFor the love of teachingEd Spray passes on his experience to the next generationstory byKristina D’AmbrosioPhoto by Lindy RiderAs a young boy, Ed Spraybuilt control rooms in thebasement of his house withexpectations of becoming apilot or astronaut. He would take a cardboardbox, put a piece of white paper infront of it and draw multiple televisionscreens. Then he would fly somewhere inhis imagination. Years later, his imaginedadventures came true when he became alive television director. “One day I am sittingin the control room, and I look up —oh my gosh, I’m doing what I was imagining— I mean, I am not traveling throughspace, but the same thing was happening,”Spray said.Spray was born in Seymour, Ind., asmall town of approximately 18,000 residents.The only one in his family to attenda university, Spray received his bachelor’sdegree in radio and television fromIndiana University in Bloomington andlater returned to obtain his master’s.His first “real” job was at an NBCaffiliatetelevision station in Chicago. Theoffer came from the program managerat WMAQ-TV, who happened to be inIndiana for the IU homecoming footballgame. A professor introduced Spray to theprogram manager, Harry Trigg, as one ofhis best students. Spray was offered a summerjob and, ultimately, a full-time position.Originally, he and his wife, Donna,had planned to travel across Europe upongraduation, but the offer was too good topass up. He decided to leave Indiana andventure out to the Windy City. “Here thisjob comes up in Chicago, it’s like, ‘Oh no! Ihave got to take it,’ and I did. And the restis history, as they say,” Spray said.Spray started as an associate directorand then became a television director. Hewas later hired by WBBM-TV, the CBSownedstation in Chicago, where he becameprogram manager. After eight years,Spray was transferred to Los Angeles tobecome the head of programming forKCBS-TV. He was later promoted to vicepresident of development, where he creatednew programs for CBS to air.CBS went through a period of cutbacks,and Spray was one of approximately 100employees let go. “I learned that everybodysome way or another will lose their job —that’s life. By losing my job, I learned whatis truly important and what is not. Youlose sight of those things until you hit thebottom,” Spray said. “I was just breezingalong going up, up, up and then, crash —what happened? All the people that usedto call me didn’t because I could no longercontribute to them.”Eager to move on in his career, Spraydecided to leave Los Angeles and followthrough with a profession in teaching.“L.A. is and always will be a young person’stown. I was 50 years old and withouta job in Los Angeles — it’s a tough thing,”Spray said. He decided to take on a newchallenge and jumped at an offer to bean instructor at Syracuse University. “Wewent there for two years, and in a perfectexample of how — I say this to the classesall the time — the most important thingsare the contacts you make along the waybecause you don’t get your breaks out ofnewspapers or looking at Web sites, youget them through the people who have theinside track.”A former co-worker from Los Angelescalled him after his second year at Syracuseand said he wanted Spray to come downto Knoxville to help start a cable networkand wanted him to be the programmingmanager. “So I came down and I thoughtthey were all crazy. You know, talkingabout home and garden television —who’s going to watch home and gardenfall 2007