Don Polec's World
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On a snowy Buffalo, New York afternoon in December of 1951, a surprised family of polar bears greeted a giant stork at their igloo door. It delivered a bundle of joy now better known as Don Polec. Don enjoyed a happy childhood of frigid swims, bear hugs, frolicking on ice floes, and plenty of picnics snacking on raw herring. No wait, that was my 3-D animated movie script Disney rejected.
Actually I had a normal childhood (whatever constitutes normal) attending public and private schools. I eventually enrolled in the State University College of New York at Geneseo where I majored in speech communication. After graduating with a BA in 1973, I was hired by Buffalo's WKBW radio as a disc jockey. In 1977, Capital Cities owned the Buffalo ABC television affiliate, WKBW-TV and hired me, launching my career as a local feature news reporter. During this time I received the New York State UPI Award for "Best Feature Report" and the Associated Press "Best Feature" award every year from 1978 to 1981.
Surprisingly, among the Buffalo newscast's many viewers was a teenage boy from nearby Hamilton, Ontario named Jim Carrey. Jim went on to Hollywood fame and used his memories of my feature reporting style for the basis of his movie "Bruce Almighty". It remains my humble, but enduring contribution to pop culture. After five years with WKBW-TV, I transferred to the company's sister station in Philadelphia, PA which was purchased a few years later by Disney ABC-TV. For the past 27 years, I have shared my stories on the number one rated newscast in the Philadelphia area, WPVI-TV's channel six "Action News".
My former news director Dave Davis, president of ABC News called me "a quiet genius". Carla Carpenter, WPVI-TV Vice President of News said: "Our viewers love Don Polec's pieces. They give viewers a good laugh and an education at the same time. That's rare." It should be noted that no money changed hands in acquiring these quotes.
During my tenure at WPVI, I received awards every year for "Best Feature" from the Philadelphia Press Club and the Associated Press of Pennsylvania from 1983 to 1996. I worked simultaneously for two years on "Good Morning America" and my reports have also appeared on World News Now, The Weather Channel, BBC America, and abcnews.com.
Currently I reside in Bucks County, PA with my charming wife and my talented son. My hobbies include raising chickens (don't ask), biking, swimming, reading, windsurfing, and flying an ultralight aircraft.
Actually I had a normal childhood (whatever constitutes normal) attending public and private schools. I eventually enrolled in the State University College of New York at Geneseo where I majored in speech communication. After graduating with a BA in 1973, I was hired by Buffalo's WKBW radio as a disc jockey. In 1977, Capital Cities owned the Buffalo ABC television affiliate, WKBW-TV and hired me, launching my career as a local feature news reporter. During this time I received the New York State UPI Award for "Best Feature Report" and the Associated Press "Best Feature" award every year from 1978 to 1981.
Surprisingly, among the Buffalo newscast's many viewers was a teenage boy from nearby Hamilton, Ontario named Jim Carrey. Jim went on to Hollywood fame and used his memories of my feature reporting style for the basis of his movie "Bruce Almighty". It remains my humble, but enduring contribution to pop culture. After five years with WKBW-TV, I transferred to the company's sister station in Philadelphia, PA which was purchased a few years later by Disney ABC-TV. For the past 27 years, I have shared my stories on the number one rated newscast in the Philadelphia area, WPVI-TV's channel six "Action News".
My former news director Dave Davis, president of ABC News called me "a quiet genius". Carla Carpenter, WPVI-TV Vice President of News said: "Our viewers love Don Polec's pieces. They give viewers a good laugh and an education at the same time. That's rare." It should be noted that no money changed hands in acquiring these quotes.
During my tenure at WPVI, I received awards every year for "Best Feature" from the Philadelphia Press Club and the Associated Press of Pennsylvania from 1983 to 1996. I worked simultaneously for two years on "Good Morning America" and my reports have also appeared on World News Now, The Weather Channel, BBC America, and abcnews.com.
Currently I reside in Bucks County, PA with my charming wife and my talented son. My hobbies include raising chickens (don't ask), biking, swimming, reading, windsurfing, and flying an ultralight aircraft.
I have never eaten raw herring.