Neil Zurcher-Tales from The Road

Neil Zurcher, longtime WJW-TV reporter..He also has had a Vintage Cleveland TV Pictures website for a couple of years, which is in our links..


Cover of Neil's Latest Book..


Location of the Grocery/Gas Station in Henrietta Townshp, Ohio where Neil spent much of his time as a boy..


One of the many stunts Neil tried..What he doesnt know is that the rope is slowly unraveling..

Many of the News Staff of WJW-TV 8 circa 1969..Mostly Photographers, but including Neil Zurcher, Dick Goddard and Reporter Pete Cary..

Today I want to review the newest book by Neil Zurcher, "Tales From The Road", published by Gray and Company.

Neil spent more than 40 years at WJW-TV 8 as first a freelance photojournalist, then as an Investigative/Breaking News Reporter, making his name as the originator of the "One Tank Trips" segment of NewsCenter 8, then Fox 8 News from 1979-2004.

The Book is at first a memoir, telling of Neil's formative years living in Henrietta, Ohio..A small village in Lorain County west of Elyria..Reminds me of my growing up in East Sparta, South of Canton. Neil writes with great affection of his parents, who owned a small grocery/gas station in Henrietta Township..He relates some of his escapades, such as trying to drive a car before he is old enough..And trying to copy a locally well-known daredevil stunt driver, which didnt turn out too well..He also tells of trying out for the "Gene Carroll Show" in the 1950's (He didnt make it)..Living in small-town Ohio, he developed his desire to travel and see new things at a early age...Once out of high school, his early media days were at the Oblerlin Newspaper and at WEOL-AM 930 Elyria/Lorain as a Newscaster/reporter..The bulk of the book is mostly "Stories From The Road"..Stories he worked on as a reporter, places and people he met in Ohio and surrounding States..Written in a conversational style that takes himself not too seriously and makes you feel as if you are there with him. I truly enjoyed the Book..a great read..

A Local angle (to me anyway) is that the Nash Metropolitan that Neil Zurcher drove on the One Tank Trips for so many years is now on display at the Canton Classic Car Museum in downtown Canton, Ohio..

Link to a sample chapter..

http://www.grayco.com/cleveland/books/10645/sampleChapter.shtml




Another Brief Note..As of now, I am going to put a permanent link to Gray and Co. Publishers Website..Should have done so long ago..