Doug Russell is the host of The Doug and Mike Show weekday mornings from 5a-9a CDT on WSSP in Milwaukee. Russell joined WSSP in January 2007 after leaving Sporting News Radio. When Russell first joined SNR in 2000, he anchored the Sporting News Flash on weeknights and weekends, while writing for SportingNews.Com. In March 2002, Russell co-hosted The Morning Show. Russell then hosted Sporting News Central PM edition.
Prior to his arrival at SNR, Russell worked at legendary talk station WTMJ in Milwaukee, hosting a variety of sports programs.
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Background
Doug Russell was born in 1972 in Jackson, Mississippi, but his family moved to Wisconsin when he was a child. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio-TV-Film, Broadcast News emphasis.
Russell is the cousin of legendary Western movie actor Ward Bond and is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. In 2008, he became an ordained minister from the First Nation Church, and has officiated the wedding ceremonies of several listeners of his radio show. Russell is a childhood friend of comedian Frank Caliendo, who as apperared on his shows on both Sporting News Radio and WSSP.
In 2010, Russell was inducted into his high school's hall of fame, known as the Waukesha North High School Wall of Stars.
Resume
Russell began his career while still in college. His first radio job was at WCWC Radio (now WRPN) in Ripon, Wisconsin in 1992. From there, he worked at WOSH in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, KFIZ in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While working simultaneously at Sporting News Radio, Russell was a regular fill-in update anchor on affiliate KMPC in Los Angeles, and was the interim morning show host on WNNR in Jacksonville, Florida. He also spent one season as an in between periods update reporter on the New York Islanders Radio Network. In 2006, in addition to hosting his nationally syndicated radio show, Russell was a regularly featured television contributor to CSN Chicago's Chicago Tribune Live. In September 2007, he hosted the television special Milwaukee Braves: The Golden Legacy which aired on Fox Sports Wisconsin, and narrated it's accompianing DVD. In March 2009, Russell appeared in the PBS documentary A Braves New World which was produced by William Povletich in conjunction with Milwaukee Public Television. In 2010, Russell again lent his voice to a baseball documentary, narrating the Xavier Films biopic, Bruce Froemming and Life on the Diamond.
Among the events he has covered include Super Bowls XXXI, XXXII, and XXXIX, The Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the Kentucky Derby, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, and the Rose Bowl. Russell has also been the recipient of numerous broadcasting honors, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Journalistic Excellence. In 2010, Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on WDJT-TV's Milwaukee Brewers preseason special.
Today, in addition to his duties as morning show host and Sports Director at WSSP, Russell is also a regularly featured television panelist on Milwaukee's FOX affiliate WITI-TV and on Time Warner Sports Milwaukee. He also appears as an NFL contributor on WDJT-TV as well as a baseball analyst on sister station WMLW-CA. Russell is also a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine, Inside Wisconsin Sports, and has written features that appear in the GameDay programs for the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. In 2010, he became the public address announcer for the Milwaukee Iron of the Arena Football League. Russell still appears on Sporting News Radio as a correspondent, mostly during NFL season.
The Doug Russell Show
The Doug Russell Show, featuring Mike Wickett airs weekday mornings on WSSP Radio in Milwaukee. The program opens to alternating hour theme songs written and performed by local Milwaukee bands "The DL" and "Becca and the Boys".
The show features ten rules:
- Do not talk about The Doug Russell Show.
- DO NOT TALK ABOUT The Doug Russell Show!
- If you are unintentionally hung up on, you are owed a beer.
- You are to ignore the first two rules.
- Anything said on the show is fair game.
- Game of Shadows is required text.
- To the victors go the spoils.
- Dissent is encouraged.
- Steve Fifer (aka "Sparky", from 2-6 PM) is a good guy, but usually wrong.
- After the show ends, 'we're all friends again'.