Dennis Wholey
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Dennis_Wholey_2017_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Dennis_Wholey_2017_%28cropped%29.jpg) Wholey in 2017
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Born
| (
1939-07-02
)
July 2, 1939
(age 84)
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Nationality
| American
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Education
| B.A.,
Catholic University of America
(1959)
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Occupation(s)
| Television host/producer, news anchor
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Years active
| 1960-present
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Dennis Wholey
(born July 2, 1939) is an American television host and producer, and the author of a number of
self-help
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
[
edit
]
The son of an attorney father and a librarian mother, Wholey received a
B.A.
degree from the
Catholic University of America
in 1959. He started his media career as a tour guide for
NBC
in New York City and then became the host of a radio talk show,
The Age of Involvement
, on
WBAI-FM
. He also produced and hosted a television talk show on
WNDT-TV
in New York. In 1969, Wholey moved to
WKRC-TV
in
Cincinnati
, where he hosted
The Dennis Wholey Show
, which was syndicated to stations throughout the midwest, including
Taft Broadcasting Company
sister station
WTVN-TV
in
Columbus
. In 1969 he was the emcee of a short-lived
game show
,
The Generation Gap
, on
ABC
.
WTVN-TV advertisement for the Dennis Wholey Show
Wholey then became the host of the morning show
AM Detroit
on
WXYZ-TV
in
Detroit
from 1973 to 1977 and a similar show,
Morning Break
on
WDVM-TV
in
Washington, D.C.
in 1977 and 1978. He moved to late night programming with
PBS Latenight with Dennis Wholey
, an interview show on
WTVS-TV
in Detroit from 1982 to 1985, which was widely distributed by PBS. He later hosted
LateNight America with Dennis Wholey
, also for PBS, beginning in 1989. He currently hosts
This is America & the World with Dennis Wholey
since its start in 1998,
[1]
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
(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
and
valium
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
, rock musician
Pete Townshend
,
Monty Python
performer
Graham Chapman
, and trumpeter
Doc Severinsen
.
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
, reporter
Helen Thomas
, actress
Ruby Dee
and critic
Cleveland Amory
, the book advised active involvement in life and a careful avoidance of
self-pity
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.
[2]
Bibliography
[
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]
- The Courage to Change: Hope and Help for Alcoholics and Their Families
, Houghton Mifflin Company 1984
ISBN
978-0-395-35977-8
- Are You Happy? Some Answers to the Most Important Question in Your Life
, Houghton Mifflin Company 1986
ISBN
978-0-395-40779-0
- Becoming Your Own Parent: The Solution for Adult Children of Alcoholic and Other Dysfunctional Families
Doubleday 1988
ISBN
978-0-385-24591-3
- When the Worst That Can Happen Already Has: Conquering Life's Most Difficult Times
, Hyperion Books 1992
ISBN
978-1-56282-985-8
- The Miracle of Change: The Path to Self Discovery and Spiritual Growth
, Atria 1997
ISBN
978-0-671-51891-2
- Why Do I Keep Doing That? Why Do I Keep Doing That?: Breaking the Negative Patterns in Your Life
, HCI 2007
ISBN
978-0-7573-0582-5
- The Chance of a Lifetime: An Amazing Super Bowl Story
, Dennis Wholey Enterprises Inc. 2011
References
[
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]
- Contemporary Authors
(Biography) by Emily Compagnone, Thomson Gale 2004
External links
[
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]