Mike Macke’s energetic voice is woven into the history of Bellmont athletics and after taking a long break from his broadcasting career, the long-time mathematics teacher has brought his voice and his talents back to WZBD.
“I love it,” says Macke. “I have always had a propensity for talking and have always been close to sports. Now I get to combine the two.”
Macke chuckles at the idea of his voice being “iconic.”
“The crazy thing is, they keep asking me to come back and do more games!”
A proud graduate of Bellmont and Wabash College, Macke has hardly taken a season off over the past 40 years.
His broadcasting career actually predates WZBD, having begun as a color commentator for high school basketball in 1988 for WADM. By the early 1990s, Macke was doing football, basketball and some volleyball. His knowledge of volleyball was valuable to the station after spending some years coaching the Bellmont teams with friend and co-worker Kent Arnold.
As the years went on, though, his work at Bellmont took precedence over his radio work.
“I was doing PA work full-time basically and then I was coaching both golf teams and I had to give up my radio dreams,” he recalls.
Fast forward 25 years and three children later, Macke was asked to fill in for the IHSAA State Football Finals with Rex Brewer. The two classmates called the game and Macke has been back with WZBD ever since.
Macke brings a wealth of knowledge of high school sports to the station. Along with his decades of coaching experience in golf, he has also spent time coaching volleyball, soccer and basketball. Mike also spent several years writing stories for the Decatur Daily Democrat, covering all kinds of sports. He continues that work on WZBD’s website now.
Macke’s dynamic voice also has another dimension – he has a wide range of experiences as a singer. From church choirs to singing thousands of national anthems, to singing at BHS talent shows, Macke’s singing voice is well-known and respected by many.
Outside of being one of the top golfers in Adams County for the last few decades, Macke also enjoys racquet sports like pickleball and table tennis.
In the few moments of his life not consumed by mathematics and athletics, Macke enjoys maintaining a beautiful home tucked into the woods north of Decatur. He spends time keeping the fish in his pond healthy and sitting on his deck.
Macke notes that as his teaching career comes to an end, he hopes to increase his role at WZBD with more broadcasts and writing.
“I love that the station has a commitment to local sports and activities,” he says. “I hope to be a part of it for years to come.”
Listeners can hear Mike Macke on WZBD’s volleyball and football coverage this fall.
