Michele McPhee

Last updated
Michele McPhee
Born1970 (age 53–54)
Alma mater University of Massachusetts, Boston (B.A., English, 1993) [1] [2]
Occupation(s)Author, journalist, radio personality
Parent(s)Bruce A. McPhee
Sheila P. (Seward) McPhee [3]
Website michelemcphee.com

Michele R. McPhee (born April 8, 1970) [4] is an American author, talk radio host, and five-time Emmy nominated investigative journalist from Boston. McPhee also worked as columnist and correspondent to the Boston Herald , was the New England reporter for ABC News, and was a general assignment reporter with the television station WCVB. She now lives in Los Angeles writing screenplays, most recently for Showtime's City on a Hill , and has a HBO series in development based on her Newsweek cover story.

Contents

McPhee began her journalism career with The Boston Globe in 1993. In 1996, she transferred to the New York Daily News and became the chief of the newspaper police bureau in 2002. In 2004, McPhee became a columnist with the Boston Herald . McPhee began her radio career with an evening talk show on WTKK in 2007. In 2010, McPhee began hosting her own afternoon talk show on WRKO and started guest hosting The Howie Carr Show on WRKO.

In June 2015, she began hosting a three-hour mid-afternoon radio show on WMEX AM in Boston. [5] Her radio show ended in 2017 when the WMEX radio station stopped broadcasting. [6]

Career

She is half Italian American. [4] [7] She graduated from Wakefield High School in Wakefield, Massachusetts 1988 and the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 1993. [2] [8] [9]

In September 1993, McPhee became a contributing reporter to The Boston Globe . [10] By July 1995, McPhee became a correspondent with the Globe. [11] In December 1996, McPhee joined the New York Daily News , writing her first article for the newspaper for the Christmas Eve edition, "No Bail For Alleged Gotti Heir". [12]

In 2002, McPhee was named the first female police bureau chief for the New York Daily News . She won the 2002 New York Society of the Silurians' Feature News Award for an article titled "The Days After" about the September 11, 2001 attack. [4] In response to a story she wrote about police suspicions of a local judge, McPhee received death threats through an anonymously written letter in January 2003. [13] In her capacity as bureau chief, McPhee also appeared in other media for expertise on New York City police issues. In 2003, McPhee participated in a debate about the police shooting of Amadou Diallo alongside attorney Anthony H. Gair on the NPR program The Tavis Smiley Show , guest hosted that day by Tony Cox. [14] In 2004, McPhee appeared on the Fox News Channel program The O'Reilly Factor to discuss an issue with a local September 11 charity. [15]

McPhee returned to Boston in 2004 and became a weekly columnist and police bureau chief for the Boston Herald until late 2007. [16] She continued writing a weekly column for the paper and also freelanced news stories.

From December 2007 to November 2010, McPhee hosted an evening talk show on WTKK. Her contract was not renewed, because of creative differences, and was immediately pulled from the air. [17]

On January 13, 2011, McPhee joined WRKO as its 1 to 3 p.m. radio host of The Michele McPhee Show. [18] She left WRKO after a seven-month stay, [19] but returned to the station on June 11, 2012 to occupy a new four-hour midday slot on the station's schedule. [20]

In August 2011, McPhee was hired as a general assignment reporter for WCVB Channel 5 in Boston. News producer Andrew Vrees, in a news release, described McPhee as "an aggressive and well-connected journalist ... whose track record speaks for itself." [21]

McPhee was a story consultant for the Lifetime made-for-TV movie based on the Clark Rockefeller case that aired in March 2010.

In June 2015, McPhee pleaded not guilty to charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, resisting arrest and assault and battery on a police officer. She was arrested on Interstate 93 in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, after being observed driving her Mercedes erratically by a Massachusetts State Trooper. [22] On January 29, 2016, McPhee's lawyer claimed the state trooper had assaulted her and that she was hurt worse in the altercation.

On April 17, 2017, two days before Aaron Hernandez killed himself, McPhee went onto a WEEI-FM, Boston, sports radio show, The Kirk and Callahan Show, hosted by Kirk Minihane and Gerry Callahan. Discussion on this show included the "rumor" (as described by the hosts of the show) that Aaron Hernandez was homosexual. She, together with the hosts of the show, used football metaphors [23] to suggest he was sexually attracted to men, and "jokingly riffed" on this theme in a manner reported by the New Yorker as "cringe-inducing". [24] McPhee has argued that this was not an "outing", and that focus on Hernandez's sexuality in her investigations, and her later reporting after his death, was to explore motives for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Other media outlets were reportedly aware of rumors regarding Hernandez's sexuality but did not report on them, either because they did not consider them relevant to coverage of his career, arrest, trial, conviction, or death, or could not confirm their veracity. [24] Two days after Hernandez's death, McPhee wrote a piece in Newsweek [25] which covered, along with other aspects of his history, an “intimate relationship” he reportedly had with a male friend from high school. Input, or comments on these claims from Hernandez’s family members or associates, were not included in the Newsweek report. [24]

Books

McPhee has written several best-selling true crime books, including Mob Over Miami, Heartless: The True Story of Neil Entwistle and the Brutal Murder of His Wife and Baby, When Evil Rules, A Date With Death: The True Story of the Craigslist Killer, and A Mob Story.

In 2008, the news magazines Dateline NBC and Primetime Live interviewed McPhee for their stories about Neil Entwistle. [26]

Mob Over Miami was set to become a feature film titled "UnMade Man." [27] In January 2011, Lifetime aired a television movie based on A Date With Death, starring William Baldwin.

She contributed to the anthology, Masters of True Crime (Prometheus Books 2012).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEEI (AM)</span> Radio station in Boston

WEEI is a commercial sports gambling AM radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI is the Boston affiliate for the Audacy-owned BetQL Network and Infinity Sports Network, serving as a gambling-focused brand extension of its main sports radio station in the market, WEEI-FM. The WEEI studios are located in Boston's Brighton neighborhood, while the station transmitter resides in the Boston suburb of Needham. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WEEI is available online via Audacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howie Carr</span> American journalist and political commentator (born 1952)

Howard Louis Carr Jr. is an American conservative radio talk-show host, political author, news reporter and award-winning writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRKO</span> Talk radio station in Boston, Massachusetts

WRKO is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by iHeartMedia, WRKO is a Class B AM station that provides secondary coverage to portions of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine during the day, but is highly directional at night to protect a number of clear-channel stations on adjacent frequencies. WRKO serves as the Boston affiliate for ABC News Radio, Coast to Coast AM and This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal; syndicated personalities Joe Pags, John Batchelor and Bill Cunningham; the flagship station of The Howie Carr Show, and the home of radio personality Jeff Kuhner. The WRKO studios are located in the Boston suburb of Medford, while the station transmitter resides in nearby Burlington. Besides its main analog transmission, WRKO simulcasts over the HD2 subchannel of sister station WZLX, and streams online via iHeartRadio.

James Thompson Severino III, known professionally as Jay Severin, was an American political talk radio personality and Republican political consultant. Severin worked mostly in Boston, at WTKK and at WXKS Talk 1200 in 2011 and 2012 as an afternoon talk host. He also hosted shows in New York City at 710 WOR and at TheBlaze Radio Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBQT (FM)</span> Rhythmic contemporary radio station in Boston

WBQT is a commercial FM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group and airing an urban-leaning rhythmic hot AC radio format. WBQT's studios and offices are located in Waltham, and it transmits from atop the Prudential Tower in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMEX (AM)</span> Radio station in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States

WMEX is a commercial radio station licensed to Quincy, Massachusetts, and serving the Greater Boston media market. It is owned by L&J Media, headed by Tony LaGreca and Larry Justice. WMEX broadcasts an oldies format of hits from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, as well as full service features including local DJs, news, traffic and weather. Late nights and weekends, it carries MeTV FM, a syndicated music service. The station's studios and offices are on Enterprise Drive in Marshfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEZE</span> Religious radio station in Boston

WEZE – branded 590 AM The Word – is a commercial Christian radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by Salem Communications, WEZE is the Boston affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. The WEZE studios are located in the Boston suburb of North Quincy, and the station transmitter resides in neighboring Medford. Besides a standard analog transmission, WEZE is available online.

Neil Entwistle is an English man convicted of murdering his American wife, Rachel, and their infant daughter, Lillian, on 20 January 2006, in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, United States. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole and is incarcerated at Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

Eddie Andelman is an American sports radio talk-show host. He has worked over 40 years in sports talk radio in Boston and has appeared on more than 100 sports stations throughout the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Wedge</span>

David M. Wedge is a New York Times-bestselling author, journalist, podcast host and award-winning former reporter for the Boston Herald.

Arnold William Ginsburg, known as Arnie "Woo-Woo" Ginsburg, was an American disc jockey in the Boston radio market from the mid-1950s to the 1970s. Following this period, he became involved in the business side of radio as a business manager, president and owner of WVJV-TV, and later as an executive with Pyramid Broadcasting and program manager of their Boston station WXKS/1430.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Kuhner</span> Canadian-American political pundit (1969-)

Jeffrey Thomas Kuhner is an American talk radio host and political commentator, heard on weekdays from 6 am to 10 am on WRKO AM 680 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the editor of Insight on the News and a regular contributor to the commentary pages of The Washington Times, and his articles have appeared in Human Events, National Review Online, and Investor's Business Daily.

<i>The Howie Carr Show</i> American radio talk-show

The Howie Carr Show is an American radio talk-show presented by journalist and author Howie Carr. Its flagship station is WRKO 680 in Boston, Massachusetts, on which the show airs every weekday between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. PM. It is syndicated live in five states, while Rhode Island's WHJJ broadcasts a best-of on Sunday evenings. The show can be accessed worldwide via live streaming, in both audio and video formats, on Carr's own website, HowieCarrShow.com. The video stream, known as the HowieCam, is an embedded Rumble broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margery Eagan</span>

Margery Eagan is a talk radio host and a frequent guest on CNN, ABC, Fox News, and the Imus in the Morning radio show. For many years she was a columnist for the Boston Herald. Subjects of her commentaries include gender/women's issues, Catholicism, and politics.

Philip Markoff was an American medical student who was charged with the armed robbery and murder of Julissa Brisman in a Boston hotel on April 14, 2009, and two other armed robberies. Markoff maintained his innocence of all charges and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. A grand jury indicted Markoff for first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other charges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Hernandez</span> American football player and convicted murderer (1989–2017)

Aaron Josef Hernandez was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played three seasons with the New England Patriots until his arrest and conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marjorie Clapprood</span> American politician (born 1949)

Marjorie O'Neill Clapprood is an American former politician and talk show host who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 8th Norfolk District from 1985 to 1991. Clapprood was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1990.

Jerry Williams was an American radio host, one of the originators of the talk radio format.

Jennifer Brien is a talk radio host based in Providence, Rhode Island. She was born and raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and served six years in the Army Military Police (MP) K-9 Unit.

Barbara Anderson was an anti-tax activist. She was eulogized by Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker for her contribution to reducing property, income and excise taxes for state citizens. She was an executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation for 35 years. In November 1980, she led the property tax relief campaign, instituting the ballot initiative empowering voters with a veto on property tax hikes. She was instrumental in the repeal of the state income tax surtax; defeat of the graduated income tax ballot question, and “temporary” state income tax increase rollback. She was a weekly contributor to both The Salem News and The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune Publishing Company. Anderson was known as “The Mother of Proposition 2½.” She co-hosted a popular WRKO radio program with newspaper columnist Howie Carr and radio personality Jerry Williams.

References

  1. ↑ Nelson, Caleb, "Blood, Guts, and Journalism: Interview with Michele McPhee", MassMedia newspaper, University of Massachusetts Boston, February 26, 2015
  2. 1 2 Nelson, Caleb, "Michele McPhee, Determined to Make Life Phenomenal" Archived 2019-12-15 at the Wayback Machine , MassMedia, University of Massachusetts Boston, November 15, 2015
  3. ↑ "Obituary: Shelia P. McPhee", Boston Globe, September 28, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Harris, Ginger (August 19, 2002). "The Chris Paciello Story". South Beach Magazine. Archived from the original on October 12, 2002. Retrieved September 4, 2012. Thirty-two-year-old New York Daily News police bureau chief Michele McPhee knew at an early age that investigative reporting was her forte
  5. ↑ "WMEX ADDS MICHELE MCPHEE FOR AFTERNOONS" Archived 2015-07-21 at the Wayback Machine , Radio Ink , 2015.
  6. ↑ 'Boston Radion Iconic WMEX 1510 AM Goes Silent", Media Confidential, July 2017
  7. ↑ Giarratani, Sal (July 8, 2011). "Michele McPhee latest book signing" (PDF). Boston Post-Gazette. p. 5. Michele McPhee is East Boston Italian thanks to her grandmother's influence on her.
  8. ↑ "Michele McPhee". EastBostonHighSchool.org. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Talk radio's McPhee opens series". Newburyport Daily news. September 9, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2012. McPhee said she was flattered to be asked to Lawrence to speak as part of the White Fund Lecture Series. A graduate of UMass-Boston, she's a supporter of the state college system.
  10. ↑ McPhee is credited as "contributing reporter" in the article "Thieves allegedly had designs on rich interiors" written by Andy Dabilis for The Boston Globe of September 2, 1993. The article from the June 19, 1994 Globe, "Fiore's fourth baby", credited McPhee as a contributor.
  11. ↑ In a HighBeam.com search, the earliest article crediting McPhee as "Globe Correspondent" is the article "Youths: media reports fueling gang violence" from July 24, 1995.
  12. ↑ McPhee, Michele (December 24, 1996). "No Bail For Alleged Gotti Heir". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 4, 2012.[ dead link ]
  13. ↑ Ingrassia, Robert (January 14, 2003). "Newser Gets Chilling Warning About Judge". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 4, 2012.[ dead link ]
  14. ↑ Cox, Tony (March 25, 2003). "Diallo's fault?". The Tavis Smiley Show. NPR. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Follow-Up: Lawyer Receives Fee from Charity Fund". The O'Reilly Factor. Fox News. March 15, 2004. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  16. ↑ "McPhee leaving Herald for WTKK nights," Boston Herald, December 4, 2007
  17. ↑ Shanahan, Mark & Goldstein, Meredith (November 12, 2010). "McPhee is done at WTKK". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Manning Out McPhee In at WRKO", Boston Herald, January 13, 2011
  19. ↑ "Line-up change," Bostonradiowatch.com, August 16, 2011 Archived March 27, 2012, at archive.today
  20. ↑ Radio News, "Michele McPhee returns to WRKO," June 6, 2012
  21. ↑ Diaz, Johnny (August 5, 2011). "Michele McPhee joins Channel 5". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  22. ↑ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (2015-06-12). "How a Boston radio host was charged with drunken driving, assaulting a police officer". Boston.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
  23. ↑ "Is Aaron Hernandez gay? Rumors, facebook page say yes". Metro Boston US. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  24. 1 2 3 Bethea, Charles (30 April 2017). "The Worrisome Reporting on Aaron Hernandez's Sexuality". The New Yorker. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  25. ↑ McPhee, Michele (21 April 2017). "Aaron Hernandez's hidden sexuality fueled the murder of Odin Lloyd, police sources say". Newsweek. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  26. ↑ "The light in the upstairs bedroom". Dateline NBC. NBC News. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  27. ↑ Meet Michele McPhee Archived 2010-08-10 at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.