Steve Porter
Steve Porter served for ten years as an NBC News White House Correspondent during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. His primary assignments were to provide NBC with coverage of the president’s activities at home and abroad. On television, he was seen regularly on the NBC News “Sunrise” program that precedes the “TODAY” program, and he also provided reports for “TODAY” and for “NBC Nightly News.” He was a major contributor of syndication coverage for NBC News affiliates and syndication customers. In addition, he was the primary White House correspondent for the NBC Radio Network.
Following his retirement from NBC, he assisted the Associated Press in the development of ANR, the wire service’s all-news radio product and helped start “Sky Radio,” the all-news product that was delivered directly to commercial airliners by USA Today. In 1995, he purchased a share of WRNN Radio and moved to Myrtle Beach where he began WRNN’s morning news and talk program which has developed into the Grand Strand’s strongest morning product.
Prior to being assigned to the White House in 1983, Steve was, for ten years, one of the main anchors on the NBC Radio Network’s “News on the Hour” nationwide broadcasts from New York City. He would also cover spot news for the television network and was called upon from time to time to anchor network break-in bulletins and evening news breaks.
Steve was the original kick-off anchorman on WCBS Newsradio in New York City in 1967. The station continues that format with virtually the same on-air product to this day. Steve recently attended the station’s 40th anniversary Newsradio celebration at CBS headquarters in New York.
Steve was also the original kick-off anchorman on KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia in 1965. That station too continues today with the original format. Steve also did spot news reports for KYW-TV and won awards for his long running series “Black plus White equals Peace,” that was designed to give minorities a voice on KYW in an effort to prevent development of another Philadelphia riot.
Prior to Philadelphia, Steve was a morning television anchor on KONO-TV (ABC) in San Antonio, Texas and was news director of WFLA Radio (NBC) in Tampa, Florida where he also co-anchored the evening TV news at the age 23.
While attending the University of Miami School of Business, he worked full time for WGBS and WINZ, the two most powerful stations in Miami.
Steve has won numerous journalism awards from the Peabody to the Ohio State to the Janus award for economic reporting, the New York Bar Association , and the Headliner Award for his coverage of the first summit meeting in Moscow between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and received an Alfred I. Dupont nomination for his documentary on the Isreali Lobby.
Steve and his wife, Robbie have three grown children. He is an instrument rated pilot and in his spare time likes to play golf, write his column for the Myrtle Beach Herald, dabble in book writing and generally just help out in the community.
Debbie Harwell
Debbie has been a resident of Myrtle Beach for about 25-years. She hails from Shelby, North Carolina. She obtained A.A. and B. S. Degrees from Gardner-Webb University. Her career in North Carolina consisted of working with the news media, the film studio and the university. Her duties at various newspapers have included interviewing politicians, entertainment figures and attending meetings. Even Roy Rogers was among her hundreds of interviews. Her interest in photography heightened and she obtained a certification in photography.
At Garder-Webb, she worked with newspapers, radios and television coverage, pinning down stories in US News and World Report and Time Magazines. She sent out more than 15,000 news releases and cut more than 100 Public Service Announcements. She served as a consultant to a City Government on media relation problems. She was the official spokesperson for the college, worked on budgets, supervised staff, molded the college image and conducted press conferences for the college guests such as Sen. Jack Kemp and Paul Harvey. She was editor of the Alumni Publication.
Debbie left the College to become a full-time public relations person for a film company. She had been freelancing with the company for the prior ten years. Once again, she wrote press releases, sought publicity, held press conferences, worked with a New York Public Relations Firm and a Los Angeles Public Relations Firm. Worked with all trade magazines, nationally and internationally, including Box Office Variety, Hollywood Reporter,Vanity Fair,Esquire,Billboard,etc. Worked with crews of Geraldo Rivera, talent;60-Minutes, Morley Safer, talent; British, Austrian and Japanese crews; P.M. Magazine crews; Entertainment Tonight,talent Jean Wolfe.
While in Myrtle Beach, Debbie has worked with several print publications and finally founded her own newspaper, the Myrtle Beach Herald. The weekly broadsheet soon had companion newspapers, a seasonal tourist publication Enjoy! and a Business Journal. It was the first paid newspaper in many years started by an individual in the State of South Carolina. She eventually sold the newspaper, which led to a career change.
Within the Community, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce, COMBO and Governmental Affairs. She has assisted with many fundraisers for just about every charity organization. She serves on the City of Myrtle Beach Committee to renovate the train depot. She is on the Board of Directors for the Horry County Shelter Home. She is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Myrtle Beach and has one son, Michael, who received his graduate degree from East Carolina University and lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife, Rebecca and two sons, Grayson and Chase.
Throughout her career and even before, she has been the recipient of many awards. In College, she was Student Teacher of the Year in her college graduating class. The Governor of South Carolina for service to the state presented her South Carolina's highest honor The Palmetto Lady. She has been Beta Sigma Phi Girl of the Year,presented several Optimist Club Awards for leading the Students in Government Program. She is a graduate of Leadership Grand Strand and served on the regulating board for the leadership classes. During her first year in the Myrtle Beach Woman's Club, she received the Get it Done Award.
Debbie has been a registered Lobbyist with the State of South Carolina. Most recently, her company Adobe Palm Communications, was contracted to work on a new Interstate for South Carolina.
She and her husband, retired SC Chief Justice David Harwell love to travel. From the beach to the mountains, to Peru, Brazil, Alaska and Mexico. You don't know where you may find them.
Debbie has a host of hobbies including photography, writing, painting, water sports, snow skiing, flying, playing the piano, researching on the computer and meeting new and colorful people. Her philosophies include Perserverence equals success and to love everyone you meet.
She has arranged her schedule to be part of the WRNN morning team from 7:00-9:00 a.m. Monday-Friday. Tune into Steve, Debbie and Dave for a true morning visit in your home.
Dave Priest
*Born in Wood River, Ill. (about 20 minutes from St.Louis)
*Played every sport imaginable when I was young
*Graduated from the University of Illinois@Urbana/Champaign
*Started in radio in 1980 while at college studying to be a doctor...parents still greatly disappointed!!
*Moved to the Myrtle Beach area in 1987 and worked at just about every radio station in town.
Lorraine Woodward
Lorraine Woodward began her broadcast career after graduation from the University of Maryland in College Park Maryland. Her first job was in the small town of Elmira, New York where she did a radio broadcast , reported and anchored the weather for the 11 pm newscast. She also met her husband in Elmira. She then traveled to Austin Texas where she worked for 6 years as an investigative reporter. She won an award for a series she did on child sexual abuse and covered the Challenger disaster. From Austin she moved to California where she was anchored the Fox station 10 pm newscast. After five years with the station she returned to Washington, DC to get a master’s degree in communication and public policy. Her husbands’ work brought her to Myrtle Beach where she served as bureau chief and anchor for WBTW. Lorraine has two children, a 15 and 18 years old. She loves to read and belongs to bookclub and enjoys her children’s activities: her son plays baseball and basketball and her daughter plays lacrosse and rides horses competitively.
