What a "Friend" We Had in Bill: William F. Buckley, Jr. and the Rise, Betrayal, and Fall of Starr Broadcasting - Paperback

by Michael F. Starr (Author)

When people think of a corporation they don't think of its board members, they think of its powerful, charismatic public face. For Starr Broadcasting, that leader was William F. Buckley, Jr., a bestselling writer and popular conservative commentator. The men behind him were Peter and Michael Starr, Buckley's protégés from childhood, the innovative creators and loyal heads of Starr Broadcasting, Buckley's cash cow. For a decade the Starr brothers worked faithfully to make the company profitable and an industry leader, until Buckley arranged their ousting for his own gain, a betrayal that Peter never recovered from.Decades after his brother's untimely death, Michael Starr breaks his silence to set the record straight. Part memoir, part history, and part personal profile, What a "Friend" We Had in Bill tells a story truly unknown until now.

Author Biography

Michael Starr is a retired broadcaster who currently lives in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida with his wife, Ruth. Mike was born in St. Paul, MN and, at age eleven, met and established a long-lasting relationship with neighbor and mentor, William F. Buckley, Jr. in Stamford, Connecticut. Mike holds a BA in Economics (St. Francis University) and a JD, LLM (Georgetown Law School). While serving in the United States Air Force, he and his younger brother Peter founded Starr Broadcasting with Buckley, growing the company from one ailing Omaha radio station into a major, multifaceted media conglomerate. After his time at Starr Broadcasting, Mike owned radio and television stations across the country, chaired the Radio-TV department at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and produced films and videos, most notably the PBS documentary, Mississippi, America. Mike served in the Ford administration as Director, Intragovernmental, of Special Programs for the Federal Energy Administration. Today, Mike enjoys family, politics, and writing at his home only a short drive east of New Orleans, the city he called home for the majority of his adult life and still frequents.