Former WDIV reporter Tim Pamplin opens up about the next phase of his career
Duante BeddingfieldFormer WDIV-TV (Channel 4) reporter and photojournalist Tim Pamplin, also known as Nightcam, has a new media gig in metro Detroit.
"My childhood dream was to be either a TV cameraman, or a radio presenter," Pamplin wrote in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) Monday morning. "I'm happy to announce that I have accepted an offer from WWJ NEWSRADIO 950. I'll primarily be reporting for the afternoon drive."
Longtime WDIV viewers grew familiar with and fond of Pamplin’s soothing British tones during his more than 30 years with the station. Earlier this summer, he took a buyout along with several other WDIV veterans.
“I worked in various capacities (at WDIV) – I was called a unicorn,” Pamplin told the Free Press with a laugh. “It was a great relationship with Channel Four. They gave me the broad (ability) to be able to go do my thing. And then the Nightcam concept came along. I was off and running with that and made a bit of a reputation for myself; like Wilson (the unseen neighbor) on ‘Home Improvement,’ I was the guy you never saw, but you always knew his voice. It was a fun time.
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“But, you know, broadcast business is going through a heck of a shakeup right now, something newspapers went through 20 years ago with the onset of the internet. And now, with social media blazing the way, your traditional legacy local television stations are trying to figure out where they fit in and how they do things. And, as a result, buyouts were offered.”
At age 56, Pamplin knew he wasn’t ready to retire (“And you can only cut the grass so many times a day,” he cracked), so he decided to take the month of July off to figure out his next step.
“I went home to England to see my mum and my sisters and my brother, spent a week out there,” he said. “During that month off, I had conversations with different prospective companies, and WWJ was very agreeable. One of my childhood professional dreams was to be a TV cameraman – check! – or a radio announcer. Coming in to land with this opportunity was a perfect fit. So we made a deal, and it’s going to be great. It’s going to be fantastic.”
Pamplin will start out working drive time news.
“It’s basically helping people get to and from work,” he said. “There’ll be a lot of breaking news. There’s nothing like radio for the immediacy. I know from experience, television is a little bit more of a cumbersome beast. To get live on the air takes about 10 steps; with radio, it’s simply a matter of pushing a button on your telephone, and you can be in the control room and live on the air within seconds. For example, yesterday, we had that big closure of I-75, and we could be on the air immediately with that information to help people who were commuting or trying to go up and down 75.”
Pamplin is counting his blessings, as someone fortunate enough to work in both his dream roles in one lifetime.
“I was reflecting upon this the other day,” he recalled. “I don’t know that I could have done what I’ve done and what I’m doing if I wasn’t in America. And I get really emotional, because this country has given me so much. It’s allowed me to be me, and to do what I want to do and fulfill and recognize those childhood dreams.
“God bless America.”
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.