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George Habbouche
COMM 4430
“Perfect Objectivity is not an unrealistic goal.
If you really feel strong about something, then
something will work and, you, will, do it.”
Larry Jaquemotte, a life of family, sports,
and broadcasting.
When most of us watch a sporting event or
anything televised, and also even if we watch in person,
we do not see the work that goes on behind the scenes
to bring us the shows we are used to. Equally in sports
broadcasting and all other broadcasting.
Larry Jaquemotte is Producer, and Production Director for the University of Toledo on-
campus Athletic events. And after more than 44 years in the broadcast business that is still just
one of the things that Larry does today. Larry also works with ESPN sports network today, doing
various jobs across the country in broadcast.
Larry is a Toledo native that lived and moved around the United States while working in
the communications industry since 1968.
He went to DeVilbiss High School, West Toledo, graduated in 1964. Then right away
attended The University of Toledo in the Arts and Sciences department. During his college
career, Larry started doing radio. He began on the air right after college in Immokalee Florida.
“They have crickets that sound like and look as big as cows.”
Earning $80 a week, and paying $20 a week for the trailer he stayed in. The radio station
in Immokalee was Country-Western based, in a very old building near the Everglades in Florida.

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Larry’s belief was that if you want something really bad, you have to take what you get at the
time and work on moving up.
After doing radio for a very short time in Florida, Larry moved to a radio station in
Sturgis Michigan, then Columbus Indiana.
“If you want to make it, you’re going to probably have to move a lot while you’re young.
It depends what you want in this business.” Larry moved from Toledo To Immokalee Florida,
Columbus Indiana, Sturgis Michigan, built his experience and met people who influenced him.
However, he shortly after, decides that if he wants to make it to the big markets he needs
to get into television. He came back to Toledo, got behind the camera and began in production
and broadcasting.
WDHO, which is now TV24, Larry worked in News and other productions. WDHO was
located in the Commodore Perry Hotel in Toledo. “It was neat, we had a nice operation, film,
everything was basically film, very little tape.” Larry compares WDHO to today’s broadcast
operations.
One of Larry’s main reasons for his success is his work ethic. Although he says it is
mainly because he worked with great people, people who mentored him and brought him along,
it is his personal work ethic and attitude for wanting to succeed what brought him to the level of
success he reached today. “I like to move up; to this day I don’t want to stop working; maybe not
as much, but I still want to stay in the business.”
Larry has been really big on sports all his life, while working at WDHO he talked to ABC
network in the sports department and from that point on he did freelance work in sports aside
from his regular job. From PA work, camera operations, technical operations, to later producing

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and directing for what is now ESPN network. “You got to keep pushing, you work crazy hours in
sports, television, and radio, only depending on how bad you want it.”
In this business, one segment in Larry’s life he really remembers is starting to work with
the University of Toledo Broadcast department. Producing and Directing sports packages for
high school games leading to producing and directing events today. Larry’s theory for the
students was to work them hard like in a boot camp. “This is what it is, if you want to be in this
business, this is what you have to do to succeed, this is how you do it.”
And so he did that for several years. Working with the students is important for him
because it allows him to pass his knowledge on, help people get to their goals, pass his
experience down. “The fact that we’re giving them an opportunity to do something, to expand.”
Larry says while talking about the enjoyment and the importance of working with the students in
production throughout his career. He gave countless numbers of students direction, helped many
advance if they wanted to advance.
It was March 20th
, 1970 when Larry got married to his wife Jackie. They’ve had three
kids, all graduated and in different directions of the country and different directions of careers.
His son graduated from The University of Southern California. “He wants to be the next
director Spielberg” Larry says while talking about his son’s work ethic and determination. His
two daughters, one in Hilton Head South Carolina who is a fitness coordinator, and one in St.
Louis a third grade teacher.
Larry talks about being such “a workaholic.” It was too much time away from family
early on. But as his kids grew, he did one thing to bond with them when he could and that was
coaching. He passed his love for sports down to his kids. He coached the girls in softball and

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basketball; he also coached his son in baseball. Coaching his kids in sports was something that
both him and his kids enjoyed.
“I want to be creative, maybe I’ll come up with that perfect show, perfect game.”
Creativity, work ethic, responsibility, determination, advancement, and perfect objectivity are
what Larry builds on to this day. He still has the same enthusiasm as he did over 44 years ago.
His approach to achieve the best results is passed down to his kids, and how his
grandkids. “If someone tells you something can’t be done, that’s the challenge - try as hard as
you can to get it done for you, not for anyone else.” He told his kids and now tells his grandkids.