[1] Michaels has been involved in large market radio broadcasting since the early 1970s, first in front of the mike as evening personality at adult contemporary WGR in Buffalo.
Early in 2005, Michaels began working with Oak Hill Capital partners on acquisition opportunities, culminating in the creation of Local TV LLC, a company that acquired nine local network-affiliated television stations formerly owned by The New York Times Company.
On December 22, 2007, Local TV announced it was acquiring eight large market stations from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
[7] The New York Times cited multiple witnesses who saw Michaels tell them to "watch this" before offering a waitress $100 to show her breasts at a Chicago hotel bar in 2008.
Michaels also controls Merlin Media, LLC, which owned radio stations in New York City and Chicago.