Still Humming After All These Years.
A DJ once more.
I am again a DJ and am doing what I have always loved—playing rock & roll records. Now I am doing so at WFDU (89.1FM) in Teaneck, NJ. I joined their on-air staff this summer and now host a show weekly at 9am-1pm on Thursday. WFDU broadcasts to the NY radio market (not too shabby) and streams everywhere at wfdu.fm and via the iHeart and Audacy apps. Our listening audience is large and growing.
I have described “Retro Radio” to others in the same you feel when re-connecting with an old friend. You may not have seen him/her for 20, 30, 40, 50 years but 15 seconds into the conversation, you feel like it’s yesterday. You call them by their old nickname and remind them of some shared event of yesteryear. That’s what Retro Radio is all about. Where the Past is Present. Furthermore, the station is commercial-free and is laden with jingles you also remember and love. The staff is incredibly talented and share a love for radio and the music of the era. My buddy Mark Chernoff, a NY radio legend, (who also works at the station) introduced me to the station’s GM/PD, Opie, and I am grateful to be part of the talented staff.
Being a DJ is a blast. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy it. My love of radio began in the early 60s listening to WABC and WMCA in New York. I had my own Top 20 weekly list that I changed every Tuesday night (just like WABC did). As a boy I was understandably crestfallen in the fall of 1963 when The Singing Nun’s Dominique replaced the Kingsmen’s Louie, Louie as WABC’s #1 hit. I was blown away by the Beatles and the British Invasion in 1964 and was hooked on the medium forever. BTW I also loved the Dave Clark Five, which was the first concert I saw at the Mosque Theater in Newark in 1964 when they had 4 top 10 songs.
My radio “career” began at Rutgers in the early 70s when I saw a sign on a bulletin board (the primary means of communication on campus pre-internet) about joining WRSU, the college station. Hell yeah, I thought, I want to be a DJ. I went directly to the station and signed up. I learned, practiced, spent countless hours doing air shifts and had a blast. I truly considered radio as a career but took the marketing route and had (and still have) a good career in marketing. But my passion for raio never subsided.
My radio work continued at WDHA a FM station Northern NJ in the 80s, and now it continues yet again after a “short hiatus” of 35 years.
Beyond the thrill of working on-air, being a DJ taught me valuable lessons that I applied in business and life.
1.Speak clearly & enunciate. Think about what you are saying and if possible, use a crisp phrase to summarize your thoughts. People remember phrases that capture the essence of your thoughts.
2. Enthusiasm is infectious. Passion for your content (or in this case the music) will help you more engaging and make you more likable.
3. The music is the star, not the DJ. Never forget that the DJ is merely the friendly conduit.
4. Learn when to turn off the mic. This is important. After you’ve delivered crisp, well-articulated nugget of info or short story, it’s time to stop talking, turn off the microphone & play the next tune. Too many people love to hear themselves talk in life and in business. Stop flapping your gums. Knowing when to “close the mic” is a universal lesson for all. Remember #3—it’s the music, stupid.
I am so thrilled to once again be doing something I have loved and still do. It is fuel for my soul. Every Thursday 9-1pm. 89.1 FM in the NY radio market. And we stream everywhere at WFDU.FM
PS: This Thursday is Thanksgiving, and I am fortunate to be on the air in the morning, so at noon I will be playing the iconic Thanksgiving song, Alice’s Restaurant. Hope you can join me this Thursday and you become a WFDU zealot. It’s truly a great station. When you do, tell a friend.
More Strumings
- “When Will You Retire, Lonny?”
- How to Win an Online Political Argument
- The Day Anne Murray Got Bruuuuuuuced.
- The Older I Get the More Liberal (and Conservative) I Get
