The Radio Tower

John Caracciolo has been a mainstay in Long Island radio for decades, from learning his trade at WNYT to the glory years at WLIR to now overseeing stations like LI News Radio (103.9 FM) and La Fiesta (98.5 FM). On today's episode you'll hear more about his journey from engineer to entrepreneur and why he thinks radio is still a vital force in people's lives. You'll also hear about the people he misses from the scene, including Bob Buchmann (WBAB) and Jack Ellsworth (WALK, WLIM). Links JVC Broadcasting LI News Radio New Wave: Dare to be Different (WLIR documentary)

Dr. Alex Magoun is the outreach historian for the IEEE's History Center (IEEE stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). On today's episode, he gives us the history of the History Center and the organization's drive to document and preserve the innovavtions and developments fostered by its members over the years. Along the way we talk about engineers and inventors such as Philo Farnsworth, Edward Armstrong, and Vladimir Zworykin. We also discuss what drives innovation in technology, the public and commercial aspects of funding it, and the many organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving its unique history.  Additional Links: IEEE History Center IEEE Global Museum "Why Frankenstein Became Electric"

John Kannenberg is the man and the mind behind the Museum of Portable Sound. Based in Portsmouth, England, the Museum is actually found wherever John has his iPhone 4S. Visitors sit down with John, don their headphones, and enter the Museum by listening to the curated galleries of MP3s on the device. We talk to John about the inspiration for this unique institution, how he keeps it running, and the implications for the presentation of radio history. Additional Links Museum of Portable Sound Invisible Threads

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Lundquist. Bob was a long-time member of the Long Island Radio & Television Historical Society who spent much of his professional life as an engineer at the RCA "Radio Central" facility in Rocky Point. This interview between Bob and Connie Currie was recorded in 2015.  Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Bob's family and all who knew him. 

We're revisiting our Long Island Home Front oral history project! Although most of our interviews foccused on people who experienced the years of World War II on Long Island, we also met a few current Long Island residents who, in the 1940s, were living nearby. So today we're bringing you excerpts of our talk with Jo Schenk Eichner. Born in Brooklyn, she was living in the Bronx when war broke out. In her oral history, she discusses her youth in a working class family of German immigrants living among the wealthy residents of Spuyten Duyvil. She also discusses shortages during the war, air raid drills, ships on the Hudson, and more. Radio notes: The Make Believe Ballroom was a musical program that debuted on New York's WNEW in 1935. Gabriel Heater was a Brooklyn-born radio commentator for WOR and the Mutual Network. Links Long Island Home Front National Home Front Project Music Sweet Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon Used under an Attribution 4.0 License  

In the late 1980s, WFAN was on the rise as the first all-sports radio station in the country. They brought a fast-paced, rowdy style to the air, epitomized by the likes of Don Imus, Steve Somers, and Mike Francesa. At the same time the New York Islanders, years past their glory days and playing in an aging barn of a stadium, found themselves on the wrong end of WFAN's jokes. Imus, Somers, and Francesa mocked the team and the Nassau Coliseum mercilessly. On today's episode, Queens native and media historian Nick Hirshon describes his research into this moment in sports and communication history. We discuss the rise of WFAN, the struggles of the Islanders, and the importance of recovering radio (and Long Island) history. Links Nick Hirshon @nickhirshon The myth of the Nassau Mausoleum: A brainchild of the first all-sports radio station. Journalism History, 41(3), 139-152. WFAN (Audacy) Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Listen to LIRTVHS board member Connie Currie relate some of the radio-related stories and personalities from the town of Islip, Long Island. Including: Edwin H. Armstrong in Bayport and Sayville Norman Brokenshire in Lake Ronkonkoma Clarence Mackay WRST in Bay Shore - Suffolk County's first radio station Music from Pixabay.

Norm Prusslin came to Stony Brook in the late 1960s and was immediately drawn to the radio station. WUSB was then an AM station heard only in the dorms and building on campus. But there was music in the air, not the least of which was coming from the vibrant concerts given on campus by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, and others. Thus began Norm's long association with the station, which included its transition to the FM channel as well as a number of thorny issues before the FCC. In this interview, Norm describes the growth of WUSB and what goes into the care and feeding of a college radio station. Links WUSB Radio Stony Brook University: A Pioneering & Legendary Concert History WNYE WBAI Mott the Hoople and Ian Hunter

Peter Kurz is a patent attorney from Germany who fulfilled a lifelong dream by writing a technological thriller set in the early days of the radio industry. The Marconi-Patent weaves together historical events and people into a tale of intrigue, danger, and romance. What's even better, it features the Telefunken transmission site in West Sayville! On today's episode we discuss Peter's background and the state of radio circa 1914 when Britain was at war with Germany in Europe and the British Marconi Company was at war with the German Telefunken Company in a courtroom in New York. Peter's book is currently only available in German but he is working on an English translation so stay tuned! Links: Das Marconi-Patent by Peter Kurz Grimeton Radio Station, Sweden

Today we talked with LIRTVHS member Judy Blitzer. Straight out of high school and Brooklyn she marched her way into a job at RCA at 60 Broad St. in downtown Manhattan. What followed was a thirty-five year career working for John McKenna at RCA. Judy describes for us life at RCA, the intricacies of teletype machines, and how to meet the pope.  Related Links: RCA Radiograms RCA at 60 Broad St Telex History

Richard Dillman grew up in Westbury and was soon on track for a life pursuing radio history. After getting his ham radio license in the late 1950s, he began unravelling Long Island's radio secrets and visiting the area's important sites: WSL in Amagansett, RCA in Rocky Point, Press Wireless in Brentwood and, yes, the old Telefunken site in West Sayville. On today's episode he describes the allure of the great stations of radio's earliest days, the ship-to-shore and transoceanic stations and towers that sent Morse code through the air for profit.  His greatest achievement came on the west coast. Founding the Maritime Radio Historical Society, he went on to help save and re-open station KPH at Point Reyes to the north of San Francisco. Links Maritime Radio Historical Society An Overview of Long Island's Wireless History The Telefunken Station in Sayville Grimeton Radio Station

Dick Wolfe moved with his family from Floral Park to Oakdale in 1940. In these excerpts from a longer oral history interview he gave to the Long Island Home Front project, he describes the bucolic nature of Oakdale during his early years. His family lived on Chicken Street (now Dale Drive) and the surrounding area was dominated by dairy farms.  Dick recalls following the war news on the radio and through film reels, as well as local landmarks like Bronco Charlie's on Main Street and the nearby towering windmill, visible from the Great South Bay. His most vivid memories, though, involve the paratroopers who would fall from the sky on Sundays to take place in war games along Brook Street. 

Today's episode is a special cross-over with the Long Island History Project as we bring you the story of the Telefunken site in West Sayville. This forgotten story in radio history involved the technological titans of the day, Tesla and Marconi, along with Germany's Telefunken company, one of the most advanced concerns in the world. The station Telefunken built in West Sayville in 1912 was unrivaled. It was embraced by the local community - until the outbreak of war in 1916. Things turned decidedly darker after that. Connie Currie describes for us her efforts, along with other radio enthusiasts, to try and save the site and existing buildings in the 1990s. Joe Sikorski joins us to discuss his new film, Invisible Threads: From Wireless to War, which documents the early days of the site and how it helped pull the US into World War I. You can catch a sneak preview of Invisible Threads this Friday, November 12th, at Lessing's Bourne Mansion in Oakdale. Tickets are only available online through the Tesla Science Center, our co-sponsors.  Hope to see you there!

There had to have been easier ways to establish a college radio station on Long Island back in the 1960s but you get the sense that John Schmdit relishes a challenge. He enrolled at Adelphi University to earn another degree while working on the lunar landing module at Grumman. Discovering the small, student-run WALI opearting as a carrier current station heard only in the dorms, he was hooked. Over the ensuing years, whether as an Adlephi employee or a dedicated volunteer, he installed wires, raised antennae, negotiated time slots, and - with the help of others as dedicated as he - generally willed WBAU into existence. On today's episode, John describes the saga of WBAU - a story that involves, among others, Nassau Community College, Sewanhaka High School, the FCC, and the Mariott Hotel in Uniondale. Links Stories from WBAU Alumni WBAU Affinity Group PAWS Web Radio (Adelphi University) WBAU and Public Enemy Lens and Light Club - WPI WHPC Radio Station Bibliography WBAU, WHPC 90.3 FM

Bernie Bernard got her start at CW Post on station WCWP. Drawn by progressive rock and the chance to interview members of the music industry, she went on to a career that included stints at WBAB and WNEW as disc jockey, music director, and sometime newscaster, followed by work at Voice of America and as a teacher and voiceover artist. On today's episode, Bernie recalls her start in radio, interviewing stars like Meat Loaf and Elton John, and her memories of working with Carol Silva at WBAB as the first all-female morning radio team in the metro area. Station bibliography: WCWP (88.1 FM) WBAB (102.3 FM) WRCN (103.9 FM) WNEW (102.7 FM) WLIR (92.7 FM) Links: WCWP Voice of America “I came upon a child of God, he was walking the LIE” by John Kominicki (LI BusinessNews)

Tom Kuser is the Program Director and Morning Edition host at WSHU, an NPR station out of Sacred Heart University in Connecticut with a sizable Long Island audience. On this episode, Tom discusses his career - from college and commercial stations to television to public radio. He also relates some of the history of WSHU, memorable stories he has covered, and just how early he has to get up in the morning. Links  WSHU WSHU/Stony Brook University The Full Story podcast 50 Years of NPR Station Bibliography:  WNHU (88.7 FM); WNHC (1340 AM); WMMM (1260 AM); WTNH (News 8 TV)

Clark Galehouse started out as a swing band sax player from Illinois and wound up running Long Island's most prolific independent record label out of Huntington Station. We take a detour from radio history this episode to talk with John Broven about the life and legacy of Galehouse and his label, Golden Crest Records. Broven started out a lover of American rhythm & blues from East Sussex, England, and wound up a consultant for Ace Records and, eventually, the husband of Clark Galehouse's daughter, Shelley. Together the couple rescued the label from obscurity, reissuing the stunning array of music that Galehouse recorded from early rock and roll to jazz to local and regional school orchestras. The Golden Crest catalog is now housed in the Library of Congress. Links John Broven and Golden Crest Records Books by John Broven (Amazon author page) "Golden Crest Records: The Independent Record Industry Comes to Long Island" (Long Island History Journal) Blues Unlimited Magazine (The Blues Foundation) The Wailers (Pacific Northwest Bands) The Other Chili Peppers (Offbeat Magazine) Beyond the Needle: History of Vinyl Records Golden Crest Records (YouTube Playlist)

Ed Lacinski was destined for a career in audio. As a child, he read the liner notes of albums to learn the names of the sound engineers. Then he began taping his school musical performances in Patchogue-Medford which brought him to the attention of Jack Ellsworth at WALK and WLIM. He worked for years at Harman Kardon and along the way assisted in a session at Abbey Road Studios and changed out a woofer at an Earth, Wind & Fire concert at Jones Beach. Sounds good to us. All that and more on this deep dive into audio history. Station Bibliography: WALK (1370 AM), WALK (97.5 FM), WLIM (1440 AM), WNYG (1580 AM) Links Motorola C-Quam Abbey Road Studios Bruce Swedien (Rolling Stones obit) Jack Ellsworth: Long Island's Big Band Man (Long Island History Project)

Andy Mendelsohn gravitated to radio from an early age. By the time he was in high school in East Northport, he found himself on the school's station and at an internship at WBAB. This brought him into the orbit of Bob Buchmann, Roger Luce and Rockin' Robin, among others. After a stint in college and radio in Connecticut and Westchester, he returned to Long Island in the nineties on WRCN to battle WBAB for ratings and local bragging rights. One of his greatest memories is imaging WRCN and his work in the production studio, abetted and encouraged by Dennis Daniel of WBAB and WDRE. The increasing corporatization of the airwaves led Andy to leave radio for music management, championing the Long Island-based Nine Days and others. Related Links WBAB (Long Island 70s Kid) Zebra (Long Island Music Hall of Fame) Nine Days - Absolutely (Story of a Girl) Dennis Daniel (Episode 15)   Station bibliography: WRCN (103.9 FM), WBAB (102.3 FM), WFOX (95.9 FM), WGSM (740 AM)

Long Island historian Chris Verga's latest book looks at Nassau and Suffolk counties during some of the most pivotal years of the 20th century: World War II. On today's episode, we talk to Chris about life during that time and the role Long Island played in the war effort. You'll hear about Grumman, Republic, and the vital work of the region's aviation industry. We also discuss the activities of the German American Bund on the island and the experiences of German prisoners of war in the community. LIRTVHS has made its own study of this era with the Long Island Home Front oral history project, collecting the stories and experiences of everyday life during wartime. Links World War II Long Island: The Home Front in Nassau and Suffolk by Chris Verga (va Amazon) @chrisv1081 Chris Verga on Twitter The Long Island Home Front oral histories Recommend someone for an interview Bayles Local History Room (Longwood Public Library)

Join us for part III of our conversation with board member John Vuolo. We continue our look at the advancement of radio technology up through the 1970s with some detours along the way.

We're running a miniseries of interviews with LIRTVHS board member John Vuolo about the history and development of radios. John is a radio collector and restoration expert, in charge of helping build and maintain the Society's collections. Today we march through the 1930s, 40s and some of the 50s, talking about car radios, console radios, and a fellow collector named Auggie.

We're running a miniseries of interviews with LIRTVHS board member John Vuolo about the history and development of radios. John is a radio collector and restoration expert, in charge of helping build and maintain the Society's collections. Today we tackle the 1920s and the earliest commercially-available sets. How did they operate, how many survive, and how do you go about making them work again?

Today we speak with Bob Hobday about the operations of the Antique Wireless Museum in Bloomfield, New York.  You can visit them at: https://antiquewireless.org/

Radio was still king during the 1930s and 40s. It was a golden age for tuning in to shows like The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, and others. On today's episode, we offer a quick look at radio memories from the narrators taking part in the Long Island Home Front. Narrators: Fred Seitz, Jack Beebe, Rhoda McManus, Jo Eichner, Walter Winicki, Fred Scopinich, Jack Kratoville Links: Long Island Home Front National Home Front Project Music Sweet Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon Used under an Attribution 4.0 License AM Tuning from NobodyYouKnow of via FreeSound.org

On this episode of the Radio Tower, we feature more excerpts from the Long Island Home Front oral history project.  The subject is aviation and a time of frantic activity on Long Island. With companies like Grumman and Republic Aviation and airfields like Mitchel and Roosevelt Field, there was plenty for a young boy to see in the skies overhead. Narrators: Jack Beebe Jack Kratoville Fred Seitz Walter Winicki Jim Connell    

Cindy Clifford never had a plan but she still found her way to a meaningful career in Long Island radio, from WRCN in Riverhead to WWHB in Hampton Bays to a long stint on the WALK morning show with Mark Daniels.  Today she tells us more about what drew her to working behind the mic, her thoughts on the state of radio today, and her current podcasting efforts. Links It's Me, Cindy (podcast) Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukoff (find in a library via WorldCat) Breakfast with Mark Daniels (podcast) Radio Turns to 'Jack' for Format Fix (NPR) Station Bibliography WRCN Riverhead 103.9 FM WWHB Hampton Bays 107.1 FM WALK East Patchogue 97.5 FM WLNG Sag Harbor 92.1 FM WBAB Babylon 102.3 FM

Life has taken Larry Davidson from a bodega in Spanish Harlem to a vineyard in Aquebogue and many places in between. Through it all, his keen mind and relentless curiosity have helped him forge a career in broadcasting as an interviewer of authors, singer songwriters, politicians, and more. He's worked on WGBB and Cablevision as well as on a number of well-received series conducted at libraries and other cultural centers around the region.  His latest is a foray into podcasting with The Artful Periscope. Join us on a trip through Larry's life. We'll meet Long Island broadcasters past and present, prominent authors such as Nelson Demille and Pete Hamill, and musicians like Woody, Arlo, and Sarah Lee Guthrie. Along the way we talk about everything from podcasting to early soap operas to the mind of the long distance runner. Links Larry Davidson Productions The Artful Periscope Sachem Public Library (The Booth)  

We're featuring more segments from the Long Island Home Front, our oral history project focusing on the impact of World War 2 on Long Island. Today we hear from Marie Mack, Brooklyn Native and longtime Mount Sinai summer resident. We spoke with Marie in the same spot where her family started visiting Mount Sinai in 1924. Married by the start of the war, she had to move back into her parents' home with her young daughter, her husband shipped overseas in the Army Air Force. She gives us a valuable look at what it was like to be a working woman during the war years. Unfortunately, Marie Mack passed away earlier last year at the age of 100. We are honored to have spoken with her and been able to preserve some of these memories. Do you or someone you know have their own expereinces of Long Island during World War II? We'd love to hear from you as these stories are slipping away and we are committed to preserving them for future generations. You can get in touch with us online and we'll follow up on how the interviewing works. We are working in partnership with the National Home Front Project at Washington College's Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

The Long Island Home Front is an oral history project being conducted by the LI Radio & TV Historical Society (LIRTVHS), Sayville Historical Society and Sayville Public Library. Our mission is to preserve and share memories of Long Island during World War II and we will be sharing portions of interviews via the Radio Tower podcast of LIRTVHS. Today, Jack Beebe, native of West Sayville, describes how the Dutchies who had been fishing off the South Shore for generations, contributed to the war effort. If you or anyone you know would like to share their memories of Long Island during WWII, contact us via lirtvhs,org/homefront. And learn more about our partner, The National Home Front Project at Washington College's Starr Center.

Beginning his broadcasting career in his basement as a child in Baldwin, Dave Vieser went on to learn radio at WVHC at Hofstra before landing the dream job: playing music on WGBB in Freeport. He started on weekends, then night shifts, then afternoons and finally mornings. On this episode we sit down with Dave to talk about his career in radio and beyond, from spinning records to covering high school sports to working for Nassau County's Press Office. We are joined by returning guest David North of the Press Club of Long Island (PCLI) who has spent a good deal of time researching the history of WGBB. PCLI, with help from the village and the Freeport Historical Society, recently unveiled a marker to designate the site of WGBB's studios, the site of the first commercial news broadcast on the Island. This episode was recorded at the Freeport Public Library. Many thanks to librarian Regina Feeney and director Ken Bellafiore for the use of the space! Links Press Club, Freeport dedicate maker for WGBB 95 Years and Counting (LI Herald) Freport Historical Society and Museum Freeport Memorial Library Local History Station Bibliography WGBB 1240 AM WNEW 1130 AM WHLI 1100 AM WVHC 88.7 FM (later WHRU)

Robert Ottone sits down with Chris Kretz and Connie Currie to discuss the life and times of his father, Bullet Bob Ottone. A DJ at WGLI and WGBB in the 1970s, Bullet Bob was known for his rapid-fire delivery. He was one of WGBB's "Super Six", hosting the Night Train from midnight to six am.  After an on-air career that introduced him to the Beatles, Barry White and Joe Frazier, Bob turned to education. He taught radio at Brentwood High School and also operated their station WXBA-FM. To top it all off, in his later years he was the PA announcer for the Long Island Ducks. Many thanks to Robert for sharing these memories of his father, who passed away earlier this year. He gives us a glimpse into the life of a remarkable man who dedicated his life to bringing music and joy to Long Island. Robert is also a true-crime podcaster and author so check out his Voices from Gilgo as well as his latest collection of short stories. Links Bullet Bob Ottone (Newsday 2/19/2019) Robert Ottone Author Page (Amazon) WXBA-FM, Brentwood HS Press Club, Freeport dedicate marker for WGBB Voices from Gilgo podcast

Growing up in Riverhead in the 1960s, Jack Kratoville always wanted to be on the mic. He got his wish, forging a career that started with unpaid news reads on WRCN and continued to include stints at WLNG, WWHB, WMJC and more. These days you'll find him on 106.7 WLTW as well as out back of his Flanders home trying to improve the reception on his vast collection of old radios. Links 106.7 Lite FM Jack Kratoville Best of Alan Colmes WRIV  

Let's go back to the 1980s when album rock ruled the airwaves, Long Island was awash in nightclubs, and Dennis Daniel was unleashing his own brand of audio madness on WBAB. Dennis was a Production Director whose fertile imagination and drive camouflaged spots touting dentists and car steroes inside a theater of the absurd. With a gift for impersonation and a bottomles well of pop culture memories to draw on, Dennis forged a successful career on Long Island that included winning multiple CLIO awards, first on WBAB and then on WDRE. Hear him describe his creative process, his views on the development of the radio industry, and the one career path he dreamt of taking.  

Jack Beebe calls himself "Mr. Backstage" but in terms of radio and television history in New York since the 1950s, he's had a front row seat. He started as a teen disk jockey on WALK in East Patchouge, worked alongside Barbara Walters and the future Allison "The Nightbird" Steele at WPIX-TV, kept watch over Murray the K at WINS...and that's not even mentioning his time broadcasting in Korea or the blood sweating hippopotamus.  

From the hills of Scranton to the shores of Patchogue Bay, Bill Edwards pursued a career in radio driven by his love of music. As program director at WALK on Long Island, he helped build the sound of the station through the 1980s and 90s.  On today's episode he takes us through the evolving history of music programming, from gut-level decisions to precise polling data to non-stop Christmas music (for which he may or may not be responsible). We also discuss his internship days at WABC, life during Hurricane Gloria, and the state of radio history at local stations.    Station Bibliography Scranton: WEJL Ithaka: WTKO NYC: WABC Long Island: WGSM, WGBB, WBLI, WALK, WLIM Links When AM Ruled Music, and WABC was King (NYT) WALK 97.5 - Long Island Music Hall of Fame Memories of Hurricane Gloria Linger on Long Island 30 Years Later (Newsday)

If one door wouldn't open, David North found another way in. He forged a career in journalism from the wilds of New Hampshire to the shores of Long Island, from television to radio to print and back again, with some corporate work thrown in for good measure. On today's episode we discuss that long path as well as his time at Channel 67 in Islip and at WALK-FM, among others. We discuss the twin poles of radio that are Howard Stern and Paul Harvey, as well as David's memorable meetings with Jack Ellsworth on Long Island and what is missing from journalism today.   

We recently received a donation of a TV repairman's toolbox and a 1949 Zenith television. Although interesting in their own right, the true fascination comes from the people behind the donation. This was Sal Locascio's toolbox. He was a veteran of the Army Air Corps in World War II, an artist, and a man who could fix anything. His family, particularly Angela Inguaggiato, wanted to make sure these items went to a good home. They had similarly donated Sal's model B-25, with its six-foot wingspan, to the Air Power Museum in Farmingdale. Intrigued, we wanted to learn more about Sal, his family, and his life. On today's episode, Sal's wife Mildred and Angela relay a story that ranges from Brooklyn to the Brenner Pass, from the cockpit of the Naughty Nancy to the streets of Queens. The family, by the way, is still looking for a home for the uniforms of Mildred's brothers, one a Navy, the other an Army veteran of World War II. If any institution is interested, please drop us an email and we'll put you in touch.

John Vuolo has been collecting and restoring radios since he was a teenager. On this episode he recounts how he got interested in old radios and some highlights of his collecting career. Music on this Episode: Music For Podcasts by Lee Rosevere from Free Music Archive "Let's Start at the Beginning" "Curiousity" "Tech Toys" Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Sound Effects from Freesound.org TV Static Oscillator

We were at the Sayville Public Library on Nov. 10th commemorating World War I and its effect on radio history. You'll hear from documentary film maker Joe Sikorski on his latest project chronicling the Telefunken site in Sayville. Built, owned and operated as a German radio station, Telefunken played a pivitol role in the United State's entry into the war. We also talk with LIRTVHS board member John Vuolo on a unique piece of radio equipment we recently added to our collection. Radio was one of the cutting edge technologies being adapted by the military in World War One, even to the point of bolting receivers into biplanes.

We were invited to the Sayville Library for a community breakfast to help kick off The Great Give Back 2018. It was a great opportunity to share what LIRTVHS but also to get to know and appreciate all the other organizations doing so much for Sayville and the community. So we did some on-the-spot recording with some of our co-attendees, asking them to explain their mission and how it impacts the community. See below for ways to get in touch with them. And we also couldn't resist getting some of their memories of radio on Long Island and beyond. Thanks to Sayville Library director Jen Fowler for puting this great community event together and for everyone who talked with us! The Great Give Back Sayville Public Library Sayville Historical Society Sayville Cabinet for the Sick Boy Scouts of America Suffolk County Council, Trailblazer Director The Rollstone Foundation Art Without Walls  

Daniell Campbell shares a look back at how she got started in the business - from behind the scenes at WGSM's FM station to WNBC during the Howard Stern era to 1010 WINS, Channel 55 and more. This is a special cross-over episode with the Long Island History Project #75. Hear Danielle and Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours on the true tales of Anna Strong and the Culper Spy Ring.

Dive in to the wild world of ham radio operators with John Smale, one of the founders of the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club. He's at call sign K2IZ.

Connie Currie grew up in Hicksville where her father, Roland Gibson, was the radio/TV repair man at Spiro's Department Store. She earned her amateur radio Novice License KN2RBM in 1956 but not without some resistance.

Arne Fogel, host of The Bing Shift on Jazz88 FM as well as a student and devotee of all things Crosby, relates Bing's career in radio. We talk about how Bing helped define the medium, how he rose to be a multimedia star, his role in changing recording technology, and more. This episode was recorded at The Booth, the new podcast recording studio at the Sachem Public Library. We thank them as well as this week's guest co-host, Chris DeCristofaro. Further Research Crosby Internet Radio The Bing Shift on Jazz88 Sachem Public Library The Studio Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams (find in a library)

LIRTVHS board member Richard Hawkins of Eastport on his time as a radioman in the Navy.

LIRTVHS treasurer Ed Taylor remembers growing up in the Bronx and the role radio played in is life.

Al Bernstein has been teaching television and radio production at Suffolk County Community College since 1974. On this, our inaugural episode, he relates his long career as teacher and also as a producer in the field. He's worked everything from the Breeder's Cup to the Olympics and Islanders' hockey games. Not bad for a kid from Flushing, Queens.

Welcome to the zero episode of The Radio Tower, the podcast of the Long Island Radio & Television Historical Society. We'll be bringing you interviews and stories of 20th century radio history: the men, women, myths and machines that made Long Island an early cradle of radio. You can find out more about the Society at lirtvhs.org.