2013 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony April 20, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, TV, Video.1 comment so far
Previous Hall of Fame Ceremonies: 2012
The second annual WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony featured the inductions of Maura “Bernie” Bernard, Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, and Bill Mozer. Like the inaugural ceremony last year, this year’s ceremony was held at the Tilles Center Atrium. Unlike last year, the sun was shining brightly outside.
The Hall of Fame plaques:
Scott Perschke captured a conversation between Bill Mozer, Harry Lowenthal, and Harry’s son James:
Hank Neimark (who inducted Steve Radoff and Harry Lowenthal) and Pete Bellotti:
Pete and Bill Mozer:
Pete and Steve Radoff:
Pete and Bernie Bernard:
Pete and Harry Lowenthal:
The ceremony began with WCWP station manager Dan Cox introducing an opening video:
Jay Mirabile was the Master of the Ceremony:
Bill Mozer’s induction of Bernie Bernard came in the form of an interview:
A captive audience:
Next, Tracy Burgess conducted an interview with Bruce Leonard…
…and handed the mic to Jeff Kroll who read a statement from Joel Feltman:
Hank Neimark inducted Steve Radoff:
Steve’s speech:
Next, Hank inducted Harry Lowenthal:
Harry’s speech:
Dan Cox returned to induct Bill Mozer…
…but he wasn’t the only one.
Ted David pre-recorded an induction speech from Florida:
Then came a slideshow set to “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor:
It was finally time to bring Bill to the podium:
It was an emotional speech.
There was one more special video message for Bill…
…from Fred Gaudelli:
There was still one more announcement to make…
…and that was made by Pete Bellotti:
The unveiling of the Hall of Fame plaque with the induction years and inductees listed on it:
“Let’s hear it for the 2013 WCWP Hall of Fame Class!”
Later at WCWP, Dan gave a tour of the newly renovated Studio 1:
It was quite a day! Congratulations to Bernie, Steve, Harry, and Bill: the WCWP Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
WCWP Homecoming, 2013 Hall of Fame Announcement October 23, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology.4 comments
Earlier recaps: 2008 WCWP Homecoming, 2009 Homecoming, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011)
Half a day after CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri aired on WCWP, I headed up to LIU Post for Homecoming festivities and the announcement of the 2013 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame.
The WCWP tailgate table adjacent to the Pratt Center and Hickox Field:
After taking those three pics, I walked to WCWP, located in the Abrams Communications Center.
Following the LIU Post Pioneers football team’s 20-15 win over the Millersville Marauders, Bernie Bernard took over WCWP for the next three hours:
Meanwhile, outside, it was time for the big Hall of Fame announcement.
The announcement began with Pete Bellotti introducing Dr. Paul Forestell, the provost of LIU Post:
Dr. Forestell:
Then, Pete read off the names of the 2013 inductees: Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, Bill Mozer (below)…
…and Bernie Bernard:
This picture was taken before Bernie came out to say a few words:
Jay Elzweig, Dan Cox, Pete Bellotti, Bill Mozer, Jeff Kroll, Dr. Paul Forestell:
Shortly after the announcement outside, Bernie broke the news on the air when she did a phone interview with Steve Radoff.
Later, Bernie was joined in the studio by Pete and Bill:
Mike Schanzer (aka Mike Hendryx) was also in on the conversation:
This picture was sharpened a few times to counter the blur:
Congratulations to Steve, Harry, Bill, and Bernie your induction into the WCWP Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 20.
Derecho flashback July 1, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, Sports, Weather.add a comment
Friday’s derecho that plowed through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic took me back fourteen years to a derecho that impacted Long Island.
“Derecho” is a Spanish term that has many translations, including “straight.” The “straight” translation gives the long-lasting weather event its name because of the straight-line winds it produces.
The derecho I remember hit in the mid-afternoon of September 7, 1998; Labor Day. But I didn’t even know of that term, or the swath of damage it caused, until last winter while reading up on major storms that have hit Long Island.
Outside of looking at the radar on The Weather Channel and hearing the thunder, I was oblivious of the derecho’s effects. I was in the basement of my friend Joey’s house, a few blocks southwest of my home in Wantagh. The basement was basically his apartment. It had a bedroom, entertainment center (where we were at the time), and bathroom. I sat at a table while he sat on the couch. I flipped back and forth from The Weather Channel and ESPN, the latter of which was carrying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run of that season in that game.
Despite the strong winds and lightning, the power never went out at Joey’s house. My house wasn’t so lucky. We did lose power. Considering what I learned recently, I can understand why and why it was out for so long. Power was not restored until around 4AM, about half a day after the derecho hit.
YouTube user Eltiempo10 has video of a Weather Channel Local Forecast at 2:58 PM:
The forecast begins at 0:38, following a station promo featuring Mike Bono, who is now at YNN. (Click here for my December 2005 interview with him.) The JFK “Current Conditions” observation at the top of the forecast is from before the derecho. At 0:50, you’ll notice the temperature went down 11 degrees and the wind speed was 51 MPH! Much of the last 90-seconds is the 90-minute radar loop. The music excerpt used is “Secrets” by Brazilian jazz guitarist Torcuato Mariano, from his 1995 album Last Look.
My Grover Washington, Jr. collection February 1, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal.1 comment so far
From Grover’s AllMusic bio page
I was first exposed to the late Grover Washington, Jr. in 1996, the year I began listening to what was then CD 101.9 (now FM News 101.9) here in New York. “Mister Magic” was the first song I heard. Then, there were “Take Five (Take Another Five)” and “Soulful Strut.” In the early 200s, Before I wised up and bought physical CDs or digital MP3s (through iTunes or Amazon), I downloaded two of those songs through a free file-sharing program.
When my aunt moved to South Florida in 2003, she gave me a Grover compilation album. I only listened to two songs on it: “Let It Flow (For Dr. J),” a tribute to Grover’s love of Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers, and “East River Drive,” a tribute to the Manhattan parkway otherwise known as the FDR Drive.
A few years ago, with the help of my friend Matt Marron’s TWC Classics site, a tribute to The Weather Channel, I learned of many more Grover songs that were used in the Local Forecasts in the 1980s. They included “Winelight” and “Jet Stream.”
Finally, in December 2010, I took the big step and began my Grover Washington, Jr. collection of CDs. I bought:
- Winelight (1980)
- Come Morning (1981)
- The Best Is Yet To Come (1982)
- Inside Moves (1984)
- Time Out Of Mind (1989)
- Next Exit (1992)
- Soulful Strut (1996)
That was it until a few nights ago after reading an online interview with Bob James (h/t Fourplay website cross-post). Since I didn’t have Grover’s early albums in my collection yet, I didn’t think of this:
You were with CTI for a few years before your own project debuted. When did Creed Taylor interject and aid in the progression of things?
Well, I was working a lot with Creed at the time for CTI. But I was working primarily as an arranger and would play piano on other jazz artists’ records. After doing this for about two or three years, on a fairly stable basis, and being on the support staff for other artists like Grover Washington, finally Creed asked me if I wanted to do my own album. So of course I said yes. One ended up being my first [album] for CTI.
Bob appeared on Grover’s first five albums. Saturday night, I bought the last two of those five and a few after that:
- Mister Magic (1974)
- Feels So Good (1975) (Amazon MP3s)
- A Secret Place (1976) (Amazon MP3s)
- Reed Seed (1978)
- Paradise (1979)
- Strawberry Moon (1987)
Some of the early stuff is a little too fusion-y for me, but still great.
Grover Washington, Jr. died in December 1999 at the age of 56. His legacy lives on through his recordings, a generation of saxophonists inspired by him, and jazz fans like me.
FLASHBACK: Interviewed for Dave’s Gone By on New Year’s Eve 2006 June 6, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Comedy, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Politics, Radio, Theatre.add a comment
I was Googling my name just now and came across this page. It’s the website Dave’s Gone By, a weekly radio show hosted by Dave Lefkowitz. There I found an interview I did–in which I was the interviewee–for the Dave’s Gone By New Year’s Craptacular special on New Year’s Eve 2006. You can hear that interview here. It starts at the 8:11 mark.
I was returning the favor after interviewing Dave a handful of times for The Mike Chimeri Show, which was days from its last show. Here are all those interviews (with air dates in parentheses):
Dave Lefkowitz Interview, Part 1 (August 17, 2005)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview, Part 2 (August 17, 2005)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview II (November 23, 2005) (In this one, I accidentally refer to Dave by his show title at one point. I had to rush down to Rockville Centre after I recorded the interview and my mind was all over the place.)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview III (March 29, 2006) (This was the first of three interviews I recorded in one day. After Dave came Nick Colionne and Mindi Abair. For all my Mike Chimeri Show interviews, which I self-consciously haven’t listened to since I edited them, click here.)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview IV, Part 1 (December 22, 2006)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview IV, Part 2 (December 22, 2006) (This was the last interview I recorded for The Mike Chimeri Show.)
About four years later, I was the interviewee again during the Fan Phone Call segment of Alison Rosen’s UStream show, Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend. You can hear that here.
Fan phone call! September 1, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Pets, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, Travel, TV.1 comment so far
Since March, I have been a semi-regular viewer of Alison Rosen’s weekly internet show, Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend, on the website UStream. One of the segments on her show, which streams through a webcam on her laptop, is Fan Phone Call. Phone numbers e-mailed to her by fans are taken out of a pot at random. The lucky fan is then called. If there is no answer, Alison leaves a funny voicemail and picks another number. If there is an answer, she interviews the fan. I e-mailed my number in March but it was never picked. So, I e-mailed it again on August 1.
This Sunday, my number was finally picked. You can see the call here. Scroll ahead to 27:40. I also recorded my end of the conversation in Adobe Audition with my mic in hand. I later mixed Alison’s end and my end together. Here’s the end result.
As you listen or watch, keep the following in mind:
- I bear no malice toward WCWP or any of the management. I have nothing but fond memories and best wishes. I’ll have more on my Homecoming show in a later post. (9/25 UPDATE: The show is not happening, but I will be at Homecoming. 10/16 UPDATE: I’m not going, but should be on hand for WCWP’s 50th anniversary next year.)
- I didn’t notice that Alison and her friend Dustin Goot were referring to the former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater as they were pressing me on my departure from the station.
- I was speaking generally when I said I’ve stormed out of places in the past, later coming back and apologizing. It comes with having Asperger Syndrome. I may regret writing this publicly.
- As you’ve seen in a few concert recaps on this blog, I do take pictures of street signs, highway markers, and exit signs. I used to have Hagstrom’s New York City, Western Suffolk, and Eastern Suffolk atlases. Now, I only have a recent Nassau atlas. With sites like Mapquest and Google Maps with printable directions, there’s less of a need to rely on atlases.
- Despite the heat, I kept my word and went for a walk 20 minutes after the call.
Ken Navarro interview feedback November 5, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Jazz, Personal, Radio.add a comment
Last night, Ken Navarro left a comment on Facebook to my picture of me and him at during the meet-and-greet following April’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert. Not only was he complimentary of the picture, but he had positive feedback about our October 18 interview:
FYI – I posted links to both parts of our interview on the home page of my web site and I have had a lot of emails from people telling me how much they enjoyed it. I still can’t get over how you spotted the “Try Again” intro sample showing up in “On My Way To Somewhere”. You’ve got good ears my man…
The interview was indeed posted on his homepage (screencap with circle from me below)…
…and on his media page (screencap with circle from me below):
I am so proud to learn that so many people have written to Ken expressing how much they enjoyed our interview. It makes all that work conducting the interview on September 26, editing the interview in the days that followed, and airing the final cut on October 18 worth it. Thank you very much to all of you, and once again, to Ken.
C.W. Post/WCWP Homecoming 2008 recap October 21, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Interviews, Jazz, Personal, Radio.13 comments
Later recaps: 2009 Homecoming, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012 Homecoming & 2013 Hall of Fame announcement
Before I begin the recap, here are the airchecks of my alumni radio show…
2008 Alumni Show aircheck audio
…and both parts of my previously discussed interview with Ken Navarro:
Ken Navarro Interview II, Part 1
Ken Navarro Interview II, Part 2
2/3/13 UPDATE: Ken Navarro Interview II-Final Cut
With that out of the way, let’s begin. I arrived on campus at 2:00 on Saturday, a cold (for October), windy day. First, I went to WCWP to put down all my equipment. Then, I walked to Hickox Field to take in the Homecoming atmosphere.
On the field, the C.W. Post Pioneers football team were playing the Millersville Marauders.
WCWP (highlighted in this picture by the black oval) provided the play-by-play:
Bored, and hardly seeing anyone I knew, I walked back to WCWP to prepare for my radio show. It turned out to be a good thing I left when I did, as you’ll find out three pictures down. (By the way, the Pioneers won 55-38, extending their record to 2-5.)
Earlier this year, fellow WCWP alumnus Kevin Jeffreys passed away. This year’s Homecoming and alumni weekend were dedicated to him:
All four news production TVs were tuned to the Studio 1 webcam used exclusively for alumni weekend. Below, you see the football postgame in progress.
The game, and subsequent postgame coverage, ended much sooner than I, and several alumni, thought it would. So, instead of coming on the air at 3:30, I came on at 3:00. Luckily, I found a handful long tracks on the CDs I brought for the original playlist to fill the extra time. Here are some camcorder vidcaps of my show, as seen in the video I linked to at the top of this recap:
Toward the end of the show, I went to the myWCWP website to see what the webcam looked like on the internet stream:
Then, Phil, a current WCWP member, took this picture from one of the news TVs:
Craig Stern, another fellow alum, shot this picture of me at the board:
After the show, it was off to the Pioneer Room on the first floor of Hillwood Commons for the Friends of WCWP Alumni Dinner, where Bernie Bernard hosted her alumni show (Craig Stern is in the first pic):
Here I am with Bernie and Alan Seltzer, who, as the Homecoming Coordinator, is responsible for putting alumni weekend together (updated after Alan’s comment):
With Jamie Mazzo:
Jamie and Bernie:
Then, it was back to Studio 1 at WCWP for Jay Mirabile’s special four-hour “Disco and Funk King Show”:
Here I am with Jay:
One last picture: Jay in action.
And that was my Saturday at C.W. Post for this year’s Homecoming. It was a long, but worthwhile day.
