WCWP honored at 2024 Legends of Long Island Music Awards November 26, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Food, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Rock, Travel, Video.add a comment
Last Tuesday night, November 19, WCWP – LIU Post‘s public radio FM station – was among many honorees at the 2024 Legends of Long Island Music Awards. The ceremony was hosted by Good Times Magazine and the Long Island Music Business Organization. It was held at The Bayview in Freeport on the southern end of Woodcleft Avenue (near Richmond Street). Woodcleft Avenue is known colloquially as the Nautical Mile because its .85 land mile length is within .02 miles of the nautical unit of distance.
This was another homecoming of sorts for me (2024 WCWP/LIU Post Homecoming Weekend recap), as the Chimeri family part-owned and operated Ehrhart’s Clam House and Bar in the center of the Nautical Mile (adjacent to Suffolk Street) from the fall of 1970 through their sale in the spring of 2004. (Jeremy’s Ale House is where the Clam House was and Hurricane Harry’s replaced Ehrhart’s Bar.) The Chimeri family went on to run Water Lilly’s Waterside Cafe a block and a half to the north (before Hamilton Street) from the summer of 2004 through some time in 2009. (Halfway Down stands where Water Lilly’s used to be.)
Whether or not you could make the sold out Legends of Long Island Music Awards, this was the program with all honorees listed (not in order of presentation):
Good Times Magazine founder and publisher Rich Branciforte served as host, and presented WCWP station manager Dan Cox with the station’s award about halfway through the ceremony.
Now that you’ve seen the video, see photos taken before and during the honor below.
Standing above table 23 are Bobby Guthenberg and George Walsh (whose promo flyer for Knockin’ on Dylan’s Door was seen in the preivous photo). Grandfather Rock Chris MacIntosh (Rock ‘N Soul Gospel) is seated at the table while Pat Kroll can be seen at table 25. 
The Wave program director Avery Cochikas takes a group selfie at table 25. Pat Kroll is visible in the upper left next to station manager Dan Cox, LIU director of development annual fund Joan Yonke, and Audrey Varnas. Woody Collins (Trawling the Decades) and his wife Jan are in the foreground at table 25. 
George Walsh talks to Rick Lucidi (Rick’s Ranch Radio) and Rich Solomon (Taking Care of Business). 
Bobby G. with Grandfather Rock Chris MacIntosh and Audrey Varnas 
Among those in this photo are Cindy Schwartz (Rockin’ History), Vince Randazzo, WCWP station manager Dan Cox, Pat Kroll, Jeff Kroll, Audrey Varnas, The Wave program director Avery Cochikas, and LIU director of development annual fund Joan Yonke 
Rich Solomon, George Walsh, Rick Lucidi, Bobby Guthenberg, Chris MacIntosh, Woody Collins, Dan Cox 
Good Times Magazine founder Rich Branciforte introduces Dan Cox to accept WCWP’s honoree award. 
Dan’s acceptance speech 
I remain grateful for the opportunity to document the history of WCWP by chronicling events like this. It was an even bigger thrill to do so at a venue on a street with sentimental and nostalgic value in a village where I lived 11 years of my life and where my family (myself included) has worked for over half a century.
Congratulations to WCWP and thank you to the Legends of Long Island Music Awards for honoring the station.
2024 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming Weekend October 4, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Baseball, Books, Football, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Pop, Radio, Rock, smooth jazz, Sports, Travel, Video.add a comment
Last year, due to ongoing renovation of the Abrams Communications Center on the campus of LIU Post, WCWP‘s Homecoming Weekend programming block was cancelled. This year, it was back, running from September 20 at noon through September 22 at midnight. Coinciding with the LIU Sharks football team‘s Homecoming game against the University of Rhode Island Rams, this was the first Homecoming Weekend block overseen by returning station manager Dan Cox since 2021 and first coordinated by alumni Jeff and Pat Kroll since 2019.
Those who attended the WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony on June 1 were given a tour of the Abrams renovation afterward. More alumni would have a chance to see the changes this time.
As the unofficial station historian, a title bestowed upon me by Bill Mozer, I would document this weekend from start to finish, through videos, photos, and airchecks. The airchecks were mostly recorded off the FM internet stream at my Wantagh home via desktop PCs in my bedroom and the guest room. Exceptions are the first four hours of programming Friday and Bernie Bernard’s show after the football game Saturday. For those, I recorded at WCWP using Adobe Audition on my laptop, which was connected to USB phono preamp connected via a Y-adapter to a Sangean radio’s aux out port. The home recordings were done through Audacity and edited in Adobe Audition.
I always seem to develop anxiety ahead of an impending workload, and that was again the case on Thursday, September 19. I had temporarily limited my Twitch streaming schedule to one stream a week to focus on covering Homecoming Weekend and all the post-production to follow. I also, muted all the Discord chat servers I was in and turned off notifications on the many channels I followed and/or subscribed to. I needed to be calm going into the weekend and focus on the task at hand.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
With all my batteries charged and equipment packed, my mother Lisa drove me up to LIU Post just after 11AM. Once I arrived and entered WCWP, I unpacked and began setting up in studio 3 for the first show of Homecoming Weekend. Project Independence and You! was wrapping up its regularly-scheduled show in studio 2.
Homecoming Weekend led off at noon with Art Beltrone’s interview show.
Art was the first student voice heard on WCWP after its carrier-current station sign-on at noon on October 18, 1961.
Jeff Kroll was the engineer and co-host.
Art’s first alumni guests were Bill Rozea… 
…and Bill’s wife April, members of C.W. Post first graduating class in 1959. 
Art Beltrone presented April Rozea with a bouquet of roses. (Art’s wife Lee is seated in the background.) 
Between interviews, Jeff played “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley, to the delight of the Bill and April Rozea.
Bill Rozea speaking with Art’s next guest, Vinnie Salamone:
Art’s interview with Vinnie Salamone:
Bernie Bernard was next:
She also received a bouquet of flowers. 
Jeff led the interview with Bernie. 
The next four photos are courtesy of Ted David while he dropped by studio 3:
Jeff’s wife Pat Kroll produced and coordinated Art’s show.
Art Beltrone’s other guests included Stewart Ain, via Zoom (a fifth photo by Ted David)…
John LiBretto and Hank Neimark…
Hank was the first voice on WCWP-FM when it signed on at 4PM on March 16, 1965. 
…and Steve Radoff, via Zoom:
After Hank, John, and Steve were interviewed, I gathered my equipment and headed for studio 2 to set up for my live edition of Instrumental Invasion at 2PM.
Here is Art’s full show, minus most of “Can’t Help Falling in Love”:
Aside from the guests listed above, Art spoke to Jon Benson (via Zoom) and Greg Tarone.
Portions of the above aircheck were synced to video I shot on a pair of Panasonic HC-X1500 camcorders, with occasional photo cutaways.
Click here for a recap of my live Instrumental Invasion, with corresponding photos, scoped aircheck, and video. (The link to the midnight prerecorded show comes later in this post.)
Hank Neimark and John LiBretto returned to the airwaves at 4PM to host Strictly Jazz. Jon Korkes served as the third host, appearing via Zoom, and Jeff Kroll was once again engineer.
Jon Korkes’s Zoom window (the text below him is burned in to the monitor)
Here are Jeff, John, and Hank after the show:
Now for the scoped aircheck of Strictly Jazz:
As you’ll see in the composite aircheck video, Hank and John interviewed me at one point:
After becoming obsessed with “My Attorney Bernie” by Dave Frishberg during the drafting of this post, I realized I left the end of the song from the scoped aircheck in the video before jumping to my interview.
As Strictly Jazz proceeded in studio 2, I took two other photos in the lobby:
WCWP station manager Dan Cox (center) with LIU senior philanthropic advisor Charles Rasberry (left) and Neil Marks (right) 
Neil Marks, John Zoni, Andrew Scarpaci, and Travis Demers prepping for the Homecoming game broadcast
John Zoni had the next show at 7PM Friday:
Jay Mirabile followed at 9PM with a special edition of The DFK Show. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo of him while I was on campus and he didn’t take one during his show. So, here’s a photo from 2013:
The scoped aircheck is from this year.
There are more alumni hosts below who were not individually photographed (Chris MacIntosh is in a two-shot) by me or anyone else this weekend, and I will include a photo if I have one to go along with their scopes.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
As the clock struck midnight, my prerecorded three-hour edition of Instrumental Invasion commenced. Click here for that show’s recap, but I’ll say here it was the first time I’d hosted a three-hour show since filling in for Martin Phillips on Thursday Night Jazz in October 2009.
At 3AM, there was Magick Mike Hendryx, seen here live in 2016 following my live Instrumental Invasion:
John Commins was the last of the prerecorded shows early Saturday, airing at 5AM. This was John in 2017:
Jeff Jensen had Saturday’s first live show at 7AM back in studio 2. He’s seen here in 2019:
We now jump ahead to later in the morning atop the Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium prior to the LIU Sharks-Rhode Island Rams game.
This set of photos were taken by Pat Kroll:
Jeff and Pat Kroll 
Jeff Kroll and Neil Marks 
Travis Demers handled play-by-play in the 2nd and 3rd quarters while Jeff
Kroll took the 1st and 4th quarters. Neil Marks analyzed.
The Homecoming game kicked off at noon, and I arrived on campus about half an hour later, setting down my equipment at the Abrams Communications Center.
Then, I took out my Canon EOS R7 and swapped the RF-S 18-150mm lens (a replacement after the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo mishap) with an RF 100-400mm lens. That plan worked for photos of the football field, but for everything else, I’d have to back up a long way for anything close to me.
First, a photo in the parking lot:
And one by the entrance:
When I arrived, it was halftime, and Vinnie Salamone got his second interview of Homecoming Weekend.
Listen to the interview here:
As halftime wound down, Jeff Kroll, Neil Marks, and Travis Demers recapped the first half, told stories, and remarked on the state of WCWP.
My photos atop the press box alternated between my EOS R7 and iPhone 13 Pro.
The LIU marching band’s halftime performance 
The opposite end of the stadium 
Until ten nights earlier at Freeport’s 9/11 memorial ceremony, I was unaware that Bronko Pearsall was one of the 343 FDNY firefighters lost that September morning in 2001. Pearsall was among the names read by Amanda Muldowney, sister-in-law of Richie Muldowney. 
Practice kicks… 
The LIU marching band gets back in position in the stands. 
The LIU Sharks returned to the field… 
…followed by the Rams of URI. 
Jeff Kroll always managed to spot me taking a candid shot, leading to a posed photo. 
Travis Demers, Neil Marks, and Jeff Kroll prepare for the second half, as heard in the earlier clip. 
The second half kickoff 
Travis Demers calling the action with Jeff Kroll analyzing and Pat Kroll producing 
Neil Marks watched on during the third quarter, and would rejoin Jeff and Travis in the fourth. 
Travis’s view of the field 
A final photo at the stadium before returning to WCWP
The Sharks led the Rams 21-14, but went on to lose 28-21. The key moment came late in the fourth quarter. One play after the Sharks recovered a Rams fumble at the 1-yard line, the Sharks fumbled the ball back to Rhode Island at the 5. The Rams tied, and went ahead on their next possession. At least it was an exciting game for Jeff, Neil, and Travis to call.
“Highlights” were run during the postgame show, emanating from studio 3 and atop the stadium press box.
John Zoni handled the out-of-town scoreboard…
…and Andrew Scarpaci narrated the highlights:
Programming returned to studio 2 at 3PM with Bernie Bernard. Here are photos taken while setting up:
To the left of Bernie is Jett Lightning. Bobby Guthenberg (a.k.a. Bobby G.) and Larry Brodsky are to the right of her. 
Bobby G. helped Bernie set up (Photo by Hugh Hammill) 
Photo by Hugh Hammill
The photos were taken after Bernie’s show began.
Hugh Hammill is pictured talking to WCWP station manager Dan Cox with Bernie Bernard prepping the next CD to play. Jeff Kroll is standing on the right and Bernie’s sister Melissa is seating facing away in the foreground. 
Ward Henry and Bernie Bernard (Photo by Hugh Hammill) 
Bernie’s view of Wavecart (Photo by Hugh Hammill) 
Larry Brodsky and Jeff Kroll (after Jeff spotted me taking a candid) 
Travis Demers, Frank Iemitti (capital I; with his back to the camera), John Zoni, John Mullen, Dave Fleischer
I neglected to shoot video, but WCWP station manager Dan Cox addressed the gathered alumni outside at the barbecue.
Dan was joined by Kerry Kruckel, LIU vice president for university advancement. 
This photo includes Joan Yonke (center), LIU director of development and
annual fund, and Art and Lee Beltrone to the right of Joan.
Grandfather Rock Chris MacIntosh and Dan Cox listen to Ms. Kruckel’s complimentary remarks. 
Dan was equally complimentary. 
Back inside studio 2…
Bernie Bernard at the board 
Chris MacIntosh joined Jett, Ward, Bernie, Melissa, and Hugh. 
Me with my Panasonic HC-X1500 camcorders. One had a handle unit attachment, and a great shotgun mic and tripod. The other had an okay tripod and no external mic or handle unit. 
Unfortunately, I forgot to hit record on those camcorders before Bernie interviewed me. Thankfully, Melissa Bernard took the next three photos that I used in the video you’ll see in a little while. 
“I was born in the ’80s!” 
Tony and Winnie Traguardo also dropped by. 
Before Mike Riccio and Bobby G.’s radio show, Bernie tried to stump Mike on who sang covers of two songs. 
Mike went 1 for 2. 
John Zoni told me a story about he came to be involved in coverage of the C.W. Post Pioneers/LIU Sharks Homecoming game, as well as encountering Bill Mozer immediately before and after the university fired Bill as station manager in 1990.
As John and I continued to talk, I could hear Bernie wrapping up her show. So, I rushed back into studio 2 to record camcorder videos.
Here is a scope of the entire show:
And a composite aircheck video:
Outside the studio, a photo of Dan Cox (right) with Winnie and Tony Traguardo:
A candid shot of Bobby G. and Jeff Kroll:
Bobby took a photo of me and Jeff:
I should note I bought that blue and gold LIU polo on my way out of the stadium. I chose to wear a green and gold LIU Post shirt that predated the “One LIU” athletics merger and move to NCAA Division I, but it felt wrong wearing that shirt. I changed into the new one when I got back to WCWP.
Pat Kroll took this photo of me and John Zoni:
She also found a CD in my name in one of the station mail slots, per this photo taken over a week later:
The artist said there was one instrumental track for me to play on Instrumental Invasion, unaware that my weekly run ended last November.
Anyway, it was on to Mike Riccio and Bobby G. at 6:02 PM. The theme this year was songs from 1961 to 1989 albums that have been streamed the most on Spotify. Bobby, Jett Lightning, and Bernie Bernard had to guess what the most-streamed song was before Mike began each set.
Mike Riccio 
Bobby G. 
Jett Lightning 
A posed photo of Jett Lightning 
Bernie Bernard returned to studio 2 by the 1970s portion of the show. 
Before I packed up my equipment and left for home, I got a photo of Mike Riccio and Bobby G.:
Here is a scope of most of their show. I edited out a talk break I intruded on and would like to forget.
And a composite aircheck video of all but that one talk break during their first 82 minutes:
Vince Randazzo came on at 9:03 PM with Alternative Jukebox. Yet again, I dip into the archives for a photo of him, taken at the 2022 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony:
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Photos from Sunday are courtesy of Pat Kroll and Ted David.
I airchecked the last 18 hours of the weekend, beginning at 6AM with a pre-record of The Aural Fix Transmission with Mike Ferrari:
From here on out, everything was live, beginning at 8AM with Jay LaPrise:
The Ladies of Prison Break Radio, Jamie Mazzo and Sara Dorchak were next at 10:02 AM.
At 12:01 PM, it was Joe “Joseph P.” Honerkamp:
Photo by Ted David 
Jeff Kroll, Ted David, Joe Honerkamp (photo by Pat Kroll)
It was Ted David’s turn at 1:59 PM:
Thank you, Ted, for complimenting me and Travis Demers.
Ted, in turn, was followed by Lew Scharfberg at 4PM (photos by Pat Kroll):
Lew’s show was one of many on Homecoming Weekend engineered by Jeff Kroll.
Alana (seen below in 2022) hosted a special edition of The Rockin’ Sunday Show at 6:01 PM:
Grandfather Rock Chris MacIntosh was here with Rock ‘N’ Soul Gospel at 7:59 PM:
And Billy the Kid closed out Homecoming Weekend at 10:02 PM with Masters of Metal.
Post-production, no pun intended, began on the morning of September 23 and concluded on the morning of October 4 with publication of this post and the Instrumental Invasion posts.
Thank you very much for reading all the way to the end. In spite of any anxiety and stress, documenting events like this is a labor of love. I’m already looking forward to next Homecoming Weekend, but before then, WCWP celebrates its 60th anniversary as an FM station this March. I’ll surely have a recap of that.
Cheers to WCWP, the Abrams Communications Center, LIU Post, my fellow alumni, and the faculty I’ve gotten to know. I’ll see you soon.
10/5 UPDATE: I have a public Google Drive folder with airchecks and scopes of the Homecoming Weekend programs I recorded, while station manager Dan Cox has a folder with unscoped airchecks of all programming.
Instrumental Invasion, 9/21/24, 12AM (Homecoming Weekend) October 4, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Livestream, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, smooth jazz, Video Games.add a comment
Other posts: 9/20 2PM live show recap, comprehensive Homecoming Weekend recap
The prerecorded edition of Instrumental Invasion for WCWP‘s alumni-run Homecoming Weekend programming block aired at midnight on Saturday, September 21, eight hours after the live show concluded.
Again, let’s get the scoped aircheck out of the way before the behind-the-scenes details.
Just before my unscheduled Twitch stream on Tuesday, September 3, Homecoming Weekend co-coordinator Jeff Kroll called to ask if I could do record a second show to air in the early mornings on September 21 or 22. It was to be a three-hour show, the first time hosting a three-hour since I filled in for Martin Phillips on Thursday Night Jazz on October 29, 2009.
Since I had used up my 60-year musical journey format on the live show, this prerecord would adhere to the segment formats I used when Instrumental Invasion aired weekly. As a refresher, the final version of those segment formats was:
- 1984 and earlier
- 1985-97
- 1998-2009
- 2010-20
- 2021-present
To make things easier, I recycled songs (and one whole set!) from various weekly shows when creating the playlist on September 4. Annotations and the script draft were adapted from original annotations and scripts, except for songs I’d never played before. I wrote new material for those. Annotations continued into the 5th while the script was drafted from the 4th to the morning of the 6th.
Inspired four of my early Twitch streams before the push to video gaming, I streamed recording sessions on Twitch from September 6 to 8. All the while I had no idea when the show would air, though I assumed it would air Sunday morning. I don’t regret the “Friday” references despite the show airing mere hours after I was live. One pickup was seen on stream on the 8th, a slower reading of hour 2’s first talk break. Another pickup was done on the morning of the 9th prior to submission lest anyone think the Casiopea-P4 song I played was stylized as “Dreamers’ Dream” rather than “Dreamer’s Dream.” The show featured three songs by Casiopea from their 1st, 2nd, and P4 eras; along with two by T-Square (one as The Square). (I also played one song each by Casiopea and T-Square in the live show; back-to-back, at that.)
Upon completion, the Adobe Audition multitrack session looked like this:
For good measure, I present the three recording session Twitch streams at 75x speed set to “Mid-Manhattan,” the second song of the show.
And that’s the story of this show. Now, get back to the main recap, picking up with Magick Mike Hendryx at 3AM.
Instrumental Invasion, 9/20/24, 2PM (Homecoming Weekend) (Live!) October 4, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Livestream, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, smooth jazz, Travel, Video.add a comment
Other posts: 9/21 12AM prerecorded show recap, comprehensive Homecoming Weekend recap
The live edition of Instrumental Invasion for WCWP‘s alumni-run Homecoming Weekend programming block aired at 2PM Friday, between Art Beltrone’s interview show and Strictly Jazz, WCWP’s longest-running program, dating back to the pre-FM carrier-current days when it was hosted by John March. The hosts of Strictly Jazz that followed me were Hank Neimark (“NEE-mark”), John LiBretto, and Jon Korkes (“CORE-kiss”) (via Zoom). You’ll see Hank and engineer Jeff Kroll at the end of the video below.
Before I get into how this Instrumental Invasion show was made and share photos taken during the show, let’s get the scoped aircheck out of the way…
…along with the aforementioned video.
The playlist for the live Instrumental Invasion was created July 24, long before a rough schedule was announced by Jeff and Pat Kroll, the Homecoming Weekend coordinators. I assumed I would be hosting one live show – intended for music from new releases – and one prerecord – the 60-year musical journey. So, I figured I’d get the presumed prerecord playlist out of the way and would work on the presumed live show playlist as the weekend approached.
The initial schedule was announced on August 12. I’d be live at 2PM, but didn’t see my name in an overnight slot. In a first for Homecoming Weekend, I made the 60-year musical journey the playlist for the live show, tweaking it slightly. I tweaked further on August 23. There would still be one song each between 1964 and ’89, and two songs for 1994 to 2004, but I scrapped the old plan of three songs each from 2009, ’14, and ’19. The 2024 song to close the remained, preceded by a set of three more songs from this year. 2009, ’14, and ’19 were winnowed down to pairs.
Annotations began August 23 after printing out the playlist, continuing on the 25th, 28th, and September 16. As in 2022, I didn’t make a script. I read the annotations, adding a Dancing with the Stars reference during the set with “Tropical Rain” by Jessy J (in that show’s Ray Chew Live house band). Otherwise, I spoke off the cuff. (It’s a shame that 1982 Weather Report video was pulled from YouTube after I watched it.)
I was the first show of the weekend to air from studio 2 at the renovated Abrams Communications Center. Here are photos I took during the first set of hour 2:
As “Beat Street” by David Benoit and Spice Fusion Big Band played, I had Jeff Kroll take a photo of me at the controls, just as he would be moments later.
Hank Neimark is seen phoning Jon Korkes to set him up on Zoom.
My only regret about the show is that my remix of the WCWP Oldtimers Weekend liner was not in Wavecart. The original was in there and played “Machine Gun” by The Commodores at a slower speed. This is “Machine Gun” (excerpted portion at 1:32):
And this is my remixed liner:
(The Homecoming Weekend moniker was adopted once the programming block coincided with then-C.W. Post‘s Homecoming.)
That aside, dragging and dropping liners in was easy, and I enjoyed using the “WCWP Remembers [year]” liners.
Just when I thought this would be the only show I’d have on Homecoming Weekend, Jeff Kroll called me September 3 to say he needed a three-hour prerecord to fill time early Saturday or Sunday morning. You can read about that show here.
2024 Freeport 9/11 Memorial Ceremony photos September 19, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Fire, Personal, Photography.4 comments
Related posts: My 9/11 experience (10th anniversary), 20th anniversary retrospective (including photos from 2013 ceremony)
Last Wednesday, I attended Freeport‘s annual 9/11 memorial ceremony, held on South Bayview Avenue across from Bayview Hose Company No. 3.
The photos below were taken before, during, and after the ceremony.
Freeport Truck Company 1 (Excelsior Hook & Ladder Company No. 1) helped drape a large American flag for the ceremony with their 218 vehicle. 
The ceremony was led by Columbus Avenue School principal Alma Rocha. 
Ms. Rocha invited children to the podium to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. 
Then, a performance of the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 
Prayers from Rev. Robert Dawley, Freeport Fire Department chaplain 
This photo shows a plane freely taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport above as the ceremony continues below. 
Amanda Muldowney, former Leo F. Giblyn School principal, read the names of Freeporters lost on 9/11, including her brother-in-law Richie Muldowney. A bell was rung for each name. 
The ceremony concludes 
Freeport Fire Department members congregated afterward. 
This girl got a chance to ring the bell. 
Members of Truck Company One lowering the American flag 
Lowering the ladder 
My father Bill Chimeri was tillerman for Truck Company 218. 
218 driving back to Truck 1 on Church Street 
Ex-Chief Donald Rowan (center) and family, including his son Donald Jr. (left) 
Engine 211 riding down Ray Street, back to Ever Ready Hose Company No. 1 on Southside Avenue
Thank you for reading this post.
2024 Long Island Retro Gaming Expo recap: conclusion and pickups August 21, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Aviation, Books, Education, History, Internet, Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel.add a comment
If you haven’t seen them yet, read the first post here and second post here.
CONCLUSION
I mingled for a bit after in the guest table area after Leonard Herman‘s panel, then returned to the vendor marketplace for more games to buy. I texted my mom to come pick me up, said my goodbyes, and exited the Cradle of Aviation Museum:
My last photo of the weekend before getting in Mom’s car, bound for home
When I got home I took photos of my weekend badge…:
…and pickups, starting with merchandise:
I built up a $400 budget for merchandise, games, and maybe even consoles or accessories. I also brought two games I was unable to sell on eBay in the hopes of selling them to a vendor in the marketplace. I only got $10 for Knowledge is Power (PlayStation 4) and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition (PS5), but I was just glad to get rid of them. After struggling with games like the PS4 port of Celeste and (in my debut stream) the Xbox One port of Dark Souls: Remastered, it seemed pointless to keep games in my collection that I was terrible at or had no desire to play. (The Spider-Man games fell into the latter category.) So, my budget became $410.
I spent $105 on merchandise, with all but the My Life in Gaming t-shirt purchased Saturday. (I brought the M2: Complete Works Blu-ray for Coury and Try to sign after buying from them last February.)
That left $305 for games. I went to an ATM for an extra $40 (plus a $4 surcharge). Combined with a $5 bill from my wallet, I went $45 over budget. I’ve done worse in prior years, so I consider that a victory.
I successfully haggled with each vendor, saving me at least $50.
I bought a whopping 16 games for the Nintendo Entertainment System:
The games in alphabetical order, with purchase day in italicized parentheses:
- Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (Saturday)
- Duck Hunt (Saturday)
- Friday the 13th (Saturday)
- Gumshoe (Sunday) – This was my last purchase of the weekend and I haggled down to $15
- The Karate Kid (Sunday)
- Kid Niki: Radical Ninja (Saturday)
- Lunar Pool (Saturday) – I originally bought this on eBay in December 2021 as part of a seller lot, but made a small tear in the label while rearranging cartridges sometime after that
- Milon’s Secret Castle (Saturday)
- Q*bert (Saturday) – I bought this in Warren Davis‘s honor
- Spot: The Video Game (Saturday)
- Super Mario Bros. (Saturday)
- Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet (Sunday)
- Urban Champion (Saturday)
- Vegas Dream (Saturday)
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Saturday)
- World Class Track Meet (Sunday)
Six of the NES games have appeared in Angry Video Game Nerd episodes, and seven appeared in Pat the NES Punk episodes. The Black Box releases were all in one episode.
Like last year, I bought two Super Nintendo games, both on Saturday.
Three for Sega Genesis:
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (Sunday)
- Ariel the Little Mermaid (Sunday)
- Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (Saturday)
One game per day for PlayStation:
- Gran Turismo 2 (Saturday)
- Tekken 3 (Sunday)
Now, the only mainline Tekken games I don’t have are 2 and 8, and I still need the original Gran Turismo and 5.
My lone Wii U game was Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.
This wasn’t the end of buying, though. I passed up on To the Earth and Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? for NES (the latter game had a cracked a shell). When I bought the triple combo NES cart and World Class Track Meet from one vendor, she offered the Power Pad. Just as I was about to buy, a young man behind me lamented that he wanted it. So, I graciously declined and let him buy it. And I couldn’t find a copy of Ridge Racer 6. I rectified all of that on eBay in the days after LI Retro.
Wednesday, August 14, I bought To the Earth and Where in Time…?, I snagged a Power Pad on Thursday, August 15, and bought Ridge Racer 6 on Saturday, August 17. As of publication, I only have the Power Pad and To the Earth, which I photographed Monday, August 19 (updated at 4:05 PM August 21 with Ridge Racer 6 and on August 24 with Where in Time…?):
Thank you for taking another photographic journey through the 2024 Long Island Retro Gaming Expo. Until next year, you can catch me on Twitch. Maybe I’ll be playing a game I picked up this year.
2024 Long Island Retro Gaming expo recap: touring the expo August 21, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Aviation, Computer, History, Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
If you haven’t viewed the first recap post yet, click here. Skip ahead to the third recap here.
The vendor marketplace photos were taken both days while the exhibits were all taken Sunday.
Let the tour begin.
FIRST FLOOR
Walking in:
Vendor Marketplace:
First floor artwork:
First floor signs:
Hangar Arcade:
PC Freeplay:
Console Freeplay:
Dreamcast Indie Section:
PokéLab:
The Hall of Oddities:
Vintage ads:
Returning to civilization after nearly getting lost on the first floor:
SECOND FLOOR
I briefly caught up with LI Retro staff member George Portugal while walking this floor.
High Score Challenge
Indie/Homebrew Showcase
Gaming Console Timeline
The Arcade Age Exhibit
Other things on the second floor:
A view from the stairs to the third floor:
THIRD FLOOR
25 Years of the Sega Dreamcast
That’s the end of the tour. All that remains is the third recap post with a conclusion and pickups photos, including what I picked up after LI Retro.
2024 Long Island Retro Gaming Expo: introduction, guests, mishaps, panels August 21, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Aviation, Books, Computer, Education, Game Shows, History, Internet, Media, Personal, Photography, Podcast, Radio, Technology, Travel, Video, Video Games.add a comment
Feel free to skip ahead to the second post (touring the expo) or third post (conclusion and pickups).
INTRODUCTION
2024 was my sixth year at Long Island Retro Gaming Expo, held in the Cradle of Aviation Museum, on the right end of Museum Row in East Garden City. This was also the first year that Flagstar bank had naming rights. That’s evident in the first photo below, taken as my mom pulled off Charles Lindbergh Boulevard at 9:45 AM on Saturday, August 10.
LI Retro, the expo’s shorthand, launched Friday, August 9, at 4PM, but since the expansion to three days (or 2 1/2) in 2022, I’ve forgone the Friday leg.
Tickets went on sale all the way back at the end of December and I was quick to secure my weekend badge, even though it would be months before attendees even knew who the guests would be.
Once announced, Long Island Retro Gaming Expo’s 2024 guest list was a mix of mainstays, newcomers, and returnees. Naturally, author/publisher Leonard Herman, Mark Baer (middle child of videogame pioneer Ralph Baer), Frank Cifaldi (Video Game History Foundation) and Jeremy Parish (Retronauts, Limited Run Games) would be there. G Gracin (G to the Next Level) returned for the second year in a row, this time with Greg Sewart (Generation 16). Pat Contri and Ian Ferguson were back for their fourth consecutive LI Retro. (There was a gap between their first and second years due to COVID postponements in 2020 and ’21.) The Immortal John Hancock was back for the first time since 2018. (I met Lenny Herman through the panel he and John co-hosted that year.) And it was the second appearance of Coury Carlson and Marc “Try4ce (‘triforce‘)” Duddleson of My Life in Gaming, having first appeared in 2019.
If you remember my disappointment last year when spotting Clint Basinger (LGR) walking through the vendor marketplace after the expo while editing photos, I was pleased to see he was a guest this year!
Two other notable guests were Warren Davis, the creator of Q*Bert “and other classic video arcade games” (as his book title notes), and legendary Nintendo marketer Gail Tilden. I was not able to attend Warren’s Saturday evening panel, though I met him at his table in the morning as you’ll see in that portion of this post. Gail had a free-form panel on Saturday evening and an interview panel on Sunday, the latter of which I attended.
Ahead of Saturday morning, I packed a printout of my badge retrieval code, my Canon EOS R7 with RF-S 18-150mm lens and Speedlite 430EX II, TASCAM DR-05X, and stenographer pad with pen. (I never used those last two.) I was anxious that my compulsive nature would lead to as many photos as last year. The bad news is I was right. The good news is the total over three cameras (you’ll read the why of that quantity later in the post) was 697 photos. This time, however, 617 were chosen to spread out over three blog posts, not counting scans or photos taken after Sunday.
Since last year’s Long Island Retro Gaming Expo, I have begun streaming on Twitch at least four days a week. Gaming is the channel’s main focus with occasional “media production” streams where I work on radio shows or edit photos from events like this. I spent a whole week editing photos in April after returning from Smooth Jazz for Scholars. While the initial plan was to do the expo photo editing off stream and go on hiatus until I was finished, I opted instead for occasional streams to report on my editing progress and show all games and merchandise I picked up. Thanks to a quicker editing process, only two of those streams were required before returning to gaming. The first stream – Wednesday, August 14 – dovetailed into saving smaller versions of watermarked photos (“© Mike Chimeri” on the lower left) edited that day. And with only 96 photos left to edit going into Saturday, August 17, that became the sole photo editing stream.
ARRIVING AT THE MUSEUM
Several paragraphs ago, I said I arrived at the Flagstar Cradle of Aviation Museum at 9:45 AM Saturday. After my mom dropped me off in the parking lot to the left of the roundabout, I took an establishing shot of the museum, unaware that my folded badge code printout was visible in the bottom left. So, I took another shot Sunday morning:
The photos in this gallery are from Saturday.
On the way to the guest table area, I ran into Timothy (a.k.a. Sho), a fellow My Life in Gaming fan. We met in person in 2019 and I had to get a selfie this time:
GUEST TABLE PHOTOS
Photos in this section were taken Saturday and Sunday. You can tell which day by what we’re wearing.
Warren Davis
Warren and I didn’t talk much – so, no magic tricks – but I introduced myself and gladly bought a copy of Creating Q*bert for him to sign. I told him on Sunday that I bought a copy of Q*bert’s NES port in his honor. He thanked me for that. (More on pickups in the third post.)
Clint Basinger (LGR)
It was honor to meet Clint in person. As I told him, I’ve been a fan of LGR for years, and that we both have the distinction of reading quotes in Gaming Historian videos. (I was in The Story of Link’s Awakening, per a blog post.) We commiserated over Norman Caruso’s April announcement that he was stepping back from pursuing his YouTube channel full time (but not retiring). (Norm went out in style with his magnum opus, The Story of The Oregon Trail, a video years in the making.) I told Clint that I unknowingly photographed him last year and thought about printing a copy for him to sign, but opted not to.
8/23 UPDATE: Today, that future video became a present video.
Thinking Clint would be at the expo on Sunday, as well, I brought my PlayStation 3 copy of Duke Nukem Forever to sign. Alas, he had left after Saturday.
A recent LGR video made me think of my psychologist of 27 years, known to patients like me as Brad. In the mid ’90s, Brad had an Acer Aspire. If I remember correctly, it was the same color as Clint’s. (Brad retired in 2018 and I’ve had another therapist since 2019.)
9/6 UPDATE: Clint went into greater detail about LI Retro in the vlog below.
The Immortal John Hancock
I reacquainted myself with John on Saturday – fresh from Retrocon in São Paulo, Brazil! (John’s Retrocon vlog) – and proudly bought the Genesis port of his original game, Block ‘Em Sock ‘Em, seen in the second photo.
Check out John’s LI Retro vlog. He saw exhibits that I missed, and thus won’t be seen in my second post.
Give Adam Koralik a look, too.
Pat Contri and Ian Ferguson
I was not a fan of either Pat or Ian prior to their LI Retro debut in 2019, but I got to know Ian and his wife Vani at their Luna Video Games table, placed between the My Life in Gaming table and Pat’s table. I worked up the courage to meet Pat, buy Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the NES Library and all DVD volumes of early episodes of Pat the NES Punk. That led to an interest in Flea Market Madness and The Video Game Years, and The CU (Completely Unnecessary Podcast). I was even hyped for Pat’s next Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the SNES Library. I wrote reviews for both guides after reading them later in 2019 (NES, SNES).
So, of course, I was thrilled to see them again this year, and ask a question for the third year in a row at their panel/podcast recording.
9/2 UPDATE: The latest Flea Market Madness video is embedded below photos of the CU Podcast panel.
G Gracin and Greg Sewart didn’t have a table, but did have a Saturday panel. (Check the “Panels” section of this post for photos.) I posed with them in this photo on Sunday.
I also got the Sonic selfie treatment, in digital form…
…and in thermal print form. I scanned that (left) and used Photoshop’s photo restoration filter to limit the vertical banding (right).
G posted a few YouTube Shorts at LI Retro:
[The first short was removed in 2025.]
There really is so much to see at Long Island Retro Gaming Expo. John Hancock and G saw things that I missed.
I really liked Greg Sewart’s Ridge Racer series retrospective:
I’ve had Ridge Racer 7 since I bought a slim PS3 back in 2018. The video made me seek out Ridge Racer 6 for Xbox 360 when scouring the marketplace at the end of each day.
Since you saw Daniel and Alex Greenberg (Winterion Game Studios) in Pat and Ian’s photo gallery, here is a photo Alex took of Daniel and me after Pat’s CU Podcast Live panel.
Let’s skip ahead one table to the My Life in Gaming duo of Coury Carlson and Mark “Try4ce” Duddleson:
I spent a lot of down time at the MLiG and Leonard Herman tables (see below). Coury and I talked about photography, while Try and I talked about Backloggery‘s recent 17th anniversary celebration, my multiple raids to the Backloggery Twitch channel, and how I rightly kept dejitter off on my Analogue Nt Mini Noir. Try neglected to do that in the MLiG review of the console back in 2020. (Source: Comment to Analogue Reddit post.) Having dejitter off allowed me to connect my Monoprice VGA-to-composite/S-Video adapter, run a composite cable to my sister’s old Durabrand DWT1304 CRT TV (a Funai-manufactured TV sold by Walmart), and play NES Zapper games in my last two Twitch streams before LI Retro.
9/2 UPDATE: Coury and Try ended August with a new My Life in Gaming video: the second in their Multi-Games Compilations series. It’s worth watching for Try’s LI Retro t-shirt alone.
We round out this segment with the Father of Videogame History, Leonard Herman, joined by Patrick Wong and Mark Baer (middle child of videogame pioneer Ralph Baer).
I spelled video game as one word because that’s how Ralph Baer spelled it and how Lenny spells it.
Leaving the guest tables behind, it’s panel time!
PANELS
Saturday Panel 1, 11AM-12PM
Panel Room 2
Mark Baer and Leonard Herman
Ralph Baer: His Creative Life in Electronic, Videogames and More
This strayed close to the 2023 presentation, which was the last panel I attended. So, I changed my photographic approach. Before the photos, here are the videos shown during the panel:
Before the other panels, a diversion.
Mishaps
It was in between the Ralph Baer panel and the CU Podcast panel that I accidentally knocked my camera off a food court table, breaking my Canon EOS R7’s RF-S 18-150mm lens. The ring attachment stayed on, but the rest of the lens broke off.
It was irrecoverable. The only solution was to buy a replacement lens once I got home, and with a 5-year lens accident warranty. I’m covered if history repeats itself, God forbid.
The lens and UV filter arrived Wednesday morning and a test photo was successful.
I took the rest of Saturday’s photos on my iPhone 13 Pro. Then, Sunday, I shot in RAW for the first time on my Nikon D5500 with a Nikkor 18-300mm lens.
Unfortunately, Sunday had another problem. Patrick Wong from Leonard Herman’s table prepped to take a photo of me with Pat Contri and Ian Ferguson. Ian sprained his ankle and was only at LI Retro that day. After I took the photo of Pat and Ian together, I foolishly chose to take a photo with them to the right of Pat’s table. Ian’s cup of coffee was perched on the right end of that table. As I turned to get into position for the photo, Ian warned “watch the backpack!” The warning was in vein. My bulky backpack knocked the cup over and it spilled on the upper right end of the table. The photo op was aborted, paper towels were summoned, and adjacent merchandise was checked for damage. As all that happened, I felt tremendous guilt and shame. I thought I’d become persona non grata to both of them, and God forbid, would be sued. Thankfully, none of that was true. No merch was damaged, the spill was quickly disposed of, and Pat used hand sanitizer to further clean the affected area. Then, we retreated to a safe spot away from the table for our photo op. Pat and Ian were all smiles in the photo while I was too drained to fully smile. They both assured me everything was fine and not to worry. That’s when I headed to the main theatre for the Gail Force panel.
After that panel, LI Retro staff member Ryan Shapiro gifted me with an expo backpack that contained a pin, sticker, 2024 program, and Asteroids-themed t-shirt. I’ll save the contents photo for the third post, but I’ll show the backpack here, too.
Thank you very much, Ryan.
Now, back to Saturday’s panels.
Saturday, 12:30-1:30 PM
Main Theatre
Pat Contri with Frank Cifaldi (filling in for Ian Ferguson)
CU Podcast Live!
The topic was the sudden end to GameStop’s Game Informer magazine, and the bizarre public relations statement accompanying its demise. (Reactions were compiled in this Resetera thread.)
When the theatre was opened to Q&A, only one person had an Amico-related question. Mine focused on Pat’s Wednesday Twitch streams:
Aside from the podcasts, you’re also on Twitch every Wednesday, watching retro commercials. How did you- What made you decide to go that route instead of streaming games?
Pat responded that it spun off from his NES Charity Marathon (origin of the “Buh-lack Box!” catchphrase), and that he felt relaxed and nostalgic watching things from the past. The TV commercials or promos allow him to recall moments from his past. That led to a discussion about the significance of preserving these moments in the same way video game media is preserved. I chimed in with radio airchecks as an example, but I might not have been heard.
As of publication, the podcast is not up in audio or segmented video form. There is, however, Flea Market Madness Volume 49, recorded on Father’s Day (June 16). It features the other Frank, as seen in the thumbnail.
3:51 PM UPDATE: There is audio of the Game Informer discussion, but not the Q&A, starting at the 1:17:25 mark of the latest podcast.
10/28 UPDATE: Video of Pat and Frank’s discussion went up six days after this post was published (August 27).
Saturday, 2PM-3PM
Panel Room 2
G Gracin and Greg Sewart
Growing Up Sega: A Trip Down Sega’s Console Timeline
After browsing and buying from the vendor marketplace, I went home.
I returned a little closer to 10AM on Sunday morning. I still had to wait in line for a bag check; I didn’t mind that.
In lieu of a panel I had in mind at 11AM, I re-photographed areas that were blurry on Saturday, took photos of vendors I missed on Saturday, then toured the exhibits on all three floors. Look for those in the second post.
Sunday, 12:30-1:30 PM
Main Theatre
Gail Tilden, interviewed by Jeremy Parish (Retronauts, Limited Run Games) and Lucas Thomas (Nintendo Force magazine founder)
Gail Force: An Intimate Interview with a Nintendo Legend
The interview initially covered Gail’s involvement in the Nintendo Entertaintment System’s North American launch, beginning in the New York Metro Area in October 1985. Among the locations chosen to carry the NES were Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. At some events, attendees could play Baseball against either New York Mets pitcher Ron Darling or center fielder Mookie Wilson.
Then, the topic switched to her tenure with Nintendo Power magazine. Lucas asked the audience to give a “whoo!” when their first issue was displayed on the projection screen above them.
Watch the video to see if I misremembered anything. Then, see the photos that I kept bending over to take.
Then, it was quickly off to Panel Room 2 for my last panel of the weekend.
Sunday, 2PM-3PM
Panel Room 2
Leonard Herman
The History of the History of Videogames
This was the place to be: a celebration of a man who blazed the trail for videogame history. 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the original Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames.
Ahra wanted a photo with Lenny beforehand:
Then came a prologue from John Hancock:
Well said, John.
The stage is yours, Leonard.
Upon closing, Lenny opened the floor to Q&A:
The funniest question and answer came via Mark Baer:
LENNY: Yes, sir.
MARK: Do you have a favorite historical figure in videogame history, by any chance?
LENNY: Yeah. Nolan Bushnell.
[audience laughs]
If anyone doesn’t know, that’s Ralph Baer’s son. That’s his son, Mark. He’s a troublemaker.
MARK: You could answer honestly.
After a few more questions, the panel ended with a round of applause.
I had to get a photo of Leonard Herman, Frank Cifaldi, and John Hancock:
Ian Ferguson dropped by after the panel to say hello:
That is the end of post one. Head to post two for a tour of the marketplace and exhibits. Post three features a conclusion, pickups photos, and a postscript with post-expo pickups.
30 years since my first home video recording! July 27, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Video.add a comment
Thursday marked 30 years since my father Bill replaced his Hitachi VHS camcorder for a JVC VHS-C camcorder. The date was Monday, July 25, 1994.
To quote the 25th anniversary post:
The Hitachi had been used for much of the previous nine years to record me and my sister Lauren. Unfortunately, I didn’t like seeing myself on video. I still can’t bear to watch those early recordings. I wasn’t in control and appeared awkward. On two occasions, Dad convinced me that he wasn’t really recording me. The first time, he said the tape was a soap opera; the second time, he said it was a special camera that didn’t tape Michael (as I was known at the time) Chimeri. Of course, he really was recording me.
With this new JVC “Palmcorder,” I was in control. I went into greater detail about that first evening of recording – and the days and years to follow – on the 20th anniversary, …
For the 30th anniversary, I AI upscaled and deinterlaced the first 50 seconds of video recorded on that Monday night in 1994.
As with the 20th and 25th anniversaries, I retraced my steps. I even used the timestamp feature of my 4K, 60 frames per second Panasonic HC-X1500 – a 24-hour clock, not the 12-hour AM/PM clock. I also blurred out the license plates in Adobe Premiere Pro. Enjoy.
I sold the JVC Everio and Panasonic HC-V770 camcorders on eBay in 2022 after getting the HC-X1500, but I still have the Takstar SGC-598 shotgun mic. I’ve noted in prior posts that the HC-X1500 includes a VW-HU1 handle attachment and Rode VideoMic GO II shotgun mic. Earlier this month, I bought a second HC-X1500 for use in my event videography. Of course, that was after buying a 4K30 camcorder last month – the Canon VIXIA HF G70 – and selling it when I was dissatisfied with test video I shot.
I posted my G70 test videos to YouTube, as well, for anyone interested in buying.
I guess I’ll retrace my steps again at the 35-year mark in 2029.
2023 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony, tour of renovated Abrams Communications Center June 6, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Baseball, Basketball, Comedy, Education, History, Internet, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Politics, Radio, Rock, Sports, Technology, TV, Video.add a comment
Other Hall of Fame ceremony recaps: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-21, 2022
7/17 UPDATE: A formatting error with this blog post unbeknownst to me until this morning has been resolved.
On Saturday, June 1, 2024, the WCWP Hall of Fame’s 2023 class was inducted in a ceremony at LIU Post‘s Alumni Hall.
This time, there were three inductees (listed in order of introduction):
- Joel Feltman, 1974
- Phil Lebowitz, 1974
- Mike Maimone, 1981
(In full disclosure, I once again served on the Hall of Fame Committee.)
I was under no stress coming into Saturday’s ceremony. I owe that to a lack of weekly radio shows to record in advance and my hiatus from Twitch streaming (I return this Sunday).
WCWP station manager Pete Bellotti contacted me three weeks beforehand to confirm if I would be shooting photos and video. For the first time since 2019, I would handle all of that, not supplementing the station’s video as for the 2020-21 and ’22 ceremonies. The only video I needed was of Phil Lebowitz’s prerecorded acceptance speech. (Joel Feltman and Mike Maimone would be present.)
I have three cameras capable of shooting 4K video at 60 FPS (frames per second): a Panasonic HC-X1500 camcorder, a GoPro HERO7 (with YOLOtek Juicebank for extra battery life), and a Canon EOS R7. The R7 replaced my Nikon D5500 as my exclusive photo camera. Needing the R7 for video meant going back to the D5500 for the first time since after Homecoming Weekend in 2022. (Click here to read about my early days with the R7.) For audio to sync with the video, I would use a TASCAM DR-05X audio recorder connected to the podium mixer via 3.5mm cable.
On the afternoon of Friday, May 31, students and alumni, myself included, were shocked by the news that Long Island University had dismissed Pete Bellotti as WCWP station manager. Fears were allayed by evening when Dan Cox, who otherwise would M.C. Saturday’s ceremony, came out of retirement to return as station manager.
Dan briefly addressed the situation in his opening remarks:
For those of you who may not know me, my name is Dan Cox, and I am the Director of Broadcasting at WCWP Radio. Unfortunately, that appointment came less than 24 hours ago. (applause) Unfortunately, the university parted ways with Pete [Bellotti]. Pete was one of my students. He is a good friend, and I wish him well. I think he did an outstanding job during a very difficult time over the last two years, with the renovation and everything that was happening. So, I won’t belabor that point. But I will say, for those of you in the room who probably stretch back as far as the 1960s through the 2000s, there’s never a dull moment at WCWP, is there? So, let’s not make this a dull moment by me talking too much. What I’d like to do right now is to bring up my good friend Jeff Kroll, who’s gonna induct our first inductee [Joel Feltman].
I’m choosing to save the journal portion (i.e. when I arrived, further technical details) for the end of this post before video of the ceremony and renovated station tour.
As Dan said, 2015 inductee Jeff Kroll presented Joel Feltman for induction:
Joel’s acceptance speech, with Jeff present to his right (out of view), dovetailed somewhat into discussion of the next inductee.
But first, Joel and Jeff posed for a photo:
The second inductee, also presented by Jeff Kroll, was Phil Lebowitz, Joel Feltman’s fellow 1974 alumnus.
Phil could not make the ceremony, but he did record an acceptance speech from his home in Surprise, Arizona.
After the video was shown, Jeff Kroll showed off his WCWP press card and shared how Phil’s “gift of gab” allowed the two of them access to a Philadelphia 76ers home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. (They were in Philly to cover a C.W. Post Pioneers football road game against Drexel University.)
Jeff then posed with Phil’s plaque:
Before the third inductee, Dan Cox acknowledged the informal ribbon cutting earlier in the week for the renovated Abrams Communications Center, attended by Marjorie Abrams Hyman and fellow descendants of Benjamin Abrams.
Then, Dan introduced Tim Ernandes to present Mike Maimone.
Tim was a laugh riot, chock full of impressions and stories of from his and Mike’s days working on WCWP comedy series Post Serial, a pun on the university’s Post Cereal roots.
Tim stayed at the podium for repartee during Mike’s acceptance speech.
A photo with the plaque:
After closing remarks from Dan Cox, the 2023 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony was complete. There was a bit of business to tend to before we all made the trek to the Abrams Communications Center.
First, a photo of inductees Joel Feltman and Mike Maimone with presenters Jeff Kroll and Tim Ernandes:
It was Dan who said in his 2022 induction speech (in ’23) that Mike deserved a spot in the Hall of Fame, and he rightfully earned that spot this year.
A candid shot before departing:
Joel Feltman and his wife Michelle offered to drive me down to the Abrams Communications Center. Cars were the only feasible option since Hillwood Commons was itself closed for renovations. If I were to walk from Alumni Hall, I’d have to go around Hillwood.
We parked in the lot, I took out my equipment, and put it all down in the lobby. I shot continuous video (except for a part I couldn’t record) and a dozen photos inside and out. You’ll see the video later, but here are the photos:
The highlight of the tour was an impromptu speech from (and discussion with) station manager Dan Cox in studio 3:
Before I left for home, Dan took a photo of me with Mike Maimone.
Now, the journal portion:
My dad Bill dropped me off at Alumni Hall at around 12:30, if not 12:40. (Surprisingly, I don’t remember the exact time.) Last Sunday, I bought an Amazon Basics 60″ tripod for use with the R7 in addition to the tripods I already had for the GoPro and HC-X1500. As you’ll see in the video at the end of this post, I had to tweak the R7’s color balance, along with brightness and contrast. The HC-X1500 video quality is untouched. The GoPro footage didn’t make the final video as the best shots came from the other two sources. Working from my knowledge of Twitch overlays, I made special overlays for the video:
The R7 video experiment yielded mixed results. I got a lot to work with, but I had to stop recording 55 minutes in to change batteries. After eight minutes on the new battery, the camera stopped recording due to overheating. Once it cooled down, I resumed, only for the SD card in slot 1 to reach capacity. I had to manually change to slot 2 for the last six minutes. Clearly, another camcorder is the only way to go in the future. From Saturday afternoon through Tuesday night, I considered my options: another Panasonic HC-X1500 without VW-HU1 and Rode VideoMic GO II attached or, staying in the Canon family, the Canon VIXIA HF G70. It’s cheaper than the HC-X1500, but goes no higher than 30 FPS in 4K. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make, springing for an open box eBay listing on Tuesday night. So, if secondary camera cutaways look cinematic at future events (i.e. Homecoming Weekend), you’ll know why. (6/14 UPDATE: I was dissatisfied with the G70 and am selling it. I’ll just get another HC-X1500 after it sells.)
One last thing: the podium audio was blown out, and I did my best to fix that in Adobe Audition, along with using the click/pop eliminator where necessary.
So, then, here is the finished ceremony/station tour video. Enjoy.
Congratulations to Joel Feltman, Phil Lebowitz, and Mike Maimone. We reconvene in 2025 to induct the 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame class.
Special thanks to 2014 inductee Ted David for curating the photos and for advice on further edits.
MikeChimeri.com 
