WCWP-FM 60th anniversary celebration weekend, 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony March 25, 2025
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Education, Football, History, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Livestream, Media, Music, Personal, Philanthropy, Photography, Pop, Radio, Rock, smooth jazz, Sports, Technology, TV, Video.add a comment
NOTE: Whenever possible throughout this post (no pun intended), I will list an alum’s graduation year in parentheses.
Sunday, March 16, at 4PM Eastern marked 60 years since WCWP-FM signed on. Located at 88.1 on the FM band, the public radio station emanates from the Benjamin and Elizabeth Abrams Communications Center at LIU Post. The school was known as C.W. Post College in 1965, but it has always been part of the Long Island University system. (Wikipedia entry)
WCWP was initially a carrier current radio station, signing on at noon on October 18, 1961. (That 60th anniversary was celebrated during Homecoming Weekend in 2021.) Art Beltrone (1963) was the first student voice heard at sign-on. Here is that sign-on:
Quoting Art from the aircheck:
Two years ago, a group of students and your announcer felt that a school such as Post would benefit a great deal from a radio station. We organized a small club at first, and at the meetings that followed, we talked radio, making hopeful plans for the establishment of a carrier current station, leading eventually into an FM station.
In just over three years, the FM station dream was realized.
WCWP-FM’s 60th anniversary celebration also spanned an entire weekend, from 6PM on March 14 to 6PM on March 16.
The celebration included a dinner on the night of March 15, held in the East Room of the Roosevelt School on the south end of campus. The dinner included the induction of the 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame class: 1984 alumnae Jeannie Moon and Laurie White, and fittingly, Benjamin Abrams. Ben Abrams, a founder of Emerson Radio, whose philanthropic efforts allowed for construction of the building that would house the FM station. In later years, the student-run web station would also emanate from the Abrams Communications Center, but I digress.
I considered splitting the celebration recap into three posts. Instead, everything is here, separated by dates and events in bold font.
This isn’t a personal diary of my experience, meaning I won’t mention things like when I arrived on campus, what equipment I used, and how I spent my downtime. This is a multimedia celebration of WCWP-FM’s 60 years on the air; the students, alumni, faculty, and volunteers who are part of its history; and the latest inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame. (Full disclosure: I have served on the Hall of Fame Committee since the 2022 class.)
FRIDAY, MARCH 14
Meet-and-Greet, The Rock Show
I only have two photos of the meet-and-greet in the lobby of the Abrams Communications Center.
First is my fellow 2004 alumnus Joe Sacco with WCWP station manager Dan Cox (1985).
Then, Dan took a photo of Joe and me.
All other photos were in Studio 2 for The Rock Show with Jeff and Pat Kroll, and guest host Neil Marks.
Before air, Dan Cox dropped in to speak with the Krolls (Jeff graduated in 1975, Pat in ’79), Neil (’77), and Bobby Guthenberg, a.k.a. Bobby G. (’70).
Jeff Kroll kicked off The Rock Show just after 7PM.
The theme was many songs that topped the music charts on March 16. That date in 1965 was when WCWP-FM signed on. Not every year was represented in the playlist, and only a snippet was played of the number 1 song in 2025, but the songs Jeff did play lived up to their chart-topping status.
Jeff’s wife Pat Kroll (née Champion) served as co-host…
…with the addition of Neil Marks.
About half an hour into the show, Jeff interviewed 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame inductees Laurie White and Jeannie Moon (both 1984 alumnae).
Jeannie Moon 
Laurie White
One hour in, Jeff and Pat spoke to Mike Chimeri (me), WCWP station historian and photographer, and 2021 WCWP Hall of Famer.
Neil Marks took photos on my behalf.
My lead-in was “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley – number 1 on March 16, 1988. So, I began my interview with a nod to my Twitch channel, and gave a shoutout to music streamer GnatChat. Nat does a jazzy rendition of “Never Gonna Give You Up” as her raid song. (She, too, is an event photographer, albeit professionally.) I posted an excerpt of the video below to her Discord chat server and she thanked me for the shoutout.
After that, I discussed my history with WCWP, dating back to my first show on October 5, 2001, on WebRadio WCWP, now known as The Wave. (Select scoped airchecks of The Mike Chimeri Show can be heard here. As for Instrumental Invasion, here’s the recap aggregation page.)
After my interview, Neil Marks returned to his seat. Music and banter between Jeff, Pat, and Neil took up the rest of the show, concluding with “Believe” by Cher, number 1 on March 16, 1999, during my senior year at Wantagh High School. (Neil is a fellow Wantagh High School alumnus.)
Watch a scoped aircheck of The Rock Show below:
More of the beginnings and ends of songs can be heard in the audio version of the scoped aircheck:
SATURDAY, MARCH 15
60th Anniversary Celebration Dinner and 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony
(with a pictorial tour of Roosevelt School presidential exhibits)
There was an open house at the Abrams Communications Center on Saturday afternoon. In this first photo, WCWP station manager Dan Cox showed the current makeup of Studio 3 to Neil Marks (1977), Fred Gaudelli (1982), and Suzanne Langwell (1983).
Neil, Fred, and Suzanne are all members of the WCWP Hall of Fame. Neil was part of the 2017 class, Fred was inducted in ’19, and Suzanne in ’22 (ceremony in ’23).
Suzanne Langwell and Neil and Lita Marks converse in Studio 3:
Jeff Kroll prerecorded an interview with Fred Gaudelli to air during Sunday’s FM 60th anniversary broadcast. (Scroll down to that portion of this post to see and hear it.)
Fred is not only in the WCWP Hall of Fame, but also the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2020-21), and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, receiving the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2023.
Cynthia Hochman, daughter of Benjamin Abrams, spoke to Jeff Kroll and Neil Marks. Listening along are Cynthia’s granddaughters and Joan Yonke, LIU Director of Development and Annual Fund. (Development webpage)
Suzanne Langwell also spoke to Cynthia Hochman.
Pete Sacoulas (2017) drove me and Neil Marks to the south end of LIU Post’s campus for the 60th anniversary celebration and 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony in the Roosevelt School‘s East Room.
Photos of the presidential exhibits will be shown at the end of this album. For now, I’ll note this was my first time inside the now-Roosevelt School since my first semester in Fall 1999. It was a building for music courses, such as Introduction to Music Theory. My professor was John Meschi, now the Director of Music Technology.
The entrance to the East Room:
The Hall of Fame banner and plaques, and programs:
As guests filed in, a photo array looped on a monitor to the left of the podium.
A straight-on podium view:
It makes you feel like you’re in the White House briefing room.
LIU President Dr. Kimberly Cline speaking with Marjorie Hyman, daughter of Benjamin Abrams, who was among the 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame inductees:
Dr. Cline speaking with Cynthia Hochman, another daughter of Benjamin Abrams; and one of Cynthia’s granddaughters:
Jeff Kroll and WCWP station manager Dan Cox speaking with Dr. Kimberly Cline and Vice President for University Advancement Kerry Kruckel:
Fred Gaudelli joined the conversation with Dr. Cline and Ms. Kruckel:
Courtesy of Suzanne Langwell, here’s a photo of Suzanne with 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame inductees Laurie White and Jeannie Moon:
The 60th anniversary celebration began with opening remarks from Dan Cox:
Kerry Kruckel, LIU Vice President for University Advancement, was next to speak:
Cindy Rogers, District Director for Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), delivered a citation on the Congressman’s behalf:
The citation:
Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition
Presented to
WCWP
Long Island University Public Radio
In celebration of its
60th Anniversary
On behalf of the constituents of the Third Congressional District of New York, congratulations on celebrating your 60th Anniversary. This achievement is a testament to your hard work and dedication to providing informative and entertaining content to the community as a student-run radio station. Best wishes for many more years of successful broadcasting.
Thomas R. Suozzi
Member of Congress
Third District of New York
March 15, 2025
Dan Cox read a statement from WCWP founding member Art Beltrone, commemorating the FM station’s 60th anniversary:
That was followed by prerecorded speeches from Hank Neimark (1964) and Ted David (1972):
Hank signed on WCWP-FM at 4PM on March 16, 1965, with the words “WCWP-FM is on the air.” (You’ll see him recite those words again during the 60th anniversary broadcast later in this post.)
Dan Reagan (1981) presented 2024 WCWP Hall of Fame inductee Jeannie Moon.
Dan was a 2022 inductee with Suzanne Langwell and six others, and served as chairman of the 2024 Hall of Fame Committee.
Jeannie Moon posed with presenter Dan and her Hall of Fame plaque:
Jeannie’s acceptance speech:
Fred Gaudelli was one of two presenters for inductee Laurie White:
Dan Reagan (right) returned as the second presenter:
Laurie White holding her Hall of Fame plaque with presenters Dan Reagan and Fred Gaudelli:
Laurie’s acceptance speech:
That brought us to the most emotional part of the Hall of Fame Ceremony: the induction of Benjamin Abrams.
Two of Abrams’ surviving daughters, Marjorie Hyman and Cynthia Hochman, spoke on his behalf.
97-year-old Marjorie Hyman’s speech outlined the life and times of her father.
Marjorie’s son Peter and sister Cynthia watching her speech 
A standing ovation!
It was an awe-inspiring speech, one that I complimented Marjorie for after the ceremony. I also thanked her for the generous donation that led to the renovation of the Benjamin and Elizabeth Abrams Communications Center. I initially shook her hand, and continued to hold her hand for the length of our conversation. I nearly cried.
Cynthia Hochman, another of Ben Abrams’ daughters, was next to speak.
Cynthia Hochman and Marjorie Hyman proudly posed with their father Benjamin Abrams’ Hall of Fame plaque:
The ceremony concluded with impassioned remarks from WCWP station manager Dan Cox:
You’ve seen the photos, now watch the video:
If you’re wondering, Marjorie Hyman’s speech is at the 1:07:59 mark.
Ted David left a highly complimentary YouTube comment:
Superior videography to chronicle a major milestone in the history of WCWP, its 60th anniversary. The speeches by the Abrams daughters were the capstones of an amazing evening. Congratulations to the HOF inductees and to all who took part. Special kudos to Mike Chimeri for capturing this history in audio, video and still photography for our posterity!
Thank you very much, Ted.
Now, as promised, we conclude the Saturday portion of this post with photos of the Roosevelt School presidential exhibits.
SUNDAY, MARCH 16
WCWP-FM 60th Anniversary Broadcast
Jeff Kroll commenced the FM 60th anniversary broadcast at 3PM:
Jeff hosted and Pat produced:
Jeff’s view of Zoom on the Studio 3 monitor:
Larry Brodsky (1968) was the first studio guest:
As 4PM approached, producer Pat Kroll made a cameo for the Zoom participants:
Jeff ran a legal ID from Chris Maffei (2013) at 3:58 to clear the way for Hank Neimark at 4PM.
Hank repeated his sign-on: “WCWP-FM is on the air.”
That was followed by applause from Zoom participants Art Beltrone, Bernie Bernard, Junie Thomas, Jon Korkes, Alan Seltzer (1978), Joel Feltman, John LiBretto (1968) (also on staff for the FM sign-on), and John Commins (1973).
Bobby Guthenberg, a.k.a. Bobby G., was the second guest off Zoom and in Studio 3 with Jeff Kroll.
In honor of the late Joe Honerkamp, a.k.a Joseph P. (1974), Jeff Kroll went through a list of high temperatures on March 16 in 1965 and beyond:
Joe was, and Jeff and I (Mike) are, big weather enthusiasts. Jeff said in a comment to this photo in the WCWP Alumni Association album, “[Joe’s] presence was missed throughout the weekend celebrations.”
I showed the following photo featuring Joe Honerkamp (seated at the mic) in the 60th anniversary broadcast before Jeff read the high temperatures:
In the 5PM hour, the studio guest list picked up, starting with Lew Scharfberg (1978) (atop the above photo) and Jeff Jensen (1984):
Lew Scharfberg 
Jeff Jensen
Dan Reagan was next. (His wife Gina looked on outside the studio.)
Dan Reagan was followed by WCWP station manager Dan Cox.
While Jeff Kroll’s prerecorded interview with Fred Gaudelli ran (as seen in the Saturday portion of this recap), I stepped out of Studio 3 to take this photo:
Back live in Studio 3, Jeff Kroll spoke to “Grandfather Rock” Chris MacIntosh, host of Rock N’ Soul Gospel.
Then, it was my turn:
Rather than rehash my WCWP biography from the Friday night interview, I chose to compliment Marjorie Hyman’s speech on behalf of her father Benjamin Abrams.
Vincent Randazzo (2024) and Andrew Scarpaci (2023) were next, the most recent WCWP alumni to be interviewed:
Vincent Randazzo 
Andrew Scarpaci
The last guest of the broadcast was Jeannie Moon:
After noting 26 guests were interviewed, on Zoom and in Studio 3 combined, Jeff and Pat Kroll signed off:
Then, it was back to regular programming: Rock N’ Soul Gospel with “Grandfather Rock” Chris MacIntosh.
That brings us to the comprehensive video of the 60th anniversary broadcast, combining upscaled Zoom video, A- and B-roll from my two camcorders (as in the other two videos), supplemental photos, and the full aircheck. Enjoy.
For good measure, the audio from that video:
Thank you for taking this multimedia journey through WCWP-FM’s 60th anniversary celebration. It is the culmination of 11 days of production and post-production. I sacrificed tens of hours of my time, but I assure you it was a labor of love.
My next blog post should be a recap of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass & Other Delights: In Concert at Lincoln Center on April 1. (Jeff and Pat Kroll will be at the March 31 concert.) That will be followed by recaps of this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars, to be held May 2 and 3.
Otherwise, as far as WCWP goes, see you on Homecoming Weekend, starting September 12. (Yes, it’s a week earlier than last year.)
Winter storms from February 8 through 13 February 14, 2025
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
From the night of February 8 through the morning of February 13, Long Island dealt with three winter storms. Each storm left less wet snow on the ground. As I type on the morning of February 14 (Valentine’s Day), less than an inch of snow is expected on the front and back end of weekend rain.
As has been the case lately, I went to sleep early on the night of February 8, around 8PM, and didn’t take any photos until I woke up early the next morning, February 9. Using the same purple plastic 12-inch ruler I always do, I measured 4 inches of wet snow on the front lawn and 3/4 inch on the driveway pavement.
With the help of my father, it took me 54 minutes and 21 seconds to shovel snowfall from the driveway, left side of the house, curb, and sidewalk. Since this was wet snow, it was weighty. The instant I felt resistance, I would pick up the shovel, placing what I’d gathered off the pavement and onto the grass or in front of the bushes.
You know the drill: time for the photographic timeline.
February 9, 5:51 AM, after waking up 
8:04 AM 
9:38 AM, after shoveling and Dad left for the firehouse 
12:47 PM 
4:15 PM 
4:54 PM, after touch-up shoveling
Round 2 showed up on the night of February 11. The National Weather Service initially predicted 1 to 3 inches of snow and did not issue a winter weather advisory. However, as I pessimistically expected, they bumped that up to 2 to 4 inches with said advisory. I did take a couple of photos before bedtime and all the rest on February 12.
The NWS should have stuck with their original forecast because 2 inches of wet snow was all I measured on top of Sunday’s snowfall, and only 1/4 inch on the driveway.
Less snow meant a shorter shoveling time: 34 minutes and 3 seconds.
This photographic timeline begins with the pre-bedtime photos on Tuesday night (February 11).
February 11, 8:24 PM 
9:54 PM 
February 12, 5:55 AM 
7:13 AM 
7:16 AM 
7:19 AM: For a change, I took photos of snow-covered trees in neighboring backyards from my east-facing window. 
7:45 AM, before shoveling 
8:27 AM, after shoveling 
9:34 AM, before leaving for work 
4:04 PM, after getting home from work (and the supermarket)
Round 3 had the least snow of all: less than an inch is presumed to have fallen on the night of February 12 before changing to rain overnight. I was happy to see rain falling and snow melting when I looked out my window on the morning of February 13.
February 12, 9:30 PM, as snow began to fall 
February 13, 7:10 AM, with rain falling and snow melting
We have another month until spring and I’m in no rush to put away the shovels. If there are anymore storms, I’ll take the usual photos and post them here. Until then, thank you for reading.
3/12 UPDATE: There was an inch of snow on the front end of the February 15-16 storm, but the temperatures warmed up on the night of the 15th, changing the snow to rain and allowing for plenty of melting. Cold and windy conditions followed on the 17th, followed by a gradual warming trend. By now, low temps are no lower than the upper 30s. Spring weather is settling in and snow seems unlikely for the rest of winter. The shovels and rock salt back are going back in the garage. We didn’t even need to use the snow blower.
January 19 snow, January 20 aftermath January 23, 2025
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz Fusion, Music, Personal, Photography, smooth jazz, Weather.add a comment
After glancing blows from snowstorms in the first four weeks of winter, Long Island finally got a storm that left more than two inches of snow on the ground.
As day turned to night on Sunday, January 19, air temperatures fell from the upper 30s Fahrenheit to below freezing, turning rain to snow. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Long Island, calling for 3 to 5 inches of snow with the potential for up to 6 inches in stronger bands. (Points north and west were under a winter storm warning.) Thankfully, according to my 12-inch ruler , only 3.4 inches of snow accumulated on my front lawn, and only about an inch on the pavement. Official totals can be found here. The NWS practice of reporting by whole number and tenth decimal point is why converted from fractions (3 7/16″) to decimals (3.4375″) and rounded off to the nearest tenth (3.4″).
Below is a photographic timeline from start to finish on January 19, or at least up to the point where I went to bed.
1:58 PM 
3:13 PM 
5:03 PM 
7:15 PM 
9:10 PM 
10:13 PM 
10:56 PM
At 9:04 AM on Monday, January 20, with the sun shining and no clouds in the sky, I took photos of the snow-covered driveway, front yard, and backyard.
At 10AM, I bundled up, put on my snow boots, and went out the front door to begin shoveling. I also had in earbuds to listen to Tom Schuman’s I Am Schuman album on my phone, which I stored in my coat’s inner breast pocket. Within 57 minutes and 28 seconds, according to my watch, I had cleared my mom’s car (with a brush), the left side of the house up to the oil tank cap, the front porch steps, the entire driveway, the curb, and the sidewalk up to the property lines. I had prepped to listen to Kirk Whalum’s Epic Cool album (a Christmas present), but barely finished the first track – “Bah-De-Yah!” – by the time I put the shovel against the wall and went back in the house.
While it has remained quite cold in the aftermath of Sunday’s snowstorm, no snow is in the 7-day forecast as of publication on Thursday, January 23. However, I am mentally prepared for more snowstorms this winter, and with more snow than we’ve seen in four years.
Until the next storm, I’ll leave you with a post-shoveling photographic timeline:
11:04 AM 
1:56 PM (It may have been cold, but the sun still did its job.)
David Benoit at My Father’s Place: A Tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas December 7, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Broadway, Christmas, Comedy, DVD, Education, Football, History, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, smooth jazz, Theatre, Travel, TV, VHS, Weather.2 comments
3/25/25 NOTE: Scroll down for an update to this post via an email from Steve Stoliar.
Wednesday evening, thanks to the generosity of my fellow WCWP/LIU Post alumnus Bobby Guthenberg, I was at My Father’s Place at the Roslyn Hotel to see David Benoit‘s annual tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
It was the first time I’d seen a live show outside of Smooth Jazz for Scholars since before COVID. That last pre-COVID show was Mike Stern and Jeff Lorber Fusion at The Iridium in December 2019. Wednesday also marked the first time I’d seen David and his trio since June 2019, also at My Father’s Place, three months after I saw The Rippingtons there.
Bobby G., longtime friend of My Father’s Place promoter Michael “Eppy” Epstein, first invited me to David’s show one morning in late August. I didn’t hesitate in accepting the invitation. We would meet at WCWP’s Abrams Communications Center by 5:45 PM and drive to Roslyn from there.
Since it was Christmastime, I anticipated David’s set would be similar to the one from his 2008 concert at IMAC (Inter-Media Art Center) in Huntington. (Little did I know that would be the last show I’d ever see there as the venue closed in June 2009, eventually replaced by The Paramount.)
My parents drove me up to LIU Post at 5:00 and we arrived in the parking lot adjacent to WCWP (and Hillwood Commons) within 20 minutes. In contrast to the flurry of activity during Homecoming Weekend, the Abrams Communications Center was as dark as the night sky, with most of the light coming from studio 1 and 3 where live shows were in progress. Thomas, the Wednesday host of The Rock Show, invited me in before retreating to Hillwood for dinner. I paced quietly in the lobby until Bobby G. arrived shortly after 5:45.
Bobby and I conversed on the entire drive to My Father’s Place, listening to David Benoit’s Fuzzy Logic (2002) CD along the way.
It was about 6PM when parked in the Roslyn Hotel lot. We walked up the stairs to the hotel lobby and down the stairs to the My Father’s Place section. (MFP was originally its own venue before relocating to the hotel.) Eppy Epstein was seated outside the entrance and Bobby introduced us. Then, we confirmed our ticketed reservation with the attendant in the entryway and were ushered to a front row center table.
My conversation with Bobby continued as 8PM approached. (He and Billy Joel were classmates at Hicksville High School!) We both ordered separate dinners, each choosing a seltzer with lime as our soft drink, drinking water in the meantime. None of the entrees interested me, so I ordered fried calamari and a “side” of mac and cheese. Our waitress told me the side dish, with shell pasta, was as big as an entree, meaning I only needed to order one bowl. It was all quite good.
I checked the stage for a set list so I’d know what I was in for. I found one on the stage floor by the drum kit. I didn’t think to write the list to my stenographer pad until the show had begun and the waitress took our dessert orders. I chose chocolate lava cake, which was a bit rich for me, even with the vanilla ice cream mixed in, but still good.
Okay, the preamble is over. Let’s talk about the show itself!
As you see, there was a fourth member of the band: vocalist Courtney Fortune.
David Benoit was on a Yamaha piano:
New York City native Roberto Vally played bass:
Merrick native Dan Schnelle was on drums:
And the aforementioned Courtney Fortune on vocals:
The front stage featured replicas of Schroeder‘s toy piano and the sapling Charlie Brown chose over fully-grown trees in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Before more photos, let’s look at…
THE SET LIST
- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- Believe
- Medley: My Favorite Things/The Christmas Waltz
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town
- Originals medley: Drive Time/Café Rio/Kei’s Song
- Schroeder/The Doctor is In
- Vince Guaraldi medley: Great Pumpkin Waltz/Thanksgiving Theme/You’re in Love, Charlie Brown/Christmas is Coming/Skating/What Child is This?/O Tannenbaum
- Christmas Time is Here
- Just Like Me
- Linus and Lucy
- (encore) Cabin Fever
Set List Background Info
Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas compositions (except where noted) in the set were “Christmas is Coming,” “Skating,” “What Child is This?” (only on the soundtrack album; arrangement of traditional song), “O Tannenbaum” (arrangement of traditional song), “Linus and Lucy,” and “Christmas Time is Here.” That last song was heard instrumentally throughout A Charlie Brown Christmas, but a separate version added lyrics by Lee Mendelson, the special’s producer and co-writer (with Peanuts creator Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz). David first covered “Linus and Lucy” on This Side Up (1985), which led to an updated arrangement for “The Great Inventors” episode of This is America, Charlie Brown. David scored that entire episode, and many Peanuts TV specials (plus some Garfield specials) through 2006. The specials that stand out in my mind are:
- It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown – Features hilarious scenes where Peppermint Patty and Sally Brown botch their lines in the Christmas play – Similar scenes were played out in the series finale of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, where a young Stacy Ferguson (Fergie) voiced Sally
- You’re in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown – Relegated to VHS, as of this writing – Features
improvisedplay-by-play by Steve Stoliar, a comedy writer, film historian, assistant to Groucho Marx, and impressionist (naturally, his Groucho impression is immaculate [no, he didn’t do it in the special]) *See 3/25/25 UPDATE below this list* - I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown – Focuses heavily on Rerun, Linus and Lucy‘s younger brother, and his desire for a dog, be it Snoopy or Snoopy’s brother Spike (partially recycled from episode 15 of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show) – This special marked the debut of David’s original composition, “Rerun’s Theme,” later recorded for David’s Jazz for Peanuts (2008)
3/25/25 UPDATE: Steve Stoliar emailed me this evening to clear things up about his involvement in You’re in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown.
It was much more of a challenge than mere improvisation. Here – whether you want it or not – is the complete story: I had a friend who worked at Bill Melendez Prods. in a variety of capacities. She called me up one day and said, “Can you help us? We produced this Super Bowl show that Sparky wrote and there are football games with no dialogue that just go on and on and they’re repetitious and confusing.”
She gave me a VHS of the rough-cut and I sat on my living room floor starting, pausing, rewinding my VHS player and trying to time (without a stopwatch) how long each football sequence ran. Then I scribbled down some suggested narration, making use of a lot of alliterations and metaphors, such as you get from color commentators on sporting events. After that, I read it and tried to edit the copy so it fit snugly in the blank spaces. Then I went to Melendez Prods. in Hollywood and we recorded it – with Bill M. directing me – and me doing a sort of Vin Scully-inspired classic sportscaster voice.
It’s fairly miraculous that it worked out. “Variety” actually reviewed it and pointed out the sports narration as a high spot. Unfortunately, my pleasure in having met the challenge was greatly impacted by my late wife and me having been literally thrown out of our apartment by the Northridge Earthquake, which hit between the time I recorded the narration and when the show aired.
I was later rewarded with a lovely production cel (and original background) from one of the birdie football games, inscribed, “For Steve – In friendship – Bill Melendez” in black Sharpie. Sadly, even though it wasn’t in direct sunlight, the inscription faded. But – like Big Julie in “Guys ‘n’ Dolls” talking about the blank dice – “I remembers where da spots previously were.”
It remains the only Charlie Brown special that has any sort of shared writing credit.
End of story – except to thank you for the compliment on my Groucho impression!
Thank you, Steve, for correcting the record, and allowing me to post what you wrote. I don’t know where I got in my head that he improvised the dialogue. I must have misinterpreted the Facebook comment he left a few years ago when I said that I’d watched my digitizing of the VHS tape. On that note, Steve wrote in a follow-up reply…
Oh – also – that particular show was produced as a tie-in with Shell Oil and the VHS tape was either a giveaway or for sale at a low, low price at Shell Stations when you filled up your tank. So even though it aired on TV, I suspect it’s missing from DVD release because of the initial deal with Shell. Not sure. I also did voices for Melendez (what a great guy) on “Snoopy’s Reunion” and “It’s The Girl In The Red Truck, Charlie Brown.”
I’m inclined to agree with Steve about the Shell tie-in keeping You’re in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown off DVD and other modern home media releases. It’s the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown is another special that has yet to go beyond VHS, but Snoopy’s Reunion has a dedicated DVD.
Thanks again to Steve Stoliar. Now, back to what I wrote in December.
Speaking of David’s originals, “Kei’s Song” is from Freedom at Midnight (1987), “Cabin Fever” (the encore) was on Waiting for Spring (1989), “Drive Time” originated on The Best of David Benoit: 1987-1995 (one of two new tracks), and “Café Rio” is from Full Circle (2006). “Drive Time” and “Café Rio” get the big band treatment on David’s latest album, Timeless, recorded in the UK with Spice Fusion Big Band.
David composed “Just Like Me” for 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas (2005), with Lee Mendelson lyrics that honor the feel of “Christmas Time is Here.” Vanessa Williams sang on the original, and David recorded a solo piano version at Steinway Hall in 2017, one of 17 tracks from his The Steinway Sessions…session that were saved for It’s a David Benoit Christmas! (2020).
“Great Pumpkin Waltz,” “You’re in Love, Charlie Brown,” and “Thanksgiving Theme” were Vince Guaraldi compositions for It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, You’re in Love, Charlie Brown (yes, more redundancy), and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
“Believe” was a Josh Groban song for the film The Polar Express, which served as the title track to David’s 2015 trio album that featured Jane Monheit and The All-American Boys Chorus.
“Schroeder” (set to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”) and “The Doctor is In” were from the Broadway musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
That brings us back to the photos. For that You’re a Good Man medley, David portrayed Schroeder and Courtney channeled Lucy.
I’m not ashamed to admit “Just Like Me” drove me to happy tears. It’s such a pretty song.
When Courtney wasn’t on stage, the trio of David, Roberto, and Dan played instrumentally.
The finale: “Linus and Lucy”:
For the encore, a man at a front row table held up his LP copy of Waiting for Spring (I have it on CD) and requested a track from there. David chose “Cabin Fever,” one of my favorites.
I only got to meet and greet half the band. Roberto and Dan were deep in separate conversations and I didn’t want to rudely interrupt.
However, I did get to catch up with David, who signed my copy of Timeless:
I then introduced David to Bobby Guthenberg (who took the above photo). Bobby bought a copy of Timeless, and David signed that.
Bobby G. and I weren’t the only WCWP alumni at My Father’s Place that night. Voice actor David Kaplan was there, too. It was great to see him. He was talking to vocalist Courtney Fortune, who I then spoke to. I complimented Courtney’s performance and told her how moving her rendition of “Just Like Me” was. Then, Bobby took a photo of us:
My one regret is not getting a photo with My Father’s Place promoter Eppy Epstein before Bobby and I exited The Roslyn. Upon exiting, I noticed it was snowing!
Before meeting and greeting, Bobby offered to drive me back to Wantagh so my parents wouldn’t have to drive back up to WCWP for me. I accepted and called my mom to let her know. Bobby cautiously drove home in the rain/snow mix, once again conversing the entire way while finishing up his Fuzzy Logic CD. He switched to Timeless while waiting at a red light on Jerusalem Avenue.
Bobby dropped me off at the curb at about 10:30. I wished him good night and thanked him yet again for treating me to a memorable night at My Father’s Place. (He messaged me on Facebook upon his safe return home to Bayside.) I may return to MFP some time in 2025 if Eppy can book drummer Billy Cobham. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Thank you again to David Benoit, Roberto Vally, Dan Schnelle, and Courtney Fortune. You were all wonderful.
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, 9/20/24, 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.
MikeChimeri.com 