Previously unposted WCWP aircheck February 9, 2009
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Music, Personal, Radio.add a comment
Last night, in my boredom, I went to the Musicradio 77 WABC tribute site. On the homepage was an interview with Joe McCoy, the former program director at WCBS-FM. In the interview, he reflected on the former WABC personalities he hired at CBS-FM. Those personalities included Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy, Bruce Morrow (a.k.a. Cousin Brucie), and Dan Ingram.
On the page housing the interview, there was an aircheck of Dan Ingram filling in for Ron Lundy over a three-day period in January 1991. Reading the interview and listening to the aircheck made me think back to my days at WCWP, and a show I recorded in June 2005. It was an evergreen show with a Classic Top 40 theme. I hadn’t listened to it since a month or so after recording it because I was ashamed of how I sounded. I channeled Ingram and Cousin Brucie at times, but felt I sounded corny and forced.
But I’ll let you, the reader, be the judge. Here’s the aircheck:
Classic Top 40 Evergreen – June 2005
Defending Drew Carey December 17, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Game Shows, Media, Radio, TV.add a comment
5/16/19 UPDATE: I wrote a long overdue follow up after watching Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much.
Yesterday on “The Price is Right” on CBS, a contestant named Terry Kneiss (“niece”) from Las Vegas made a perfect bid in the Showcase round and won both showcases. This was only the second time in the history of the show that a contestant bid perfectly. The other time was in the first season, 1972-1973.
For not being enthusiastic enough in announcing this milestone, host Drew Carey has been roundly criticized, especially on the internet. Other criticisms include: he bungled the situation, he can no longer be defended, he shouldn’t have been the host in the first place, bring back Bob Barker, etc.
I was going to link here to video of yesterday’s Showcase round, so you could just for yourself. But it wouldn’t load properly. Instead, click here for the full episode on CBS.com. Then, scroll ahead to 31:25 for the full round or 37:06 for the stoic reaction that’s infuriated so many people.
I am here to defend Drew. I believe he was simply in stunned disbelief and shock. Not everyone handles that situation by yelling and screaming. Drew has had the yelling, screaming reaction before, but he is far from perfect. If you want Drew to be wildly enthusiastic every time, you’re going to be disappointed. Clearly, many were disappointed by this. If you want to stop watching “The Price is Right” because Drew isn’t enthusiastic enough for your taste, it’s your choice. But there are plenty of people like me that support Drew and will continue to watch. I have been a Drew Carey fan since “The Drew Carey Show,” I became a bigger fan when he started the U.S. version of “Whose Line is it Anyway?,” and I’ve supported him on all projects since.
If you’re a fellow Drew Carey fan/supporter, you’re welcome to leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.
And congratulations to Terry. You wrote a second chapter for the history books.
12/18 UPDATE: TMZ – I can’t believe I’m linking to them – has audio of an interview with 93.1 The Party in Las Vegas.
And Paul Walsh of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a report on Terry’s win and the “internet buzz” that followed it (and, of course, Drew Carey’s stoic reaction).
Ken Navarro interview feedback November 5, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Jazz, Personal, Radio.add a comment
Last night, Ken Navarro left a comment on Facebook to my picture of me and him at during the meet-and-greet following April’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert. Not only was he complimentary of the picture, but he had positive feedback about our October 18 interview:
FYI – I posted links to both parts of our interview on the home page of my web site and I have had a lot of emails from people telling me how much they enjoyed it. I still can’t get over how you spotted the “Try Again” intro sample showing up in “On My Way To Somewhere”. You’ve got good ears my man…
The interview was indeed posted on his homepage (screencap with circle from me below)…
…and on his media page (screencap with circle from me below):
I am so proud to learn that so many people have written to Ken expressing how much they enjoyed our interview. It makes all that work conducting the interview on September 26, editing the interview in the days that followed, and airing the final cut on October 18 worth it. Thank you very much to all of you, and once again, to Ken.
C.W. Post/WCWP Homecoming 2008 recap October 21, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Interviews, Jazz, Personal, Radio.5 comments
Later recaps: 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Before I begin the recap, here is the aircheck of my alumni radio show…
2008 Alumni Show aircheck audio
…and both parts of my previously discussed interview with Ken Navarro:
Ken Navarro Interview II, Part 1
Ken Navarro Interview II, Part 2
2/3/13 UPDATE: Ken Navarro Interview II-Final Cut
With that out of the way, let’s begin. I arrived on campus at 2:00 on Saturday, a cold (for October), windy day. First, I went to WCWP to put down all my equipment. Then, I walked to Hickox Field to take in the Homecoming atmosphere.
On the field, the C.W. Post Pioneers football team were playing the Millersville Marauders.
WCWP (highlighted in this picture by the black oval) provided the play-by-play:
Bored, and hardly seeing anyone I knew, I walked back to WCWP to prepare for my radio show. It turned out to be a good thing I left when I did, as you’ll find out three pictures down. (By the way, the Pioneers won 55-38, extending their record to 2-5.)
Earlier this year, fellow WCWP alumnus Kevin Jeffreys passed away. This year’s Homecoming and alumni weekend were dedicated to him:
All four news production TVs were tuned to the Studio 1 webcam used exclusively for alumni weekend. Below, you see the football postgame in progress.
The game, and subsequent postgame coverage, ended much sooner than I, and several alumni, thought it would. So, instead of coming on the air at 3:30, I came on at 3:00. Luckily, I found a handful long tracks on the CDs I brought for the original playlist to fill the extra time. Here are some camcorder vidcaps of my show, as seen in the video I linked to at the top of this recap:
Toward the end of the show, I went to the myWCWP website to see what the webcam looked like on the internet stream:
Then, Phil, a current WCWP member, took this picture from one of the news TVs:
Craig Stern, another fellow alum, shot this picture of me at the board:
After the show, it was off to the Pioneer Room on the first floor of Hillwood Commons for the Friends of WCWP Alumni Dinner, where Bernie Bernard hosted her alumni show (Craig Stern is in the first pic):
Here I am with Bernie and Alan Seltzer, who, as the Homecoming Coordinator, is responsible for putting alumni weekend together (updated after Alan’s comment):
With Jamie Mazzo:
Jamie and Bernie:
Then, it was back to Studio 1 at WCWP for Jay Mirabile’s special four-hour “Disco and Funk King Show”:
Here I am with Jay:
One last picture: Jay in action.
And that was my Saturday at C.W. Post for this year’s Homecoming. It was a long, but worthwhile day.
Headed to C.W. Post today! October 18, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Personal, Radio.add a comment
Today is finally the day of my radio show at WCWP. As I’ve said in previous posts, the show starts at 3:30 or immediately following coverage of the C.W. Post Pioneers’ Homecoming game against Millersville University. I plan on checking out the festivites next to Hickox Field about an hour before I go on.
At the same time as my show, there will be an Alumni Reception two studios down in the Abrams Communications Building. I should have time for both, especially with the long Ken Navarro interview. Speaking of which, Part 1 is scheduled to air at 4:29 and Part 2 at 5:00.
Shortly after the show, I’ll be headed to the Pioneer Room on the first floor of Hillwood Commons for the Friends of WCWP Alumni Dinner.
I’m hoping all goes well, or at least, well enough. I should have a recap of my day, along with an aircheck of the show and both parts of the Ken Navarro interview, by some time next week.
Three days to air! October 15, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Radio, Weather.add a comment
Only three more days to go until my alumni weekend/Homecoming radio show at WCWP. A few showers and low 50s are in the forecast. So, I guess I won’t be dressed like I was last year:
It was in the upper 70s to low 80s and kind of humid, if I remember correctly. Let’s just say it was quite warm for early October on Long Island.
Ken Navarro interview editing process progress October 7, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Personal, Radio.1 comment so far
And no, the above title is not a typo.
It took me three nights and three days, but I have finally completed editing my alumni show interview with Ken Navarro. It’s 30:34.030 long. The next step will be inserting excerpts where necessary from “The Grace of Summer Light,” plus “Lakes,” the studio and live recordings of “Try Again,” and a few songs from other artists I mentioned in the interview.
And after that, then I can finally make the playlist for next Saturday’s show on WCWP. (I can’t believe it’s next week already!)
10/8, 4:20 PM UPDATE: I’ve completed that next step and now I’m completely 100% finished with the editing process. The interview will air in two parts. Part one is about 16 1/2 minutes; part two is about 18 minutes.
3,000 views! October 3, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Personal, Radio, Technology.2 comments
While I was in Florida, The Mike Chimeri Blog got its 3,000th view. Thank you yet again to all that have visited.
I’ve been busy editing pictures from my Florida trip and catching up on things that I missed while I was down there. I haven’t even gotten around to editing my interview with Ken Navarro yet. Hopefully, I’ll get to it by the weekend.
I’ll also try by the weekend to have a post recapping my trip.
10/4, 2:35 AM UPDATE: I have so far edited 2:54.870 of my interview with Ken. Only 35 minutes or so to go. Then, I have to add music excerpts.
10/4, 11:18 PM UPDATE: I’ve completed 12:38.920 of the interview. 23 minutes to go.
At this point, I don’t think I’ll have a trip recap post by tomorrow.
Alumni show interview: Ken Navarro! September 26, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Personal, Radio.add a comment
In an interview that I will edit when I return from South Florida on Wednesday (I leave tomorrow), Ken and I talked about his current album, “The Grace of Summer Light”, look back at April’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars (where the above picture was taken), and a concert in National Harbor, Maryland, on August 29, and look ahead to an upcoming concert with Eric Darius. Oddly enough, that concert is the same night as Homecoming, my alumni show, and this year’s WCWP alumni dinner.
I’ll post the final cut on this blog after the show airs. In the meantime, here are some pictures at shot at Hicksville’s LIRR station in between buses, heading for home:
The 2008 Mike Chimeri Alumni Show! August 20, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Personal, Radio.add a comment
I’m two weeks late in announcing this, but I have confirmed a time slot on myWCWP during this year’s alumni weekend. And this year, I have a slot on Homecoming Day – Saturday, October 18 – immediately following coverage of the C.W. Post Pioneers Football Team’s Homecoming game against Millersville University.
I’m scheduled to be on from 3:30 PM to 6PM Eastern, but depending on how long the game and its postgame coverage go, I could start later. We’ll see what happens.
In the coming weeks, I’ll let you know what I have planned for the show. I have plenty in mind. You won’t be disappointed, and hopefully, neither will I.
9/3 UPDATE: I have decided not to use an official title this year.
MikeChimeri.com 
