jay severin wtkk

1 VOL.5 winter 2010
DON
KELLEY
Celebrates
Making
20 Years of
“Magic” at
WMJX-FM
in Boston
Greater Media
Supports Haiti Local
Relief Efforts
GM Newspapers & Radio
Staffs Rock Out
to Feed the Hungry
in New Jersey
Keeping Time with
WROR’s Wally Brine
c o n t e n t s
winter 2010
i n
t h i s
Letter From The Chair
i s s u e
Table of Contents:
Look Who’s Making Greater Media Greater
3
People & News
4
A Breath of Fresh Air 6-7
Awards 8-9
Community - Giving Back 10
Greater Media Turns Its Attention to Haiti 12-13
DiSalvo Celebrates Quarter Century with Greater Media Boston
14
Snapshots 16-17
Holiday 18-21
Interactive Corner 22
Three New Funds Added to Greater Media, Inc. 401 (k) Plan Fund Lineup
23
Keeping Time with WROR’s Wally Brine 24-25
Don Kelley: The Force Behind the Magic at 106.7 FM
26-27
Music 28-29
GM Newspaper & Radio Staffs Rock Out to Feed the Hungry
30-31
Greater Media Detroit’s Jennifer Williams
Gets Down to Business
32-33
Congratulations: Weddings & Engagements 34
The Greater Media
GRAPEVINE
PUBLISHER: Greater Media, Inc.
EDITOR: Heidi Raphael
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Monique Walton
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Clare Celano, Adele Young, Debbie Catalano, Amy Hull,
Daniel Howley, Brian Donahue, Amy Rosen, Ed Nolan, Doug Sjonvall, and Tom Bender
PRINTER: Maureen Morrow/Printex
Special thanks to the people of Greater Media for making this publication possible.
ADDRESS:
Greater Media, Inc.
35 Braintree Hill Office Park
Suite 300
Braintree, MA 02184
781.348.8600
For more information, please contact Heidi Raphael at [email protected].
Grapevine is published 4 times a year by greater media, inc.
o n
t h e
c o v e r
Don Kelley
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Hello,
As we embrace 2010, I am happy
to share with you that we have had a
very encouraging first quarter. I am
optimistic that the “new normal”
of how we do business as a company
and an industry will find Greater
Media in a very positive and proactive position as we move forward
through the rest of the year.
I would like to personally thank each
of you for all of your hard work
in helping us grow the company’s
business through our traditional
and interactive efforts. The recent
interactive meetings hosted by Tom
Bender are a shining example of
how our company continues to look
for new opportunities to reach out
to our listeners, advertisers, and the
communities we serve.
As I tell everyone, at Greater Media,
our people make us greater. This
is proven on a daily basis. Special
congratulations are in order for
WMJX’s Candy O’Terry and Gay
Vernon on their “Exceptional
Women” program, heard on Magic
106.7 in Boston. They will be receiving their 17th “Gracie Award”
from American Women in Radio &
Television. This is a national record
for the Gracies. Special kudos
are also due to WLNK’s Matt and
Ramona for receiving their second
Gracie honor for the “Matt &
Ramona” show. We are very proud
of everyone involved in making this
happen. These awards are a fitting
and well-deserved recognition of
our employees’ dedication to their
listeners and their communities.
In addition, I would like to recognize WKLB-FM Program Director
Mike Brophey on being recognized
among the top Country Radio Program Directors by Radio Ink Magazine.
Greater Media’s commitment to
helping the communities we serve
was evident in our stations’ and
newspapers’ reaction to the recent
crisis in Haiti. In addition to airing
public service announcements and
providing website exposure, Greater
Media sponsored or contributed to
a number of special events, including a radiothon by WLNK morning
personalities Bob & Sheri, Greater
Media Philadelphia’s month-long
partnership with a local television station to raise relief funds,
and Greater Media Newspapers’
outstanding coverage of local efforts
to help the people impacted by this
tragic event.
I am very proud of the women and
men in our newspaper division.
Under the leadership of Ben Cannizzaro, over the last few years we
have streamlined our operations to
maximize the impact of our current publications and enhance our
interactive capabilities. I am very
grateful to each of you for your hard
work and efforts.
As we approach the second quarter,
I hope you will continue to embrace
the many exciting sales, interactive,
promotional, and programming
opportunities available to us as we
expand our visibility and capabilities
in each of our communities.
Your thoughts and opinions are
important. Please feel free to e-mail
me at [email protected]
to share your input on how we can
continue to make Greater Media
greater.
Warmest regards,
Peter Smyth
G
great!
recognizing
people who go
the extra mile
Look Who’s Making
Greater Media Greater
BOSTON
Kate Naughton
Traffic Manager
102.5 Country – WKLB-FM
Joining Greater Media
Boston over ten years ago, Kate
Naughton currently serves as the
WKLB Traffic Manger and has
had a hand in the success of all the
Greater Media Boston stations.
She has been the “go-to” person
in traffic since her first day on the
job. Kate’s ability to rise to everyday
challenges and make things happen
in a welcoming, friendly manner is
unparalleled. She is always willing to
do more and help out with anything
that needs to be done.
Ben Kulis
Marketing Director
96.9 FM - WTKK
As Ben Kulis celebrates
his one-year anniversary
at 96.9, Boston Talks, WTKK is
pleased to talk about the terrific
job Ben does every day to make
Greater Media Greater! Ben works
nonstop for both programming
and sales. Since his arrival, he has
created a new online experience
at www.969bostontalks.com for
the station’s passionate audience
throughout Boston and New England. He’s enthusiastic to take on
new challenges for both WTKK and
the entire Boston radio group.
He is a member of The American
Marketing Association, The Massachusetts Innovation and Technology
Group, and the Boston Technology
Group.
Charlotte
Louie Mills
Senior Staff Accountant/WLNKFM/WBT-AM/FM
In less than two years,
Louie has made a lasting impression in the Accounting department. Controller Twan
Barber insists Louie is the “best
hire I’ve made in my career.” She’s
responsible for month-end closing,
account reconciliations, fixed asset
maintenance, accounts payable, and
local tax reporting. It may sound as
if Louie has a lot of responsibilities on her plate, but she credits her
time at Greater Media as the most
low-stress job she’s ever had!
Mark Melchior
On-Site Promotions Coordinator
WLNK-FM/WBT-AM/FM
Mark has worked his way up
from a seasonal employee
with WBT’s Holiday on Ice to his
position with the promotions department. Along the way, he’s been a
very helpful set of extra hands for
Programming, New Media, and Engineering. When either station is out
and about, Mark is always there setting
up and maintaining the on-site
equipment including sound systems,
sets, and lighting. Mark loves getting
out and interacting with all of our
listeners. Mark says, “We always deliver
and it feels great every time.”
Detroit
Cassandra (Candy) Kniaz
National Sales Assistant
Greater Media Detroit
Trustworthy, loyal, helpful,
friendly, courteous, kind,
cheerful, and really smart are all words
that could be used to describe Greater
Media Detroit’s National Sales
Assistant Cassandra (Candy) Kniaz.
Her willingness to help out makes
Candy stand out as someone making Greater Media Greater. She has
become the “go-to” person on staff
for working major research projects.
Candy shares that what she finds most
rewarding about her job is helping
all the departments accomplish their
goals. When not busy at work, Candy
enjoys spending time with husband
Greg and 8-year-old son Alex. She
also serves as leader of Wolf Den Pack
222.
Carly Yerman
Marketing Director
WRIF-FM
WRIF Marketing Director
Carly Yerman is making
Greater Media Greater for a second
time in her career.
In 1996, Carly Yerman started at
WCSX as an intern while going to
Wayne State University. Her inherent
marketing instincts soon helped her
land a job on the WCSX Promotion
team, which eventually lead her to
becoming WRIF’s Promotion Coordinator in 1998. Carly then headed
West to seek her fortune in Las
Vegas and San Diego. But the pull of
Detroit Rock City was too strong to
ignore. Carly and her husband, Paul,
returned to Michigan and WRIF in
2005. They recently added another
“rocker” to their family with the birth
of their son Cole in August of 2009.
One of the things Carly enjoys most
about her job is the challenge of
creating promotional programs that
help clients accomplish their goals
while staying true to WRIF’s heritage
brand. She’s the first one to say that
every day at WRIF is an adventure
and helps keep the Rock Powerhouse
moving forward with her positive
attitude and ability to be focused on
finding common ground between
sales and programming.
knowledge of the industry and work
ethic allow the sales representatives
to focus on generating revenue.
Lauren is a true asset to the team.
Philadelphia
Congratulations to Tina Costello
for being recognized as the 2009
Greater Media Philadelphia Sales
President’s Club Annual Winner!
Tina Costello was the top biller
New Jersey Radio
Maria Ciezak
Promotions Coordinator
WRAT-FM Magic 100.1
Maria Ciezak is the
promotions coordinator
for WRAT and Magic 100.1. Maria
has been with the company a little
over a year and has grown leaps
and bounds. She started out as the
receptionist and has worked her
way up. Maria is dependable and
passionate about her job and always
gives 110%.
Marie Senkeleski
Promotions & Event Coordinator
WRAT-FM & Magic 100.1
Marie started as an intern
with the company and
is now the Promotions and Event
Coordinator for WDHA/WMTR.
She does her job with a positive
attitude and great follow-up. Marie
is always extremely organized and
professional.
on WMGK in 2009 overall and
also led the team in total Direct &
Developmental dollars. In addition,
during a difficult recessionary year,
she grew her overall billing by 4%
from the prior year.
Tina had five Target to Key conversions and was #1 in four key sales
categories…Total $$ Growth, Share
Growth, Target to Key Conversions,
and Overall Budget. She has amazing long-lasting relationships in the
market, that goes beyond “clients”;
they have have grown into friendships for Tina and Greater Media.
Congratulations to Tina and to
the rest of the 2009 Monthly President’s Club winners.
GM Newspapers
Angel Ogonowski
Field Representative
Angel Ogonowski has been
with Greater Media Newspapers for 16 years. She
is a person you can count
on to get the job done. Angel is a
multitasker: from breaking down
the papers for the drivers, to doing
visuals to ensure the customers are
getting their papers, to always being
available for the independent contractors she supervises. She keeps
her area running like a well-oiled
machine. With her contributions,
Angel is helping GMN to thrive.
Lauren Simons
Inside Sales Manager
Greater Media Newspapers
Lauren Simons assists
the sales team and is always
there to help out. Her
2009 Monthly President’s Club
Winners
January - Christine Razzano, BEN-FM
February - Shannon D’Amico, BEN-FM
March - Greg Scirrotto, WMMR
May - Laurie Crane, WMGK
June - Caroline Pugh, GMM
July - Michelle Tagye-Miller, WMMR
August - Adam Baldwin, WMGK
September - Rachel Gordon, WMGK
October - Matt Rovine, WMMR
November - Tina Costello, WMGK
December - Andrew Tosto, WPENAM/FM Annual Budget Achiever
Michaela Pawlewicz, WPEN-AM/FM
Annual Budget Achiever
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people
people & News
Mike Missanelli Renews Contract with
97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia
Kelly McKay
Named as New Midday
Personality on
WLNK-FM in
Charlotte
Afternoon drive personality
Mike Missanelli has renewed
a multi-year deal on 97.5 /The
Fanatic in Philadelphia. The
station is also simulcast on 950
ESPN AM.
Kelly McKay
Kelly McKay has been
named as the new midday
personality on 107.9FM/
WLNK in Charlotte. She
began her new role on
Monday, January 11th, 2010.
McKay most recently served
as an on-air weekend personality on the station. Over
the years, she has worked for
a variety of heritage stations,
including WFLZ in Tampa,
Florida, WBNS in Columbus, Ohio, and most recently
WZPL in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“Kelly is the perfect complement to Bob & Sheri in the
morning and Matt & Ramona
in the afternoon,” said Bill
White, Greater Media Charlotte’s Operations Manager.
“Her style is fun and interactive, which enables our
listeners to be the ‘co-host’
of the show.”
Missanelli, who started doing
afternoon drive on 950 ESPN in
April of 2008, has been ranked
number one for several months
during the past two years and has
become the cornerstone of 97.5
The Fanatic.
“I’m tremendously excited to
continue on with a radio station
whose only mission is to serve
Philadelphia sports fans,” said
Missanelli. “I’m ecstatic to be
a part of our historic move of
bringing sports talk in Philly to
FM and I’m grateful to the fans
for making this journey with us.
We have a great direction here at
97.5 The Fanatic, and we’re only
going to get better.”
“We look forward to continuing
our association with Mike and
thrilled at what he has accomplished at 97.5 The Fanatic,” said
John Fullam, Vice President and
Market Manager of Greater
Media Philadelphia. “It’s no
wonder he has been a ratings
leader in afternoons and he just
keeps getting better.”
Tony Bruno Joins
Harry Mayes on
97.5 The Fanatic
Radio legend Tony Bruno is
now accompanying Harry Mayes
Monday through Friday in the
afternoons from 12:00 p.m. to
2:00 p.m. on 97.5 FM – The
Fanatic.
Most recognized currently for his
show “Into the Night with Tony
Bruno,” where he shares with the
public his wine selections and
fine dining experiences, Bruno
has tremendous credentials and
more knowledge about sports
careers than some of the players
he speaks of.
Motor City Afternoon Drive Legend Ken Calvert
Named New Morning Show Host at WCSX-FM
Veteran On-Air Personality and Operations Manager Doug Podell Takes
Over Afternoon Drive Duties
Longtime afternoon drive
personality Ken Calvert is the
new morning drive host on
WCSX-FM in Detroit. The new
morning show programming is
now more music intensive and
reflects the station’s heritage,
classic rock roots.
A Celebrity Happy
Birthday for Leo Egan
In addition, Operations Manager
and radio veteran Doug Podell
has added on-air duties to his
role, as he took over afternoon
drive, formerly held by Calvert,
on the legendary classic rock
station.
Greater Media Boston’s General
Services employee, Leo Egan,
proudly shows off a personal
“thank you” note he received from
his favorite actor, Kevin Spacey,
thanking Leo for sending him
a birthday card signed by all the
Boston staff.
Ken Calvert
People & News continued on next page
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Look Who’s Rockin’ at
WRIF-FM
95.7 BEN-FM’s
Marilyn Russell’s
Close Encounter of
the Royal Kind
City’s Top Chefs Dish Comfort at the
Third Annual John DeBella Comfort Food Fest
95.7 BEN-FM’s Morning Show
personality Marilyn Russell had the
distinct pleasure of sitting down with
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
101 WRIF Program Director
Mark Pennington was recently
recognized in Friday Morning Quarterback
magazine’s “Radio Leaders” category
as Program Director of the year.
WRIF Midday host Anne Carlini
appeared in the December issue of
Michigan’s Thunder Road magazine
to promote a benefit for a local
woman, Bev Brown, who was
severely injured in a motorcycle
accident.
WRIF Account
Executive
Brian Karwowski watched
proudly as his
Doberman
puppy, Rachel,
graduated from
obedience class.
WRIF Production Director,
Mike Gagliano celebrated his 10th
anniversary of working at WRIF on
January 16th, 2010.
clockwise from top
BEN-FM’s Marilyn Russell.
Dutchess of York, Sarah Ferguson.
Movie Poster: The Young Victoria.
Marilyn interviewed her on Russell’s
“Woman of the Week” program on
95.7 BEN-FM to discuss Ferguson’s
involvement as the co-producer of the
critically acclaimed movie, The Young
Victoria, which opened in wide release on
Christmas Day. Emily Blunt plays the
role of Victoria for which she received
a Golden Globe nomination for her
work. The story focuses on how young
Victoria became the Queen and her
personal relationship with Prince
Albert.
“She was so incredibly passionate about
the film and her energy was palpable,”
said Russell. “Although I’ve been lucky
enough to interview some fabulous
women for the ‘Woman of the Week’
show, Sarah Ferguson was my first
brush with royalty and it was pretty
memorable,” said Russell.
Eleven of the top chefs in the
Philadelphia area showcased their
interpretation of comfort food at the
3rd Annual John DeBella Comfort
Food Festival. The free, invitation-only
event took place March 4 at Cescaphé
Ballroom in the city’s Northern
Liberties section.
Attendees registered for an invitation
by filling out a short registration form
on wmgk.com. Approximately 400
people attended.
John DeBella holding the trophy.
The evening’s chefs were rated by a panel of judges that included food critic
Beth D’ Addono and NBC 10 meteorologist, Michelle Grossman. Last year’s
Golden Spoon award winner, Chef Robert Legget of Cuba Libre, returned to
defend his title.
The idea for the Comfort Food Festival came to DeBella when he was driving home
from a meal at a fine restaurant. He thought, “What do the top chefs in the city fix
themselves when they’re hanging around the house? What’s their comfort food?”
He called public relations expert Nicole Cashman of Cashman and Associates to
see if she was interested in working with him on a comfort food tasting event with
MGK. She was, and the Comfort Food Fest was born.
The Duchess of York also shared
updates on her philanthropic work
and was enormously gracious, allowing
plenty of time to elaborate on Blunt’s
performance, as well as details on who
made a very special cameo appearance
in the film.
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fresh air
special feature
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
A Breath of Fresh Air
WMGK’s Nancy Palumbo Tells of the Rewards
of Hosting an Inner-City Child at Her Country Home
Sometimes, memories
Palumbo also had her
grandson Logan, eight, stay
during De Shawn’s weeklong visit, so that he would
have a playmate fairly close
to his age.
impact just our own lives,
and sometimes we get to
touch someone else’s life.
Greater Media Philadelphia’s
Nancy Palumbo had such
an opportunity last summer
when she hosted a Fresh Air
Fund child.
The Fresh Air Fund is an
independent, not-for-profit
agency providing free summer vacations to inner-city
youngsters in need. According to the Fund’s website,
the host families are the
heart and soul of the program.
Palumbo, assistant program
director and music director
for Greater Media Philadelphia’s Classic Rock station
WMGK 102.9 FM, saw a
notice in her local newspaper that the Fresh Air Fund
was looking for volunteers
to host a child for a week
during the summer.
Since 1877, more than 1.7
million New York City
children have experienced
the joys of Fresh Air Fund
vacations in the country.
The decision to become a
Fresh Air Fund host, she
said, gave her a rewarding
summer experience and offered De Shawn Todman, 10,
of New York, the opportunity to spend a week away
from the hot city streets.
Palumbo said that De
Shawn was indeed excited
when he came to visit her.
“His mouth dropped when
he saw the house and the
property,” she said happily.
But there were formalities that took place before De Shawn could visit
Palumbo’s home. “We had
to go through an interview
process, which included
background checks and
references,” Palumbo explained. She also had a visit
from Fresh Air Fund representatives. “They ask you if
you want a boy or a girl and
what age you would prefer.
I was really lucky,” Palumbo
“I thought, we are so
fortunate to have a country place, and I thought it
would be really nice to bring
someone out here to run
through the grass with bare
feet and do other things
they don’t often have the
opportunity to do.”
Palumbo lives in a home on
four-and-a half acres in rural
Glenmoore, PA, which is
about 15 minutes from any
store.
continued on next page
from top to bottom
Logan and De Shawn share some
“kids cuisine.”
The many horse farms in
the area provided an ideal
setting for a youngster from
Spanish Harlem to spend
a fun week in the country,
enjoying the picturesque
scenery, friendship, and activities he would not otherwise experience.
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New western hats for the boys!
Nancy and the boys check out the
horses on their tour of New Bolton
Center in Kennett Square.
De Shawn and Logan make friends
with a young calf.
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clockwise from top left
Roasting marshmallows over a
backyard bonfire.
Archery and picnicking at French
Creek State Park.
Nancy and Logan say a sad “goodbye” to their new friend.
said. “I knew ahead of time
who the child was. Many
times you don’t know until
they get off the bus and you
pick them up.”
Palumbo said that before
the visit, she was able to
contact De Shawn’s parents and find out pertinent
information about him to
make his stay more comfortable. “We talked about
his likes and dislikes, what
foods he likes, which was
pizza and chicken nuggets,
and what things he liked to
do, like riding bicycles, and
Also on the week’s itinerary were a trip to a western
clothing store where De
Shawn and Logan were
given cowboy hats by the
proprietor, a visit to a Sonic
drive-in restaurant, a backyard bonfire in her fire pit,
miniature golf, and bowling.
“We also took him to the
New Bolton Center at the
University of Pennsylvania
where they have a veterinary school,” she said. “It’s
in a big farm area, and we
took him for a tour of the
whole place. He saw cows
being milked and pot-bellied pigs, sheep, llamas, and
many other animals. “This
experience with De Shawn
was so rewarding, and it
was a much better way to
spend a vacation than just
sitting around.”
Since 1877, more than 1.7 million
New York City children have
experienced the joys of Fresh Air
Fund vacations in the country.
the games he liked to play.
Of course, he liked video
games, just like my grandson,” she quipped.
She added that hosts are
also apprised of any special
needs the children might
have, such as skin care, allergies, and other matters. “I
think his dad, who was a bit
worried at first, felt much
more comfortable after I
spoke to him,” Palumbo
said.
From the very first night,
De Shawn was busy. A
family barbecue and pool
party started the week’s
activities. “We had a blast,”
Palumbo said. One outing was a family picnic at
French State Park. “We took
DeShawn canoeing, and he
was scared at first because
he had never gone canoeing, but once we got going,
he thought it was very cool.”
Palumbo will always remember what De Shawn said the
day he left Glenmoore. “He
looked up at me with those
big brown eyes and he said,
‘I wish I could live here with
you forever.’ It touched my
heart,” she said, adding
that she is hoping that the
weeklong vacation will have
a lasting positive impact on
De Shawn’s young life. “I
am hoping he will see there
are so many other things
out there for him,” she said,
adding that the experience
was “well worth it.”
Palumbo has already decided she will sign up to be
a host next summer. She is
hoping De Shawn will want
to come back as much as
she wants him to return to
her home in the country.
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awards
greater media
WKLB’s Ginny Rogers
has been nominated
for Major Market
Music Director of the
Year in the CRBCountry Aircheck
Awards.
Country 102.5 WKLB’s
Mike Brophey Named
Among Top Country
Program Directors by
Radio Ink Magazine
coming in
first at
greater media
Greater Media Personalities Recognized Among
the Best by Talkers Magazine
Congratulations to Greater Media Boston and Charlotte Talent who have
made the list of Talkers Magazines’ Heavy 100 (100 Most Important Talk Hosts
in America) and The Talkers 2010 (100-250) list:
Mike Brophey
Country 102.5 WKLB-FM
Program Director Mike Brophey
has been named among the Best
Program Directors in Radio for the
fourth consecutive year by Radio Ink
Magazine.
Ginny Rogers
“We are very proud of Mike and all
he has done programming WKLB
for the past 14 years,” said Greater
Media Chairman and CEO Peter
Smyth. “To be in this distinguished
group of industry leaders is both
exciting and appreciated,” said
Brophey. He was recognized among
the honorees at 2010 Country
Radio Seminar in Nashville and
featured in the February 15th issue
of the publication.
Greater Media Charlotte’s Sheri Lynch and Stacey
Simms Named to 50 Most Influential Women List
Jay Severin
Bob & Sheri
Keith Larson
Heavy 100
Jay Severin - 96.9 FM Boston Talks WTKK
Bob & Sheri - WLNK - Bob & Sheri Radio Network, Charlotte
Keith Larson - WBT, Charlotte
101-250
General Issues/Politics
Margery Eagan & Jim Braude - WTKK-FM, Boston
Al Gardner & Stacey Simms - WBT, Charlotte
Michael Graham - WTKK-FM, Boston
John Hancock - WBT, Charlotte
Hometalk
John Gordon & David Dovell - WBT, Charlotte
http://talkers.com/online
Robbin Friedell Receives Greater Media New Jersey’s
2009 “Employee of the Year” Award
Sheri Lynch
Greater Media Charlotte’s on-air
personalities Sheri Lynch (WLNK’s
nationally syndicated morning
program “Bob & Sheri”) and Stacey
Simms (WBT AM/FM’s Charlotte’s
Morning News with Al Gardner and
Stacey Simms) have been selected
as part of the “50 Most Influential
Women” from The Mecklenburg Times,
a local publication. Honorees for
Stacey Simms
this award are selected for their
outstanding achievements as well as
the difference they make within the
community.
Both ladies will receive a crystal
award during the awards presentation on April 23, 2010 at the
McGlohon Theater in Uptown
Charlotte.
Robbin Friedell, Assistant National
Sales Manager, was recently named
Greater Media New Jersey’s 2009
“Employee of the Year.” According to the staff, Robbin plays a
huge role within the National Sales
Department and is an extremely
hard worker who goes “above and
beyond” every day.
Robbin Friedell
Robbin Friedell, Assistant
National Sales Manager, receives
“Employee of the Year” for Greater
Media New Jersey.
Awards, continued on next page
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Harry Neyhart
Reaches a Greater Media
Milestone
Greater Media Boston – 400 Club Award Recipients
The 400 Club Award is presented
annually to the most successful creators of new direct business in the
Greater Media Boston cluster.
A minimum of $400k in new direct
business is the requirement.
The Greater Media family would like to wish WMGK Traffic
Manager Harry Neyhart the very best. He recently retired
after working for the company for the past 33 years!
Harry and his wife plan on moving to sunny Florida!
Andre Gardner and Debbi Calton
salute Harry on his last week.
Harry with a plaque that was
presented to him by his fellow
coworkers in honor of 33 1/3
years of service.
WBT Recognizes Charlotte’s Best at Hometown
Hero Banquet
News/Talk 1110 WBT recently honored heroes of the Charlotte
community through the station’s
“Hometown Hero” program. Each
Friday for 26 weeks, WBT recognized
one member of the community for
their effort in making the city a better
place to live.
Dubbed the “Hometown Hero of the
Week” on WBT’s Charlotte’s Morning
News, WBT invited all 26 heroes to
an awards banquet January 22, 2010.
One hero was subsequently named
“Hometown Hero of the Year” and
awarded a $3,000 donation to a charity of their choice.
During the banquet, the audience
heard some inspiring and diverse
stories about some incredible individuals who save lives, work tirelessly as
volunteers , and serve as pillars in the
community on a daily basis.
“The amazing thing is that most of
them walk amongst us daily and we
would never pick them out of a crowd,”
said WBT Promotion Coordinator
Jessica Robards. “But in one way or another, they have all touched the hearts
of many people in our community. It
is always difficult for us to choose the
2009 Hometown Hero of the Year,
because all are deserving, but one stood
out among the rest.”
The 2009 Hometown of the Year was
Master Sergeant Kurt Baumgarten,
who was recognized for leading a small
group of high school kids in the Jr.
ROTC battalion, with little or no
funding, to the third place spot in the
Superintendent Cup!
Hometown Hero of the
Year for 2009, Master Sergeant
Kurt Baumgarten.
Charlotte’s Morning News host,
Jim Szoke, Rick Feinblatt, Sponsor
Bank of Commerce, Derek
Thompson, HTH of the Year, MSG
Kurt Baumgarten, and Charlotte’s
Morning News host, Stacey Simms.
This year’s recipients were James
Friedman and David Guiliano.
Both are longtime Greater Media
sellers, David with WTKK and
James who now represents all five
Boston stations. Both are also previous recipients of the 400 Club
Award. “Needless to say, 2009 was
a tough year” said Chris Paquin,
Director of Sales at Greater Media
Boston. “These two sellers personify
Greater Media Boston’s drive
Pictured (L-R):
Senior Account Executive, James
Friedman; GMB Director of Sales,
Chris Paquin, and WTKK Senior Account Executive David Guiliano.
to ‘make it happen’ regardless
of the obstacles. I am extremely
proud of them and thankful for
another outstanding performance
by both David and James.”
WLNK’s Ramona Holloway Announces 2009 Link
Leading Lady
Congratulations to
the 2009 Link Leading Lady of the
Year, Leigh Brown. 107.9 the
Link honors outstanding women
throughout the year. Each year,
the station chooses 30 women
who are making a difference in
the community and recognizes
them on-air. The ladies, who
are introduced to the listening
audience by Ramona Holloway,
all receive an engraved award and a
banquet in their honor. This year
the Link Leading Lady banquet was
held January 21st and was hosted by
Ramona. The winner of the 2009
Link Leading Lady of the Year received
a check for $5,000 to go to the
charity of her choice.
Leigh, broker and owner of a
Re/Max office, is also a wife and
mother of two. She works tirelessly
to run her own business and is also
a constant volunteer at her church
working vacation Bible school
and teaching Sunday school. In
addition Leigh is on the board of
Habitat for Humanity of Cabarrus
County. Leigh uses a portion of
the commission for every home she
for a family in need. Last year, she
donated $60,000 to build a home
with Habitat for Humanity in
top to bottom
Ramona Holloway with our
winner Leigh Brown.
Kary “Doc” Bowser, Rick
Feinblatt, Molly Thompson,
(sponsor) Brent O’Brien, Kris
Roth, (sponsor) Leigh Brown,
and Ramona Holloway with
the $5,000 check.
Cabarrus County. Leigh recognizes
both the need for affordable housing in Cabarrus Country as well as
the need to educate homeowners.
She puts forth a great deal of effort
to help in those areas.
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9
community
giving back
Preston & Steve’s Camp Out for Hunger 2009
Supports Local Community
For the twelfth consecutive year,
Preston & Steve hosted the largest,
single-location, five-day, continuous food collection initiative to
benefit Philabundance. Preston
& Steve set up drop-off locations
throughout the Philadelphia area
to make it easy for listeners to
donate food for the needy.
WMMR listeners filled 17 tractor
trailers with over 187 tons (374,235
lbs) of food. The charitable
members of the community also
donated over $45,000, including
$10,000 from one Preston & Steve
listener. Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi
called into the show and matched
that sizable donation!
greater media
gives back to the
community
105.7 WROR & Freihofer’s Bread
Give Listeners a Chance to Win a Playground for their
Town with “Pride of the Neighborhood” Campaign
A car with a trunk-load of food
drops off a donation.
Local high school students join
together to make a large donation
to this year’s Camp Out For Hunger.
105.7 WROR and Freihofer’s
Bread have teamed up to launch
the “Pride of the Neighborhood”
campaign. The contest is aimed at
giving listeners the chance to be the
“pride of their neighborhood” and
win a brand-new playground for
their town.
Listeners are encouraged to enter
to win at www.prideoftheneighborhood.com and let Freihofer’s know
what makes your town special in
eight sentences or less.
Proceeds benefited Philabundance,
an organization supporting the
hungry people of the Delaware
Valley.
WMMR’s Preston & Steve Show with
Philadelphia Flyer’s play-by-play
announcer, Jim Jackson, who helped raise
over $5,000 dollars for Philabundance.
In addition, every Friday through
April 2nd, 2010, the most compelling entry selected each week will
be featured in a series of on-air
commercials on WROR-FM for
one week and receive a four-pack
of tickets to attend the Boston
Children’s Museum.
“For over 90 years, Freihofer’s
has been proud to bring families
home-style goodness and quality bakery products,” said Chris
Steiner, Marketing Manager at
Freihofer’s. “Our passion for feeding your families is matched by our
dedication to better the communities that support us, whether it’s
through donations to food banks,
sponsoring cancer research, or
building playgrounds to keep your
children active and healthy.”
Complete contest rules are available at www.prideoftheneighborhood.com.
WTKK’s Michael Graham On-Air Radiothon Helps Raise $65K to Assist New England Veterans
a long way toward helping New
England veterans.
Congrats to Michael Graham,
who talked for eight straight hours
on December 21st and raised over
65K for Fisher House Boston.
The auction items and experience,
combined with what WTKK hosts
Michael Graham, Jim Braude,
Margery Eagan, Jay Severin,
Michele McPhee, Mel Robbins,
and Mike Barnicle alone donated,
raised over 20K, which will go
10
g r ap e v i n e
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Michael Graham
2 01 0
Michael did a great job of keeping
the show moving and elevated the
quality of programming with great
guests and interesting conversations that included a mix of
heartfelt stories, military leaders,
entertainers, politicians, a bunny,
and special CEOs who make a
difference in their communities.
Fisher House Boston (11-2009).
Community: Giving Back continued on next page
1110 WBT Presents the John Hancock Auction and Kids First Live Broadcast
holiday presents and gifts. One hundred percent of the monies raised
benefited Kids First and their cause.
1110 WBT was proud to present the
Annual John Hancock Auction and
Kids First Live Broadcast on December 2, 2009 to benefit Kids First of
the Carolinas.
The Auction itself raised $8,583 and
WBT received additional individual
donations of $4973.64 for a total
amount of $13,556.64!
The organization is a very small,
grassroots charity that hosts an
annual Christmas Party for homeless
and underprivileged children. They
do not receive any local, state, or
federal funding.
WBT supports the organization
annually with leadership from WBT
host, John Hancock, who has been
involved with this charity for many
years and helps lead the way for donations that make it possible for this
charity to continue to exist.
above
Charlotte locals
helping unload/load
gifts into Kids First
Tractor Trailers.
Over the holidays, Hancock was
involved with a two-part promotion in support for Kids First. On
December 2, 2009, John hosted
a radiothon-type auction, live on
WBT, where listeners had the opportunity to bid on great deals for
John DeBella Bails
Out Over $2,400 in
Holiday Bills
Once again this year,
WMGK’s John DeBella helped those in
need after the holidays
by bailing them out from their
holiday bills. Listeners from all
over the DeBellaware Valley wrote
in their stories of holiday spending. One single mother said that
she spent over $250 on a new iPod
for her daughter and did not have
enough funds left to send a deposit
to a university that offered the teen
a full scholarship. Another listener
accidentally threw away $200 in
Home Depot gift certificates that
had been mixed up with his trash.
And one father was in debt from
forking out $436 from unexpected
expenses relating to buying his son
an Eyelash Crested Gecko. Overall,
DeBella bailed out $2,439.78 in
holiday bills!
left
John Hancock and WBT
live onsite, with Frito’s
Chester Cheeto, helping
spread the holiday
message.
In addition, John Hancock broadcasted live onsite from the Kids First
gift collection site. Truckloads of gifts
were unloaded by hundreds of local
volunteers to be distributed at the
annual Christmas Party. The party
featured food donated from area
restaurants, music, and
entertainment as well as many gifts
and of course, Santa himself!
According to WBT Promotions
Coordinator Jessica Robards, the
auction and live broadcast were very
“heartwarming” and possessed the
feeling of what the holiday season
is about – communities coming
together in the light of a giving spirit.
Greater Media’s WDHA-FM Announces New On-Air Lineup in New Jersey
There is an exciting brand-new
on-air lineup on WDHA-FM in New
Jersey. The new changes officially took
effect on Monday, February 1, 2010
and include:
6-10 a.m.
Kim Mulligan and Jim Monaghan
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Terrie Carr
3 p.m.-7 p.m.
Curtis Kay
7 p.m. - Midnight
Lindsay Klein
Midnight – 6 a.m.
Matt Gamba
Veteran on-air personality Jim
Monaghan bas been joined by Kim
Mulligan on the morning show.
Monaghan, who has been hosting the
morning shift on the station for over
three years, has been with WDHA for
the past decade. Prior to that, he spent
19 years at WNEW-FM in New York
City. Called “The Morning Jolt,”
the new show not only keeps its music
intense base, but is fun and topical for
listeners to tune into every morning.
Veteran programmer and radio
personality Terrie Carr has returned
to do the midday show on WDHAFM. Terrie’s history with the station
has spanned over 16 years, where she
previously held down the same shift
for more than 13 years and also served
as Program Director for six years.
Her most recent previous experience
includes stints at Sirius Radio, Q104
in New York and some on-air camera
work at VH1 Classic.
“The new lineup on WDHA-FM is
designed to entertain our audience
with music, topical information,
and listener interaction,” said Nancy
McKinley, WDHA and WMTR Station
Manager. “Rock Music is and always
will be our primary focus.”
WDHA-FM Program/Music Director
Curtis Kay, along with Lindsay Klein
and Matt Gamba, will continue to
remain in their current on-air slots.
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11
haiti
special feature
BY BRIAN DONAHUE
Greater Media Turns Its Attention to Haiti
IN the days following the
catastrophic earthquake
that shook Haiti on January
12, Greater Media employees
sprang into action. Recognizing the tremendous
losses suffered and the
desperate struggles of the
survivors, the company’s
on-air personalities and
those behind the scenes
banded together in various markets to lend a hand,
however possible.
No strangers to charitable
causes, Bob Lacey and Sheri
Lynch, co-hosts of Charlotte’s nationally syndicated
“Bob & Sheri” program,
decided they needed to act
quickly. The pair had previously organized a fundraiser
to benefit eastern North
Carolina flood victims, and
over the past two years had
partnered with the international humanitarian charity World Vision to benefit
poverty-stricken families in
the Dominican Republic and
the slums of Delhi, India.
clockwise from top
Greater Media Newspapers
documented local relief efforts,
such as the Convoy of Hope, which
shipped supplies collected from
several Central Jersey towns.
Throughout Bob & Sheri’s 6-hour
radiothon, host Sheri Lynch, along
with WLNK-FM Senior Account
Executive Sandra Szoke, tweeted a
“thank you” of every sponsor’s name
on her Twitter account.
Sheri was scheduled to tour
impoverished areas
of Haiti this July, with a
radiothon to air soon after,
but seeing the devastation of
the earthquake, the morning
show hosts and their operations manager, Bill White,
decided the fundraiser
could not wait.
During the final 2 hours of Bob &
Sheri’s 6-hour radiothon they were
joined on-air by WBT-AM/FM
newsman Chad Bowar with breaking
news updates and WLNK-FM’s new
midday host Kelly McKay
Bob & Sheri host Bob Lacey
anchored the 6-hour radiothon on
behalf of international humanitarian
organization World Vision.
“We had a meeting
between the three of us and
continued on next page
12
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Tony Garcia, our syndication
manager, and we decided
that we would move on
it right now, because we
thought it would touch
people’s hearts,” Bob said.
The Charlotte team
contacted World Vision, and
on a Friday concluded that
they would hold the radiothon the following Tuesday.
Producers Max Sweeten
and Todd Haller spent the
weekend piecing together
introductions, gathering
background information,
and setting up interviews
with reporters, meteorologists, and relief workers in
Haiti, including representatives of World Vision.
“I didn’t know what was
going to happen,” Bob said.
“You just can’t tell in this
financial environment, with
the volatility in the stock
market, and people having
lost so much money over
the last few years.”
Two hours into the
January 20 radiothon,
Bob & Sheri received good
news from Steve Quant,
World Vision’s director of
media acquisition, who
was at the organization’s
headquarters in Seattle. “It’s
going to be off the charts,”
Quant said of the already
enormous response to the
fundraising effort.
“He’s done a lot of these,”
Bob said of Quant, “and I
couldn’t tell, because when
you’re doing the show,
you just don’t know how
many people are actually
responding. The smiles got
bigger and bigger as the
morning went on. And it
was the most successful
one that we’ve done so far.”
The radiothon, which ran
on their national satellite
feed from 6 to 10 a.m., and
extended into the local
market on WLNK-FM until
noon, drew so many calls
that World Vision’s server
crashed in the 8 a.m. hour.
Its call center rushed into
action, however, placing
outgoing phone calls to
potential donors and sponsors. By day’s end, some
478 listeners had signed on
to sponsor children in Haiti,
and in the coming weeks
that number would climb
to nearly 700. The sponsorships, at $35 per month,
connect each donor with
one specific child, whose
family receives clean water,
nutritious food, health care,
educational opportunities,
and spiritual nurturing.
Looking back, Bob is proud
of the team effort that
resulted in such an outpouring of support, which aside
from the sponsorships garnered about $50,000 in
donations.
“It’s a great partnership
between WLNK, the ‘Bob
& Sheri’ show and World
Vision,” Bob said. “We were
really just delighted to be
able to move so quickly to
help this need. I was very
personally proud of the way
our group on the show just
nimbly got things together
in order for it to happen.
It’s one of the great things
about radio – you can make
things occur very, very
quickly if you choose to,
and we did and it paid off.”
Greater Media Philadelphia
stations responded quickly
to the crisis in Haiti and
partnered with a local TV
station to tap the largest
possible audience and facilitate the donation process.
“So many people in
Philadelphia are looking to
help the people of Haiti at
a time of tremendous need,
so Greater Media’s radio
stations and FOX 29 joined
together to make donations easier and so it does
the most good,” said John
Fullam, VP/market manager,
Greater Media Philadelphia.
In just over a month, the
effort, which Don MacLeod,
Senior Marketing Director,
coordinated for Greater Media Philadelphia, raised over
$40,000.
Ben Perez, regional promotions manager for Greater
Media Detroit, has personal
ties to the relief effort. His
daughter, Elizabeth, 20, is a
third-class petty officer with
the U.S. Coast Guard. Aboard
the Hamilton, Elizabeth was
part of a crew that began
patrolling the Haiti coasts
and ensuring Safety of Life
At Sea (SOLAS) shortly
after the earthquake. From
Port-au-Prince harbor, the
crew provided critical supplies to Coast Guard and
Department of Defense
personnel ashore, routinely
delivered blood supplies to
a medical ship in the area,
and provided personnel
throughout Haiti in support of relief operations.
The Hamilton also transited
along the coast, monitoring
sail and motor vessel traffic
to ensure that any Haitians
who were evacuating by sea
were safe, and worked to
ensure that outlying communities were not impacted
by the earthquake.
she was very active in our
church youth groups and
has a big heart for helping.
My wife and I helped raise
Nevaeh so Elizabeth could
pursue the Coast Guard opportunity,” Ben said. He and
Elizabeth e-mail each other
a few times a week and
speak on the phone once or
twice a month when she is
on ship duty, he said.
“I am very proud of
Elizabeth and everyone in
the Coast Guard,” Ben said.
“It really takes courage to
go out to sea and help protect our country, whether
it is helping to catch drug
dealers, aiding stranded
vessels, patrolling the country’s borders, or helping in a
tragedy such as what happened in Haiti. She is proud
to serve and we are proud
of her for that.”
A little over a year ago, Ben
Perez recalled, Elizabeth
joined the Coast Guard after
deciding that she wanted
to do something with her
life that was good for her
and for her young daughter,
Nevaeh.
Greater Media Newspapers
covered local efforts to help
the people of Haiti. Stories
not only detailed the generosity of individuals in the
newspapers’ Central Jersey
coverage areas but also
described ways for others to get involved and to
donate to the cause.
“She was always one to help
when people needed it, and
G
WCTC Sends One Lucky Rutgers Fan
to St. Petersburg Bowl
Magic Good Time Oldies WCTC
1450 AM offered college football fans
the chance of a lifetime this December
with their Rutgers Football Flyaway
contest. From December 10th through
the 16th, listeners had the chance to
win a free trip to the St. Petersburg
Bowl in Florida to watch Rutgers’
Scarlet Knights take on the University
of Central Florida Knights.
into the grand prize drawing. One
lucky winner was randomly selected
from all the eligible qualifiers.
The giveaway included complimentary
round-trip airfare, limo and ground
transportation, hotel accommodations, and, of course, tickets to the
big game on December 19th. For the
chance to win, fans had to tune in for
the daily Famous Football Freak-Out
and correctly identify who was featured
in the clip. If they correctly identified
the athlete or coach, they were entered
The bowl appearance marked the first
time in Rutgers’ school history that the
team has appeared in five consecutive
bowl games. UCF proved to be a formidable advisory, but in the end, the
Scarlet Knights prevailed with a final
score of 45 to 24. The win brought the
season record to 9 and 4, a feat previously achieved only five times in the
football program’s long history.
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13
25
special feature
BY BRIAN DONAHUE
DiSalvo Celebrates Quarter Century
with Greater Media Boston
Controller Grateful Career He Chose Has Proved to Be the Right One
Robert DiSalvo’s career in
radio may have happened
by accident, but looking
back, DiSalvo, who recently
celebrated his 25th anniversary with Greater Media
Boston, where he is controller, considers it a very
fortunate occurrence.
from top to bottom
Bob DiSalvo
Bob with his Business Department
Staff (L-R): Leslie Jenkins (Credit
Manager); Bob DiSalvo (Controller);
Mary Hutchinson (Sr. Accountant);
Janet Upton (Accounts Payable
Coordinator); and Brandon Kaplan
(Accounts Receivable Coordinator).
significantly expanding the
workforce. Meanwhile, the
proliferation of personal
computers and the network
created with them resulted
in a paradigm shift in the
day-to-day work process
and how the workforce
communicates with each
other.
DiSalvo majored in chemical engineering at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst at first, then
transferred to the School of
Business Administration and
graduated with a degree in
accounting in 1977. Shortly
thereafter he responded to
a classified ad in The Boston
Globe for an accounting
position. The job was with
Westinghouse Broadcasting, WBZ-AM/WBZ-TV.
“I’m not certain how I was
selected for the job, but I
suddenly found myself in
a business I knew nothing
about. I wasn’t certain there
was much of a future for
me in radio, but at the very
least, I figured being around
it would keep me up with
the news,” he said.
In 1984, after a couple of
jobs with smaller radio
groups, DiSalvo was hired
as business manager for
Greater Media’s sole station in Boston at the time,
WMJX-FM. It was the
beginning of a career that
he looks at with pride and
gratitude. On a personal
note, he feels lucky to have
remained working in a city
that he knows and loves. His
family was originally from
Boston’s North End, but he
grew up in Lowell and still
makes his home there with
his wife, Nancy, a learning
specialist in the
“Information flow was radically streamlined and accelerated in virtually every department,” DiSalvo noted.
“You won’t see a need for
the business office to be
“Those on my staff...are the best in the
business as far as I’m concerned.”
Andover school system, and
daughter Allison, a sophomore at Bates College in
Lewiston, Maine. His older
daughter Sarah, a graduate
of University of California
at Berkeley, is a high school
teacher in Los Angeles.
Over the years, DiSalvo has
seen quite a bit of change in
the radio industry. Notably,
legal changes enacted in
the 1990s regarding rules of
ownership allowed Greater
Media to acquire more
radio stations, and by 1996
the company suddenly
had five stations in Boston,
buried in paper any longer,
though sometimes we still
are. Most, but not quite all,
administrative activities are
managed by computer and
stored electronically. We are
not yet entirely paperless,
but in a few years we will
be.”
DiSalvo said he has been
fortunate to have worked
with so many fine people
over the years, adding
that he had the pleasure
of meeting company cofounder Peter Bordes and
his brother, former Chairman of the Board John
Bordes, on many occasions.
“Although the original senior
executives have retired or
passed on, much of their
commitment to the radio
industry and to those employed by them manifests
itself in a new generation of
leadership,” DiSalvo said.
“Those on my staff, who I
am closest to on a day-today basis, are the best in
the business as far as I’m
concerned. Mary Hutchinson, my right arm, has been
assistant business manager
with me for a decade. Leslie
Jenkins, who handles billing and credit, has been
with me on two occasions
totaling over a dozen years.
Brandon Kaplan and Janet
Upton are relative newcomers to Greater Media. Janet
handles accounts payable
and Brandon is our receivables and collections
coordinator. All excel in one
critical area – customer
service; but in our case, our
customers are primarily our
fellow employees.”
Though radio is a field
DiSalvo entered unintentionally, he has become
a strong believer in the
industry’s strength and its
future. Its resilience has
been demonstrated through
the decades, particularly
by withstanding the advent
of television, he said, and
he does not envision any
radical departure from the
existing needs of listeners
or the manner in which they
choose to receive their radio
broadcast. There is little
evidence to suggest a mass
migration to Internet-based
local radio listening, he
continued on next page
14
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noted, adding that it may be
a novelty for a few listeners,
but most continue to listen
to local broadcasts over the
airwaves in the privacy of
their cars, homes, or offices.
“Let’s face it, most relevant
commercial radio is still free
to the listener and most can
be heard with a handheld
or tabletop radio that can
cost as little as $10. That’s a
great advantage for our industry, and one that is hard
to beat,” he said.
Radio will continue to
thrive, he said, by producing relevant content and
by minimizing its reliance
on network and syndicated
broadcasts, focusing more
on the needs of the local
listening audience.
DiSalvo’s passion for his
job, the company, and the
industry as a whole may
not be known to many
of those with whom he
works – a controller does
not command a high profile
and the position does not
easily lend itself to hosting
seminars or making presentations. The confidentiality
that surrounds much of its
responsibilities means it
is not entirely understood
by a great majority of the
staff, but it is connected in
many important ways to
all of them. And as a result,
DiSalvo said, happily the job
has allowed him to meet
everyone who has ever
worked for Greater Media’s
stations in Boston.
“For the past 25 years,
working at Greater Media
has been a constant contributor to so many great
events in my personal life,”
he said. “Whatever success
I have enjoyed here has
hopefully manifested itself
in the success and happiness of my wife and family. The whole radio thing
was an accident, but it has
generously given me a great
life.”
G
96.9 Boston Talks Covers 2010 Senate Race
Election fever was alive and well
on 96.9 Boston Talks this winter as the
Special Senate Race began on January
5th on “The Jim and Margery Show”
with a live debate on among the three
candidates vying for the “People’s
Seat” left vacant after the passing of
Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy.
Attorney General Martha Coakley,
State Representative Scott Brown,
and Joseph Kennedy all took to the
WTKK-FM airwaves during this hourlong, commercial-free event as listeners were able to submit their questions
directly to the candidates via e-mail.
The excitement continued through
election night as Michele McPhee
hosted a live-broadcast at F1 Boston
in Braintree, along with a room full
of more than 300 supporters. The
exhilarating evening ended with newly
elected Senator Scott Brown calling in
his thanks to WTKK listeners for their
support live on the air, just moments
after receiving his opponent concession phone call.
On January 26th, 96.9 Boston
Talks began preparing for the next
election season as Michael Graham
hosted “The ABCs of Running a
Successful Campaign” seminar. This
non-partisan candidate school at F1
Boston in Braintree drew over 400
election hopefuls and their supporters.
This event received so much positive
response that the station is already
formulating another school for March
2010.
Michele McPhee then traveled to the
nation’s capital on Thursday, February
4th to attend the swearing-in of newly
elected Massachusetts GOP Senator Scott Brown. Michele broadcast
live from the Heritage Foundation in
Washington D.C. and spoke with many
special guests and listeners throughout
the evening.
clockwise from top
Scott Brown debating the issues.
Eagan & Braude air a live senate
debate during their show.
Michael Graham and guest moderators
conduct a seminar in “How to Run
a Successful Campaign” with over
300 WTKK listeners.
Michele McPhee broadcasts live
in Washington DC after attending
Senator Scott Brown’s swearing-in
ceremony.
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snapshots
greater media
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1. Magic 106.7’s Marketing Director Rob
Hogan, “Jonas Brother” Joe Jonas,
and Afternoon Drive Personality Dan
Justin. 2. Magic 98.3’s John Lisk poses with 2 winners at a “Magic/Miller
Lite Battle of the Sexes” night in East
Brunswick. 3. WMMR’s Kathy Romano at
the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.
4. Jim Braude & Margery Eagan all
dressed up for “Jim & Margery’s
Mid-Winter Nights Ball”. 5. WRAT
Promotion Director Doug Sjonvall,
WRAT Personality Gotts and WRAT
Promotion Assistant Jackie Mitchell take
the plunge for the LADACIN Network,
helping to raise $80,000 by jumping in
the ice cold Atlantic Ocean in the middle of January. 6. Ray Koob rocks out
with a young MGK listener before the
Satisfaction show. 7. WRIF’s Steve Black
interviews Rob Zombie prior to a show.
8. WROR’s Hank Morse joins Frosty and
Rudolph to wish a listener “Happy
Holiday.” 9. WTKK’s Michele McPhee
gets help from a future voter at the
live broadcast of the MA Senate
Race election night results. 10. WMGK
“LockSquad”. 11. WRIF’s APD Suzy Cole
(center) and PD Mark Pennington (far
right) with Wolfmother. 12. Shinedown’s
Brent Smith shows off his vocal abilities
with Radio 92.9’s Mattu. 13. LINK Producer (Bob & Sheri Show) Todd Haller with
“American Idol” finalist Jason Castro.
14. Preston & Steve’s Coffee Caravan.
15. 94.7 WCSX’s Doc of Rock welcomes
Little Steven Van Zandt to the Palace
of Auburn Hills for the Bruce
Springsteen show! 16. Magic 106.7’s
Candy O’Terry shares Edwin McCain’s birthday cake. 17. Glenn Burtnik
performs live in the WCTC Studios
during Bert Baron’s “All Request Diner”.
18. “Dear John” movie actor Amanda Seyfried pictured with WMMR’s
Preston & Steve Show host, Preston
Eliot. 19. WMGK’s Debbi Calton, while
broadcasting live from Disney World,
interviewed the “real” Kermit The Frog,
seen posing with Promotion Coordinator
Liam Dacey. 20. WMJX VP of
programming Don Kelley, GMI Chairman & CEO Peter Smyth, and Intern
Anthony Pepi. 21. Morning Personality Mike Addams and Morning Show
Producer Amanda Giles checking out
a Kookaburra bird visiting the Magic
106.7 studios from Busch Gardens.
22. Recently retired MGK Traffic Manager, Harry Neyhart, now residing in
Florida, stopped by and visited Debbi
Calton during her first day of broadcasting live from Disney World.
23. Magic 105.1’s Cyndy Canty & Mitzi
Miles at Magic’s Biggest Bachelorette Party. 24. Radio 92.9’s Mattu with
Passion Pit. 25. WKLB’s Norm Simpson
with comedian Pauly Shore. 26. Magic
listeners with Magic 105.1’s Fay Samona at the Biggest Bachelorette Party.
27. BEN-FM Street Teamer Steve
Feldman
surprised
some
lucky
listeners with
gift baskets from
candybaskets.com. 28. A Boston student shadows IT Network Administrator
Paul Marchand as part of the Boston PIC
Tech Apprentice Program (most important lesson…lunch!) 29. WMMR Pierre’s
Coat Drive. 30. WRAT personalities,
Gotts and Rat Rock Girl Mallory with
Theory of a Dead Man. 31. 94.7 WCSX’s
Ken Calvert hanging out with Tim Allen
and Bob Seger at the premiere of Tim
Allen’s new movie “Crazy on the Outside.”
32. WRIF Rock Girl, Sarah, signs autographs at the Monster Jam “Pit Party”.
33. WTKK’s Talk Host Jay Severin,
Program Director Grace Blazer, Morning
Host Jim Braude, and GSM Nika Desautels. 34. New Jersey’s Rocky & Boomer’s Christmas card picture. 35. WRIF’s
Anne Carlini with Detroit Lion Brandon
Pettigrew. 36. Men line up for BEN’s 6th
Annual “Mile of Meet” on Valentine’s
Day. 37. 94.7 WCSX’s weekend personality Dave Doran dressed as Santa and
gave Flagstar Bank customers and their
kids a chance to get their picture taken
with Santa for Christmas. 38. Boston
Traffic Managers Kate Naughton and
David Hastie. 39. 2010 Rat Rock Girl,
Mallory Gladish crowned on November
21st.
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H O L
101 WRIF Raises Money to Benefit The Salvation
Army and The Sabrina Black Foundation
101 WRIF partnered with The
Salvation Army over the holiday season to help raise funds
for those in need in Southeast
Michigan through a combination
of a “paper kettle” drive at local
businesses and a portion of ticket
sales from the holiday favorite
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Show
(TSO).
D A Y
105. 7 WROR Morning Personalities Loren & Wally
Share Their Favorite Things
In wake of the recent announcement that Oprah Winfrey is planning on leaving her
successful daytime talk show,
WROR Morning personalities Loren & Wally decided to
try one out one of her most
popular features on the radio.
For three weeks, the morning
duo gave away some of Loren &
Wally’s “Favorite Things”! Prizes included Celtics tickets, Sam
Adams Brewery tours hosted by
Founder and Brewmaster Jim
Koch, and lingerie delivered by
lingerie models! It all wrapped
up with a studio audience where
everyone walked away with a
lot of great gifts, just in time
for the Christmas re-gifting
season!
The station drove listeners to
local Glendale Auto Supply
stores to purchase a paper “red
kettle” for only a $1.00 donation. In addition, WRIF strongly
promoted the TSO show, which
donated 50 cents from every
ticket sold to benefit The Salvation Army and 50 cents from
each ticket sold was also donated
to The Sabrina Black Foundation, the local charity that helps
cancer patients to pay mounting
medical bills. The charity was
founded by Steve Black for his
late wife, Sabrina.
top to bottom
WRIF broadcasts live from
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which
benefits local charities.
As a result of the station’s efforts,
WRIF raised over $15,000 for
both non-profit organizations.
WRIF’s Steve Black accepts a
donation from Trans-Siberian
Orchestra for The Sabrina Black
Foundation.
My Lights Are Better Than Your Lights Contest
Brightens The Season
Every night throughout the
month of December, 105.7
WROR-FM, Frosty, and Rudolph set out to find Boston’s
Best Christmas Lights! They left
“Secret Santa” 105.7 WROR
ornaments on the front steps of
their favorite displays all over
Massachusetts. Not only did it
let the homeowners know their
Christmas Spirit is appreciated, but that they should take a
picture of their house and enter
the 105.7 WROR “My Lights
Are Better Than Your Lights
contest”! This contest was the
station’s first attempt at using
the “Showcase Tool” in the Emmis Platform. The promotion
I
was also a great way to unveil
WROR’s new website. The page
featuring pictures of the entries
and rating tool was one of the
station’s top five viewed pages
over the holiday season.
Radio 92.9 FM and the MBTA Present the
Fill-A-Bus Holiday Toy Drive
Radio 92.9 FM and the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority (MBTA) were proud
to once again present the Fill-ABus Holiday Toy Drive to benefit
Boston area youth charities
during the holiday season.
An MBTA bus was parked at
the UMASS/JFK train stop
Weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
during the month of December,
where Radio 92.9 elves accepted
donations of new, unwrapped
toys.
Beneficiaries of the drive
included the Roxbury Multi
Service Center, the Yawkey
Rudolph visits a very well-decorated
house!
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WROR Morning Team Loren Owens,
Tom Doyle, and Wally Brine with
Under Cover Wear Models dressed
in holiday lingerie.
Club of Roxbury, The
Massachusetts Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to
Children, and the Freedom
House.
The MBTA and Radio 92.9 Staffs
gather to celebrate the generous
donations of Boston’s commuters.
92.9 Promotion Coordinator Jason
Rossi loads the toy donation on the
MBTA bus.
Good Time Oldies WCTC 1450 Gives Central Jersey
Families “Hope for the Holidays”
Good Time Oldies WCTC
1450 AM called upon the Central Jersey community to make
the holiday season brighter
for New Jersey families and
children in need with its “Hope
for the Holidays” campaign.
The program, which began on
November 30th, encouraged
listeners to “adopt a family”
and provide them with needed
and desired items.
Each day, two of Central
Jersey’s less fortunate families
were spotlighted on the air, one
during the Morning Show with
Jack Ellery, and another during
the All Request Diner with Bert
Baron. Jack and Bert solicited
donations from their audiences
to fulfill the specific needs
of the featured families. The
families could not afford to
purchase presents this holiday,
and in many cases, were also in
desperate need of basic necessities.
Good Time Oldies WCTC
1450 AM listeners rallied
behind this very special cause
and opened their hearts,
WCSX Celebrates the “Magic of Birmingham”
94.7 WCSX was proud to be a
part of the “Magic of Birmingham,” a holiday celebration
and shopping extravaganza in
Birmingham for the whole family. This holiday pro-motion
included a massive holidaythemed wallscape on the 555
building located at a busy intersection in downtown Birmingham, along with two downtown
special shopping events. Secret
elves surprised and delighted
sponsoring every one of the 30
featured families and kids. Donations ranged from gift cards
and winter clothing items to
videogames and even bicycles!
All of the items collected were
donated directly to the families,
who were screened and selected
by the James Paige Detachment
of the Marine Corps League.
The Marines joined employees at the radio station for a
donation presentation and to
personally deliver the gifts to
the recipients. Among them
was station PD and All Request
Diner host Bert Baron, who was
touched by the outpouring of
support from local listeners.
shoppers by handing out
presents from the retailers
In addition WCSX brought
warmth to the event with a special Caroler’s Tent by the Santa
House, which hosted activities
for the whole family. Some of
the activities included a family
photo center, cookie decorating, crafts for the kids, holiday
carolers, and hot chocolate. It
was a great place to warm up
while waiting to meet Santa!
Jim Harper & The Magic Morning Show
Presents Toys for Tots 2009
Jim Harper and the 105.1
Magic Morning Show kept their
annual holiday tradition alive
by hitting the road once again
for the annual Toys for Tots
2009 LIVE broadcasts. Jim
and the gang headed out to area
malls, retailers, and banquet
halls to collect toys and cash in
an effort to make sure kids in
Metro Detroit would not go
without a Christmas. Listeners
showed up in “magic style” with
their donations.
“Our partnership with the
James Paige Detachment of the
Marine Corps League is one
that we truly treasure,” said
Baron. “We of course have to
thank the wonderful citizens of
Central Jersey for their amazing, heartfelt generosity. Good
Time Oldies 1450 WCTC is
blessed to serve a community as
giving as this one.”
In addition, the station sold
Marine “hugs” for $5 and
hosted the first ever “Bajamba
left to right
Our United States Marines with
Santa.
Magic Listener and Sgt. Aaron Miller.
Day,” where everyone was encouraged to come out in their
favorite PJ’s at Friday’s Grand
Finale broadcast. As a result,
MAGIC 105.1 raised more than
6,000 toys and $6,000 in cash
for needy families.
WCSX Rings in the Holiday Season
with the Salvation Army
94.7 WCSX-FM personalities
donated their time and energy
to help the Motor City community’s most needy by ringing the
red kettle bell at various metro
Detroit locations and competing to see whose personal
online red kettle could raise
the most money to help The
Salvation Army do the most
good this holiday season. Each
team had a goal of $1,000. Ken
Calvert won the contest, raising
well over $1,000.
WCSX Overnight Personality
Uncle Buck Rings the Bell for the
Salvation Army.
East Brunswick Mayor David Stahl, two Members of the Marine Corps, and
WCTC Morning Show Host Jack Ellery, take a break from loading vans with
donations collected during WCTC’s “Hope for the Holidays.”
H O L
I
D A Y
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H O L
WBT Celebrates the Season with Holiday on Ice
News Talk 1110 WBT, along with
Time Warner Cable and Harris
Teeter, gave Charlotte families a
place to once again spend time
together throughout the holiday
season by officially presenting the
spectacular 6th annual “Holiday
on Ice” event.
top to bottom
Holiday on Ice Skating Attendees
around the Harris Teeter logo.
I
D A Y
Greater Media Newspapers
Holiday Party
The Holiday on Ice Skate House,
where you can rent skates and pay
admission.
The WBT Santa with Holiday on Ice
skaters.
WBT built an outdoor ice rink
in Uptown Charlotte on The
Green, which is an outdoor space
located in the heart of the financial district. Over 20,000 people
came to enjoy WBT Holiday on
Ice’s 5,000 square feet of ice
skating surface.
Harvey and the Harvettes, featuring (l-r) Joan Fruchter, Jill Rice,
Diane Avery, Barbara Benko, Diane Thompson, and Harvey Hersh,
entertained the crowd at the newspaper division’s holiday party
December 10.
Attendees skated amidst a variety
of special events, including: live
shows with WBT hosts, Christmas
carolers singing favorite holiday
songs, hand bell choirs ringing
whimsical Christmas classics, and
Learn to Skate Nights with area
experts.
The event also featured a special
Youth Hockey Tournament
against the Charlotte Checkers
and a Skate with Santa day.
In addition, the WBT promotions department worked with
numerous local community
groups by offering discounted
tickets to participants.
Production supervisor Toni Smith and payroll and benefits
administrator Linda Vinci pose with Santa (advertising consultant
Tino Abbate).
Advertising consultant Linda Hecht received her secret Santa gift
from Greater Media Newspapers’ not-so-secret Santa, Tino Abbate,
at the newspaper division’s holiday party December 10.
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Introducing…the New Magic 100.1
for the Jersey Shore
By Doug Sjonvall
In November of 2009, 100.1 FM
On December 26th, 100.1 WJRZ
made the switch to the Greater Media
brand of Magic, becoming “Magic
100.1,” playing “Today’s Best Variety”
at the Jersey Shore. The new lineup
features Chris McCoy, who is simulcast
from sister station Magic 98.3 in the
morning, and also includes Debbie
Mazella during middays, and Glen
Kalina in the PM Drive slot.
“Some may not consider a 3 a.m.
wake-up call as ‘lucky,’ but morning
has always been my favorite time of
day and I feel right at home at Magic
100.1,” said McCoy.
Preston & Steve
showing off
the new “Totally
Office
Calendar
2010.”
John DeBella Sets Sail to Preside Over Wedding/Vow Renewal
Ceremony on Philadelphia’s Very Own Love Boat
Classic Rock 102.9 WMGK’s
minister/morning man, John DeBella
officially presided over a “Love Boat
Style” wedding ceremony on February 12 on the region’s favorite cruise
ship The Spirit of Philadelphia. The veteran
morning show personality, a minister
in the Universal Life Church, and
other members of the morning show
were all on hand, dressed up as cast
members of the classic TV Show, “The
Love Boat.”
listeners thought the station was crazy
for going to all-Christmas music so
early. People barely got their costumes
off before WJRZ was rockin’ around
the Christmas tree and hanging stockings with care. By the time Christmas
rolled around, the station had the
market in a holiday frenzy! But, there
was a method to the holiday madness...
the station was setting the stage for a
NEW radio experience for the Jersey
Shore!
New Jersey Vice President, Dan Finn,
worked the market like a well-played
“chess match,” with Program Director
Jeff Rafter and Music Director Debbie Mazella as the King and Queen.
Competition scrambled to get their
Christmas music on, committing to
the holidays, as the station began the
teases on-air...”the New Magic 100.1 is
coming.” “Gone are the days of Elvis,
the Beatles, the Carpenters...now it’s
all Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow,
Kelly Clarkson,” and a vast array of
others were included among a variety
of on-air teases. As soon as the last gift
got unwrapped and Santa was settling
in for the night after an exhausted trip
around the world, The New Magic
100.1 was officially born!
John DeBella’s Valentine’s Day
Love Boat Wedding
This kind of Magic also agrees with
midday host Debbie Mazella. “Music
has always been a huge part of my life
and I feel very lucky to have made a
career out of it,” said Mazella.
Afternoon Drive host, Glenn Kalina,
has been on radio since he was 17 and
says he can’t think of anything else
he’d like to do other than play music,
interact with listeners, and host all the
exciting events that come his way.
“I am thrilled to bring Greater Media’s contemporary brand to Ocean
County. Market reaction has been
positive and we are looking forward to
a great year and decade at Magic 100.1”
says Jeff Rafter, Program Director of
MAGIC 100.1FM.
“Promotionally there is so much more
we can do. It’s an exciting time for
Greater Media New Jersey,” said Doug
Sjonvall.
“The station didn’t lose one client in
the flip...our sales staff is so jazzed over
the change,” said Marge Guglielmo,
General Sales Manager.
Forty couples, who either renewed their
vows or “took the plunge” for the first
time, participated in the special event.
Interested couples registered for John
DeBella’s Valentine’s Day Love Boat
by going to wmgk.com and e-mailing
the John DeBella Show. Their e-mails
explained why they want to be a part
of the ceremony. Each invited couple
enjoyed a complimentary lunch buffet,
champagne toast, a one-hour cruise
on The Spirit of Philadelphia. and a 10kt
Tri-Color Gold Angel Heart-Shaped
Necklace from the Helzberg Diamonds
I Am Loved® Collection.
top to bottom
Couples prepare to renew their
vows on the DeBella Love Boat,
which cruised down the frosty Delaware River before Valentine’s Day.
From L to R - Jen Posner, Dave Gibson, Rob Calvert, Gill Cornwall, and
John DeBella pose with a couple
renewing their wedding vows on the
DeBella Love Boat.
Magic 98.3 Alleviates Holiday Headaches
Magic 98.3, Central Jersey’s
source for Soft Rock Variety, gave
a lucky listener one of the best gifts
possible this holiday season – a break
from the headaches of holiday shopping! From December 7th through
11th, the radio station offered listeners
the chance to win a shopping spree at
the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets in
Jackson.
Throughout the week, listeners were
invited to call in to the Magic Morning
Show and answered Chris McCoy’s
“Impossible Question.” The first
person who answered correctly each
day won New Jersey Lottery Scratch Off
tickets and qualified for the grand prize
shopping spree. Magic’s holiday spirit
did not end there, though. In addition
to the shopping spree, the grand prize
winner also received round-trip limo
transportation for herself and up to
seven friends, as well as a complimentary lunch.
Chris McCoy
The lucky winner received a gift card to
use in any of the Jersey Shore Premium
Outlets’ 120 stores, as well as the peace
of mind of not having to worry about
finding a parking space or paying off
the holiday credit card bills.
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BY TOM BENDER
Interactive Corner
Greater Media Interactive
Launches New Emmis Platforms
It has been the busy season
for the interactive departments of the Greater Media
stations’, as our teams
worked hard to move all of
the station’s websites onto
the Emmis platform. While
a significant amount of
work was entailed to design
and fill the content of our
new sites while still maintaining daily operations of
the current web presence,
the local webmasters were
undaunted as they put in
the extra time to make it
all happen. Thanks to all of
them for their dedication
and resourcefulness.
Day Lingerie Show to 1,700
viewers, WMMR’s Preston and
Steve continue to average
more than 400,000 monthly
visitors.
Program and Promotion
Directors at all Greater Media
stations attended a one-day
workshop on digital marketing and how to use it to increase both listener engagement with their stations, as
well as ratings. Our stations’
long-time trusted relationship with our listeners can be
enhanced and deepened into
an ongoing conversation that
can bring them back to our
broadcasts as we are better
able to target their individual
needs and interests.
As you read this, many of
our stations’ sites are now
operating from the Emmis
Interactive Base Station
platform. For some stations,
it has been a refinement of
the previous website; for
others, it is a completely
new look. As you can see,
right, each of Greater
Media’s Magic stations now
sports a new look, each one
crafted specifically for their
market and their station’s
brand.
All of the locations are
presenting enhanced
capabilities to advertisers,
showing examples of what we
can implement on their behalf. This is an important step,
in showing our advertisers
that we are becoming more
than a radio company, and
are on our path to becoming
the local media company that
can address their marketing
challenges in an effective and
accountable fashion with an
integrated mix of on-air and
online solutions. One of the
most exciting developments
is the reaction of many of
our advertisers, who have
been looking for interactive
education and solutions. They
are as excited by our new
offerings as we are, and are
eager to use them for their
business.
WBT launched on the Emmis platform at the end of
February, while maintaining
the local interactive services
that they have developed
over the past several years.
While this required some
custom work on behalf of
the Charlotte and Emmis/
Chicago staffs, technology
won out and all the pieces
now work seamlessly to
provide even more new
functions and features for
listeners and advertisers.
As we continue learn about
our new capabilities and
tools, stations are trying
new things, both on-air
and online. WRIF’s morning show, Drew & Mike, has
logged more than 25,000
responses to its listener poll
in one morning; WROR’s
Loren & Wally show
webcast their Valentine’s
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401(K)
special feature
BY ED NOLAN
Three New Funds Added to Greater Media, Inc.
401(k) Plan Fund Lineup
Effective January of this
year, the Company expanded
the investment options available to participants in the
Greater Media, Inc. 401(k)
Plan to include three new
mutual funds: the American
Century Inflation-Adjusted
Bond Fund – Investor Class,
the Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio – Open
Class, and the Fidelity
Contrafund. We believe that
these fund additions support
the Company’s objective of
providing plan participants
with a broad array of investment options in order to allow them to appropriately invest their retirement savings
under a variety of economic
scenarios.
The introduction of the
American Century InflationAdjusted Bond Fund to the
401(k) Plan lineup is a prime
example of this philosophy.
This fund invests primarily in
U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS for
short. TIPS are U.S. Treasury
Notes in which the underlying investment principal
increases with inflation and
decreases with deflation.
During the past several decades, inflation has not been
a significant concern for
most U.S. investors. However,
many financial experts are
concerned that the massive
amount of liquidity injected
into the economy in recent
months, together with the
unprecedented budget
deficits being planned for the
remainder of this decade by
our current policymakers, will
inevitably lead to an increase
investment options for many
years, the Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio
provides participants with
the ability to focus a portion
of their 401(k) portfolio on
these rapidly growing emerging markets.
in the level of inflation. Only
time will tell if these concerns
ultimately prove to be wellfounded or not, however we
felt it was in the best interest
of our plan participants to
provide them with an investment option specifically
designed to hedge against
the risk of inflation.
The Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio – Open
Class is another example of
the Company expanding
your investment options in
response to changes in the
economic environment. As
the name implies, this fund
invests primarily in equities of companies located in
the world’s emerging markets. Many financial experts
believe that the economies
of these emerging markets,
such as China, India, Brazil,
and Russia, will continue
to grow at rates much in
excess of those forecast for
the world’s more developed
economies. While the Plan
has included international
Unlike the two previously discussed funds, the introduction of the Fidelity Contrafund does not represent an
entirely new type of investment category. It is primarily
a large cap growth fund that
has historically generated
above-average investment
results. When the fund, which
had previously been closed
to new investors and thus
unavailable to our Plan, was
recently reopened to new
investors, we took advantage
of the opportunity to add it
to our fund lineup.
prehensive menu of investment options to afford you
the opportunity to tailor
your retirement savings to
your own particular needs.
I believe that the additional
investment flexibility provided by these new investment
options helps further this
objective. I encourage you to
discuss these new options
with your own personal financial advisor to determine
whether they might play a
role in your own investment
strategy. Hopefully, you were
able to take advantage of the
opportunity to learn more
about these funds at one
of the educational seminars
recently conducted at your
location by representatives
of Fidelity Investments. In
any case, you may contact
Fidelity online or by phone
for additional information
regarding these new funds.
The Company constantly
strives to provide a com-
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97.5 The Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli
Talks Football at Town Hall Meeting
97.5 The Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli
gathered with fellow sports enthusiasts
to discuss what went wrong and what
went right this past season with the
Philadelphia Eagles. Joining Mike
Missanelli was Vai Sikehema, Brian
Seltzer, and Brian Baldinger, who is
sports director for NBC, Eagles beat
reporter, and chief analyst on the NFL
network. These reputable reporters
gathered at a Philadelphia landmark,
Chickie’s and Pete’s in South Philadelphia, ironically, less than a mile from
each sporting arena in the city.
The station event gave 97.5 Fanatic
listeners an opportunity to see these
Philadelphia icons up close and
personal as they went head-to-head
to discuss potential solutions for the
upcoming 2011 Philadelphia Eagles
season.
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watch
special feature
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Keeping Time with WROR’S Wally Brine
Boston Radio Show Host’s Pocket Watch Collection Draws Oohs and Aahs
The pocket watch under a
glass dome in Wally Brine’s
house when he was a child
planted a seed that years
later blossomed into a hobby
that has the popular radio
host searching for these
sparkling beauties everywhere he goes.
“So, I took it out of the dome.
Big mistake. I put it in my
back pocket.” As luck would
have it, while getting into the
car, Brine sat on the antique
timekeeper and broke the
crystal. “The hands fell off
too,” he said, remembering
the impact it had on him.
Wally Brine has been hosting the “Loren and Wally
Show” on WROR 105.7 FM in
Boston with Loren Owens for
28 years. The morning show
plays hits of the 1960s, 1970s,
and 1980s.
Then, for whatever reason, the watch was out of
sight for years – 25 years
to be exact. “I was looking
through some stuff about
two years ago, and I found
it,” Brine recalled. “I took it
to a local jeweler and had it
refurbished. He got it up and
running.”
Brine explained that the
pocket watch that once
made its home on the mantel
(with explicit orders from
his mother “not to touch”) is
circa 1882 and once belonged to his grandfather. “I’d
pass by it and kind of check
it out,” Brine recalled, adding
that he remembered never
to touch the valuable piece
of gold with the intriguing
working gears.
top
Wally shows an antique pocket
watch to his Producer, Brian Bell
(L) and Denis Prindeville (R), GMB
Senior Webmaster.
“It was eventually given to
me when my grandfather
passed away,” he said, “so I
took it home to my family
and placed it on the mantel
in my own home. It looked
really good there, but it didn’t
run at that time.”
left
Part of Wally’s pocket watch
collection and a collector’s
guide.
Instead of placing the watch
back in the display dome,
Brine did something very different. He decided to wear it.
“When we’d go out to dinner,
I’d wear it. I started to really
get into it – shining it up, getting it to look really good,”
he said.
After he began using the
finely crafted watch as part
of his dressier wardrobe,
he realized he truly enjoyed
wearing it and decided he’d
like to own another one.
That was the beginning.
Brine started paying more
attention to antique watches
when he went out and began
looking in jewelry stores,
especially those that carried
estate jewelry. Three months
after he had his grandfather’s
watch refurbished, he found
Eventually, he and his family
moved to a new home and
Brine put himself in charge
of transporting the valuable
keepsake. “I wanted to take it
to the house myself,” he said,
to make sure it arrived safely.
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24
g r ap e v i n e
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top
Wally examines an antique pocket
watch.
his second antique pocket
watch, an 1889 gold Elgin.
He shined it up and began
“bragging” to his wife that he
now had a hobby.
bottom
One of Wally’s favorite watches in
his collection … a “Butter Watch.”
Brine now has eight pocket
watches, some old, some
new. Some are made of gold;
others are crafted of silver.
One of the advantages of
this hobby is that he can
enjoy wearing them as well
as seeing several of them
displayed in the glass case
that his wife, Jodi, purchased
for him.
This is a Swiss watch made
in Europe, where Brine
says they are still making
pocket watches. “We named
my grandfather’s watch
‘Gramps,’” he said, “and
named another ‘Gentleman’s
Victorian Watch,’ ‘Victoria’ –
for right now, anyhow,” Brine
said.
Describing his grandfather’s
1882 beauty, Brine said that
there was no brand name on
the clock face. “In the 1880s,
the company S.C. Newhall
Jewelers of Lynn, Massachusetts, sold so many of the
pocket watches that they
were given permission to
place their name on the face
of the clock,” Brine said.
The latter watch is made for
a vest, a fashion piece that
Brine has now added to his
wardrobe. He said this watch
is a bit smaller than his other
ones and fits into the vest
pocket. According to Brine,
this piece looks very cool
with its chain and watch
fob, and small jewelry pieces
along the chain.
After taking the timepiece in
to be refurbished, Brine said
he found out that the watch
was crafted by Elgin. “The
outside was all worn down
after all those years,” he said.
“But it’s really pretty, and
it sparkles too,” he added,
laughing. It sparkles from
the care and attention Brine
gives to the watch he once
carted in his back pocket. To
Brine, cleaning and polishing
his timepieces is part of the
whole process of collecting.
He keeps these treasures
so clean and shining that
the staff at the jewelry store
where he takes the watches
for maintenance and repairs
wanted to know how he
gets them that way. One of
the salespeople asked him,
“What’s your secret?” “Patience,” he advised.
Brine has even taken a recent
interest in watching old
movies where the actors are
wearing these decorative
pocket watches with chains.
Also in his collection are two
reproductions of railroad
watches made by Hamilton.
In what has now become
a bit of a ritual, Brine said
he sits at the kitchen table
and polishes the watch he
has chosen to wear until it
“looks really good.” He uses
dry cloths and a great deal
of perseverance to get them
looking their best. Once in a
while, he said, he’ll use some
special liquid jewelry polish.
When Brine talks about his
collection, his enthusiasm
and pride for the relatively
new hobby are clearly apparent. To get the best price,
“you have to act like you
don’t care when you go
shopping for these pieces,”
he said, with good-natured
humor.
That 1889 Elgin pocket watch
is now the pride of his collection. “It’s gorgeous,” he
said. “I keep it in a felt pouch
inside a plastic bag now.”
Brine is so fond of this timepiece he decided to name it
“Butter.” “I like butter, and this
is a gold watch. It looks like
butter. It’s a tasty watch,” he
said with a laugh.
His team at work, who normally tease him about his
watch collecting, have been
helping him name the other
pieces. So far there’s “Skeletor,” a newly crafted pocket
watch by Claude Meylan,
given to Brine by his wife
and purchased at the Swiss
Watchmaker in Cambridge,
MA. “It’s a very cool watch,”
he said. “It’s all glass, and you
can watch the inner gears
working. You see it all. We
thought Skeletor, would be
a good name for it, because
it’s kind of like a skeleton with
nothing covering the gears.”
He also has developed an
interest in researching the
history of pocket watches.
“My friends and co-workers
are giving me books and
magazines for collectors,” he
said, noting that his listeners
are also familiar with his penchant for pocket watches.
“When I’m out and about, I
see listeners, and many times
they will ask me if they can
see my pocket watches,”
Brine said, “especially the
women with their ‘oohs’ and
‘aahs.’ I keep telling the guys
they don’t know what they’re
missing.”
Brine said he’s never really
had a hobby before, and he is
enjoying his newfound interest, although he does admit
to needing to make an effort
to “curtail’ his spending.
Nonetheless, Brine said he is
always on the lookout for the
next sparkling timepiece to
catch his eye and find a new
home in his collection.
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25
force
special feature
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Don Kelley: The Force Behind the Magic at 106.7 FM
Programming Director Marks 20 Years at Boston’s Top-rated WMJX-FM
talent Nancy Quill, a 27-year
veteran of Magic, who Kelley
said helped to launch the
station in 1982. He also credits David Allan Boucher who
has the longest running and
most successful nighttime
show in America, according
to Kelley. “We are fortunate
to have hired very talented
people at the right time. Our
on-air staff is exceptionally
good,” he said.
Greater Media’s Magic
106.7 FM, Boston, is the only
radio station to win a Grammy for front and back selling
new music. The station also
has been voted Number 1 for
a total of 44 times – and it’s
a good bet that Don Kelley,
vice president/director of
programming of WMJX-FM,
has had much to do with the
market record the radio station holds.
In an industry where many
employees move from
station to station, Kelley is
unique. He’s rooted himself
at Greater Media’s Magic in
Boston, and the station continually reaps the benefits
of his expertise, talent, and
dedication.
ley, MA, native said he was
thrilled to return to Boston
and work for Magic when he
was asked to do so 20 years
ago. “I was so happy to be
able to move back to Boston.
My kids were able to grow
up in the same town that I
grew up in. They were able
to attend the same schools I
attended. It’s a terrific town,”
Kelley said.
This year, Kelley is celebrating his 20th anniversary with
the station. He joined Greater
Media on January 1, 1990, in
Boston, and under his leadership over the years, Magic
has reached Number 1 a total
of 44 times, a market record.
The station also received a
Marconi nomination in the
Legendary Station category
in 2009.
Greater Media, Inc. Chairman
and CEO Peter H. Smyth is
honored to work with Kelley, “It’s exceptional in one’s
career when you have an opportunity to work with a brilliant strategist that’s accomplished so much for Magic,
our employees, and the City
of Boston,” Smyth said.
In an interview, the Welles-
from top to bottom
Tom Baker (VP/Market Manager);
Don Kelley; and Peter Smyth
(GMI Chairman/CEO).
Magic Midday Host (for over 25
years!) Nancy Quill with Don Kelley.
(L-R) Tom Baker (VP/Market
Manager); Kathy Kelley (Don’s wife);
Peter Smyth (GMI Chairman/CEO
Greater Media, Inc.); and Don Kelley
(VP/WMJX-Director of Programming).
In addition, in praising
Greater Media for managing
to stay on its own over the
years Kelley stated, “There
were so many radio groups
consolidating, buying up
stations and changing formats. We were always in the
right place when the music
stopped and we never got
acquired,” he noted. “We
never changed ownership
and we never changed our
format. We have the longest
tenure in Boston.”
But Kelley isn’t one to take
full credit for Magic’s success. He cites support from
his friends, including on-air
He also credited Candy
O’Terry, his assistant program director and creator
of the Exceptional Women
Awards who was hired in
1991 as programming assistant, and Mark Laurence who
took the job of music director in 1991. “The first night he
was on was the beginning
of the Gulf War, January 16,
1991,” Kelley said, remembering that night. “The music
station quickly turned into a
news station, running news
updates all night long.”
Kelley has a host of memorable moments from his
years at Magic 106.7. One
such moment that will
remain with Kelley is June
25, 2009, when pop idol
Michael Jackson died. “We
were at a Red Sox game,”
Kelley explained. “Suddenly,
I saw so many people on the
phone all at once. We had
to figure out what to do. We
only had a few Michael Jackson songs in our system,”
he explained. He noted that
some stations were playing solid Michael Jackson,
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which he said was a mistake.
Kelley said that stations did
this same thing when Elvis
Presley died, and they began
running out of songs and
had to play songs people did
not recognize. “We wanted
to honor someone who had
made an incredible mark on
the pop music world, but
we needed to play songs
that people would know,” he
said. “We popped in selected
songs throughout the day,
enough to basically show the
legendary value of Jackson’s
music.”
When Kelley came to Magic,
his goal was to boost the
station’s ratings. The station
had been struggling from
1982 to 1990 in an attempt to
be a full-service station with
news, but it didn’t work. “The
biggest thing we needed to
do was to fix the music,” Kelley said. He arranged to have
focus groups come in, and
they reported that they liked
the station but “despised
about half the music.” Kelley
then set about changing
things. “Half the music was
Adult Contemporary featuring artists like Kenny Rogers, Maureen McGovern, and
Barbra Streisand. We were
then ‘Continuous Soft Hits.’ I
added Don Henley and Bonnie Raitt, and it made all the
difference. Coming from a
hot AC station in Baltimore,
I knew what needed to be
done,” he said. “The biggest
move was to add more artists like Henley and Raitt to
the playlist.”
By January 1992, Magic hit
Number 1, 25-54, for the first
time, and the station was on
its way up. Kelley said on-air
personality Tom Bergeron,
who is now hosting TV’s
popular “Dancing with the
Stars,” was hired as Magic’s
morning host and did a
great job. By fall, Magic hit
a then-record 6.6 share and
was Number 1, 25-54, for
the sixth time. Kelley said
a seven-year TV campaign
beginning in 1995, featuring actress Terri Garr also
Magic 105.1 and the Michigan Humane Society
Warms Hearts at Magic’s Valentine’s Dance Party
Magic 105.1 and the Michigan
Humane Society invited listeners to be
their Valentines this year at the station’s
annual Magic’s Valentine’s Dance
Party. Whether they were single or with
that special someone, attendees enjoyed
a party filled with fun, excitement,
and most importantly, something that
benefited the homeless animals of
Metro Detroit. The event took place
on February 13th at Club Venetian in
Madison Heights.
The event, which benefited the
Michigan Humane Society, featured
an array of decadent appetizers, drink
specials, silent auction, and live
entertainment by Detroit’s favorite
‘80s tribute act, The Square Pegz.
What is Valentine’s Day without kisses?
As an added surprise, attendees had
the chance to receive some extra love at
our “Lab Kissing Booth,” where
adorable Labradors indulged them
with an abundance of licks.
As an added bonus, guests were invited
to bring a photo, collar, or their pet’s
favorite toy that they could use to enjoy
made its mark on the station.
The run was very successful, Kelley said, and Garr was
“terrific.”
The kudos kept on coming, and Magic, now known
as “Boston’s Continuous
Soft Rock,” was awarded a
“Radio Active” Grammy for
excellence in front and back
selling new music, which Kelley explained means that the
on-air personality plays new
music, announcing the song
title before it is played and
after as well, something most
stations do not do.
Kelley became director of
programming in 1998 for
Greater Media Boston, and
January 2002 saw Kelley become vice president/director
of programming of WMJX.
for one month. The illness
required a 10-week recuperation. “We still managed to be
Number 1, thanks to the hard
work of Candy, Mark, and
Rob Hogan,” Kelley said. “I
salute them.”
By summer 2008, Magic had
been Number 1 for the 40th
time, and in 2009 the station
was nominated for a Marconi
for Legendary Station.
Kelley’s radio career has included time in Massachusetts
in Milford, Natick, Springfield,
Worcester, and Cape Cod as
well as in West Palm Beach,
Syracuse, Baltimore, and
Philadelphia.
In May 2006, Kelley was
diagnosed with bronchiolitis
obliterans, a life-threatening
form of obstructive lung
disease. He was placed in
a medically induced coma
G
Magic 105.1 FM Hosts Detroit’s
Biggest Bachelorette Party
Magic 105.1 brought the ladies of
Metro Detroit a night they will never
forget at Magic’s Biggest Bachelorette
Party! The event took place Friday,
January 22nd at Santino’s in Washington Township. The only way to win was
by listening to Magic 105.1 FM.
The Kissing Booth at Magic’s
Valentine’s Dance Party.
a Pet Psychic Reading from the insightful
readers from Boston Tea Room.
The station also invited listeners to
go to www.detroitmagic.com and meet
some cute and cuddly singles who are
looking for loving families. In addition
to listening to Magic 105.1 FM to win
tickets, listeners were also able to
purchase tickets for $50 per couple
and $30 per individual.
The evening kicked with a “peek into
the future” with a psychic reading from
the Boston Tea Room, Michigan’s
oldest and most respected source for
psychic connections. There was also live
entertainment, accompanied by drink
specials, mouth-watering appetizers,
and decadent desserts all night.
In addition, nine eligible bachelors
were onsite, including handsome
soldiers, personal trainers, and the
WINNER of CBS’s hit reality TV show
“Big Brother 10,” Dearborn’s own Dan
Gheesling. The lucky bachelorettes had
the opportunity to bid on the bachelor
of their choice to win a Valentine’s
date! Proceeds from the auction benefited the Michigan Humane Society.
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Bachelor Dan – Winner of
“Big Brother 10” on CBS with his
winning date!
Marcy Cyburt and Fay Samona
showing off Vinnie.
2 01 0
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music
the music that makes
greater media
MUSIC at greater media
WRAT’s
Rockyn Robyn
Lane (second
from left) and
WRAT Promo
Director Doug
Sjonvall (third
from the right)
with the band
Halestorm.
Radio 92.9’s
Jason Rossi with
Crash Kings in
Studio 92.9.
WRIF “Stripped Down Lounge” features
Shinedown and Puddle of Mudd
WRIF-FM is proud to continue
its successful “Stripped Down
Lounge” series in 2010. The
station recently hosted a special
event at The Hard Rock Café in
downtown Detroit at The Hard
Rock. The venue closed its doors
to the public as 50 WRIF winners,
along with some clients and staff
members, were treated to a very
intimate, private performance
from national recording artists
Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown,
prior to their sold-out show at
The Fillmore Theater later that
night. In addition to a great performance, one lucky winner won
the grand prize: a trip to attend the
“VH1 Best Cruise Ever,” featuring
3 Doors Down, Shinedown, and
other big acts. The grand prize
winner was drawn by Shinedown
lead singer, Brent Smith.
clockwise from top right
Shinedown lead singer, Brent Smith
draws the WRIF winner for a trip for
two on board the “VH1 Best Cruise
Ever.”
Puddle of Mudd performs at the
WRIF “Stripped Down Lounge”
inside the Hard Rock Café Detroit.
WRIF’s Meltdown introduces
Puddle of Mudd before they
perform at the “Stripped Down
Lounge.”
Shinedown performs at the WRIF
“Stripped Down Lounge” inside
the Hard Rock Café Detroit.
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WMGK-FM’s Beatles Art Show Dazzles
and Delights Listeners
WMGK’s Beatles Art Show gave
holiday shoppers an added bonus
this year between December 17th
and 20th at The Shoppes at English
Village in North Wales, PA. The
show featured artwork created by the
Fab Four, including John Lennon’s
pen-and-ink drawings, acrylics by
Paul McCartney, and computer
work by Ringo Starr. Beatles fans
selected from a variety of photographs, signed pieces, and concert
posters ranging from $15 to more
expensive hand-signed pieces from
the band.
In addition, fans had the opportunity to meet Ron Campbell, director of “The Beatles” cartoon show
that ran in the 1960s and animator
of the 1968 film Yellow Submarine.
Campbell has also done work for
many other popular cartoon shows,
including “Scooby Doo,” “The
Jetsons,” and “The Flintstones.”
top to bottom
Andre Gardner interviews Yellow
Submarine animator Ron Campbell
during the Beatles Art Show.
WMMR & Ozzy Rock Border’s Books in Philly
93.3/WMMR-FM was on the scene
as the legendary Ozzy Osbourne
flew into town to be on hand for the
release of his new book, entitled I
Am Ozzy on January 27th at Border’s
Books in Center City Philadelphia.
Hundreds of fans crowded the
bookstore. Chants of “AHHHZY…
AHHHZY… AHHHZY” erupted
every 15 minutes, as the well-organized crowd, surprisingly patient
and well-behaved, anticipated the
arrival of The Prince of Darkness.
A buzz in the air, the bookshelves
rattled with each chant, louder and
louder, as time crept closer to the
Blizzard of Ozz. WMMR’s Pierre
Robert was on hand to capture the
crowd’s feelings as they prepared to
meet one of their rock heroes.
Pierre’s five “Golden Ticket”
winners were the first in line to
have their book signed by Ozzy.
According to the WMMR Promotions team, the legendary singer was
impressively receptive, warm, and
courteous, as he signed every book
for every person that had waited
since 9 a.m. that morning!
top to bottom
Steve Feldman and Rob Templeton from the WMMR Promo Staff,
WMMR’s Pierre Robert, Ozzy
Osbourne, and Rick Mirarchi and
Joe Carminatti from the MMR
Promo Staff.
Ozzy Osborne with his new book
I Am Ozzy.
Andre Gardner broadcasts live from
WMGK’s Hometown of the Week at
the Beatles Art Show.
Look Who Stopped by WKLB-FM
Over the past two months WKLB has been visited by some
great artists, both upcoming and established, on the country scene.
Attached are some photos from their station visits, artists include Blaine
Larsen, Matt Kennon, James Wesley, The Harters, and Joe Nichols.
Joe Nichols with Mike Brophey,
Ginny Rogers and JW.
James Wesley with JW and Lori.
Matt Kennon with Mike Brophey
and Ginny Rogers.
The Harters with Ginny Rogers.
Blaine Larsen with Devon
(intern), Ginny Rogers, Mike
Brophey, and Dawn Santolucito.
Midday host Carolyn Kruse with
Gloriana.
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rock out
special feature
BY AMY ROSEN
GMNJ Radio & Newspaper Staffs Rock Out
to Feed the Hungry
Greater Media Newspapers Benefit Aids Samaritan Center
When a local food pantry
found itself struggling to keep
its shelves stocked with enough
food to meet its ever-growing
demands, Greater Media
Newspapers came to the rescue by writing about it and then
taking it a step further.
The Samaritan Center in
Manalapan, NJ, serves residents
of surrounding towns. People in
those towns will always have a
place to go for food in times of
need as long as volunteers and
donations of supplies and funds
keep it running.
With the nation’s economy in
turmoil, the number of families
registered to receive food from
the Samaritan Center has more
than doubled in the past year,
said Regina Finn, manager,
which left the food pantry’s
shelves alarmingly bare. Finn
explained that the majority
of people seeking assistance
reflects a situation in which a
parent, very often a father, has
lost a job, or a senior citizen on
a fixed income cannot keep up
with the rising prices of food.
clockwise from top inset
Band: The Reveling
Reveling drummer Jay Weinberg
didn’t miss a beat during an energetic
performance at Greater Media Newspapers’ Good Samaritan Holiday
Bash on December 10.
Jennifer Amato, editor of the
North/South Brunswick
Sentinel, volunteers at the
Samaritan Center with her
mom, Martha, and suggested
that Mark Rosman, editor of the
News Transcript, have a reporter
publicize the food pantry’s situation.
Greater Media Newspapers staff
members get into the groove on
stage with one of the acts. L-R: Mark
Rosman, Kate Rochelle, Jennifer
Amato, Amy Rosen, and Joe
McCaffrey.
Greater Media Newspapers regional
advertising manager Jennifer Peyton
and advertising/promotions manager
Kate Rochelle help DJ Sean McCaffrey, son of Joe McCaffrey, Greater
Media Newspapers online sales manager, distribute the raffle prizes.
Rosman assigned staff
writer Amy Rosen to write
an article and, according to
Finn, things turned around
immediately after the article
was published in the News
Transcript and Examiner
WRAT DJ Gotts introduced Jackie
Hlavenka, a staff writer for Greater
Media Newspapers, who wowed the
audience with her powerful vocals
during an acoustic set.
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30
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newspapers. Finn said
donations from individuals and
businesses started pouring in
and people who never knew
about the Samaritan Center
started showing up to volunteer.
Those who needed assistance
also discovered there was a
place they could turn to for
help.
Rosen was so touched by the
plight of the Samaritan Center
that she decided to take it a
step further and organize a
band fundraiser. She sought
out Kate Rochelle, advertising/
promotions manager at Greater
Media Newspapers, who immediately came on board. They
decided the historic Stone Pony
on Ocean Avenue in Asbury
Park — a destination for music
fans from around the world,
many wanting to see one of
Bruce Springsteen’s favorite
clubs — provided the perfect
background for the event.
Within hours, Rochelle had the
Pony booked. When musicians
were asked to donate their time
and talents to a concert fundraiser to help feed the hungry,
they heartily agreed, putting the
wheels in motion for Greater
Media’s Good Samaritan Holiday Bash to become a reality.
For the next five weeks Greater
Media Newspapers’ editorial
and sales departments worked
furiously together to promote
the event. Faithful readers of
Greater Media Newspapers
probably couldn’t help noticing
the many articles and advertisements informing them about
a special event Greater Media
Newspapers was hosting at the
historic Stone Pony December
13, 2009, to help feed the hungry. Greater Media New Jersey
radio stations pitched in to help,
and listeners were sure to have
heard the promotional spots
inviting everyone to attend
Greater Media’s Good Samaritan Holiday Bash.
WRAT-FM stepped it up by
airing an interview with Jennifer
Amato about the Samaritan
Center and by playing songs
from bands slated to perform
at the benefit. The WRAT’s van
and DJ Gotts were at the Stone
Pony on the day of the fundraiser.
pers article about his rise to
fame as a fill-in drummer for
his dad, who was on tour with
Bruce Springsteen and the E
Street Band this past summer.
donated $8,000 worth of food
to the Samaritan Center, thanks
to the efforts of Lunch Hour Six
Pack lead guitarist/vocalist Mike
Comiskey, an A&P employee.
Several Greater Media Newspapers employees and their family
members helped provide the
entertainment for the event, including vocalist Jackie Hlavenka, Hub newspaper reporter;
vocalist Casey Rochelle,
daughter of Kate Rochelle; Ed
Soles (Almost There), son of
Robin Soles, credit and collection coordinator; drummers
Scott Rosen (Hollywood Help)
and Mikey Rosen (Radiant Illusion), sons of Amy Rosen; and
vocalist Lauriana Mae, niece of
Toni Smith, production supervisor. DJ Sean McCaffrey, son of
Joe McCaffrey, GM newspapers
online sales manager, was master of ceremonies for the event.
The Samaritan Center’s Finn
said, “This fundraiser was probably the best thing that ever
happened to the Samaritan
Center. In the past many of
the people in Manalapan, Marlboro, Millstone, and Englishtown
did not know anything about
us. Greater Media has given us
recognition that we desperately needed. People now know
where we are, what we do, and
where to find us for help. You
can’t believe the number of
people coming in to give food
or asking for help.”
The performers who entertained the crowd were Lunch
Hour Six Pack, Almost There,
Locksley, Jackie Hlavenka, Lee
and Melissa from Mission
Dance, Hollywood Help, Radiant
Illusion, Lauriana Mae, Casey
Rochelle, and headline band
The Reveling.
Thanks to an overwhelming
response from many generous individuals, sponsors, and
talented musicians who contributed to and attended the event,
Greater Media’s Good Samaritan Holiday Bash was a huge
success. The Samaritan Center’s
van was filled with food donations, and cash donations
totaled $3,605.
Reveling drummer Jay Weinberg is the son of E Street Band
drummer Max Weinberg. Jay
was featured in a GM newspa-
Corporate sponsor, A&P
family of supermarkets,
Greater Media Newspapers
publisher Ben Cannizzaro said,
“I am more than pleased with
the response we received for
this event, as well as for its
overall success, which can be
directly attributed to the many
volunteers who gave so much
of their time. During these
difficult economic times, it is
particularly rewarding to help
those who are truly in need of
assistance.” A video recap of
Greater Media’s Good Samaritan Holiday Bash can be viewed
online at www.gmnews.com.
Visit the home page and view
the video box or choose
G
“Videos” in HD.
WRAT Presents 5th Annual Men’s Expo & Texas
Hold ‘Em Tournament on the Jersey Shore
95.9 WRAT (“The Rat”) recently
a seat in an Atlantic City Tournament,
amongst other prizes.
presented the Jersey Shore’s Fifth Annual
Men’s Expo and Texas Hold ‘em Tournament.
The event took place on January
30th, 2010 from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.
at Convention Hall in Asbury Park.
Texas Hold ‘em is the Cadillac of Poker
games and it has been sweeping the
nation for several years. 95.9 The Rat
hosted their very own tournament
sponsored by Trump Taj Mahal and
Harley Davidson of Ocean. Contestants had the opportunity to exercise
their poker skills in a casual setting, and
compete in a free tournament for the
coveted Winner’s Bracelet, the traditional holy grail of poker players, and
WRAT Morning man, Carl Craft and Night
Timer Steve Hook with Mitch
Hollander, the Texas Hold ‘em Champion
with his Tournament bracelet.
Stars of the Men’s Expo backstage;
October 2009 Penthouse Pet of the
month, Ryan Keely; WRAT Rock Girl,
Mallory and Sex Therapist Victoria
“Doc” Zdrok.
To become a contestant, players
were chosen at random from entries
obtained online at www.wrat.com. An
additional 20 were chosen at the start
of the event. Potential contestants arrived at the venue by 1:00 pm to enter
to win a seat.
The Men’s Expo consisted of several
different elements, including the
opportunity to play Nine Ball against
World Class Pool Champion, Jennifer
Barretta. In addition, attendees also had
the chance to meet and get an autograph
from past Penthouse Playmate Victoria
Zdrok, a.k.a “Dr. Z the Sexpert,” and
Penthouse Pet, Ryan Keely.
This year’s event also featured an appearance by the girls of the Lingerie
Football League, lingerie shows,
courtesy of Linger in Spring Lake, and
new craft beers featured in the Craft
Beer Garden.
Attendees were able to work on their
golf game courtesy of Colts Neck Golf
Club or play Wii Home Run Derby
with the Lakewood Blueclaws.
Morning show’s, Carl Craft, Marty
Martinez, and Gotts conducted a variety of fun games from the contest stage,
including Rock Paper Scissor, Music
Chair Scavenger Hunt, and more.
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business
special feature
By CLARE MARIE CELANO
Greater Media Detroit’s Jennifer Williams
Gets Down to Business
Marketing and Craft Skills Translate into Thriving Greeting Card Business
They’re funny, sassy, lively,
and sometimes serious, and
they offer Greater Media’s
Jennifer Williams a wonderful way to gear down from
her busy day.
interested in art,” Williams
said, “and she had just finished taking a class in painting with watercolors, so the
timing was perfect and we
put our heads together.”
The director of Interactive
Marketing for Greater Media
Detroit owns her own greeting card business. The cards
she crafts are fun, lively,
simple in nature, and have
given her much satisfaction
since she started Happy
Shiny Gifts five years ago.
The two women combined
their talents and began
decorating the cards with
bits and pieces of confetti
and glue, tiny charms, bits
of garland, roses, handpainted flowers, and a number of tiny embellishments.
When asked where she finds
the ideas for her cards, Williams replied, “Everywhere.”
Craft stores, hardware
stores, flea markets, and
garage sales are all sources
of inspiration, and she takes
advantage of every trip to
shop for decorative trinkets.
“I am constantly looking for
new things and new designs
for my cards,” she said.
The business got its start
when Williams was making
decorated photo frames
as gifts. “I was also making
custom candle holders at
the time. It hit me when I
was doing the frames, using
all these bits and pieces
of jewelry and charms and
other notions that these
would look really good on
cards,” she said. “So, I began
to experiment with the
idea.”
Williams noted that members of her family are “obsessive card-givers.” “I was
always getting cards from
relatives — serious cards,
funny cards, ‘thinking of
you’ cards. It had become
a tradition in our family to
send cards for occasions or
just to let the person know
they were thinking of
them,” she said.
clockwise from top
Photo card montage.
Happy Shiny Gifts booth at a weekend Rochester, MI Art Show.
Jennifer Williams with her Mom,
Cecelia Widina, who helps her out.
Using that as her foundation, Williams gave the idea
a try, with help from her
mom, Cecilia “Cis” Widina.
“My mom has always been
Jennifer’s Mom, Cecelia Widina,
helps her out painting the cards.
The handcrafted and
handpainted collections
include birthday cards, get
well cards, sympathy cards,
as well as seasonal cards.
In addition, Williams has
also designed a chic line of
cards for today’s “modern”
woman. The “Sassy Women”
collection features purses
and shoes and little red or
little black dresses that usually include tiny rhinestones
as part of the glitz for the
true “girlie girl.”
For those who enjoy games
of chance, there’s a line of
fun and entertaining gambling and cocktail cards featuring stylish playing cards.
continued on next page
32
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Photography is another
hobby that Williams has put
to good use. She’s designed
cards using her photos of
tranquil scenes, such as two
Adirondack chairs under a
clear blue sky and a dramatic setting sun on Lake
Michigan. There are also
cards with a menu board
and a collection of mailboxes in New England.
The cards, blank inside, offer
a sentiment or thought for
the day on the back. “Sometimes people really love a
certain card but are not
happy with the sentiment,
so we decided to keep the
cards blank, so people can
purchase. “My customers
are loyal and are always
looking for the new things
we come up with.”
Wellness Watch: 7 Simple Steps to Heart Health
Williams said she loves her
greeting card business and
enjoys working on the cards.
She charges only one dollar
for each one. Although she
said sometimes creating
and crafting the cards gives
her “an adrenaline rush,” it
is also very relaxing to work
on the cards when she is
watching TV.
“It’s soothing,” she said.
“Something that requires
that much concentration is
a release,” she said, add-
“It’s soothing, something that requires
that much concentration is a release,”
says Jennifer.
write something special
inside that suits the person
they are giving the
card to,” Williams said.
Williams works on her card
business on weekends. The
weekend is also when she
takes her wares “on the
road.” She and her “significant other” Dan Wellman,
her mom, her dad Joe
Widina, along with niece
Madelyn Holmes, seven,
visit art and craft fairs to sell
the cards she and her mom
make. Wellman does his
share by setting up the 10by-10-foot tent used to
display the wares. Wellman
also tears down the tent as
well and readies it for the
next craft fair.
In addition to traveling to
art and craft fairs, Williams
uses the Internet to market
her cards. “I have a good
database of customers that
I e-mail a week before
a show. I let them know
what’s new and where the
show will be,” she said.
Much the same as her marketing work with Greater
Media, Williams said
this approach truly motivates her customers to
ing that it keeps her busy.
“Idle hands, you know...” she
added with humor.
The interactive marketing
director, who has worked
for 14 years in the radio
industry, said she loves
making other people happy
and she feels her cards help
to do this. “There’s nothing
better than seeing people
looking at a card and laughing,” Williams said, adding,
“It is especially gratifying
when it’s a card you’ve
made they are looking at.”
When asked how long Williams thought she would
keep working in the greeting card business, she replied, “I really love what I’m
doing right now. Everyone
in the family is having fun
with it, too. If it ever stops
being fun, then it’s time to
re-evaluate it.”
Williams also has a Fan Club
on Facebook that keeps
customers updated on
shows and displays photos
of customers having fun at
the shows. Simply log on to
Facebook, click on “Groups,”
and search “Happy Shiny
Gifts” to find her.
By Kara Badyna at RSI, a division of
Gallagher Benefit Services
According to the American
Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular diseases – including stroke
and coronary heart disease – are our
nation’s leading cause of death.
The AHA recently released a list of
“Life’s Simple 7” – the seven most
critical factors to cardiovascular
health. Each of these seven factors are
basic goals that you and your loved
ones can strive to achieve in order
to live long, healthy, and productive
lives. You can begin with just one or
two, as even slight improvements to
your lifestyle will make a significant
difference in your health.
Specifically, those with ideal cardiovascular health can answer yes to the
following seven questions:
1. Have you never smoked or did you
quit more than one year ago?
2. Is your body mass index (BMI)
less than 25? To calculate your exact
BMI value, multiply your weight in
pounds by 703, divide by your height
in inches, then divide again by your
height in inches. Or, you can use this
calculator from the National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.
3. Do you get at least 150 minutes of
moderate exercise or 75 minutes of
vigorous exercise each week?
4. Do you regularly meet at least four
of the following dietary recommendations?:
4 1/2 cups of fruit and vegetables a
day; two or more 3.5-ounce servings
a week of fish; drink no more than
36 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages a week; three or more 1-ounce
servings of fiber-rich whole grains a
day; less than 1,500 milligrams a day
of salt.
5. Is your total cholesterol of less than
200?
6. Is your blood pressure below
120/80?
7. Is your fasting blood glucose less
than 100?
To determine where you stand in
relationship to “Life’s Simple 7”
standards, you are invited to take the
AHA’s My
Life Check Assessment at http://
mylifecheck.heart.org/AssessmentTools/main.html. After completing
this exam in just a few minutes, you
will receive your personalized heart
score and an improvement action
plan customized to your lifestyle and
health outlook. (You will need some
information from your most recent
physical exam and routine blood test,
including your weight, systolic and
diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol,
and fasting blood sugar
levels.)
To learn more about heart health,
the “Simple 7,” and the various steps
you can take to prevent cardiovascular disease, visit the AHA’s My Life
Check website at www.heart.org/
MyLifeCheck.
Compliments of RSI.
“The Home Improvement Show” Marks 15-Year
Anniversary on WBT
Most home improvement radio
shows are either syndicated or brokered
on local stations but WBT-AM/FM’s
“The Home Improvement Show,”
hosted by John Gordon and David
Dovell, has been a successful part of the
station’s weekend programming during
the 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon time
slot on Saturdays for the past 15 years.
The duo shares their home improve-
John Gordon & David Dovell, hosts of
“The Home Improvement Show.”
ment wisdom and takes questions from
Charlotte-area home owners who have
home improvement questions.
G
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congratulations
WEDDINGS & ENGAGEMENTS
Here Comes the Bride!
Congratulations to Jason Zajac
and his fiance, Jill Kenny on their
wedding February 20th, 2010!
Jason is Greater Media Philadelphia’s
webmaster and we wish them
a very happy future!
Cheryl Carlisle, Senior
Account Executive for
WRAT and Magic 100.1,
wed David Bednar on October 3, 2009.
Hello, Baby...
WBT Promotions Coordinator,
Jessica Reeves RoBards,
and husband Ryan are
expecting their first baby
in June 2010.
BABIES
Hello, Baby Kai
WMMR PM Drive DJ, Jaxon and his wife, WMMR
Account Exec, Michele Tagye Miller, welcomed
baby, Kai Zachary Miller, on September 28th.
Hello, Baby Ruth
Hello, Baby Gabriella
Leighton Ruth Krasnoff was born at 4:50 p.m. on
Wednesday, January 27, 2010. She was 7 lbs 10 oz.
Leighton is the new daughter of WBT/WLNK Sales
Assistant, Alex Krasnoff.
97.5 The Fanatic’s Don Tollefson is a
first-time father, as he and his wife of
five years, Marilyn, welcomed daughter,
Gabriella Laura on December 16th.
Hello, Baby Harrison
WROR Account Executive, Jesse
Carbone and wife Rebecca welcomed
their second son, Harrison Luke
Carbone, on February 11th.
Hello, Baby Khloe
Khloe Amber Littlefield, born January
21, 2010 to Magic 106.7 Promotion
Coordinator, Karen Littlefield and her
husband Keith.
Hello, Baby
Elizabeth
WLNK Account Executive, Lisa
Jordan and her husband Matthew
Jordan, had a daughter, Elizabeth
Lynn Jordan, on November 29th.
34
g r ap e v i n e
Hello, Baby Aidan
Congratulations to WMGQ/WCTC
Marketing and Promotions Director,
Dave Kirby. He celebrated the birth of
his son Aiden James with his wife, former Greater Media Account Executive,
Suzanne Policastro, on September 18th,
2009. Aiden was 5 lbs 8 oz.
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Hello, Baby Jersey
Hello, Baby Addyson
Flora Njagi, Accounts Receivables/
Collections Coordinator of the Greater
Media NJ Accounting Department, welcomed her daughter, Addyson Obare,
into the world on June 30th, 2009.
Congratulations Flora!
A baby girl was born to WROR
Marketing Director, Jamie Martel
and husband Eric Giordano, born
on February 16th. They have named
her Jersey
look who’s reading
GRAPEVINE!
Star of the touring company of
“DREAMGIRLS” and “American Idol”
finalist, Sayesha Mercado, visits
Candy O’Terry at MAGIC 106.7.
Actor, Singer, and Broadway Star,
Ben Vereen, reading the Grapevine
visiting our New Jersey stations.
ed
Shore pick
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iting
Comed
e while vis on
in
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up a
Braude Sho
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e
th
ton Talks.
96.9 FM Bos
Reveling drummer
Jay Weinberg, son of
Max Weinberg, E Street
Band drummer, reads the
Grapevine with vocalist
Casey Rochelle, daughter
of Kate Rochelle, Greater
Media Newspapers
Advertising/Promotions
Manager.
While vis
Link in C iting The
h
“America arlotte,
finalist Idol”
J
Castro t ason
ook a
moment
t
out a re o check
c
of Grape ent issue
vine.
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35
Internationally acclaimed actor, Jeff Daniels enjoys reading the Grapevine
while visiting WCSX in Detroit.
Greater Media, Inc., with headquarters in Braintree, Massachusetts, is the parent company of 23 AM and FM stations
located in the Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, New Jersey, and Philadelphia markets. It also owns a group of weekly newspapers in
central New Jersey, as well as several telecommunications towers located throughout the United States.
• WMJX-WKLB-WROR-WBOS-WTKK Boston •
• WLNK-WBT Charlotte •
• WCSX-WRIF-WMGC Detroit •
• WMGQ-WCTC-WDHA-WMTR-WWTR-WRAT-WJRZ New Jersey •
• WMGK-WPEN-WMMR-WBEN-WNUW Philadelphia •
• Atlanticville, Examiner, Hub, Independent, News Transcript, Suburban, Tri-Town News Newspapers • Motower Multilink •