bill orielly paris hilton super bowl

4 V O L . 6 f a ll 2 0 1 1
WROR-FM’s
Loren & Wally
Mark 30 Years
of Friendship
and Fun
Bill Arner Jr. Receives
Wright Brothers
Master Pilot Award
Greater Media
Newspapers Launches
Exclusively Digital
Publication
WBT’s Holiday
Tradition Is
on the Move
c o n t e n t s
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t h i s
i s s u e
Table of Contents:
Letter From The Chair
Look Who’s Making Greater Media Greater 3,5
People & News
4-5
FAA Recognizes Bill Arner Jr.‘s 50-Plus Years
of Safe Flights 6-7
Community 8-10
Hello, Everyone,
WROR-FM’s Loren & Wally Mark 30 Years
of Friendship and Fun
12-13
Snapshots 16-17
As we enter 2012, I would like to
express my sincere gratitude and
appreciation to each of you for
your outstanding commitment
to Greater Media over the past
year. We continue to blaze new
trails due to the contributions
you make on a daily basis. That
entrepreneurial spirit is what
makes our company stand out in
the communities we serve.
Honors & Awards 18,19,21
Interactive Corner 22-23
Where Ice Skating Meets NASCAR 24-25
Think Pink 26-27
Music 28-29
Greater Insights 30-31
Halloween 34-35
Human Resources Update 37
Greater Media Employees Undertake A Great “Feet” in Philadelphia
40
Congratulations 43
The Greater Media
GRAPEVINE
PUBLISHER: Greater Media, Inc.
EDITOR: Heidi Raphael
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Monique Walton/MWalton Design
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jim Antes, Tom Bender, Debbie Catalano, Clare Celano,
Brian Donahue, Amy Hull, Ginny Rogers, Karen Suddreth and Adele Young
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
WROR-FM’s Loren Owens and Wally Brine celebrate three
decades together.
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We have had much to celebrate
over the past few months.
Our recently launched “Greater
Insights” weekly online blog at
www.greatermedia.com shines
a bright light on the many
individuals we have working in
our organization and provides a
platform for them to share their
knowledge and wisdom on a
variety of topics.
In addition, our Greater Media
Greater Good Campaign has
proved to be one of the best
initiatives we have launched in
the history of the company. I am
amazed and proud each time I
read or hear about the incredible
ways our people have donated
their time and talent in an effort
to give back to our communities.
As a result, we will be continuing
the Greater Good Campaign in
2012.
Kudos are in order for Jim
Antes, who was named Sales
Manager of the Year at the 2011
Radio Wayne Awards, as well as
six of our program directors who
were featured in the recent Radio
Ink Program Directors Issue.
Congratulations to Buzz Knight,
Grace Blazer, Bill Weston,
Carl Craft, Brent Alberts, and
Charley Lake for this outstanding
achievement! I would also like to
recognize Greater Media Boston
Vice President and Market
Manager Tom Baker on being
named among the Best Managers
in Radio.
Congratulations to the outstanding team at Greater Media
Newspapers on relaunching the
Woodbridge Sentinel online.
This is the first time the division
has launched a publication that is
available only on the internet.
I am constantly amazed by your
dedication, energy, and ingenuity. Thank you for everything
you contribute to this company,
the radio industry, and the cities
and towns we serve.
On behalf of my family and the
Bordes family, I wish you and
yours a very happy, healthy and
prosperous 2012!
Sincerely,
Peter Smyth
G
great!
recognizing
people who go
the extra mile
Look Who’s Making
Greater Media Greater
BOSTON
Matthew “Mattu”
Petrulavage
Radio 92.9 Promotions
Department
Greater Media Boston
Mattu started at Greater Media
Boston as a member of the Street
Team of Radio 92.9 in 2007. Since
then, he has assisted all five Greater
Media Boston stations in various
roles from a Street Teamer to an
Event Host. Mattu always is the first
to lend a helping hand, or put a
smile on your face. Over the past
year, he has become a big part of
Radio 92.9’s Promotion Department and has helped the integration
of getting listeners on-air through
the “MyPlaylist” feature. He also
serves as an entertaining onsite DJ,
lugging his equipment wherever the
gig calls. Mattu shines best when the
promotions/events mean the most,
whether it be Radio 92.9 EarthFest,
at ski weekends, or Salem Halloween
events. When the stress is on, it’s his
calm demeanor that helps the rest of
the crew get through. When opportunity knocks, he is there.
Joe Plett
Production Director
Greater Media Boston
Look up “dedicated” in the
dictionary, and you’ll see a picture
of Joe Plett. The same holds true for
“loyal,” “conscientious” and “humble.” Joe is one of those individuals
who does his job, and does it well.
He never asks for recognition, and
he’ll most likely be mortified when he
realizes he is being recognized for his
contribution to making Greater Media a little greater. But it’s a distinction he has earned, and continues to
earn every day. As an integral part of
the Creative Services department of
Greater Media Boston, Joe is responsible for seeing that hundreds of spots
per week are correctly entered into
the Audio Vault—this is no easy task.
He is meticulous in his work, and
has a system all his own, which, quite
frankly, is a mystery to the rest of the
staff. But wait! There’s more! Joe
also does his fair share of copywriting
and commercial production! Joe has
been quietly making noise in Boston
radio for many years. Greater Media
is fortunate that he has spent the last
fourteen of them here, and we’re
looking forward to many more.
CHARLOTTE
Twan Barber
Controller
Greater Media
Controller Twan Barber
is known as “Money Dog” around
WBT and WLNK. In fact, when you
enter his office, there is a stuffed
toy of a large dog with money in
his collar, and a poster on his door
announcing Money Dog Lives Here!
Twan has a gentle nature but when
it comes to overseeing the financial
well-being of WBT and WLNK, he is
as tenacious as a terrier! Twan started
with WBT and WLNK in 2006
and quickly became known as “the
controller you can talk to.” Twan’s
business savvy and robust personality
make any conversation about money
not only informative, but fun! Twan
truly does make Greater Media
greater!
Susan Brown
Producer
WBT
Susan Brown started with
WBT as an intern for Charlotte’s
Morning News in August, 2009 and
is now the producer for this live and
local program! Susan was hired in
the spring of 2010 as a Research Assistant for our PM drive and showed a
great interest in, and an aptitude for,
producing our news talk programming. Susan is ever ready to learn and
sought out opportunities to use her
interest in local and national current
affairs to book interesting guests and
help the hosts prepare for their show.
Susan always has a smile on her face
and a kind word to share, and that is
why Susan Brown is making Greater
Media greater!
Detroit
Anne Carlini
On-Air Personality
WRIF-FM
2011 marks Anne Carlini’s
25th year bringing rock & roll to the
Motor City on 101 WRIF. When you
talk with Anne about her amazing
career, you quickly come to realize
how truly passionate she is about
the station, the listeners and rock
& roll. From broadcasting from a
beach in the British Virgin Islands to
diving into the new world of social
media, Anne has never shied away
from doing what it takes to be a great
broadcaster.
A fan favorite, Anne really has grown
up with her listeners. One key to
the bond that Anne has created for
listeners is she understands the power
of relationships. She has made it a
priority to get out and meet with listeners. According to Anne, “It gives
me a perspective I just can’t get being
in the studio. After I spend time with
our listeners I always walk away with
a keen appreciation for how WRIF
impacts their lives.”
One of the biggest transformations
she has seen in our industry and at
WRIF is in the area of technology.
Anne shares that “25 years ago I spent
so much time just queuing up records
and editing tape. Thanks to advances
in technology, in the 4½ minutes a
song is playing I can load commercials, edit calls on the fly, Tweet, post
to Facebook, answer email and, oh
yeah, queue the next song in Audio
Vault. It’s amazing how quickly we can
get things done in the studio today.”
To say that his path into broadcasting wasn’t traditional could be an
understatement. It all began back in
Buffalo. While working at school,
Meltdown heard a struggling overnight DJ and knew he could do so
much better ... and he set a goal. He
was going to be an on-air personality.
No broadcasting school or internships were on his agenda. Meltdown
immediately set out to meet the
local DJs to find out more about the
business. As the story goes, one thing
led to another and he was doing a
weekend shift at an Oldies station in
his hometown.
Anne makes a point also to get
involved in the station’s many community efforts and has also given of
her own time to help those in the area
in need. For years she worked with
a team to raise money and purchase
holiday gifts for foster children in
Metro Detroit. In a case that was close
to her heart, Anne helped raise funds
to create a custom motorcycle for a
disabled former rider.
Besides rock & roll and WRIF, there
are two other things that run deep in
Meltdown: motorcycles and hockey.
Since buying his first Harley at the
age of 20, riding has been a part of
who he is. You can find him at the
many WRIF Harley events and even
spot him riding to his hometown
Buffalo through Canada. When it
comes to hockey, Meltdown’s not just
a fan, he’s a player. A regular on a
police and firefighter team, he also
plays pick-up hockey with many of
the retired NHL players and college
players in the Motor City. One of
Meltdown’s favorite WRIF/hockey
memories is playing with the Motor
City Mechanics in 2005. Red Wing
stars Chris Chelios and Derian
Hatcher played as well and Kid Rock
was in the crowd that night.
When she’s not rockin’ with the RIFF,
Anne is busy raising two wonderful
kids. Her son, Giovanni, is college
bound and her daughter, Eva, is finishing her senior year of high school.
Another goal that Meltdown meets
and exceeds is spending time with his
family, including wife of 11 ½ years
Vicki and their daughter Shelby and
son Shane.
Anne Carlini is rock & roll in Detroit
and as Neil Young sang, “My my,
hey hey, rock & roll is here to stay.”
That’s why we’re proud to say that
Anne is one of the people making
Greater Media great here in the Motor City.
Meltdown also has taken a lead in
embracing the new ways that air
personalities are able to interact with
listeners. He’s an avid user of social
media and is always up for learning
how to apply new technology to his
craft.
Meltdown
Afternoon Drive Personality
WRIF-FM
There’s an old hockey saying, “Don’t go through life without
goals.” Having goals and achieving
them is something WRIF’s afternoon
drive host Meltdown has been doing
throughout his broadcast career. This
past Halloween, Meltdown recently
celebrated his 16th year on-air at
WRIF, and he’s still creating new
goals to reach.
We’re glad that Meltdown continues
to set and reach new goals at WRIF.
He truly is one of the people making
Greater Media great here in Detroit.
Continued on page 5
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people
people & News
Dianne DeOliveira Joins
the New MAGIC 100.1
FM’s Morning Show
Radio Legend Jim Harper Retires
from Greater Media’s MAGIC 105.1 FM in the Motor City
Legendary morning personality Jim Harper retired at the end
of 2011 from MAGIC 105.1/
WMGC-FM FM in Detroit. His
last day on the air was December
23, 2011.
“There are so many people I wish
to thank for a long and wonderful career, especially my wife,
Lynn, and the hundreds of talented broadcasters that I’ve been
blessed to work for and with over
the years, including Peter Smyth
and the ‘All Star Team’ at Greater
Media Detroit,” said Harper.
“But most of all, I would like to
thank the people of the Motor
City. I hope they have felt the
warmth and love I have enjoyed
as a member of this ‘family’ of
Detroiters for so many years.”
MAGIC 100.1 Morning Show’s Glenn
Kalina and Dianne DeOliveira
It’s crazy to put two Scorpions in
the same room and even freakier
if they share the same birthday
(different years, of course).
In the short time Glenn Kalina
and Dianne DeOliveira have been
together, the MAGIC Morning
Show co-hosts are quickly making
a name for themselves with their
daily Funny Phone pranks.
Listeners get to tease their brains
with the Morning Mindbender,
hear about the latest coupon deals
with the Smart Savings feature,
and stay up to date with the latest
news, traffic, weather and other
valuable information. Because
Glenn and Dianne love interacting with the audience, whether it’s
over the phone or on Facebook,
the morning always promises a
bundle of laughs.
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“Jim is a true Motor City legend,” said Greater Media Market
Manager Steve Kosbau. “We feel
fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of his radio
legacy and wish him the very best
as he begins a new chapter in his
life.”
Jim Harper landed his first radio
job in March 1967 at the young
age of 13 at WYNZ-AM, a small
1973. In 1974, Harper served
as the evening host and music
director at WCAR-AM. In 1975,
he became the midday jock on
WDRQ-FM Detroit.
After growing up in Hamtramck
and then Westland, he eventually
left the Motor City and moved
to Houston, TX, in 1976 to host
an evening show on KXYZ-AM.
Harper returned shortly after to
serve as program director and
midday host at WDRQ-FM.
In 1977, he moved to WNIC-FM
as morning host and later became
program director.
MAGIC 105.1 veteran morning show
host Jim Harper
radio station in Ypsilanti, MI,
where he hosted a 15-minute
weekly Saturday show that focused
on teen issues.
In 1984, Harper left WNICFM to become part owner and
morning show host at WDTXFM in Detroit and part owner of
WNCX-FM, located in Cleveland, OH. In 1987, he returned
to WNIC-FM as morning host
and later went on to serve as program director and vice president
of operations.
In 1969, he became the official
Sunday sign-on to sign-off announcer, host and newscaster
on WHMI-AM in Howell, MI.
In 1970-1972, the radio legend
served as the evening on-air
personality and music director
at WAAM-AM in Ann Arbor,
before working as the morning and afternoon drive host on
WIID-AM in Garden City in
Harper joined MAGIC 105.1/
WMGC-FM in Detroit as the
morning host and operations
manager in July 2001.
Scott Rasmussen Joins 96.9 WTKK-FM
as a Weekly Contributor in Boston
96.9 WTKK-FM morning
hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan recently welcomed
political analyst, author and
speaker Scott Rasmussen as a
weekly on-air contributor on
Wednesdays at 7:45 a.m. on the
station.
Rasmussen is the founder and
president of the Rasmussen
Reports, specializing in the
collection, publication and
distribution of public opinion
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about is unmatchable.”
Scott Rasmussen
polling information.
“Scott Rasmussen is as good as
they come,” said Jim Braude.
“His insight on topics that Bostonians and New Englanders care
“He knows what Americans are
thinking about, everything from
politics to laundry detergent,”
added Margery Eagan.
Scott Rasmussen is a frequent
guest on Fox News, CNBC, BBC
and other major media outlets.
He also has appeared on “The
Colbert Report” on the Comedy
Central network.
People & News continued on next page
great!
People & News continued from previous page
Look Who’s Making
Greater Media Greater
Neal Triompo Joins Greater Media Charlotte
Continued from page 3
RADIO
NEW JERSEY
Jason Ornellas
Engineer
WMTR-AM & WDHA-FM
With only a few months
under his belt, this ex-Californian
has made a terrific impression on the
staff at WMTR and WDHA. Ask him
to fix something and it not only gets
done quickly, but he makes it better
than before. He is a true fan of the
radio industry and is an asset in many
areas besides engineering.
Greater Media Charlotte is pleased to welcome
Neal Triompo to the WBT AM/FM and WLNK-FM Sales
Team. Triompo most recently worked at Curtis Media
Group, where he spent his sales career to date.
96.9 FM WTKK Welcomes Michael Smerconish
to Boston
Michael Smerconish, who can be
heard weekdays on 96.9 WTKKFM from noon to 3 p.m., giving
listeners a new generation of
independent and topical talk radio in Boston and New England,
recently interviewed President
Barack Obama live.
The September 30 broadcast
marked Smerconish’s sixth conversation with the current Commander in Chief, and the third
since he took office in January
2009. There were no ground
rules, and Smerconish would
be both direct and respectful in
exchanges with the President. As
with previous conversations with
the President, Smerconish did
solicit questions from listeners
via social media networks such as
Facebook and Twitter. The audio
from the interview is available on
969BostonTalks.com.
Smerconish is a Philadelphia
lawyer-turned-political commentator. At age 29, he served as
the presidential appointee under
George H. W. Bush as Regional
Administrator in the Department
of Housing and Urban Development. A true independent,
Smerconish endorsed Senator Barack Obama in the 2008
National Election Campaign.
Michael
Smerconish
Michael Smerconish broadcasts
from F1 Boston as part of 96.9’s
“Live Meeting of the Minds.”
Michael Smerconish meets listeners
at F1 Boston for 96.9’s “Live Meeting
of the Minds.”
Already a national media figure,
Smerconish has guest-hosted for
Bill O’Reilly on ”The Radio Factor” and for Glenn Beck. He has
also appeared as a frequent guest
on NBC’s “Today” show, “The
Early Show” on CBS, “Real Time
with Bill Maher,” “The View,”
“The Colbert Report” and
“Hardball with Chris Matthews.”
Michelle Viera
Account Executive & Sports
Sales Manager
WCTC-AM & WMGQ-FM
Michelle works very hard for her clients and Greater Media. She is full of
passion, energy and persistence. She
is always looking for opportunities for
her clients within the Greater Media
radio stations. She is extremely organized and has impeccable follow-up!
GREATER MEDIA
newspapers
Jeff Granit
Head Photographer
Greater Media Newspapers
Jeff joined the newspaper
division as an experienced photographer in March 2003 to head our
photo staff. He consistently demonstrates an amazing ability to juggle the
many aspects of his job: assigning staff
and freelancers to cover the many assignments that reporters and editors
make, taking his own assignments,
and processing and choosing the best
photos for publication. Most of all,
Jeff excels at the art of photojournalism. His pictures capture content,
form and feeling as evidenced by the
many awards he has received. He is
an integral part of why Greater Media
Newspapers’ publications are a cut
above those of our competitors.
Eric Sucar
Staff Photographer
Greater Media Newspapers
Eric’s passion for his field
is evident in his photos. Eric joined
the publishing division in April
2007 and never fails to garner awards
from the New Jersey Press Association. The subjects of his shoots often
report back that they are wowed by his
photography and demeanor. He tries
to “document the world and my community in the most fresh and compelling way possible,” trying to “push
the envelope with every assignment,
whether it be a grand opening or a
playoff football game.” In 2005, Eric
was selected to attend the prestigious
Eddie Adams Workshop, a worldwide
competition, based on his portfolio.
Eric also fills in when necessary when
the head photographer is away.
philadelphia
Betsy Deming
Engineering Remote Coordinator
97.5 The Fanatic
Betsy Deming has done
an amazing job of organizing our
remotes and making last-minute
remote requests happen. The Phillies
playoffs and the beginning of the
Eagles season was a very busy time
for the station, and she was able to
execute every single request. Her ability to communicate with programming, promotions and sales is what
makes her such a valuable employee,
as communication is an integral part
of our success. A big thanks goes out
to Betsy for her hard work.
Christin St. Pierre
Sales Assistant
97.5 The Fanatic
Christin St. Pierre, The
Fanatic Sales Assistant, has been an
incredible addition to the staff. In
just her first year with the station,
she has already become an integral
member of the team. Christin is
always willing to help in any way she
can. She assists multiple departments
and makes sure everything gets done
correctly. She played a major role in
setting up and managing our Mike
+ Mike ESPN client dinner that had
over 50 clients attending and was a
smashing success.
G
Continued on page 7
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award
special feature
By Clare Marie Celano
FAA Recognizes Bill Arner Jr.’s 50-Plus
Years of Safe Flights
Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Culmination of Aviator’s Career
FLYING airplanes has
the process of gathering
information for the application recommending his
dad for the award. Arner
described the long aviation
career that has brought his
dad to this point in time and
has earned him this prestigious honor.
been a passion and a mission for Greater Media, Inc.’s
pilot, Bill Arner Jr., for more
than 50 years.
The veteran pilot was
recently presented with an
honor reserved for the best
of the best.
Arner was awarded the
Federal Aviation Administration’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in
December, an honor that
goes to a chosen few. The
award recognizes pilots who
have demonstrated professionalism, skill, and aviation
expertise by maintaining
safe operation for 50 or
more consecutive years of
piloting aircraft, according
to the award’s website.
He said his father began
his military career with the
United States Navy in 1957
when he was accepted into
the naval cadet program.
Arner Jr. completed U.S.
Naval School Preflight in
Pensacola, FL, in 1959 and
began Naval Air Basic Training and had his first solo
flight that year as well.
He transitioned to the advanced training aircraft, the
T-28, to qualify for militarytype flying for night and
bad weather operations.
He then trained in advance
tactics, demonstrating the
qualifications necessary to
land on an aircraft carrier and received his naval
wings.
The honoree is awarded a
certificate and a lapel pin
and is recognized in the
Wright Brothers Roll of
Honor.
FAA representatives were
scheduled to present the
award Dec. 6 at a surprise
luncheon given by his family
at the Copperhead Grill in
Allentown, PA, according to
his son, Bill Arner III. Many
of his father’s old flying
buddies were expected to
be at the event to congratulate him as well, Arner III
added. The nominee must
also receive three letters
of recommendation from
fellow holders of FAA pilot
certificates.
Arner Jr. was nominated for
the award by his son, who
just happens to be the second pilot for Greater Media.
The father-and-son team
has been flying together for
seven years.
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top to bottom,
U.S. Naval School pilot Bill Arner
completes his first solo flight in 1959.
Arner pilots Bill Jr. (left) and Bill III
(right)
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In an interview with Arner
III, the passion for flying that
had been passed down from
his dad was evident. And,
the love and admiration for
his father were also clear in
his words, as he recounted
Arner Jr. was then trained
as pilot for the Marine Patrol
Aircraft Lockheed P2V
Neptune, and assigned to
the Naval Station in Naha,
Okinawa, as a member
of the Patrol Squadron 4
(VP-4), where his mission
was complete control of the
seas—above, on, or beneath.
As an advanced squadron,
the primary mission was
anti-submarine warfare.
Using long range, they were
capable of carrying equipment and weapons to detect, localize, and eliminate
the enemy submarine threat
in its own element—the sea.
Continued on next page
After returning from Okinawa in 1963, he became
a flight instructor and
completed advanced naval
degrees in command and
operations and became one
of the first naval aviators to
qualify in the new Lockheed P-3 Orion, an aircraft
designed with the primary
mission to hunt, track, and
destroy Soviet nuclear
submarines. It was designed
to remain in the air tracking
submarines for hours, according to Arner III.
Arner was deployed to sea
duty aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, where he
was officer in charge of the
weapons division and was
in command of all ordnance
for aircraft and ship tactical
deployment.
He was then transferred
to the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster,
PA, where he served as the
Base Air Safety Officer and
mission and project commander for a variety of
research and development
projects.
“He retired from the United
States Navy in 1978, ending
a brilliant career spanning
two decades,” Arner III said.
His father then took a job
as director of operations
for Ronson Aviation at the
Mercer County Airport near
Trenton, NJ, in 1982, where
he managed a large charger fleet that included both
aircraft and helicopters.
ten to know everyone in the
Bordes family and they treat
us like we are family.”
“In a chance meeting, my
dad met [Greater Media
founder] Peter Bordes Sr.
at Mercer County Airport
in 1985. Peter was looking
for a full-time pilot for his
business and to fly his family in his Beechcraft King Air
B-90,” Arner III recalled.
“Bill Arner Sr. is a true gentleman. He has always been
and will always be known to
me as the ‘commander.’ It
is a privilege to call him my
good friend,” said Greater
Media, Inc. Chairman and
CEO Peter Smyth.
He said that in September
1985, his dad began his
career with Greater Media
and for the past 25 years, he
has overseen the transition
into new aircraft, including
the Beechcraft Super King
Air B200.
“The aircraft’s primary mission is to operate the safest, most efficient form of
transportation for company
executives and the Bordes
family,” Arner III said.
Arner III said his dad and
the late Peter Bordes Sr.
were close friends for years.
“They were like two peas in
a pod,” he said. “We’ve got-
people
people & News
The respect and affection
for Arner Jr. remains deep
within the Greater Media
family.
Arner III said that his
father’s love of flying has
been passed on to him, to
his brother, to Arner Jr.’s
grandson, William, and to
his nephew as well.
Arner III soloed at 16 and
went on to fly with USA
Airlines for 13 yeas before
he took a full-time position beside his dad in the
cockpit for Greater Media’s
aircraft seven years ago.
His brother Matthew also
soloed at 16 for his private pilot’s license before
deciding on a career in law
enforcement. Arner Jr.’s
grandson, William, soloed
this year, four days after his
16th birthday.
“He flew an airplane before he drove a car and is
considering a career in the
United States Navy, following in his grandfather’s
footsteps. It gets into your
blood,” Arner III explains,
adding that flying the plane
for Greater Media has never
really seemed like a job for
his father.
“My dad is constantly promoting aviation and tells
people about his love of
flying That’s his mission,” he
said.
“After five decades of flying,
my father’s love of airplanes
and of flying has never
waned. He loves to fly today
as much as he did that
March morning in Pensacola, Florida, 1959.
“He’s a great guy. They
broke the mold when he
was made,” he said and
added, “I only hope when I
am his age, people will say
even half the nice things
about me that they say
about my father.”
G
Congratulations to WBT AM/FM’s Jeff Sonier on
receiving an Edward R. Murrow Award!
Greater Media Recognized at the IEEE
Conference in Washington, DC
Greater Media recently was
singled out by several presenters and also by luncheon speaker
Peter Doyle, chief of the FCC’s
audio division, as being on the
forefront of the new broadcast
technologies and assisting the
Commission in its investigation
and adoption of same. Greater
Media Boston Chief Engineer
Paul Shulins served as one of the
co-chairs of the symposium.
Greater Media was the only company so noted by Doyle. The Na-
tional Radio Systems Committee
(NRSC) was also highly praised
by Doyle. He noted that without
the NRSC, which serves as the
primary body for radio standard
setting in the United States, the
commission would have never
been able to establish policies and
rules for digital radio in the U.S.
The NRSC is co-sponsored
by the National Association of
Broadcasters and the Consumer
Electronics Association.
WBT reporter Jeff Sonier accepts his Edward R. Murrow Award
in NYC on October 10.
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7
community
giving back
Greater Media Chairman & CEO Peter Smyth
Co-Chairs Annual Golf Tournament to Benefit Broadcasters
in Need
Event Raises $150K for Broadcasters Foundation of America
Greater Media Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer Peter
Smyth and Katz Television Group’s
Jim Beloyianis co-chaired the 2011
Broadcasters Foundation of America Celebrity
Golf Tournament, held September 26
at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club
in Tarrytown, NY.
According to the Foundation, the
event raised more than $150,000
to help broadcasters in need of
assistance. The organization is
expecting to grant $600,000 in
aid this year, a 20 percent increase
over last year.
More than 140 broadcasters and
celebrities turned out for the golf
event in support of the mission
of the Broadcasters Foundation,
including more than 30 sportscasters, athletes and actors.
Celebrity golfers included actor Michael J. Fox; nationally
syndicated TV and radio host Lou
Dobbs; WOR Radio host John
Gambling; ABC and ESPN sports
broadcaster Sean McDonough;
play-by-play announcer on MSG
& and ABC Mike Breen; actress
and “Bond” girl Rachel Grant;
NHL All-Stars Rod Gilbert, Brian
Leetch and Bob Nystrom; ESPN
Radio’s Stephen A. Smith and CJ
Papa; Super Bowl winner Amani
Toomer; CBS-TV’s Maurice
Dubois, Don Dahler and Dr. Max
Gomez; ESPN Sports Center hosts
John Anderson and Jay Harris;
WNYW Fox 5’s Duke Castiglione;
WNBC-TV’s Bruce Beck; actor
Gianni Russo, who played Carlo in
the “Godfather”; and more.
WROR-FM’s Hank Morse recently hosted the Walk Now
for Autism Speaks event at Suffolk Downs in East Boston.
The event raised nearly $900,000.
greater media
gives back to the
community
Team RadioMess Participates
in 2nd Annual Boston Brain Tumor Walk
Employees Walk in Memory
of Greater Media National Sales Manager Jeff Messerman
Team RadioMess gathers around a poster, in memory of
Jeff Messerman, signed by all the Greater Media staff.
Team RadioMess was excited to
be back for the 2nd Annual Boston
Brain Tumor Walk on October 1.
Once again, they walked in honor
and memory of Jeff Messerman,
former National Sales Manager for
Greater Media Boston, a beloved,
inspirational and passionate man
who lost his battle with a malignant
brain tumor in April 2010.
Progress in this fight starts with one
team, one walker and one dollar
at a time. Team RadioMess was
fiercely committed to this mission.
Celebrating “The Jeff Messerman Love” he shared so often with
everyone at Greater Media Boston,
the participating employees raised
over $14,000 in his name.
Greater Media Managers Pay It Forward at the
2011 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Broadcasting
Career Builder Conference
Greater Media’s Tom Bender,
Carly Yerman and Jennifer Williams recently joined more than
40 broadcast managers for a Speed
Networking Super Session in
November at the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcasting Career
Builder Conference held in Lansing.
Greater Media is proud to support
this important M.A.B. mentoring program, which focuses on
the importance of educating the
emerging broadcast professionals
in Michigan.
More than 160 students studying
Broadcast/Communications had
the opportunity to meet with a
variety of Michigan broadcast managers in a one-on-one “sit down”
at this unique event.
Each participant spent five minutes
with approximately 10 broadcast
professionals with the goal of gathering tips on creating a successful
career in the media industry.
Tom Bender (Sr. VP, Greater Media
Interactive) mentors students at the
MAB Speed Networking
Super Session event.
Continued on next page
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WMTR-AM and
WDHA-FM Give Back
to Two Noble Causes
WMGK-FM’s
John DeBella 10th Annual
Turkey Drop a Success
This fall, WMTR and WDHA continued their partnership with two
noble groups as they sponsored the
Saint Clare’s Walk for Breast Cancer
Awareness as well as the American
Heart Association’s Heart Walks
in New Jersey’s Essex and Morris
counties.
The Saint Clare’s Walk for Breast
Cancer Awareness, organized by
Co-chair and WDHA/WMTR
General Manager Nancy McKinley, was held at the Hilton Garden
Inn in Rockaway. The event helped
raise more than $100,000 and
drew 1,500 individuals. The event
was emceed by WMTR Operations Manager and Morning Team
personality Chris Edwards.
WDHA and WMTR were also
present at the American Heart
Association’s Morris County and
Essex County Heart Walks and 5K
run. Team DHA and the MTR
Cool Kids appeared at both events,
playing music for the crowd and
interacting with participants by
playing games, handing out prizes,
and signing listeners up for contest
drawings for concert tickets. Both
events were great successes and
helped raise thousands.
WMTR Morning Team host and
Operations Manager Chris Edwards
entertains the crowd.
WDHA/WMTR General Manager and
Saint Clare’s Walk for Breast Cancer
Co-chair Nancy McKinley poses for a
picture at the walk.
John DeBella interviews Philadelphia
Mayor Michael Nutter, who helped
make the appeal to WMGK listeners
to make a donation.
WMGK listeners donate a shopping
cart full of turkeys to the Turkey
Drop.
Classic Rock 102.9 WMGK’s
morning host John DeBella
broadcasted live and accepted
monetary and turkey donations
during his 10th Annual John DeBella
Turkey Drop on November 22. The
Turkey Drop is the largest, one-day
food-gathering event in Philadelphia.
Last year’s Turkey Drop collected
close to 10,000 turkeys. Mayor
Michael Nutter was among the
many guests who made an appearance, urging listeners to make
on-site or online donations to the
Turkey Drop. Parx Casino donated
$5,000 and surprised everyone by
having a truck with $20,000 worth
of turkeys pull up to the broadcast
site.
96.9 Boston Talks’ Doug Meehan Honors
First Responders
96.9 Boston Talks’ Doug
Meehan recognized Officer Steven
Fields of the Winchester Police
as the October recipient of the
First Responder Award. Officer
Fields was recognized for his efforts in stopping student abuse in
Winchester High School and saving
a young girl’s life. Officer Fields
was presented with a plaque from
96.9 and also got to tell his story
on the air!
96.9 Boston Talks and The Doug
Meehan Show acknowledge the
efforts of first responders in New
England. First Responder Friday
on The Doug Meehan Show is
a way of saying thank you to the
firefighters, police officers and
emergency medical responders
who makes the necessary sacrifices
to put others’ needs above their
own.
Doug Meehan (right) with October’s
First Responder Award recipients
WMTR-AM and WDHA-FM Weather the Storm
In August, Hurricane Irene bore
down on the eastern seaboard with
strong rain and winds hitting New
Jersey overnight, causing power
outages, downed trees and flooding. WDHA and WMTR used the
power of radio and social media
throughout the night to communicate road closures, flooding
and emergency information to get
information to their listeners when
no other media outlet could.
Two months after the Hurricane,
an unusual late-October snow-
storm once again put New Jersey
in a state of emergency with snow
totals ranging from 6 to 16 inches
overnight. Once again, with the
help of Greater Media engineers
Jason Ornellas and Keith Smeal,
WDHA and WMTR combined
forces on social media and on-air,
relaying to listeners up-to-date
weather forecasts, road closures,
and emergency information,
providing coverage throughout the
storm and helping to keep local
listeners safe.
Snow blanketed
the WDHA
tower site on
morning
of October 30.
The Turkey Drop benefits
CityTeam Ministries, Philadelphia,
an organization that provides food
and services to less fortunate individuals, families, shelters and food
groups in the tri-state area.
Continued on next page
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community
giving back
Greater Media Detroit
Hosts Greater Detroit
Engineering and IT Career Fair
The demand for engineering and
IT professionals has increased to
levels not seen in over ten years.
Automation Alley and Greater
Media Detroit partnered to create a
solution to connect companies with
qualified candidates … the Greater
Detroit Engineering and IT Career Fair! The
event took place at the Troy Marriott
on October 6, 2011, from 11 a.m.
- 7 p.m.
Local companies were on site looking for all types of engineering and
information technology professionals, including mechanical, electrical,
computer, software, manufacturing,
and network engineers; database
administrators and analysts; web
programmers; and all other areas
of engineering and information
technology.
No preregistration was required.
Candidates met with representatives
from some of the area’s top manufacturers, suppliers, information
technology, and engineering and
design companies, including Bosch,
Quicken Loans, American Axle and
Manufacturing, Cooper Standard,
Guardian, Hyundai, Magna, Nexteer Automotive, Nuspire Networks
and many more.
This event was presented by 101
WRIF, 94.7 WCSX, MAGIC 105.1
and Automation Alley.
MAGIC 98.3 FM and 1450 AM WCTC
Take Share the MAGIC to Brunswick
Square Mall and Menlo Park Mall
For most people, mentioning the
holidays conjures up an image of a
warm, happy gathering of friends
and family feasting on Thanksgiving turkey or opening holiday gifts.
For the less fortunate residents of
Central Jersey, there is no warmth,
feasting or presents to look forward
to. This holiday season, MAGIC
98.3 and 1450 WCTC came
together to have the third annual
“Share the MAGIC” event on November 18 and 19, and there were some
big changes!
This season, there was a live
broadcast from both the Brunswick
Square Mall in East Brunswick and
the Menlo Park Mall in Edison.
For 10 full hours each day, both
stations collected canned food, new
clothing and new toys for those in
need to make everyone’s holiday
season a little warmer and brighter.
With so many families in New
Jersey tightening their spending
this season, it was refreshing to
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WDHA-FM and WMTR-AM Honor Man’s Best Friend
On September 24, WDHA and
WMTR partnered with 11th Hour
Rescue, a nonprofit pet rescue, for
the 2nd annual Puptoberfest. Puptoberfest
brought together over 2,000
animal lovers for a day of contests,
games, vendors, pet adoptions and
music.
This year, WDHA also held its
first-ever Ultimate Rock Dog
contest finals at Puptoberfest. Listeners submitted and voted on photos
of their dogs on WDHAFM.
com to help decide DHA’s twelve
Rock Dogs. The Top Twelve dogs
were then invited out to Puptoberfest
2011 where they were honored by
WDHA jocks and the crowd in
attendance. After much consideration from the judges, consisting
of WDHA Morning Jolt host Kim
Mulligan and WDHA Program
Director and afternoon drive
host Curtis Kay, Rendi the Saint
Bernard was crowned WDHA’s
Ultimate Rock Dog for 2011/2012,
winning a Puppy Prize Pack valued
at over $500. All twelve finalists
will be featured in the first-ever
WDHA “Ultimate Rock Dogs”
calendar whose proceeds will be
donated to local animal shelters.
WDHA’s official Puptoberfest logo
featuring Rock Force One and Assistant Interactive Content Manager
Kristen Mendoza’s dog Guinness.
WDHA’s Ultimate Rock Dog winner
Rendi relaxes by the WDHA table.
WDHA midday host Terrie Carr
poses with a small “fan.”
MAGIC 105.1 and Puss in Boots
see that this event was as strong as
ever. In addition to new clothing, toys and nonperishable food
items, MAGIC 98.3 also accepted
monetary donations on behalf of
the charitable organizations to help
further their respective missions.
MAGIC also teamed up with sister
station 1450 WCTC for the yearly
“Family Adoption” program, and
both stations were able to help
those less fortunate this year, and,
most important, with the help of
the generous listeners were able to
Share the MAGIC!
Debbie Mazella with guests at 2010
Share the MAGIC.
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MAGIC 105.1 and Puss in Boots partnered to make the day for many children
at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. Cyndy Canty from the MAGIC Morning
Show, along with the legend himself, Puss in Boots, made a special visit to the
hospital. They greeted children in the garden area and made room-to-room visits.
photo gallery 1
greater media NEWSPAPERS
A Promise Kept
A Sayreville, NJ,
principal keeps
his word and
allows students
to “decorate” him
as an ice cream
sundae after
they performed
hundreds of good
deeds.
Photo by Jeff
Granit/ GMN Staff
Photographer
Seeds of Possibility
Fifth-graders in
Old Bridge, NJ,
planted seedlings
during a community service project on September
23. Harvests were
donated to the
local food bank.
Photo by Eric
Sucar/ GMN Staff
Photographer
Honoring Veterans, Past and Present
An American Legion veteran observes a moment during the
wreath-laying ceremony for Veterans Day in Monroe, NJ. Photo by
Jeff Granit/ GMN Staff Photographer
In Remembrance
Family members
of loved ones
lost in the 9/11
attacks on the
World Trade
Center gather
during rededication ceremonies
at the September
11 memorial in
Marlboro, NJ.
A piece of steel
from Ground Zero
is now part of the
memorial.
Photo by Jeff
Granit/ GMN Staff
Photographer
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11
friends
special feature
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
WROR-FM’s Loren & Wally Mark 30 Years
of Friendship and Fun
The Radio Veterans, Best Friends on and off the Air,
Are Naturals at Entertaining Boston’s Morning Audience
clockwise from top left,
Loren & Wally at the WVBF Studio in
Framingham, 1981
LOREN Owens and Wally
Brine have had a working
relationship that’s lasted
longer than some marriages, Owens quips.
Paris, 1989 – Loren & Wally at the
Eiffel Tower during the 100th Anniversary of the French Revolution
“It’s true,” Brine joins in.
Loren & Wally visit the Abbey Road
Studios, London, 1990
The two veteran radio
personalities, who co-host
“The Loren & Wally Morning
Show” on Greater Media’s
WROR 105.7 FM in Boston,
are celebrating their 30th
anniversary as one of radio’s
most popular and longtime
duos.
The infamous Two Men from Maine.
Ephus (Wally Brine) and Lem (Tom
Doyle)
Owens and Brine say they
are very much alike and
maybe that is what has allowed them to work together on a daily basis doing
what they do best—playing
music and entertaining their
listeners.
It’s a “matter of chemistry,”
says Brine, who adds, “You
really can’t manufacture
chemistry. It’s there or it
isn’t.”
“Plus, we’re close in age and
we like each other,” Brine
adds.
Loren & Wally during the Boston hot
air balloon live broadcast, 1988
Loren & Wally’s 20th Anniversary
tour, the Quincy Road Show, 2001.
Pictured are the Loren & Wally Morning Show Team: (l-r) Brian Bell (producer), Loren Owens, Sue Cope, Tom
Doyle, Wally Brine and Hank Morse.
their radio relationship work.
The comedic pair know how
to make listeners laugh with
their good-natured banter
during their morning drive
show. The men have even
created audios and videos,
such as their Two Men from
Maine, series which, as the
script says, are “actionpacked adventures,” starring
Lem, played by Tom Doyle,
and Ephus, played by Brine.
Owens is the announcer.
Viewers love watching snippets of characteristic New
England native behavior
with the men in their costume get-ups.
“From the beginning, it was
great to be able to team
up with a guy who ‘got it,’ ”
Owens says of Brine.
Brine said both men grew
up listening to the same
kind of legendary music
stations in their respective
areas; Brine with his New
York stations, and Owens
with his Midwestern ones.
Although the two came
from different backgrounds
and geographic locations,
they possess a commonality
that makes their show and
It’s easy to see where
Brine’s love for the airwaves
originates.
He grew up in the industry.
Born in Providence, Rhode
Island, his dad, Walter L.
“Salty” Brine, was in the
radio business with a career
that included his top-rated
WPRO-AM morning show,
which lasted over 50 years.
Continued on next page
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Brine says he was drawn to
the industry from being exposed to it “every day from
nursery school through high
school.”
Brine’s first part-time job
in radio was at WPRO-FM,
right out of high school in
1968. He then moved on to
various stations, including
WGAN in Portland, Maine,
while a student at St. Francis College. His first rock
radio job came at WLOB,
the flagship station of the
Lobster Network, in 1973.
Then he was off to WJBQ in
Portland in 1976.
Brine came to 105.7 FM in
1981, which is where when
he and Owens met.
“The station wanted to
bring in a second radio personality to work with Wally,”
Owens said. “They tried
three or four guys, but when
Wally and I met, something
just clicked.”
Owens, raised in Indiana,
earned a degree in biological science from Indiana
State University, where he
had planned a career in
medicine. He got into radio
during college “for the
fun of it” and because he
“needed a part-time job.”
Once he started, however,
he was hooked.
His radio job involved working in the record library
filing and categorizing
“thousands of vinyl records.”
“I was pretty busy,” he said.
One night he was asked to
fill in for the DJ.
He didn’t have to speak on
the radio much, just introduce the show and play music for an hour, but he was
“very nervous,” he recalled.
“They hired me the next
morning for the 6 p.m. to
midnight show.”
His career was interrupted
by a stint in the U.S. Marine
Corps. After his service to
his country, Owens came
back to his first love—radio.
Owens has worked at various radio stations in Philadelphia, Buffalo, Cleveland,
and Denver. He came back
to Philadelphia, however,
declaring he was “an East
Coast kind of guy.”
WROR-FM’s Lauren Beckham Falcone Gets Up
Close & Personal with Loren & Wally
By Lauren Beckham Falcone
The Loren & Wally
Morning Show
Team: (l-r) PJ Sittig,
the ‘Eternal Intern’;
Brian “Lung Boy”
Bell, Producer;
Loren Owens (cohost); Tom Doyle
(personality); Wally
Brine (co-host);
Hank Morse (traffic); and (front &
center) Lauren
Beckham-Falcone
(news & co-host).
He worked at Philadelphia’s
WPEN and at WMGK 102.9,
before finally settling in
Boston in 1981 as half of the
Loren and Wally morning
team. The two have been
best friends and on-air partners ever since.
In the early 1990s Brine
said they were looking for a
vehicle to deliver the levity
they wanted to send out to
listeners.
They came up with their
“Two Men from Maine” skit,
which has proved a big hit
with listeners.
“People love the stuff,” Brine
said.
Another favorite is “Tom’s
Townie Tunes”—parodies
about local towns and
events written and performed by WROR’s Tom
Doyle.
“They’re pretty funny,” Brine
said of the “Townie Tunes.”
Some of their show is
planned, but other parts
involve “throwing it up
again the wall and hoping it
sticks,” Brine said.
They also have plenty of
music as well as traffic,
news, and sports reports to
keep listeners updated.
In 30 years, the men say
they’ve never had an argument.
“I’ve always been able to
enjoy what I do and make it
fun. I got that from my dad,
who loved getting up and
going to work,” Brine said.
“We have a blast” on the
show.
The men have seen many
changes take place over the
span of their 30-year career.
“The most obvious change
has been in technology,”
Brine said.
Let me tell you something about working with Loren Owens and Wally Brine.
Oh, wait. Let them tell you.
Wally: “Best thing that’s ever happened to
you! You can’t believe how generous and
caring we are!”
Loren: “And that I’m the quintessential
gentleman!”
Wally: “And that you’ve never had better
sex!”
All true. Well, mostly true. Actually, I’m
going to leave that last one alone.
Yes, they are caring. And gentlemen.
And generous. (Thanks for the Legal
Seafoods gift certificates, guys!)
And reading the news? I was terrible. I
read too fast. I stumbled over words. My
emphasis was off. My heart beat too fast
and my palms got all clammy. I thought:
reading the news in your head is simple.
Out loud? Not so much.
So here’s where the kind and caring and
generous stuff comes in.
They didn’t yell or pull Ken aside and
say, “Um, yeah, this girl? She might be
able to write, but she can’t read.”
Instead they encouraged me, and gave
me tips (“Even if you think you are going
too slow, it’s still not slow enough.”) and
made it seem like it was no big deal that
I said the Chicago Clubs three newscasts
in a row.
And because of them, I got better.
And working here very well may be the
best thing that’s ever happened to me.
(I know it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to my father, a longtime “Loren
& Wally” listener who has been regaling
us with Men from Maine for almost two
decades.)
For 30 years, Loren and Wally have been
making listeners in Boston belly laugh in
the morning - no small feat, let me tell
you. Have you ever been stuck in traffic
on the Southeast Expressway at 6 a.m.?
So when I had the chance to jump from
newspapers, where I wrote a column on
current events and pop culture, to joining Boston’s most beloved radio team, it
wasn’t if I’d say yes, it was how fast. (Just
ask WROR Program Director Ken West.
I think I scared him. I mean, why else
does he instinctively flinch every time I get
too close?)
Sure, it was a complete culture shock.
I had no idea what a pot was, or an air
check, or pinning the meters. When Loren & Wally producer Brian “Lungboy”
Bell told me a mic was hot, I said, “Mike
who?”
(As Brian said, there was only one way
to go.)
And you really have to be comfortable
with a group of guys to dress up like a nun
and chase a man in a gorilla suit around
the office. (Seriously, that happened.
There’s video. It beats writing obits. I
would know.)
I get two questions when people find out
I work on the “Loren & Wally” show.
First is: “How can you get up so early?”
The second: “What is it like to work with
those guys?”
My response usually answers both: “You
have to really like the people you work
with to get up at 3 a.m. And I laugh for
a living.”
I really like them. And I laugh all the
time.
Loren and Wally made me feel like I was
part of the gang from day one.
And that’s the kindest, most generous,
gentlemanly thing I’ve ever known.
G
Continued on page 23
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exclusive
special feature
BY REBECCA MORTON
Newspaper Division Launches Exclusively
Digital Publication
Staff, Community Excited about Return of Woodbridge Sentinel
AFTER a brief absence,
the use of color on every
page, large editorial spaces
where we can post stories,
photographs, and videos on
the same page, and the use
of multiple photographs per
assignment. This makes the
edition aesthetically pleasing,” Amato said.
the Woodbridge Sentinel
is back, providing residents
of New Jersey’s oldest and
fifth most populated township with all their local news
but in the interactive format
of an online newspaper.
Greater Media Newspapers
celebrated the launch of the
e-edition Woodbridge Sentinel on November 3 with a
staff pizza party.
One appeal to advertisers,
too, is that readers will see
their display ads right there
in front of them just like
in the average paper. It’s a
benefit in terms of collecting revenue from advertising as well. Waitt explained
that typically when ads are
placed on a news website,
the revenue is based on how
many clicks the advertisement receives. In the case
of the Woodbridge Sentinel,
advertisements can be sold
at flat rates because many
are in the other 10 Greater
Media publications.
The idea to bring the paper
back to life was sparked
by continuing interest from
local advertisers. Advertising Director Bob Waitt said
former advertisers from
the Woodbridge area were
missing the paper and asking for its return.
A suburban municipality
of over 99,000 residents,
Woodbridge has the unique
characteristic of having 10
towns within its 26 square
miles.
Celebrating the launch of the Woodbridge Sentinel online publication on
November 3 are Advertising Director Bob Waitt, Managing Editor Jennifer
Amato, Graphics Coordinator Karen Kesten, Systems Manager Jeff Messeroll,
and General Manager/Publisher Ben Cannizzaro.
With the high costs to reinstate a print edition, some
other format was necessary,
leading to the decision to
reinvent the Woodbridge
Sentinel in an online format.
pitched it to a few advertisers, they agreed. “You’re in
a market where people are
basically used to a paper,”
Waitt said of why he feels
this style will work with area
readers.
What is unique about the
Woodbridge Sentinel is that
viewers will see the paper
unfold before their eyes
in the format of a typical
newspaper, complete with
page-turning sound effects.
The paper can be viewed
at ws.gmnews.com and is
viewable on notebooks such
as the iPad as well as smartphones.
Waitt was a big supporter
of trying out the full newspaper view, and when he
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Staff writer Kathy Chang is back on
her old Woodbridge beat.
2 011
Jennifer Amato, managing
editor of the Woodbridge
Sentinel, pointed out some
of the main differences between a printed and online
paper. “A printed, paper version has restrictions such as
editorial space, process color, and the number of pages
because of the costs associated with physically printing
a newspaper. However, the
online version affords us
On a technical side there
are some great interactive
features that readers of the
Woodbridge Sentinel can
enjoy. Videos are embedded
right there on the page in
front of you ready for viewing. Readers who have a tip
to send to the editor can
click on her email address
right on the Opinion page
and open up an email.
Some advertisements are
interactive, complete with a
link to take the reader right
to the advertiser’s website.
Readers can also find an
archive of past issues.
Launching the innovative
online paper is just another
way that Greater Media
Newspapers is displaying its
desire to try new things and
Continued on next page
stay aggressive in the publishing market, according to
Gene Lennon, Production
and Systems Director.
“The most unique thing is
the overall approach, which
is to present it
in a full-page format,” Lennon said, adding that few
newspapers have
taken to presenting their
paper in this format.
A large campaign was
launched to let residents of
Woodbridge know that their
community news source
was back in action.
Waitt said postcards were
sent to many homes in the
township, along with a billboard placed at the Woodbridge train station. Advertising was also included in
Greater Media’s other publications and contests were
created to draw readers.
One big supporter of the
Woodbridge Sentinel is the
town’s mayor, John E. McCormac, who even spoke on
Greater Media’s WCTC-AM
to help spread the word.
If this newest venture
proves successful, Greater
Media Newspapers could
consider moving into other
untapped areas for more
online papers.
“We believe that if we can
prove a model like this is viable, it gives us the opportunity to expand into other
markets,” Lennon said.
So far feedback has been
positive, according to
reporter Kathy Chang,
who is back covering the
Woodbridge beat. Even
though the paper edition
ceased publication in 2010,
Chang’s years of reporting
on that beat have given her
the advantage of already
having a great rapport with
the town’s leaders and civic
organizations.
“All the feedback that I have
heard is that residents are
glad we are back to cover
everyday events, meetings,
and more, and they like the
look of the digital form,”
Chang said.
G
Bob Pedder of Greater Media Boston’s Marketing Group
Is Go-To Guy for Creative, Customized Ideas
By Clare Marie Celano
BOB Pedder is affectionately known by
The executive director says traditionally,
the sales department of a radio station
would have their annual sales locked in
by March.
his colleagues as “The Idea ATM.”
It’s a title the executive director of Greater
Media Boston’s Marketing Group has
earned over the years, many say, by being
the best you can be in his field.
If someone needs to know how to market
a product and how to create the best
customized package for it, Pedder is
the go-to guy, because he knows how to
create plans that work. No cookie cutter
proposals allowed!
Pedder, who is celebrating his 15th anniversary with Greater Media, thoroughly
enjoys the work he does.
In an interview with this creative idea
man, Pedder disclosed that he began
his career with Greater Media in 1997
working as the BTR specialist for WBOS
and WAOZ (the latter is no longer in
existence), and then as business development manager.
“No matter what my title was,” he
explained, “I’ve always done the same type
of work,” which is NTR or non-traditional revenue sales development.
When he started in the industry 33 years
ago, Pedder said there wasn’t a management position dedicated to campaign development, and by the 1990s, each radio
station had its own business development
manager. But as the years progressed,
there were more and more cluster-wide
radio positions, where the manager
would oversee more than one station.
Pedder became director of sponsorship in 2002 and held that position
until 2005 for Greater Media Boston’s
five FM stations: WBOS 92.9, WTKK
96.9, WKLB 102.5, WROR 105.7,
and MAGIC 106.7, where he helped
to develop event menus and ensure that
signature events, as well as smaller events,
were available for clients looking for live
face-to-face marketing.
“Creating strategic partnerships for the
company has been a passion of mine,”
he said.
In 2007, Pedder became executive director of the marketing group.
“Most people view me as director of
account development and come to me
for help, advice, and feedback developing
their accounts. Some sellers are new
Bob Pedder, GMMG Boston Director of Account Development.
and just learning; other veteran sellers
sometimes come to me because they need
a cool customized idea,” he said, adding
with humor, that he feels as though he has
become the “dean of the campus” now.
Working with the new sales representatives
and helping them to develop relationships with their accounts, as well as
boosting their confidence in the sales and
promotions area, is what he enjoys doing.
He described his role as part of a professional service support team to the sales
representatives.
“I also sometimes ‘move the needle,’ you
know, if a seller is stuck and cannot keep
certain projects moving and on track,”
he said.
As the “unsticker,” Pedder says he helps
sellers get excited with unique ideas and
work toward executing them.
But being on the creative side of the sales
process is what Pedder really enjoys. He
has seen many changes over the life of
his career in the industry, noting that
promotional work in the 1980s was very
different than it is now.
“Back then, there were many more radio
clients, businesses, and ad agencies. You
would have a radio sales staff of between
12 and 15 people at stations. Now, the
same stations will probably have a staff
of six or eight account executives. There
used to be 30 advertising agencies in the
area; now there are about 10,” he said.
“It is definitely much harder to get established in terms of getting your portfolio
of accounts established,” Pedder commented. “Years ago, it was not uncommon to be able to build up your portfolio
in one or two years; now it takes a lot
longer. There are fewer radio advertisers
and they are spending less money on our
terrestrial product.”
“People would buy their advertising in
bulk, meaning they would buy 1,000
spots for the year and spend a certain
amount of dollars for each spot. Today,
however, companies buy their advertising
for short durations, and you have to budget for that. You used to be able to plot it
out, but not anymore,” he explained.
He added that he has seen many sales
representatives come and go over the
years.
“Some come back and forth; others don’t
and leave the industry altogether. I’m the
only member of the senior sales staff left
here since we moved to our current facility in 1997,” he said.
Pedder recalled how substantial changes
started to come about in 2000 with the
increasing popularity of email.
“Websites began to flourish, and we
got involved in developing our digital
product in 2009 and 2010 with Senior
Vice President and General Manager of
Interactive Tom Bender,” he said.
“Clients are now experimenting with
the digital space, and we are encouraging
clients to integrate them and execute a
multi-touch point solution,” he said.
According to Pedder, clients today have
a wide range of channels to advertise
their product, including traditional silos
like radio and other platforms like the
Internet, mobile and social media using
products like streaming, email, ad units,
SEM, and pre-roll video, to name a few.
“All these products are in addition to all
of the incentive promotions we create
today,” the executive director said.
Pedder went on to say that keeping a pulse
on the trends of new media marketing is
an important part of his job.
“In the 1990s, it was one size fits all. Today, there are many ways to put products
together for any kind of budget and to
customize a campaign that meets the
objective. Today, choosing advertising for
our clients is like choosing from an idea
smorgasbord,” he teased. “And I’m like
the chef,” he said, laughing. “I think I
might even get myself an apron.”
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snapshots
greater media
in pictures
faces & places
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1. Anne Carlini with Gilbert Gottfried in
the RIFF studios; 2. WDHA midday host
Terrie Carr sits on the hood of her car
with comedian Jim Breuer; 3. WMMRFM’s Rabbi (middays), with Metallica’s
Kirk Hammett, backstage at the Big 4
at Yankee Stadium on 9/14/11; 4. Greater
Media Boston HR Coordinator Amy Hull
at a Veterans Job Fair; 5. Stacey Simms
with Rick Feinblatt at a WBT Coffee Stop
location, taking donated school supplies;
6. WMTR Cool Kids Members Claude
Jaillet, Steve Barna, Anthony Carrea and
Jen Strasle at the Saint Clare’s Walk for
Breast Cancer Awareness; 7. Musician
Livingston Taylor (r) stops by 96.9 FM Boston Talks’ Jim & Margery Show to promote
his new book, “Stage Performance”; 8. Rich
DeSisto, Bill Schultz, Liam Dacey and Chuck
Damico with The Bangles during a special
meet and greet for BEN “Mom Bloggers”
before BEN’s Bash with The Bangles;
9. Dan Fein, Nancy Palumbo and Tony
Harris displaying their “You Shook Me
All Night Long” earthquake pins after
the East Coast earthquake of 8/23/11;
10. WRIF’s Meltdown with Tiger pitcher
Doug Fister; 11. WDHA midday host
Terrie Carr with WDHA Promotions
Assistant John Hodorovych and a listener before going on a zipline at Turtle
Back Zoo; 12. WLNK’s Matt & Ramona
broadcasting live from Burger Co. at the
1st Annual Freemore Friday; 13. Seth, Ashley, Chris Edmonds (WMGC afternoon
drive), Brian Figula (WMGC Program
Director) and Les from Hardcore Pawn;
14. GMNJ Gen’l Manager Dan Henrickson
with MAGIC 98.3’s Woman of the Year recipient Dr. Karen Hays; 15. 97.5 The Fanatic’s
Darren Daulton and the girls from Hooters;
16. WMMR’s Casey Boy (Producer–
Preston & Steve Show) messin’ with
Green Man at the “It’s Always Sunny
in Philadelphia” season premiere at
The Troc in Philly; 17. Jared Fogle, “The
Subway Guy” and official spokesperson for Subway restaurants, and
Jason Rossi hanging out at Radio 929;
18. 96.9 Boston Talks show host Michael
Smerconish gets his flu shot from Osco
pharmacist Myra while doing his show;
19. John DeBella helps Andre Gardner prepare to donate during MGK’s
Rock N’ Roll Up Your Sleeve blood drive;
20. MAGIC 100.1’s Glenn Kalina interviews
a penquin in the studio!; 21. WMMR’s latenight host Jacky Bam Bam hosting Legs
& Eggs, a third-shift happy-hour event in
South Philly; 22. 98.9 Boston Talks’ Hank
Morse and the Phantom Gourmet’s Michael Andelman don their royal headgear,
as they host EMARC’s 17th Annual Tucker
Gala to benefit people with intellectual
disabilities; 23. The MAGIC 105.1 Promotions Staff had a blast at the annual
MAGIC Halloween Party all dressed up in
their favorite costumes; 24. Bert Baron
broadcasting from the 9/11 Commemorative Exhibit in Woodbridge, NJ; 25. Arista
recording artist Jerrod Niemann surprised
WKLB Program Director Mike Brophey
with a cake on his birthday; 26. WDHAWMTR General Manager Nancy McKinley
and WMTR Operations Manager Chris
Edwards address the crowd at the Saint
Clare’s Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness;
27. Liam Dacey with Felicity Jones, co-star
of the film “Like Crazy,” at the Philadelphia Film Festival’s Opening Night Party;
28. WDHA Morning Jolt host Kim Mulligan and WDHA Program Director and
afternoon drive host Curtis Kay congratulate the Ultimate Rock Dog, Rendi;
29. Panther fans compete for prizes on
the WBT stage at the WBT tailgate party
held before each game; 30. WMMR’s
Jacky Bam Bam gets a makeover. Here
he is pictured (l) with Nikki Sixx (r) BEFORE the makeover; 31. WMMR’s Jacky
Bam Bam AFTER the makeover! Really?!
32. WLNK’s Kelly, Brent, Anthony and
Matt cruise Lake Norman on a doubledecker party yacht with some lucky
listeners; 33. WMGK PD Charley Lake
draws winners during MGK’s Listener
Appreciation Party. The prizes included
a trip to the Bahamas, an autographed
Bon Jovi guitar, and tickets to be in the
MGK “suite” for the Bob Seger show;
34.Greater Media, Inc. Payroll/Benefits/
HR Manager Madelene Higgins as a
“Ghoul Scout” (left) with her friend, Gin.
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H O n o r s
MAGIC 106.7 FM’s David Allan Boucher
Wins People’s Choice Award from
Boston Magazine
&
A w a r d s
Greater Media Chairman & CEO
Peter H. Smyth Named America’s
Best Broadcaster
Peter H.
Smyth,
Chairman
& Chief
Executive
Officer of
Greater
Media, Inc.
MAGIC 106.7’s very own
David Allan Boucher recently
received the People’s Choice
award for Favorite On-Air
Personality from Boston
Magazine. He was featured
in the October 2011 issue of
the publication. Boucher will
celebrate his 30-year anniversary on the station in
January 2012.
David Allan Boucher
Greater Media Program
Directors Named Among the
Best by Radio Ink magazine
Greater Media Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer Peter
H. Smyth was named America’s Best Broadcaster by
Radio Ink magazine during
the 2011 Annual Radio Wayne
Vice Presidents of
Programming
Buzz Knight/VP of
Program Development/
Greater Media, Inc.
Markets 1-10
Charley Lake /WMGKFM Philadelphia
Markets 51-100
Carl Craft/
WRAT-FM/
Monmouth
Ocean
Markets 1-10
Bill Weston WMMR-FM
Philadelphia
Markets 1-10
Grace Blazer/WTKK-FM
Boston
The prestigious honor is
given to an individual who
has made the greatest impact on the radio industry as
a whole. The Radio Wayne
Awards were inspired and
named after Radio Wayne
Cornils, a radio broadcaster
who served many years as
an executive vice president
of the Radio Advertising
Bureau.
93.3 WMMR-FM’s Jim Antes
Named Recipient of the Radio Wayne
Sales Manager of the Year Award
at 2011 Radio Show
Jim Antes,
WMMR
General
Sales
Manager.
Congratulations to the following individuals in being
named among the Best Program Directors in the country
by Radio Ink magazine!
Markets 11-25
Brent Alberts/
WCSX-FM
Detroit
Awards on September 14
during a special luncheon at
the Hyatt Regency Hotel in
Chicago.
93.3 WMMR-FM General
Sales Manager Jim Antes
was named the recipient of
the 2011 Radio Wayne “Sales
Manager of Year” Award by
Radio Ink magazine. The official presentation took place
September 14, 2011, during a
luncheon at the 2011 Radio
Show held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago.
The finalists were chosen by
a panel of respected industry
judges. The Radio Wayne
Awards, honoring the top
managers and sales people
in radio, were inspired and
named after Radio Wayne
Cornils, a broadcaster who
served many years as an executive vice president of the
Radio Advertising Bureau.
“We are very proud of Jim for
this outstanding accomplishment,” said Greater Media
Chairman and CEO Peter H.
Smyth. “He makes Greater
Media Philadelphia greater
on a daily basis. It is an honor
to have him on our team.”
Antes has served as General
Sales Manager of WMMR-FM
since February 2006. Prior
to that, he worked as Local
Sales Manager at the station.
Continued on next page
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WMMR-FM’s Bill Weston
Named PD of the Year
WRAT-FM’s Maria Mar Named
Best Radio Personality
at Asbury Music Awards
Jersey’s Best
Radio Personality,
Jersey Rock Host
Maria Mar.
Congratulations to Bill Weston on recently being named
Program Director of the Year at the RadioContraband
Rock Radio Awards. The publication is a new trade
journal for the radio industry.
Greater Media Chairman
and CEO Peter Smyth Receives
Charles E. Rogerson Award
for Community Service in Boston
Greater Media,
Inc. Chairman and
Chief Executive
Officer Peter H.
Smyth with Tom
Bergeron.
Former MAGIC 106.7 Morning Personality and current
“Dancing with the Stars”
host Tom Bergeron emceed
Rogerson’s Welcome Home!
event on November 9, 2011,
at the Fairmont Copley Plaza
in Boston.
Bergeron was delighted to
return to Boston to help
honor his good friend,
Greater Media, Inc. Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Smyth, who received
the prestigious Charles E.
Rogerson Award for Community Service.
Rogerson Communities
builds and manages affordable housing for Boston’s
working poor and lowincome elders and was a
pioneer of adult day health
programs in Massachusetts.
Founded in 1860, Rogerson
has grown into a multi-dimensional organization with
a network of 25 properties
and adult day health programs throughout Greater
Boston and continues its
150-year legacy of fostering progressive care for our
elders.
Proceeds from this event
supported Rogerson’s innovative housing and health
programs, which promote
dignity, longevity and vitality
for elders.
For New Jersey, Asbury Park
has been a hot bed for music
of all kinds. With its continuing resurgence as a go-to
destination for diners, beach
enthusiasts, music fans or
historians, Asbury Park has
always been the place for
local, live music. With such
notables that have emerged
from the scene as Bruce
Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Skid
Row and a whole host of
others, Asbury Park remains
on the radar of every major record company in the
country.
That being said, for 19 years
Asbury Park has held the Asbury Music Awards. On this
night, awards are given to
those that the people in the
music industry surrounding
Asbury Park feel are the best
of the best. Some of the categories are: Best Rock Band,
Best Guitarist, Best Female
Vocalist, Best Male Vocalist,
Best Thing to Happen to Asbury Park in 2011, and many
others. But the one that we
were interested in was Best
Radio Personality in support
of live music. For that category the Rat had four out of
ten nominees: Rockyn Robyn
Lane, Steve Hook, Electric
Ballroom host Keith Roth and
Jersey Rock host Maria Mar.
As Santino, the lead singer of
Scarlet Carson (previous winners of the Rat Rock Band
Search), read off the nominees, he had a look in his eye
… especially as he read the
last nominee, Maria Mar. As
he opened the envelope and
read the name to himself, he
looked in the direction of the
Rat staff, gave a whiplash
smile and a wink in the direction of the winner, Rat’s newest personality Maria Mar!
Maria started at the station as receptionist and
worked her way to Promotion Coordinator. Thanks to
her passion in local and live
music, she was tapped on
the shoulder to take over the
Jersey Rock show on the Rat,
a specialty segment that airs
Tuesday – Thursday showcasing a different local act
each week. With the show
being the longest running
local music showcase in New
Jersey (originally hosted by
Steve Hook), Maria took her
new responsibility to new
heights, keeping an updated
web page promoting each
week’s band, fielding calls
from local venues looking for
band suggestions to serve
as opening acts and even a
call from Fox TV looking for
a suggestion for a band to
serve as the music for next
year’s football season (one of
which they used…). Maria has
even sold a monthly Jersey
Rock Live Showcase to the
legendary Stone Pony venue.
So congratulations, Maria!
All at the Rat are extremely
proud to have you on our
team, and It’s awesome to
see the community give
credit to where credit is most
certainly due.
Continued on page 21
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V E T E R A N S
WMGK FM’s John DeBella Collects Over
1,000 Suits for Local Veterans
102.9 WMGK morning host
John DeBella asked MGK
listeners to help him collect “gently used business”
attire that local veterans
could wear when going on
job interviews. He set up
two collection locations
where listeners could drop
off clothing on October 22.
The response from WMGK
listeners was tremendous.
Over 1,000 suits, sports coat/
slack combos, shirts, ties and
women’s business clothing
were donated to John
DeBella’s Veterans Suit Drive.
“The outpouring of support
from MGK listeners in the
Delaware Valley was amazing. Their business attire will
really help veterans returning
from Iraq and Afghanistan,
as well as vets from previous
wars, in their search for employment,” said John DeBella.
This latest effort comes on
WMGK’s DeBella veteran clothing
drive drop-off location.
WMGK’s John DeBella models a tie
donated by this listener.
the heels of two extremely
successful veterans-related
events that MGK’s morning
man hosted this past summer. His 5th Annual John
DeBella Radiothon on June
17 and the 1st annual John
DeBella Veterans Open on
August 1 together raised over
$100,000 for local veterans.
Country 102.5 and MAGIC 106.7 FM
at ‘Runway USA’ to Benefit Operation
Troop Support
The fashion show featured
designer collections from
Lorraine Roy of Danvers to
benefit Operation Troop Support and included a special
commendation to Rosanna Masse, a 92-year-old
Army nurse who served in
Italy and North Africa under
General George S. Patton.
MAGIC 106.7’s Candy O’Terry
presented Rosanna with her
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Greater Media New Jersey Stations &
Newspapers Host Hire a Veteran Job Fair
Veterans seeking employment found more than 33
companies with job openings
waiting to speak to them at
Greater Media New Jersey’s
Hire a Veteran Job Fair.
The event took place on
November 9 at Merri-Makers
at the PNC Reception Center,
Holmdel.
The job fair, presented
by Greater Media, Inc.’s
New Jersey radio stations
(WDHA-FM, WMTR-AM,
WMGQ-FM, WCTC-AM,
WRAT-FM and WJRZ-FM),
Greater Media Newspapers,
and Toms River dentist Dr.
Ron Rotem, featured several workshops, sponsored
in part by All-American Ford
and Carrier Clinic, to help
veterans returning from active duty overseas and who
are faced with a poor job
market. Other workshops
included Carrier Clinic’s “Handling Stress.”
Military resources available
on site included Employer
Support of the Guard and
Reserve (ESGR), the Tip of
Country 102.5’s Lori Grande
and Carolyn Kruse were the
“hostesses with the mostest”
at “Runway USA,” held November 7 at the North Shore
Music Theatre in Beverly, MA.
(l-r): Country 102.5 morning show
host Lori Grande, MAGIC 106.7’s
Candy O’Terry and Country 102.5
midday host Carolyn Kruse.
D A Y
the Arrow Foundation, the
Department of Labor, the
National Guard and the State
Family Readiness Council of
New Jersey.
Participating employers
included Affinity Federal Credit Union, Aflac,
All-American Ford, Bayada
Nurses, Boy Scouts of
America, Brookdale Community College, Carrier Clinic,
Cintas, Comcast, Dr. Ron
Rotem DDS, Foley Inc., G.I.
Go Fund, Gaming Laboratories Int’l, Interworld Highway
LLC, Johnson and Johnson,
Meridian Health, MerriMakers Caterers, Milspray,
Monmouth University, My
Limo, New Jersey Resources
Corporation, New York Life,
Port Jersey Logistics, Prudential, Qualcare, Securitas
Security Services, Taco Bell,
The Earle Companies, Transworld Systems Inc., United
States Department of Labor,
United States Secret Service,
Viridian Energy and Environmental, and Wells Fargo.
Michael Graham at Hanscom Field
for the 9/11 tribute
award and performed the
national anthem.
Local country singer Kiley
Evans sang “God Bless
America” and entertained
guests immediately following the event.
2 011
Continued on next page
WROR-FM’s Loren & Wally Show Hosts
Thanks for Serving Veterans Dinner
H O n o r s
&
A w a r d s
Young Journalist Off
to Award-Winning Career
major breaking-news stories
for “The CBS Evening News
with Katie Couric”; writing
for The Home News Tribune
in East Brunswick, NJ; and
gathering and editing audio
for WABC Radio’s “The Curtis
Sliwa Show.”
Wally Brine with Derek
Cotton, U.S. Army veteran
formerly stationed at
Fort Stewart, GA.
Loren Owens (far left)
and Wally Brine (far right)
with our veterans.
For Greater Media Newspapers, Zawistowski primarily
covers the Central Jersey
towns of Old Bridge and East
Brunswick, writing on topics
from local government and
education to crime and community events.
WMGK-FM 102.9 and Fox 29 Join Forces
to Honor Philadelphia’s Troops
Chris Zawistowski proudly shows
off his Press Award.
Fox 29 and WMGK 102.9
partnered to pay tribute to
the military, through a series
of events designed to raise
funds, collect materials and
boost morale in support of
U.S. troops abroad and in
Philadelphia.
Last in the series of events
was a block party titled Good
Day Salutes the Military,
which took place September
9. Festivities were broadcast on Fox 29 during Good
Day from 7 to 10 a.m. This
event, which was open to the
public, recognized the 10th
anniversary of 9/11.
“George Washington said
the willingness with which
our young people are likely
to serve shall be directly
proportional to how they feel
the veterans of earlier wars
were treated. More needs to
be done to assist the brave
men and women who have
sacrificed so much on behalf
of our country,” said John
DeBella, co-host of WMGK’s
“The John De Bella Morning
Show.”
Just six months into his
career as a reporter with
Greater Media Newspapers,
Chris Zawistowski is already
an award-winning journalist.
John DeBella proudly stands with
one of our honored veterans.
John DeBella broadcasts live from
the block party, with the help of
some special friends.
Members of the military display a
WMGK banner at the block party.
In November, Zawistowski
was presented with the
prestigious Press Award from
the New Jersey Municipal
Management Association, an
organization of professional
local government administrators and assistants whose
goal is to improve the quality
of local government in New
Jersey. The group awards
one journalist each year during its annual luncheon in
Atlantic City, NJ.
Zawistowski came to Greater
Media on June 1 after graduating from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, with
a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Journalism and Media Studies/History. During college,
he completed several impressive internships: Conducting
research for the CBS News
Investigative Unit in New
York; assisting senior producers and working closely with
In his nomination letter
for the Press Award, Old
Bridge Business Administrator Joseph Criscuolo said
Zawistowski “has consistently
verified facts in his stories
and has gone out of his way
to research and educate
himself on topics with which
he is not familiar. Additionally,
Chris is very conscientious
about being factually accurate and has demonstrated a
willingness to correct factual
errors if and when they occur. He is even-handed about
his coverage and presentation of local stories. He is
everything you would hope
to find in a press reporter on
local government issues and
a credit to his profession as
a journalist. Over the years, I
have worked with numerous
reporters on daily and local
papers, and find Chris to be
exemplary in his work ethic
and skill level.”
Zawistowski said it was an
honor to receive this award.
“I have met a lot of wonderful
people since I started working for Greater Media,” he
said. “It has been a joy covering Old Bridge and working
to keep residents informed
on what’s happening around
town.”
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By Tom Bender
Interactive Corner
Personal, Social and Mobile
There are times when nothing can replace the personal touch. This is equally
true in the digital world; no
matter how much technology we can employ,
nothing builds teamwork
better than a face-to-face
meeting.
Interactive Sales & Marketing
Managers Meeting
In June, we made the time
and resources available for
the company’s Interactive
Sales & Marketing Managers to meet in Charlotte.
Thanks to Rick Feinblatt
and the hospitality of his
team, we met at The Duke
Mansion for an intensive
day and half of conversation and priority-setting.
For some of the interactive
managers, it was their first
time meeting one another,
and they welcomed the
opportunity to talk more in
depth about their challenges and successes to date.
project management, social
media, email marketing,
content development and
sharing.
Each market spotlighted
many of their integrated
marketing success stories,
and their feedback on the
need for a better way to
share ideas and content
resulted in the creation of
Greater Media Interactive
website.
The site, built by Billy Clanton Jr. (GMNJ) and Chris
Brunt (GMD), houses a
wide variety of interactive
information from Sales &
Promotion Case Studies to
code and a graphics/image
library. This new resource
helps provide Greater Media
Interactive Sales & Marketing Managers and Technical
Interactive Managers another way to combine efforts
and increase successes.
Interactive Marketing & Sales
Managers (L-R): Bob Pedder,
Dir. of Account Development,
Boston; Jennifer Williams, Dir. of
Interactive Marketing, Greater Media, Inc.; Jonathan Mauney, Dir. of
Interactive Media, Charlotte; Carly
Yerman, Dir. of Interactive Marketing, Detroit; Tammy Lowry, Interactive & Account Development
Manager, Charlotte; Trip Savery,
Director of Sales, Charlotte; Kelly
Wallace, Interactive & Account
Development Manager, Philadelphia; Tom Bender, SVP, Greater
Media Interactive; and Tony Odachowski, Interactive & Account
Development Manager, NJ.
Topics the team covered
during their time together
included deal programs,
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GMI website screen shot
(photo gallery)
first face-to-face meeting of
the Greater Media Technical Interactive Managers.
Hosted by Steve Kosbau and
the Greater Media Detroit
team in the Motor City, attendees had the opportunity
to review as a group, issues
and solutions key to continued interactive success and
growth.
can better utilize our talent and resources across
clusters.
In a very similar spirit, the
technical managers found
out very quickly that they
face similar challenges in
each of their home cities and
were able to exchange information and ideas to help
one another in their very
fast-moving and complex
field.
To aid their efforts, the
corporate Greater Media
Interactive team is providing stations with Facebook artwork and weekly
social media conversation
starters. Created by our
graphic design interns, the
Sessions focused on development, workflow and
queue management, staff
education, coding tricks and
tips, and of course spotlighting the many amazing digital
projects created by team
members in each market.
Let’s Get Social
Stations are stepping up
their listener engagement
strategies with focused
datebase programs and
social media initiatives.
WMTR Facebook
Since the meeting was in
Detroit, attendees were
treated to a “Made in
Michigan” lunch of Dearborn
brands Coney Dogs, Better
Made Chips and Faygo soda
pop.
WMTR Facebook
Tech managers & hot dog cart
GMI website screen shot
(Case studies)
Technical Interactive
Managers Meeting
This summer also saw the
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One of the themes that
arose from the meeting was
a new focus on “building and
designing with purpose and
a re-purpose” so that we
WMTR Facebook
Continued on from page 13
•Instant Messaging (SMS)
from phone to station
short code
•Deep in-car dashboard
integration
… and much more.
WMTR Facebook
artwork is being customized and deployed to
spotlight dates and events
important to the stations
and listeners. We especially enjoy working on special
station programs like the
Fan of the Week projects
at WRAT and WCSX.
left, Face Buckers Avatar
right, WRAT Fan of the Week
Going Mobile
When it comes to connecting with listeners, all eyes
and ears are turning to mobile. That’s why during the
first half of 2012, many of
our stations’ mobile apps
will be relaunched with
new functionality:
Look for new features in
these apps that include:
•Streaming audio for up to
5 channels
•Ability for on demand (or
podcast) audio
•Title artist information
on all songs as played.
For talk and information
stations, locally generated
text display.
•Ability for live video
streaming
•Facebook integration for
sharing
•Twitter integration for station message feeds
Look for these new mobile
apps to hit the iTunes and
Android marketplaces in
early 2012.
Data Is King
One of the most important
marketing tools we have is
our station loyal listener database. These are listeners
who have raised their hand,
or clicked their mouse,
and given us permission to
communicate with them.
How much do we really
know about these consumers of our station brand
besides their email address
and zip code? What are
their favorite bands? Are
they married? Do they have
kids? Would they rather
go to a concert or just out
to dinner with friends on
Friday night? Do they golf,
go to movies, take trips?
As a result of our efforts,
we are learning the answers
to these questions and
more. We look forward to
employing this very specific
data to better market our
brands, and to help our
advertisers.
Larry Weber, author of
“Marketing to the Social
Web,” says, “As you’ve noticed, people don’t want to
be sold. What people want
is news and information
about the things they care
about.”
The more we know about
those listeners who have
opted in for a deeper relationship with our stations,
the better we’ll be able to
provide them with information about the things
THEY care about … and
that is relationship marketG
ing gold.
“When we started, everything was vinyl records and
turntables. Our music was
on tape on 10-inch reels
and we edited by splicing the tapes,” Brine said.
“Now everything is on hard
drives and the music is all
programmed. All we do
is press buttons,” he said,
adding that he does most
of the editing. “Everything is
done by computer now. It’s
phenomenal.”
Both men have wonderful
memories of events over the
years at the radio station.
Some of Owens’ favorites
include racing around the
world with Brine (by plane).
This was done in the early
1980s and can be likened to
a spoof of the Today show’s
“Where in the World Is Matt
Lauer?”
“What are the odds that
would happen to both of
us?” he said.
Brian Bell, the show’s executive producer, was initially
a listener of the dynamic
duo’s show.
“Our whole station is based
around their morning show.
They have no egos,” he
said. “Their show drives the
attitude of the station and
carries over to make it a
fun station. And you really
can’t fake the fun. It comes
through that we are all
genuinely having fun hanging out.”
Bell says the show has
become a part of people’s
everyday lives.
“We all sit around and talk
like we’re having coffee with
our friends.”
“Wally went west and I went
east,” Owens said.
Also on his list are the many
trips they’ve made overseas,
doing shows in London,
Rome, Paris, Australia,
among other locations. Being part of the dedication
of the Statue of Liberty in
1987 and taking a listener on
a schooner in the Parade of
Tall Ships are also memorable moments.
97.5 The Fanatic
Welcomes Michael Vick
and Vince Young
Brine recounts a bit of a
strange experience when
the crew stayed overnight
one Halloween at an old sea
captain’s home that was
believed to be haunted.
(l-r) Michael Vick & Mike Missanelli
“It had been vacant for
years,” he said.
He remembers all of the
crew camping out by a fireplace to sleep.
“I remember feeling someone pulling on my hair, while
I was trying to get to sleep,”
Brine said.
Next morning, another crew
member said he had had
the same experience and
ended up covering his head
with his jacket.
ON September 13, 97.5 The Fanatic
had Eagles quarterbacks Michael Vick
and Vince Young live on with Mike
Missanelli from The Aloft Philadelphia
Airport Hotel. The event benefited
the Vince Young Foundation, www.
VYFoundation.com, which provides
empowerment, resources and leadership opportunities to equip our next
generation of leaders, from all walks of
life to believe, to achieve and to succeed.
Fans got a chance to rub elbows with
players, take pictures with Swoop and
enjoy food provided by Vince Young
Foods.
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tradition
special feature
BY BRIAN DONAHUE
Where Ice Skating Meets NASCAR
WBT’s Holiday Tradition Is on the Move
and Going for the Win at New Site
A radio station that’s been
DuBois, it was a return to a
childhood pastime.
around as long as Charlotte’s WBT, which will celebrate its 95th birthday in
2012, has a certain responsibility to the community it
serves.
“For me anyway, it was
really cool, because in
Charlotte people don’t ice
skate. It’s just not part of
our culture down here in the
South. But there are a ton
of Northerners that are living down here. And we do
have ice rinks too—it’s not
that we don’t have any, it’s
just not part of the day-today lifestyle that you would
have up North,” DuBois said.
At least that was how
Matt DuBois, Director of
Marketing, saw it when he
proposed an idea that was
somewhat unusual by North
Carolina standards.
“I’ve been in Charlotte for
over 15 years now,” the Buffalo, NY, native said, “and
for whatever reason, eight
years ago it just hit me and
I walked into my general
manager’s office and said,
‘Have you ever thought
about putting in an outdoor
ice rink?’ And he kind of
looked at me like I had three
heads, and he said, ‘No,
we’ve never thought about
it.’ And I said, ‘Well, I think
we should.’ ”
They agreed that DuBois
would research how this
could be accomplished and
whether it would work, and
the station management
soon realized they had in
their reach a great opportunity for a new holiday tradition that would run from
the week of Thanksgiving to
early January.
While DuBois was eager
to bring the southern city
a northern pastime that
he grew up around, it was
equally important, he believed, that WBT fulfill an
obligation to the community
as a heritage radio station.
While WBT had since 1976
presented a hugely popular Fourth of July fireworks
show, a holiday-season out24
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The best part, he said, has
been to see families come
out with kids who are putting on ice skates for the
first time.
clockwise from above,
WBT Marketing Director Matt
Dubois, the Holiday on Ice program
creator and organizer, enjoying
some ice time at the new rink.
Skaters enjoy Holiday on Ice.
Keith Larson warming up, checking
out the rink.
NASCAR Hall of Fame Director
Winston Kelly at the ribbon-cutting
ceremony opening the new ice rink
November 22.
door ice rink would make its
perfect winter companion.
“The idea was that we’ve
been doing this great event
and providing this for the
city in the summer, but
there really wasn’t a marquee event that WBT was
doing around the holidays,”
DuBois said. Of course, the
station has always done
charitable work around the
holidays, such as Toys for
2 011
Tots, but this would be a
signature WBT event, something special for the community to look forward to.
Introduced in November
2004, WBT’s Holiday on
Ice was an instant hit, luring an estimated 12,000 to
13,000 people to The Green
Uptown in Charlotte that
first year. It would introduce
many to skating for the first
time, while for others like
“There’s just something
about ice skating and
Christmastime and the
holidays, and you bring it all
together and you see the
smiles on their faces, and
you know that you’re actually affecting these people,”
DuBois said.
But presenting Holiday on
Ice is no easy feat. Work
starts months in advance,
when WBT and sister station WLNK, which has
become involved in the program in recent years, begin
putting together sponsorships and sales packages
for partners and clients,
and planning for the physical construction of the rink,
the skate house, the walking and sitting areas, and
amenities. Another team
focuses on organizing special events, group requests,
and schedule coordination.
WBT manages the entire
program, hiring an outside
Continued on next page
company only for equipment rental.
The multi-team approach
ultimately comes together
each year to offer a MAGICal experience that attracts
families from as far as 100
miles away. While special
programs like Date Night
and Home School Days are
a hit each year, some of the
highlights from over the
years have been unpredictable—at least a half-dozen
couples have gotten engaged at the rink, sometimes spontaneously, others
by making arrangements
ahead of time with WBT.
Holiday on Ice has grown in
popularity with every passing year, eventually reaching
attendance of 25,000 for
the 2010 season. Though
WBT expanded the size
of the rink a couple times
over the years at The Green,
eventually offering 5,000
square feet of ice, space
limitations at the scenic
park were restricting the
program’s inevitable growth.
It became clear that Holiday
on Ice needed a new location with a larger surface
in order to provide a more
comfortable experience for
the ever-increasing crowds
that pack the rink from wall
to wall on the busier nights.
Enter the NASCAR Hall
of Fame, which opened
its doors uptown in 2010.
According to DuBois, the
racing institution was the
one to initiate dialogue
about hosting the rink at its
Ceremonial Plaza.
“They actually approached
us, and kind of more in
that teasing kind of way
like, ‘Hey, if you ever decide you’re looking for a
new location for the ice
rink, let us know.’ So we
reached back out to them
then and said, ‘You know, I
think we’re ready to actually
have a conversation about
it and see what happens,’
and we met with them,”
DuBois said. “We have a
lot of common interests.
They are looking for exposure and looking to try to
show people where they’re
located … and we’re looking
for the extra space that they
have available. It just really
worked out to be a great
partnership.”
As a result, Holiday on Ice
now offers skaters 7,000
square feet of ice with a
spectacular view of the city
skyline. And of course, all of
the special events that WBT
introduced at the former
location, from Skating with
Santa to live shows with
WBT hosts, are back this
year.
According to Trip Savery,
Director of Sales for WBT
AM/FM, WLNK FM, and the
Bob & Sheri Network, the
new location has several
benefits. First, it’s a much
bigger rink and in a much
more visible location, giving
more people the opportunity to skate at any given
time. But equally as important, he said, the partnership with the NASCAR Hall
of Fame has enabled the
offering of a combination
ticket for both attractions.
“Now, families can come
down to skate and also
check out the NASCAR Hall
of Fame and its 40,000
square feet of hands-on
interactive exhibits,” Savery
said. “You don’t normally
think of ice skating and NASCAR in the same context,
but we are going to change
that, in Charlotte at least.”
Though the success of
Holiday on Ice, as an outdoor program, is somewhat
dependent on the weather,
the station management
expected that this would be
its biggest year yet.
“Holiday on Ice is the Rockefeller Center in uptown
Charlotte,” said Tammy
Lowry, Interactive and Account Development Manager with Greater Media
Charlotte. “Last year, we had
approximately 25,000 skaters, not counting the people
who observed and walked
by the event site. Now with
the ice rink being one-third
larger … we anticipate having a larger crowd this year.”
ner Cable and Piedmont
Natural Gas are back as
co-presenting sponsors of
Holiday on Ice, and several
additional clients also help
to make the holiday MAGIC
come to life for six weeks.
Savery noted that sponsors
and clients would benefit
from the visibility of the
street-level location, as well
as a larger area for client
promotions.
“We’ve got nothing but
compliments so far,”
DuBois said of the new
setting. “Of course the jury
will still be out until we finish the season and we see
what issues might come up
while we’re out there doing
it, but right now [just before Thanksgiving] there’s
a very high enthusiasm for
it. It’s very well embraced
by the city of Charlotte and
the officials, who see it as
an event that they want
here in their city.”
From the start, WBT used
the slogan, “Great family
traditions begin with News
Talk 1110 WBT.” And that
has held true, DuBois said.
“We’re kind of setting what
the standard is,” he said.
“We’re showing people that
this is a tradition that you
need to do every year, and
they do.”
G
WROR-FM Releases
Tom’s Townie Tunes –
Unplugged
CD cover
WROR’s Tom
Doyle … and
Tom Doyle!
DUE to popular demand, 105.7
WROR released Tom’s Townie Tunes:
UNPLUGGED, the third installment
of Townie Tunes. Tom’s new release
celebrates Loren and Wally’s 30th anniversary with 30 tracks, including all the
classics and some never-before-released
songs. Once again, Tom spares no
town, state or awkward situation. At the
CD release party, attendees received a
signed CD, “Townie Tuned” themselves
via green screen and Tom performed
a selection of songs from the CD with
a live band! The WROR online store
alone has sold over 600 copies in less
than a month! UNPLUGGED is sure to be
yet another Townie Tunes sell-out!
96.9 Boston Talks’ Jim & Margery Co-Host
Serious Fun: A Political Party
96.9 Boston Talks’ Jim Braude and
Margery Eagan co-hosted Serious Fun:
A Political Party, a celebration of the 15th
anniversary of MassINC’s CommonWealth magazine. All proceeds funded
MassINC’s CommonWealth Campaign
for Civic Journalism, as well as scholarships for three promising Massachusetts
journalism students.
Guests included Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Tom Menino, Lieutenant
Governor Tim Murray, state Senate
President Therese Murray, House
Speaker Bob DeLeo, Congressman
Mike Capuano, Charlie Baker, Joe
Malone, state Auditor Suzanne Bump,
WROR’s Lauren Beckham Falcone and
WTKK’s Michael Graham.
Serious Fun: A Political Party was filled with
politicians and commentators taking
aim at one another and enjoying a few
laughs in front of an audience of 500
at the John F. Kennedy Library, all
while enjoying cocktails and a gourmet
dinner. One highlight of the night
featured Boston’s own Mayor Menino
performing a skit where he played the
“Godfather.”
Lowry noted that Time War-
FA L L
Massachusetts Governor
Deval Patrick gets in the act with
Jim & Margery on stage.
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25
T H I
N K
MAGIC 100.1 FM Teams Up with
Susan G. Komen’s ‘Thinking Pink’
Fundraising Events
MAGIC 100.1’s
Morning Show
host Dianne
DeOliveira
placed second
in the Susan G.
Komen Race
for the Cure on
October 2.
P
I N K
Area Breast Cancer Survivors Featured
on MAGIC 105.1 FM Billboards
MAGIC 105.1 (WMGC-FM)
saluted Metro Detroit breast
cancer survivors during National Breast Cancer Month
in October. All survivors were
invited to be part of several
upcoming photo shoots.
Every survivor who was
photographed received a limited-edition MAGIC 105.1 pink
wristband. Survivors’ photos
rotated on digital billboards
throughout the Metro Detroit
area as part of MAGIC’s Pink
Ribbon Challenge.
In addition, listeners were
invited to help fight breast
cancer by going to www.detroitMAGIC.com and clicking
on to the Pink Ribbon Challenge, offering free mammograms to needy women!
The station’s goal was to get
105,000 clicks. If that goal
is reached, Jim Harper of
Jim Harper in the Morning
promised to wear a pink bra
throughout one of the shows
as listeners watch live via
webcam!
MAGIC 106.7 FM & Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer Walk Breaks Record
MAGIC 100.1’s Afternoon Drive jock Tripp Rogers, MAGIC
98.3’s PM Drive jock John Lisk and 1450 WCTC
Program Director Bert Baron pose with the Susan G.
Komen staff before the Pink Ducky Race on August 13.
Cancer survivors gather as MAGIC 100.1, MAGIC 98.2
and 1450 WCTC host the Susan G. Komen Race for the
Cure on October 2.
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Boston’s annual Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, held on October
2, was the most successful
ever (and it’s already the
biggest one in any market in
America), with over 40,000
walkers, raising $3 million!
Once again, Candy O’Terry –
MAGIC’s in-house warrior
in the fight against breast
cancer – did a fabulous job
emceeing the event and
motivating the crowd.
(Video available at:
www.MAGIC1067.com)
Continued on next page
WLNK-FM Helps Make Strides Against
Breast Cancer
MAGIC 100.1 FM Asks: What’s in the Box?
IT’S 8 feet tall, bright purple, and is
raised over 25 feet in the air on a scissor
lift in Brick, NJ … So, can you guess:
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
MAGIC 100.1 played a guessing game
with its listeners for over four weeks. It
was simple: There were three mystery
items in the box. Listeners had to tune in
every day as MAGIC 100.1 announced
clues about the mystery items.
For example, it gets dirty, it makes a great
dance partner, and it looks like a certain
breed of dog (a MOP!).
If a listener guessed what the three items
were, they were then entered into the
running for the grand prize: an allinclusive cruise for two to the Bahamas
and $2,500 to Zaksons Fine Furniture
Outlet! Listeners were also encouraged
to log in to the MAGIC 100.1 Listener
Club to get an extra clue.
MAGIC 100.1 mystery box.
On October 16, finalists came ready with
their guesses to the grand-prize giveaway
to see the boxed lowered and the three
mystery items were revealed!
Qualifying finalists gather in front of
the “box” to submit their guesses!
The LINK’s Piper Moore poses with a pink fairy.
Greater Media Boston’s 2nd Annual
National Sales Bostoberfest
GREATER Media Boston presented
Kelly McKay and the LINK street team
strike a pose in front of a pink fire truck.
2nd Annual National Sales Bostoberfest
event for 27 Katz representatives and
client/buyers October 21-23. The guests
arrived from all over the country Friday
night and were treated to a wee bit of the
Irish at MJ O’Connor’s, a popular Irish
pub. The night included dinner, an
Irish band and a performance by worldchampion-competing Irish step dancers.
On Saturday, most of the guests took a
bus to see one of the oldest rivalries in
college football: Harvard vs. Princeton at
Harvard Stadium, the oldest stadium in
the country. This fun fall event included
a fully catered tailgate party by Fox’s Master Chef finalist Tony Carbone. Others
spent a relaxing, full day at Boston’s
most luxurious spa, Emerge. The day
was capped off by a lobster clambake at
America’s oldest restaurant, The Union
Oyster House. Entertainment was provided by Paul Nardizzi, a local comedian
who has appeared on Conan O’Brien
show and Comedy Central. Many thanks
to the National Sales staff of Brian
Samborski, Kaitlin Campbell and Linda
Welch O’Grady for planning this very
successful and well-received event!
Greater Media Boston National Sales
staff, reps and clients gather for a
group picture before the Harvard vs.
Princeton tailgating party.
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27
music
the music that makes
greater media
MUSIC at greater media
WMMR-FM Presents Jaxon’s “Local Shots”
Artist of the Month Showcase
SINAI, Local Artist of the Month
band, kicking off the first show.
WMMR capped off the newest
extension of its long-term “Local
Shots” brand with Jaxon’s Local
Shots Artist of the Month Showcase at The
Legendary Dobbs on South Street.
The program highlights an area
band or artist for a month, including on-air and online elements.
Jaxon airs a song from that band
at each Wednesday’s Local Shots
at about 6:30 p.m. The band’s
material is highlighted on WMMR.
com through its own landing page,
podcasts, interview segments and
streaming. SINAI kicked off the
inaugural month in May, and the
program continues to highlight
much of the area’s talented musicians.
WMGK-FM Serves Up Dinner with DeBella
Twenty lucky MGK listeners enjoyed winning a Dinner with DeBella
before the Lynyrd Skynyrd show at The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City.
John DeBella and Jen Posner wined and dined the contest
winners at Wolfgang Puck’s before the show.
93.3 WMMR-FM noted
on the front and back covers
of the new Billy Joel reissued
CD, Piano Man
“Legacy Edition”!
Look Who Stopped by WDHA-FM
WDHA midday host Terrie Carr with
Sebastian Bach.
WDHA Program Director Curtis Kay
and midday host Terrie Carr with
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
in Studio D.
Continued on next page
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Radio 92.9 Music Notes
Justin from the band Blue
October took time out of his
stop in Boston for the Radio
92.9-presented show to do an
exclusive performance with listeners at Stingray, a local tattoo
and body art shop. While there,
he played new and old tunes,
took fan questions, and signed
autographs for an experience
you couldn’t get anywhere else.
Country 102.5 Music Series
Benefits Tufts Medical Center’s
Floating Hospital for Children
Country 102.5 continues their support of the Floating Hospital
for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston with the creation of the American Pride Music Series. Partnering with the
brand-new Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill restaurant
at Patriot Place in Foxborough, MA, the station put together
another outstanding music series featuring national acts.
Justin from Blue October signs
autographs for fans at Stingray.
Justin from Blue October with the Radio
92.9 staff: (top l-r)
Amy Walsh, Street
Team; Marco Corrado, Video Team;
Jason Rossi,
Promotion Coordinator; Paul Javis,
Music Director;
Crystal Margolis,
Marketing Director;
Matt Shearer,
Radio You Host;
(bottom l-r): Street
Teamers Sal Pacci
and Jeff Clark.
Tom Gossin and Mike Gossin of
Gloriana rock the stage.
Backstage at Country 102.5 WKLB-FM
Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar
and Grill holds more than a
thousand fans.
Lauren Alaina, Mike Gossin, WKLB
afternoon host Carolyn Kruse, Promotion Director Dawn Santolucito,
Gloriana’s Rachel Reinert, Tom Gossin
and Music Director Ginny Rogers.
Eddie Montgomery, Greater Media
videographer Julie Kennedy and
Troy Gentry
Kicking off the series, Country duo Montgomery Gentry
filled the 1,000-plus-capacity club with fans looking for
a good time in September. Next up, trio Gloriana and
“American Idol” runner-up Lauren Alaina brought their
energy to the series, again filling Toby’s with listeners who
braved the first snowfall of the year in October.
Hank Morse with
Lauren Alaina from “American Idol”
at WKLB’s American Pride Music
Series at Toby Keith’s restaurant,
I Love This Bar & Grill
Morning show co-host
Lori Grande and midday host
Carolyn Kruse back stage with
Brett Eldredge and Little Big Town
at the Rockin’ Country Music Series
at the Hard Rock Café.
All net proceeds benefited the Floating Hospital for
Children at Tufts Medical Center, which provides extraordinary care and exceptional comfort when children and
families need it the most. To date, Country 102.5 has
raised nearly $75,000 for the hospital.
Rockin’ with the RIFF
Anne Carlini with Adelita’s Way
in Las Vegas.
Meltdown live in Las Vegas
with Seether.
Steve Black with the band Chevelle
at their show at the Fillmore Detroit.
FA L L
Steve Black interviewing Monkey,
guitarist of Korn.
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29
insights
words from the
people at
greater media
greater insights
Country Music & Customer Service
By Ginny Rogers
One of the most
exciting – and
gratifying – elements of country
music is the accessibility of
the artists. Nearly every artist,
brand new or established, has
the ability to connect with their
fans almost on a one-to-one
basis. They do this through very
active fan clubs, meet and greets
at concerts, and by being “real”
people every time they have contact with their fans. They are also
using social networking for even
a more one-on-one connection
with the people who support
them. Facebook and Twitter are
a must for any act who wants to
stay connected to the pulse of
their fan base.
This is customer service maxed
out. A lot of attention is paid
to the fans, their “customers.”
They know this translates into
music downloads, merchandise
sales, and word-of-mouth support, which is a real momentum
builder in terms of their careers.
Also, exclusive to the country genre is the CMA Festival,
which was formerly called Fan
Fair. This is a weeklong event
in Nashville, which includes
daily concerts by most of the
country artists, and certainly the
superstars, and also a meet and
greet for most artists. Superstars
like Garth Brooks and Taylor
Swift have been known to stay
for hours upon hours to get
through the tremendous line
of fans and personally acknowledge each one with a photo or
autograph. No other format has
anything close to this personal
experience between artist and
fan.
concerted effort to connect with
our listeners. Every connection
should be special in some way …
a bit of special information, a
word of thanks for listening, and
sometimes just listening to how
they are feeling about our product – either positive or negative.
And … most importantly, when
something is truly not right, going over the top to address and
correct the problem, and maybe
swallowing pride in the process
if necessary.
Country 102.5 uses social networking regularly. All of our air
personalities and most staff use
Facebook and Twitter daily to
communicate with our fan base,
just like the artists do.
The station also collects many
special personal items, which
we have autographed during
local concerts, so we can utilize
a stash of selected auction and
raffle items for charity requests
and donations across the region.
We do our best to accommodate each request as it comes in,
again, touching one person at a
time.
In the world of country music,
both in the music industry and
the country radio industry, there
is extreme loyalty. With that
loyalty comes a deeper relationship that should be cultivated
and respected. Understanding
and capitalizing on that relationship and loyalty is a key to
success with country artists and
their fans, and country radio
and its fans!
No question the golden rule
applies. Do unto others as you
would have others do unto you!
Ginny Rogers is making Greater Media
great in her role as Assistant Program
Director/Music Director for WKLB in Boston.
What can we take away from this
super service? We should make a
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Making Sure Your Sales Team Is Ready to Win
By Jim Antes
Know as much or
more about the
customer than
they know themselves. Whether it’s a brand-new
sales call or a service call, it’s
important to keep up to date on
the customer’s business. Know
their products and services,
know their competition, and
know their target consumer.
With today’s technology there’s
no reason you cannot be armed
with information before you
see or speak to a client. The
Internet is loaded with information. I personally get Google
Alerts that keep me informed
on key advertisers or industries.
These alerts are great especially
when preparing for a sales call
or reaching out to a prospective
customer.
Have an agenda. Make sure your
customer knows exactly why you
are meeting. Everyone’s time is
valuable including yours and the
customer’s. Set the expectation
for the purpose of the meeting.
If your customer knows exactly
what to expect, there will be no
surprises. If you are conducting
a needs analysis, tell him. “I am
coming to see you to learn about
YOUR business.” If you are
coming with an idea, tell him. “I
am coming to share an incredible idea with you.” Setting an
agenda and expectations helps
keep the meeting flowing and
straightforward. No surprises,
no one likes them in the business world.
Turn those tools into ideas.
Every radio station has plenty of
tools, but it’s how you customize
those tools into ideas for customers that gives you the edge.
Ideas sell, not tools. Tools are a
means to execute the ideas. Ideas
need to be Cool, Custom and
Effective. Ideas need to be Cool.
Is this something fresh and
unique; is this something people
will take notice of? Ideas most
importantly need to be Custom.
Can this idea be taken to any
customer or is it custom specifically to the customer’s brand or
service? Ideas need to be Effective. This idea needs to generate
results. Can we measure and see
results? If you take time to turn
those tools into ideas, you will
close a lot of business.
Jim Antes is making Greater Media
great in his role as General Sales Manager
at 93.3 WMMR in Philadelphia.
Powerful Words
By Karen Suddreth
The radio industry
is all about making
connections with
our listeners and clients. We
work hard to gain their trust,
and their business. We will jump
through hoops to provide results
for our clients. We utilize every
ounce of creative juice to engage
our listeners. Do we ever think
to show our gratitude by simply
saying “thank you”?
It can be argued that saying
“thank you” is the most powerful, and lasting, way to make
connections with others. It isn’t
by mistake that one of the first
manners we are taught by our
parents is to say “thank you.”
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2 011
Marshal Goldsmith, author of
“What Got You Here Won’t Get
You There,” says that “failing
to express gratitude is the most
basic form of bad manners.” He
is right. Upon this one simple
utterance is built all other tenets
of courtesy and decorum. You
know the old saying about a cobbler that “for the want of a nail,
the shoe was lost.” Well, for the
lack of a thank you, a culture can
be lost.
The power of “thank you” is
staggering. Thank you can reframe an explosive situation and
change volatile to steady. Thank
you empowers both the giver
and receiver. Thank you reveals
our vulnerability and that we do,
indeed, need help from others.
And when you have nothing left,
you are completely spent mentally and fiscally, thank you is
always the one gift you can give.
Responsibility Project – Exploring What It Means to Do the
Right Thing. You’ve seen their
commercials where strangers
are paying forward a simple
kindness. What a powerful message – by showing kindness, you
are showing responsibility and,
therefore, changing the world.
WLNK-FM’s Beachin’ Trip to Hilton Head
107.9 the LINK gave listeners a chance
to get away with their favorite radio personalities. A weekend trip to Hilton Head
included beach games, live broadcasting,
exciting hurricane weather and relaxing
by the pool.
I suggest that expressing gratitude, showing recognition, and
saying thank you can also change
the world. We are fortunate to
work in an industry that allows
us the opportunity to make a
difference in the lives of our
clients, listeners and the communities we serve. Let’s make it
“our project” to utter these two
powerful words – thank you – to
all of our stakeholders, to all
who make us successful and to all
who bring meaning to our lives.
Karen Suddreth is making Greater Media great in her
role as Corporate HR Manager for Greater Media.
Liberty Mutual, the giant insurance company, has started The
WROR-FM’s Very Own
Dancin’ with the Stars
Kelly McKay broadcasting live in
hurricane waters.
A group picture of the WLNK 2011 Hilton Head beach gang.
WKLB-FM Kicks Up Red High Heel Club
with Kip Moore
ITwas an extra special Red High Heel
Club event in August when MCA Nashville recording artist Kip Moore stopped
by LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA, to
serenade some lucky ladies and their
guests. After enjoying the performance
from atop the grandstand, Kip and the
ladies made their way down to the field
for some photos and to watch the Lowell
Spinners, a minor league affiliate of the
Red Sox. Just for our women listeners,
the Country 102.5 Red High Heel Club
also offers a lifestyle newsletter and web
page at WKLB.com.
HANK Morse, Lauren Beckham
Falcone, PJ the Eternal Intern and Julie
Devereaux took four weeks of dance
lessons and competed to win not only
bragging rights but $500 to give to the
charity of their choice. Every week a new
video was posted and viewers voted for
who they thought was ... most improved,
entertaining or in need of a pity vote.
And the winner was … Lauren Beckham
Falcone (top right)! She will be presenting a check to Massachusetts Down
Syndrome Congress.
The video channel has been viewed over
4,000 times!
Kip Moore plays for the
Red High Heel Club.
Kip with Morning Show host
Lori Grande.
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initiatives
greater media
doing good
greater media inITIATIVES
Apartment Extreme Makeover,
Greater Media Charlotte Style
By Sandra Szoke
and Scott Whitlock
At Greater Media Charlotte,
we’re not afraid to dig in and
get to work, but that’s usually involving avails, programming logs
and commercial production.
However, on October 7, we
rolled up our sleeves, grabbed
a few mops and bottles of 409
and tackled a day of work that
transformed a homeless family
into a family with a home.
a more permanent home. When
they do move out in six months
(the terms of their stay), this
family will have everything they
need to begin life in their new
home with the donated furniture and household goods from
Greater Media.
Those assisting: Carl East, Tony
Hayes, Scott Whitlock, Sandra
Szoke, Alex Krasnoff, Diane
Pugh, Nancy Kirk, Jeff Taylor,
Mike England and Susan Brown.
A team from Greater Media
Boston volunteered at Community Servings, which is a notfor profit food and nutrition
program providing services to
individuals and families living
with critical and chronic illnesses. Community Servings
delivers appealing and nutritious meals, as well as sends the
message to those in greatest need
that someone cares. Over 55
volunteers assist the staff in preparing, packaging and delivering
over 750 meals each day.
It was all part of Apartment Extreme
Makeover, courtesy of Team
Greater Media Charlotte, for
A Child’s Place, a nonprofit
working to reduce the impact of
homelessness on children and
their education.
Leading the way, Carl East and
Scott Whitlock dived in the day
before the official apartment
rehab and vacuumed, swept and
steam-cleaned the floors. Fueled
by bagels and coffee, the Greater
Media Charlotte Team went
to work on Friday morning.
An apartment once empty and
dirty, now filled with donated
tables, chairs, household items,
and cabinets stocked with food.
Top to bottom, every inch of
this family’s home was scrubbed
down by our folks. The oven,
refrigerator, bathroom, cabinets
and windows were all cleaned
and repaired with lots of loving
elbow grease.
Alex Krasnoff, Nancy Kirk and
Diane Pugh - Kitchen crew.
Mike England - Caulking doors
and windows.
(r-l) Mark Pagliarulo (IT/Audio Eng),
Rick Shaffer (host of “The Money
Show” on WTKK), Ken West (Program
Director for Radio 92.9 and WRORFM) and Mary Hutchinson (Senior
Accountant) work “the line,” creating
individual meal trays.
And this group meant business. Our worker bees were able
to transform the apartment in
about four hours.
Now, a family of three may move
out of a temporary shelter,
into their home for the next
six months. This will allow the
family to stabilize, and look for
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Greater Media
Boston Staff Share the
‘Greater Good’ at
Community Servings
Tony Hayes – Bathroom detail.
Susan Brown and Jeff Taylor –
Kitchen fun!
(l-r) Bob Pedder (Dir. of Account
Dev), Joy Lin (Interactive Marketing
Assistant), Amy Hull (HR Coordinator),
Hisham Fayed (96.9 FM Talks Marketing Director), Arielle Isackson (WMJX/
WKLB Street Team), Mauzy Stafford
(WKLB Personality) and Doug Brassill
(WROR Street Team) are “scrubbed
and gloved,” ready to assist in food
preparation.
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Greater Good Team Makes a Difference at Greater Boston Food Bank
Greater Media Boston teams
volunteered at the Greater
Boston Food Bank during the
month of November, helping
to load thousands of pounds of
food and turkeys into vans and
trucks, destined for needy food
pantries throughout the Greater
Boston area. To date, over 38
million tons of food have moved
through the food bank’s warehouse.
WROR Marketing Director Jamie
Martel ‘hams it up’ while loading a food
order to be picked up.
Boston ‘Greater Good’ team #1 (bottom l-r): Amy Hull
(HR Coordinator), Lily Pike (WROR Street Team), PJ Sittig
(WROR Programming Assistant); top (l-r): Arielle Isackson
(WMJX Street Team), Kelly and Jonathon (Food Bank staff),
Jason Rossi (Radio 92.9 Promotions Coordinator), “Mattu”
Petrulavage (Radio 92.9 Promotions Assistant).
Boston ‘Greater Good’ team #2 (l-r): Hank Morse (WROR/
WKLB/WTKK Personality), Ginny Rogers (WKLB Music
Director), Mike Brophey (WKLB Program Director), Kerry
Coldwell (Traffic Director), Kate Naughton (WKLB Traffic
Manager), Lori Grande (WKLB Morning Show), Kara Foley
(WMJX Continuity Director).
WKLB Traffic Manager Kate Naughton (left) helps load a
food pantry van.
Boston Traffic Director Kerry Coldwell helps load a Boston
area food pantry van.
Greater Media Detroit Hosts Day of Greater Good
2011 Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome
Greater Media Detroit participated in a Day of Greater
Good at the 2011 Buddy Walk
for Down Syndrome Guild of
Southeast Michigan. A group
of the Greater Media Detroit
family lent a helping hand the
day of the walk by assisting with
the check in and other tasks
throughout the morning. Some
even decided to participate in
the Walk! The Down Syndrome
Guild of Southeast Michigan is
a non-profit organization that
provides support, resources and
advocacy with the aim of increasing awareness and opportunities for individuals with Down
syndrome.
Shanita Higgins (right), who works
in the Promotions Department
at Greater Media Detroit, and a
friend had a blast helping out at
the 2011 Buddy Walk for Down
Syndrome Guild of Southeast
Michigan at the Detroit Zoo.
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H A L L O W E E N
Haunted Happenings
MAGIC 105.1 Hosts Ghoulish Good Time
at Annual Halloween Dance Party
The King’s “Squire,” “Mattu,” whips the
costumed crowd into a frenzy with his
expert DJ abilities at the Radio 92.9
“Boo Bar” costume party at Salem’s
Haunted Happenings celebration.
Radio 92.9 went to the “land
of living dead” Salem, MA,
for Halloween weekend. With
the Shock Top Boo Bar and a
local artist concert stage, all
the ghouls and goblins had
their share of a rock’n good
time. The station was onsite
through the cold/rain/even
some snow, but you didn’t
see anything but smiles
(aside from those in masks).
Radio 92.9 helped prove
there isn’t a better place on
the planet to celebrate Halloween than Salem … and
there might have been a
witch sighting or two.
Some of the 105.1 crew, Jim Paolucci,
Lisa Jesswein, Mike Bradley and girlfriend, Jim Harper and his wife, and of
course Frankenstein.
The 8th Annual MAGIC 105.1
Halloween Party took place
October 28 at Petruzzello’s
in Troy, MI. The party was one
of the Motor City’s biggest
Halloween bashes of 2011!
Radio 92.9 “Waldos” (l-r John Sholl,
“Mattu” and Jason Rossi) with listener
“Macho Man Randy Savage.”
Radio 92.9’s costume contest, led by
the “King,” Jason Rossi (Radio 92.9
Promotion Coordinator).
The only way to win tickets was by listening to the
radio station. All of the lucky
guests had a great time as
they enjoyed delicious appetizers, psychic readings and
horror movies.
In addition, special guest
Wolfgang Mac and his crew
from Wolfgang Mac’s Thriller
Drive-in were on hand with
dance contests and prizes for
the best costumes.
Wolfman Mac in full character all night.
Everyone had a blast on the dance floor,
including one of the costume-contest
winners, the Lego Village People.
WDHA-FM and WMTR-AM Scare Up Some Fun in New Jersey
left,
WDHA Monster Bash grand-prize
winner Hope dressed as her favorite
scene from the movie “A Christmas
Story.”
below,
WDHA Promotions members Lauren
Lopes, Megan Peason, Erin Doherty,
Jen Strasle and Lacey Brock pose for
a picture at Monster Bash.
WMTR mascot Slick (dressed in his Zorro costume) poses
with young listeners at Trick-Or-Treat Downtown.
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John DeBella’s 5th Annual
Masquerade Bash Benefits Toys for Tots
Classic Rock 102.9 WMGKFM morning personality
John DeBella and the entire
air staff recently took over
Finnigan’s Wake on 3rd and
Spring Garden in Philadelphia
on October 28, from 8 p.m.
to 1 a.m., to present John
DeBella’s 5th Annual Masquerade Bash.
The event included $1,750
worth of prize money up for
grabs for the costume contest: first place won $1,000,
second place received $500
and third place walked
away with $250. In addition,
Finnigan’s Wake provided
MAGIC 100.1 FM Hi-Def Halloween
a free food buffet, and the
station’s “coffin of candy”
buffet included a casket filled
to the brim with a variety
of free candy. The official
WMGK House Band, All That
Matters, performed live from
9 p.m. until 1 a.m. WMGK’s
Ray Koob also broadcast live
from Finnigan’s throughout
the evening.
Glenn Kalina,
Dianne DeOliveira,
Lisa Gallicchio and
Marie Senkeleski at
MAGIC 100.1 Hi-Def
Halloween Party.
One hundred percent of the
proceeds from the Bash benefited the U.S. Marines’ Toys
for Tots campaign. Admission
to the event was only $10 or
an unopened toy valued at
$10 or more.
Greater Media Newspapers:
Name That Typeface …
The winner of DeBella’s 5th Annual Masquerade Bash “poses”
with his $1,000 prize.
Working Together to Promote the
Greater Media Brand
GREATER Media New Jersey
Regional Sales Manager Jack Cahill
(center) and Tony Naturale (left), a
Greater Media Newspapers advertising
consultant, met with Mark Berkowitz
from Derby Appliances to promote
the Greater Media brand at the
19th annual Largest Networking Party sponsored
by the Middlesex County Regional
Chamber of Commerce on September
15. Greater Media’s MAGIC 98.3 and
Greater Media Newspapers were media
sponsors.
This imaginative group from
Greater Media Newspapers’
Production Department
was really a collection of
various fonts for Halloween. Left to right: Barbara
Benko was Franklin Gothic;
Jill Rice, University Roman;
Joan Fruchter, Park Avenue;
Harvey Hersh, Nofret; and
Diane Thompson, Critter.
Their creativity never fails to
amaze their coworkers.
WEST Chester University, an advertising client of
WMMR-FM, recently asked to use Kathy Romano
of the “Preston and Steve Show” in an alumni
campaign. The artwork graced numerous
billboards and commuter train station displays.
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Bruins Fan Combines Passion for Hockey with Radio Career
MAGIC 106.7 FM’s Promotion Coordinator Peter Smith Works with Media at Bruins Home Games
By Clare Marie Celano
PETER Smith has been a hockey fan
for years—in fact, since he was 7 years old,
when he began playing the sport.
Smith, the new promotion coordinator
for Boston’s MAGIC 106.7, is one of
the lucky ones who found an opportunity that put him right in the path of his
favorite team, the Boston Bruins, where
he also works part time as a member of
the game night staff.
Smith even has a Stanley Cup ring this
year from the Bruins, who won the
coveted 2011 NHL championship in
October.
WMJX Promotion Coordinator Peter
Smith with his 2011 NHL Stanley Cup
championship ring.
Stating that he was “shocked and very
surprised” that he would receive a ring,
Smith explained that it is not a player’s
ring, but a special ring for staff members.
“I wear it only on special occasions,” he
said. “It’s pretty big. The Jacobs family
[owners of the Bruins] are very generous
to those who work for them. Not all
teams would give us rings.”
In an interview, Smith recalled that while
he was a communications major at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, in 2005, he
was looking for an internship and found
what he was looking for at WBZ FM,
“98.5 The Sports Hub,” where he was
introduced to the radio industry. During
his internship, he was part of the Street
Team and was eventually hired to work
part time with them.
After his internship, and while still a
student at Endicott, he began looking for
an internship where he could be around
something he had always loved—hockey.
He was fortunate to be introduced to
the Bruins director of communications, Matt Chmura. He was still doing
promotional work for the Street Team at
WBZ at the time.
According to Smith, Chmura was looking to fill an internship.
“I hit it at the right time,” Smith said.
He was hired for the 2007-08 hockey
season to work part time with the game
night staff, and luckily for the Bruins fan,
he continues to work there.
“I’ve played hockey since I was 7 and have
always been a Bruins fan. They’re good
people,” he said of the Bruins organization.
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He said it was exciting to watch Bruins
goalie Tim Thomas in the playoffs.
A close-up of Peter proudly displaying
his championship ring.
He explained that his job with the Bruins
involves being present only at home
games, which may mean he works three
times a week or not at all for one week.
He is responsible for checking credentials
for media personnel and signing out
passes. He is also responsible for making
sure those media credentials are in order.
Another of Smith’s responsibilities is
delivering statistics to media members,
the coaching staff, and the Bruins management. He said that at the end of every
period, he provides the official stats for
the media so that they can report the information to their viewers and listeners.
“He had the best playoff season a goalie
has ever had, and he won the MVP in
the Stanley Cup Finals,” he said. “I’m a
goalie, so it was pretty exciting and awesome to watch him play.”
Another special honor Smith was proud
to be a part of was the selection this year of
the Bruins’ Public Relations Department
for the Dick Dillman Award, an award
given by the Professonal Hockey Writers’
Association that identifies the best public
relations staff in the NHL. He said the
staff was quite excited about winning this
award as positive proof that their public
relations team makes things happen and
is crucial to the writers doing their job.
He said the award holds a lot of meaning
to the staff.
He also gives the information to visiting
coaches, so they can make adjustments in
their plays if necessary.
Smith still plays hockey weekly at Hockeytown USA in Saugus, MA, and still plays
goalie for a pick-up men’s league.
“The only time I actually see the players is
post-game when the media comes in to
speak to them,” he said, adding that he
is responsible for holding the recorder
during the players’ interviews.
Smith’s work as promotion coordinator
means he is responsible for scheduling promotion events and Street Team
events, as well as updating the station’s
website. He also helps MAGIC 106.7’s
Promotion Director Rob Hogan with
Facebook and email blasts for the station’s
fans.
“I then type up the quotes for the media
so they can have them while they are
writing up their stories in the press room,
right then and there,” he said, adding
that this saves the writers time. “The
quote sheets make it easier for them,”
he said.
Smith added that “hockey players are the
best athletes going. The players are very
down-to-earth.”
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WMMR-FM Hosts
Listener Open House
Event at Studios
THE idea of an Open House is to
entertain your friends and family in
the comfy confines of your own home.
On September 22, WMMR did just
that—with 30 of our most loyal MMR
VIPs. It was a chance to give a small
group of listeners an intimate look
behind the broadcast curtain, opening
up the MMR Studios for an evening of
fun, food and some great stories. Each
listener got to cut an “MMR Rocks”
promo in the production booth with
Creative Director Kevin Gunn, toy
around with Steve Morrison’s sound
effects in the Preston & Steve Studio,
and grill the PD with Bill Weston. In
addition, MMR’s Pierre Robert hosted
a personal curator’s tour for smaller
groups, presenting the hallways at the
station adorned with hundreds of
framed pieces showcasing the storied
history of WMMR’s 43 years of rocking
Philly. One lucky fan walked away with
an autographed Gibson guitar, signed
by the full-time air staff, as well as a pair
of Phillies tickets for that night. Everyone went home with a bag of goodies
and a poster of the entire air staff. It
rocked and we will do it again.
WMMR’s Matt Cord and Steve
Morrison (back) with a pair of MMR VIPs.
WMMR’s Preston Elliot with two MMR
VIPs in the Preston & Steve Studio.
Not many people can say that they love
their job, but Smith is one who can.
In his own words, he is “thrilled and
grateful. It has been awesome here. Everyone here has been so helpful, showing
me the ropes, and helping me out. Rob
[Hogan] has been great.”
G
WMMR’s Jacky Bam Bam (l), a listener
and Pierre Robert (r).
G
Human Resources Update
By Karen Suddreth,
SPHR
Corporate HR
Manager
Greater
Media, Inc.
SWOT Analysis for Your Life
At the start of 2012, many of
us will make resolutions for
the coming year. Resolutions
usually start with “I will/will
not” do such and such in the
new year: I will eat healthier;
I will go to the gym four days
a week; I will spend more
time with my family; I will
not indulge in Peanut M&M’s.
These may sound familiar, as
they are all worthwhile and
attainable goals to set for
ourselves. But for a lot of us,
by the time February rolls
around, life has gotten in the
way, and our good intentions
fall to the wayside. I’ve been
thinking that maybe there is
another way to accomplish
our desires without putting
such pressure on ourselves.
Those of you that have
participated in a strategic
planning session know the
acronym SWOT–Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats. This is a great
tool for understanding your
department or company in
preparation for setting the
strategic way forward. Why
not do a SWOT analysis for
your life, with SWOT standing
for Successes, Wins, Openings and Treasures? Let’s take
an appreciative approach to
evaluating our life and where
THE Atlantic Builders Convention in Atlantic City. The State Fair
Meadowlands in East Rutherford. The
first Rutgers football game at the newly
named High Point Solutions Stadium
in Piscataway. The 9/11 Commemorative Exhibit in Woodbridge. The Susan
G. Komen Race for the Cure at Six
Flags Great Adventure in Jackson. The
Emiliani Beauty and Fashion Expo in
Edison. The Occupy New Jersey rally in
Trenton. Aside from being some of the
biggest events to take place in the state
of New Jersey so far this year, they’ve
all included LIVE BROADCASTS of
New Jersey’s newest and fastest-growing
live and local talk show, New Jersey
TODAY! Hosted by WCTC Program
Director Bert Baron, New Jersey
TODAY is a lively, upbeat, fast-paced
show that features some of the state’s top
newsmakers.
Everyone from New Jersey’s Lieutenant
Governor Kim Guadagno to the “Cup-
we want to go in 2012. Focusing on what didn’t work in 2011
is not useful—it is done and
over with. Better to focus on
what worked and expend your
energy creating more of thoseG
moments that made you happy
and contented.
So, let’s get started! Keeping
SWOT in mind, first review your
personal successes of the past
year. What was it that made
them successful—was it circumstance, attitude, preparation,
teamwork? For this exercise, a
success is defined as something
that when you were done, you
knew you gave your best effort
and the outcome was what, or
better than, you expected. A
success for me in 2011 would be
exercising more often than not!
Next, turn to your Wins of
2011. At this point, you may
be saying, “What’s the difference between a success and
a win?” Bear with me. Think
of it this way—you can have a
successful pass or interception
in a football game, but still not
win. It doesn’t diminish the accomplished goal of catching or
intercepting the football, but ultimately the team didn’t win the
game. A Win is something that
really blew your socks off—you
are amazed and thrilled that it
happened. A Win should be
something you will remember
for a long time, and you refer
back to time and time again.
A Win fundamentally changes
you and how you see yourself.
Because of the win(s), you
have expanded your mind,
heart and soul.
Now, shift your attention
to 2012, and the final part
of SWOT—Openings and
Treasures. Consider 2012 as
a blank slate where you can
write your story. What do you
want that story to be? What
are the openings you will be
looking for that could rock
your world in a good way?
An opening is literally that—a
crevice of light that when
pushed open will present your
wildest dreams—will it be
the time and ability to travel,
volunteer, change careers,
go back to school? Only you
know. Once you start looking
for openings, you will find that
they are plentiful.
Finally, take stock in your
current Treasures and how
they enrich your life. A true
Treasure is not money, or
fame, or real estate. A true
Treasure is someone or
something that you know you
are lucky to have—it could be
WCTC 1450 FM’s New Jersey TODAY!
cake Wars” champions, Princeton-based
House of Cupcakes, has appeared on
the show during its first eight months
in existence. “The show is meant to
celebrate Jersey lifestyle and Jersey attitude,” says Baron, the show’s creator
and host. “This is the perfect place to be
in the realm of all things pop culture.”
Though the show originates from
WCTC’s New Brunswick studios, it
embraces all corners of New Jersey.
Through the streaming feature on the
WCTC’s Bert Baron (center) at the Emiliani Beauty and Fashion Expo in Edison.
station website, WCTCAM.com, the
show reaches High Point, Cape May and
all points in between. “I have a standing
invitation to a personal VIP tour of Lucy
the Elephant in Margate, and the chance
to ride the first horse out on the beach
in Wildwood should it be made legal, so
South Jersey knows what we’re doing.
And we know about them.”
The show has also served as a voice for
charities, raising awareness for multiple
causes and nonprofit organizations.
WCTC Program Director Bert Baron
hitting the road.
your family, your faith and
your friends. Or it could also
be something as simple as
enjoying dinner every night
with the one you love. Take
a moment and make a list of
your current treasures. The
writer Thornton Wilder said,
“We can only be said to be
alive in those moments when
our hearts are conscious of
our treasures.” Relish them,
and be awestruck that you
have been so fortunate. Think
about the new treasures you
will be given in 2012 and what
they might be. Add them to
your current list and keep an
eye out for them in the coming months. I bet you will be
surprised that your treasure
trove will be overflowing by
year’s end.
Now that you have completed your personal SWOT,
focusing on your Successes,
Wins, Openings and Treasures, you can go forward in
2012 with a true appreciation of you! Knowing where
you’ve been, and appreciating
what you’ve accomplished,
will lead you to who you want
to be or where you want to
go. No more regrets for not
accomplishing a “resolution,”
only anticipation for what lies
ahead in 2012!
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“I’ve always felt helping charities comes
with the job,” says Baron. “A big part
of what I want this show to become is
synonymous with doing good things and
helping people. That’s an important
responsibility that a broadcaster has, and
I take it very seriously.”
The show airs weekdays from 1 to 3
p.m., and has gotten the attention of
everyone from lawmakers, doctors,
celebrities and others from all over the
state. Some other past in-studio guests
include players and a coach from the
Philadelphia Passion, a Lingerie Football League team; players from the New
Jersey Hellrazors, a local women’s roller
derby team; and the 2011 International
Champion of Strolling MAGIC, New
Jersey resident Will Fern. The show
offers much more than just the same
old ranting and raving that talk radio
has become known for,” adds Baron. “I
think we can offer a lot more than that.”
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photo gallery 2
greater media NEWSPAPERS
Keeping It Green
A volunteer helps remove
invasive plant growth along the
shore of Lake Takanassee in
Long Branch, NJ, on September 17 during an environmental
cleanup. Photo by Eric Sucar/
Perfect Form
A South Brunswick, NJ, gymnast competes in the uneven
parallel bars on October 6.
GMN Staff Photographer
Photo by Eric Sucar/ GMN Staff
Photographer
Paying Tribute
A large crowd gathered
for the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at
the Middletown World
Trade Center Memorial
Gardens. Thirty-seven
Middletown, NJ, residents died in the tragedy.
Photo by Eric Sucar/ GMN
Staff Photographer
Team Effort
Soccer players from South River High School
in New Jersey celebrate after scoring.
Photo by Eric Sucar/ GMN Staff Photographer
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1450 WCTC-AM & Rutgers Football:
The Perfect Combination
AN idea that had been “brewing” for
quite some time came to light October
8, as 95.9 The Rat and Asbury Park presented the first-ever Beerfest at Convention Hall on the legendary Asbury Park
boardwalk. With title sponsors including
Spirits Unlimited, Harley-Davidson
THE New Talk Radio 1450 WCTC
has been the official radio carrier of
Rutgers football for more than 60 years.
This season Rutgers continued its push
to become bowl eligible for the sixth
time in the last seven seasons under
the watching eye of head coach Greg
Schiano, who is in his eleventh season
as Rutgers head coach. Through thick
and thin WCTC has been with Rutgers
athletics, including broadcasts for the
men’s and women’s basketball teams and
of course Rutgers football.
WCTC has been a part of some of the
biggest moments in Rutgers athletics
history, whether it’s the 28-25 shocking
victory over Louisville during the 2006
football campaign or the Lady Knights
capturing a national title berth in 2007
WCTC has been there for the Scarlet
Knights.
WCTC’s broadcasts have always had that
Central Jersey feel to it. Mike Pavlichko
and Anthony “Fooch” Fucilli cover the
hot topics leading up to the game with
Rutgers Tailgate that starts two and a
half hours prior to kick-off and goes
up until an hour and a half prior to
Rutgers Pre-Game with Mark Malusis,
taking the listeners all the way to Rutgers
football with Chris Carlin and former
Scarlet Knight quarterback Ray Lucas.
The Rutgers Radio Network has also
added a big part to the airwaves and to
our hearts as injured former Rutgers
defensive tackle Eric LeGrand joined
the broadcasting team this season to offer insight on the Rutgers football team
through his eyes. After the game the
coverage doesn’t stop as Mark Malusis
takes us into Rutgers Post Game as he
recaps the game and Anthony Fucilli in-
The Rat Beerfest crowd.
Mike Pavlichko and guest hosts for
Rutgers vs. Navy game.
Bruce Johnson with the Miller Lite
Models Krista, Kristen and Amanda.
terviews the players in the locker room.
WCTC has it covered when it comes to
Rutgers athletics with a full day of coverage during game day.
The fun doesn’t end there. WCTC also
loves to interact with the community.
On Thursday before every Rutgers
home game, WCTC hosts its Miller
Lite Kickoff Nights in select locations
around Central Jersey. Mastermind
Bruce Johnson asks trivia questions to
fans for the chance to win great Rutgers
and Miller Lite memorabilia, including tickets to upcoming home games!
WCTC has been the home for Rutgers
athletics for over 60 years and hopefully
will be for another 60 years and beyond.
94.7 WCSX-FM Parades Around a 10-Foot
Baseball Bat to Cheer on the Detroit Tigers
94.7WCSX-FM’s Ken Calvert
& More Music in the Morning
Show partnered with Scott Kuefler,
Michigan’s premier chainsaw carver,
to create a 10-foot-long, 300-pound
baseball bat and ball. The incredible
bat was on display at the Elwood Bar &
WRAT-FM Celebrates Rocktober with Beerfest
Grill, located at 300 East Adams Road
in Detroit, during home games to
celebrate the Tigers’ playoff run! Fans
were invited to stop by before the games
and get their photo taken with the giant
baseball bat and ball.
of Ocean County, Circle Hyundai,
Clayton Block and Masonry, and Lifestyles SKYN Condoms, Beerfest featured
two sessions for beer enthusiasts that
took place 12-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.,
live broadcasts, stage games, and much
more. Over 1,300 people turned out
per session to enjoy more than 100
different beers.
Gearing up on an 80-degree sunny
day, the first session kicked off and
quickly sold out, with the second sellout
following soon after. Carl and Marty of
The Morning Rat Race broadcasted live,
with side personality Gotts dressed in his
beermaid gear!
Beerfest featured some of the finest highend brews in the world that were created
in historic brew houses over centuries.
It also highlighted hard-to-find brews,
made by U.S. beermakers in the Garden
State, and was one of the most popular
features of the day. In addition, on tap
were America’s favorite beers from back
in the day available at the special “Old
Man Bar.” The attraction featured some
of America’s historic cornerstone beers,
including Pabst Blue Ribbon, Schaefer,
Piels, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, and last
but not least, Colt 45. Additionally,
there was a designated driver ticket for
only $10 that included free soda and
water!
Throughout the day, drinkers were given tickets to vote for their favorite beers,
and even selected at random to win
prizes including a TV, iPod deck, and
more. Steve Hook eventually took over
on the live broadcast, getting the crowd
amped up for the sold-out second
session. To make it even better, partial
proceeds from the Asbury Park Beer
Festival coincide with the “real” Jersey
Shore lifestyle—these organizations were
an environmental group, Clean Ocean
Action, and a children’s organization,
the Best Day Foundation.
Because beer drinkers like to show off
their stuff, The Rat had just the answer
they were looking for. The Rat and
Asbury Park actively took the timehonored Oktoberfest and a Bavarian
tradition, known as “Masskrugstemmen,” and brought it to New Jersey for
the first time. On stage took place the
aptly re-named strength and endurance
contest “Beer Muscles,” hosted by 95.9
The Rat personalities Robyn Lane and
Jimmy Steal. The game was simple: the
contestant held a liter of water in a glass
stein still in their straightened, outstretched arm (just above parallel) for
as long as possible. The first person to
spill or move their arm was disqualified.
With both sessions ending in “sudden
death,” contestants went home with
trophies, Foo Fighters tickets, bragging
rights and sore drinking arms.
After a long day of drinking, eating,
toasting, tapping and mingling, Carton,
of Atlantic Highlands, NJ, was voted the
best in show! A trophy was awarded at
the end of the night, as last call was sadly
announced. The Rat’s Marketing Director, Doug Sjonvall, had been hoping
to have an event like this for years, and
it finally happened, better than he had
ever anticipated.
Commented Doug: “It was one of the
best, most successful promotions in our
15 years as a radio station. A great, successful group effort thanks to the great
staff at The Rat and the good relationships we have in our market.”
At the end of the day, Beerfest attendees
left with a smile on their face, a souvenir
glass in their hands, and hopefully, a
lasting aftertaste. Cheers to beers—we
are ready to bring on the next one!
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Greater Media Employees Undertake a Great ‘Feet’ in Philadelphia
Six Staff Members Participate in Half-Marathon November 20
By Jennifer Amato
SIX staff members from Greater Media
Philadelphia stepped out of the office
and into the City of Brotherly Love for a
half-marathon on November 20.
Frank Foy, John Fullam, Chris Kirchner,
Deana Poole, Bill Schultz, and Michaela
Pawlewicz are part of the Greater Media
Running Club, and crossed the finish
line with the support of their family,
friends, and co-workers.
right, Members of the Greater
Media Running Club, the day
after the race: (pictured l-r)
Chris Kirchner, General Sales
Manager, WMGK-FM; John
Fullam, VP/Market Manager,
Greater Media Philadelphia; Bill Schultz, Creative
Services Director, WBEN-FM
& WPEN-AM; Frank Foy, Account Manager, WBEN-FM.
The race started at the Philadelphia
Museum of Art and passed by City Hall,
South Street, University City, and the
final stretch along the Schuylkill River.
left,Marathon finish line.
“We realized there are 10 to 12 serious
runners in the Philly radio group, so six
of us were able to make it on [November
20], and we [were] excited to run as a
group, have some fun and motivate each
other,” said Kirchner, the General Sales
Manager of WMGK-FM. “We chose this
event partially because of the course—it
travels throughout Center City, South
Philly, and University City. Thankfully,
Philly is a flat and gorgeous city.”
to play soccer with, noting, “Finishing the
run with her is always awesome.”
Pawlewicz typically runs three to five days a
week, but trained 10 weeks specifically for
this race. She ran this course last year, and
said it is one of the best routes of the city.
Kirchner has done half-marathons before. He generally trains year-round, and
participates in a few events throughout
the course of the year.
“I love being about halfway done, fully
engrossed in the run, enjoying the cheering spectators. I ‘reward’ myself with listening to music for the last three to four
miles, usually some loud Stone Roses or
Clash,” he said.
The main goal, he quipped, is to finish
the race and “without medical help.” The
long-term goal, he said, is better health—
“training and races sure help.”
The night before races are fairly normal
for Kirchner, often spending the evening
with some friends but going “to bed a bit
early.”
Some of the group signed up through
Philadelphia’s Ronald McDonald House
and are raising money for them in the
process.
Fullam, Vice President/Market Manager
for Greater Media Philadelphia, ran the
Washington, D.C., and New York City
marathons a few years ago, and has done
three half-marathons in the last two years.
He most enjoyed running three races
with his oldest son, JP. Yet he still trained
for three months for the Philadelphia
race in honor of all veterans, especially his
brother, Greg, who served in Vietnam
and Iraq.
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above,
Team member,
Deana Poole,
Account Manager,
WPEN-AM
below,
Team member
Michaela Pawlewicz
at the finish line
after completing
the race.
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“In running the race last year, it was an
awesome way to experience the different
Philly neighborhoods, and the people
shouting their support. It’s a blast, and
the Philly organizers and volunteers do
a fantastic job,” he said. “It’s amazing to
see people of all ages come together to
set a goal, and after training for months,
to do something they never dreamed of.
The look on their faces when they cross
the finish line with their loved ones there
is very cool. The entire day has a great,
positive vibe to it. To share stories with
everyone on the Greater Media team
afterward should be fun.”
Michaela Pawlewicz ran her fifth
marathon in November. The account
executive for 97.5 FM the Fanatic played
Division I soccer at Lehigh University.
She enjoys running with a friend she used
“The course takes you across most of the
city: Old City, Center City, through two
area colleges, and along the water. Along
the entire course, people are out cheering. Being able to see all of Philly and
have support the whole time makes the
race much more enjoyable,” she said.
Bill Schultz also completed his fifth
half-marathon last month, and has run
the New York City marathon before. The
creative services director for WBEN FM
and WPEN FM has been running since
2007.
“The experience is amazing. The amount
of energy from the crowd, the bands, and
deejays is unmatched. Crossing the finish
line always gives a tremendous feeling of
accomplishment,” he said.
The night before the race, Schultz said,
“carb loading is a must.” And mentally,
he looked forward to the bottle of Chimay waiting for him at the finish line.
“You never see a city the same way again
after you’ve run a race through the
streets,” Schultz said. “There are times
you are focused and don’t look around,
but it’s worth soaking it in.”
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NECN and 96.9 FM - Boston Talks
Announce Extended Morning News & Saturday
Simulcast Agreement
WRIF-FM’s Sin City Takeover II
THIS past fall, 101 WRIF and a group
of listeners headed to Las Vegas for the
station’s Sin City Takeover II.
NECN, New England’s News Station,
has kept viewers up to date on the latest
news, weather, traffic and sports for two
decades, and beginning Monday, October 17, 96.9 Boston Talks, the city’s top
destination to discuss the day’s major
local and national news happenings,
will simulcast an extra hour of NECN’s
weekday morning news programming
and add a Saturday morning simulcast
from 6 to 8 a.m.
Jim and Margery, 96.9 Boston Talks’
popular morning show featuring Jim
Braude and Margery Eagan, will now
begin at 7:00 a.m. As a lead-in, simulcasting of NECN’s First Thing in the
Morning starts at 4:30 a.m. followed
by an extended two hours of NECN
Morning News from 5 to 7:00 a.m.
NECN’s morning news is anchored by
Kristy Lee, Erick Weber and features
Meteorologist Danielle Niles. NECN’s
coverage includes up-to-the-minute
information on the latest news, weather,
traffic, sports and live reports from the
field on the major stories of the day.
“96.9 Boston Talks is a must listen for
Bostonians that care about the events of
our city and beyond. The opportunity
for NECN to reach radio listeners and
TV viewers expands the station’s reach,”
said Bill Bridgen, NECN executive vice
president and general manager. “Much
like NECN, Jim and Margery and 96.9
have a loyal listener base that is intelligent, educated and informed.”
96.9 FM Program Director Grace
Blazer, commenting on the move said;
“The response to our news partnership initiative with NECN was positive,
and immediate. Commuting New
Englanders now have found a whole new
way to start the day. 96.9 FM’s expanding commitment to local and breaking
news, traffic, and weather followed by
Jim and Margery’s perspective, live audience interaction, and real time attention to topical issues creates a listening
experience not available anywhere else.”
Blazer added, “This seamless integration
of content created by NECN and 96.9
FM represents the next generation of
news and information delivered over
multiple platforms for the benefit of
listeners in a ‘right now’ world. Greater
Media Boston is proud to be a part of
this innovation that will benefit its advertisers, listeners, and the communities
we serve.”
NECN is the largest regional news
network in the country, serving more
than 3 million homes in more than
1,000 cities and towns throughout the
six New England states. Launched on
March 2, 1992, NECN is owned by
Comcast and provides 24-hour access
to breaking news, sports, weather, and
traffic. The award-winning NECN is
a two-time winner of The Associated
Press’ News Station of the Year Award
and a two-time winner of Edward R.
Murrow Award. Visit www.NECN.com
for more information.
The station began an exciting multiplatform campaign (on-air, online
and on-site) promoting the return of
the Riff’s Sin City Takeover. Listeners were
driven to listen for their chance to win a
trip a day through on-air promotional
announcements, while also encouraging
them to become part of WRIF Cybercrew to receive an “unfair” Internet
advantage. Those who became registered
members of the Cybercrew were able
to gain access to a list of dates and the
approximate times that they could tune
in to win the daily trip.
A view of the Cosmopolitan pool
from the WRIF broadcast.
For the time of the last chance to win,
listeners went to the WRIF Facebook
page where if they “Liked” the station
page, the final time was revealed to
them. In addition to all of this, WRIF
hosted a couple of on-site appearances
across the metro Detroit area, where
listeners had the chance to win a spot on
the trip live and in person. Ultimately
forty listeners and guests secured themselves a spot on the trip.
WRIF personalities Anne Carlini,
Meltdown and Screamin’ Scott along
with the Riff winners headed off to Las
Vegas on October 14 for a three-night
stay at the beautiful, brand-new Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. WRIF set up
home base at the hotel pool where the
jocks each broadcasted their shows live
from poolside with the listeners sitting
back and relaxing. But relaxing poolside
for a long weekend in Vegas was just not
enough for a Riff trip! Each listener also
received tickets to attend the 48 Hour
Festival Concert, a two-day concert taking place in Las Vegas and headlined by
WRIF artists such as Korn, Godsmack
Screamin’ Scott live on the air with
Sully from Godsmack.
Entire crew – listeners & staff in Vegas.
and Avenge Sevenfold. But the icing on
the cake for the listeners was having the
bands Godsmack, Korn, Seether and
Adelita’s Way all stop by the Cosmopolitan pool to jump on the air, meet the
winners and sign autographs.
Poolside in Vegas, two days of live music,
and hanging with the bands gave all the
winners a trip that they won’t soon forget. And once again the Riff took over
Sin City, and it will never be the same.
That is, until next year
ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning
Stop by 97.5’s Studios
97.5 The Fanatic welcomed Mike
Greenberg and Mike Golic of ESPN2
and ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the
Morning to Philadelphia on October
28. Mike & Mike broadcasted live from
The National Constitution Center in
historical Olde City Philadelphia.
Mike & Mike stopped in Philadelphia
during their Football Friday tour of the
country, and pumped up the crowd for
a big game between the Eagles and Cow-
WBT AM/FM was once again at
Charlotte’s Greek Festival enjoying
the costumes, music, dancing and
all of the Greek food! Greek
Festival patrons could register
to win Panther tickets.
(l-r) Eagles Coach Andy Reid, Mike
Greenberg, Mike Golic.
(l-r) (GM’s) Jim Brown, (GM’s) Matt
Nahigian, (GM’s) Paul Blake, (GM’s)
Mike Missanelli, Mike Greenberg, (GM’s)
Jake McCann, (GM’s) Mike Golic,
(GM’s) John Fullam, (GM’s) Bill Moore.
boys. Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid
showed up with his personalized jerseys
for Greeny and Golic, including a jersey
for Golic sporting No. 90, which he
wore for the Birds back in the 1990s.
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MAGIC 105.1 FM:
Detroit’s Christmas Music Station!
ON October 28, 2011, MAGIC 105.1
converted into Christmas 105.1, Detroit’s Christmas Station. At 5:03 p.m.
afternoon host Chris Edmonds played
Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Christmas music
will continue throughout the holiday
season. You can also listen to Christmas
105.1 online at Christmas1051.com.
Christmas 105.1’s Santa and elves have
also been around town spreading some
holiday cheer since the flip to Christmas
music, getting people excited about
some great music and ready for the
holidays ahead!
Santa goes
to the mall.
MAGIC 98.3 FM to Bring 5 Engaging Speakers
to State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ
Smart Talk, a program that has been
bringing women together to experience
the power of the spoken word over three
decades and is growing into one of the
most powerful and entertaining live
events in the nation. MAGIC brings out
the best of the Smart Talk series with its
mission of women inspiring the heart
and voice of other remarkable women
through thoughts, stories and pieces of
advice shared face to face, creating connected conversations that renew, enrich
and uplift the spirit.
Speakers in 2012 will include Dr. Jane
Goodall, talking about her life with
chimpanzees and their struggles in the
wild, and Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby
discussing her struggles with weight
before becoming an actress. Actress
Sigourney Weaver, who rose to fame
from having nothing, will culminate the
five-night event of speakers at the State
Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. Attend-
Santa brings some holiday cheer to a
construction site.
Christmas 105.1 Santa visits the Clawson Fire Department.
101 WRIF-FM Presents 2nd Annual
Rocktoberfest in the Motor City
101 WRIF presented the second annual Rocktoberfest on September 24 at
Heritage Park in Taylor, MI.
Rocktoberfest was a celebration of the arrival
of fall. The event featured great food,
a “Man Card Village” with vendors
and games, and an Oktoberfest Beer
Sampler. Rocktoberfest also included the
WRIF Beer Pong Finals, a “Sports Den”
to watch all your favorite sports, and live
music in the Biergarden throughout
the day featuring The Kielbasa Kings,
Mustache Baby, Buster Strange, Bridge,
and Under the Covers.
The free event, held from 2 to 11 p.m.,
was open to the public. A portion of the
proceeds from the event benefited the
Penrickton Center for Blind Children.
The organization is a unique, private
nonprofit agency that provides five-day
residential, day care, and consultation/
evaluation services to blind, multi-disabled children ages 1-12. Proceeds from
the WRIF Rocktoberfest went to replacing
the safety surface on their playground.
The event was presented by WRIF,
Budweiser, West Side Beer and Detroit
Metropolitan Credit Union.
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WRIF Sales Reps Katie Deveroux and
Jennifer Luoto ran the Rocktoberfest
Merchandise Booth.
Sigourney
Weaver
MAGIC 98.3 is teaming up with
Dr. Jane
Goodall
ees will be able to engage the speakers
throughout the discussions and obtain
different views and ideas from the speakers and other guests. Smart Talk is the
perfect forum for MAGIC listeners to
discuss women in Central Jersey, both
in and out of the workforce. It’s a great
pairing for us and we look forward to an
enlightening and inspiring time.
EBC Radio Completes Acquisition of
Greater Media’s 1170 WWTR-AM
EBC Radio has completed its
acquisition of Greater Media’s 1170
WWTR-AM in Bridgewater, NJ. The
Greater Media property is located in the
Middlesex-Somerset-Union NJ market,
which is ranked 40th by Arbitron.
EBC has been operating WWTR-AM
for several years under a time brokerage
agreement with Greater Media and
features a South Asian format for the
expanding population in the market.
“For the past six years, EBC has been a
great partner with us here in New Jersey,” said Daniel A. Finn, Senior Vice
President of Greater Media’s New Jersey
based radio properties. “They are solid
and professional broadcasters. We’re
gratified to see the station move forward
under such strong leadership.”
“We are very happy to complete the
transaction with Greater Media for
WWTR-AM,” said EBC General Manager Alka Agrawal. ”EBC has a long successful track record of delivering quality
programming to this niche market of
over 400,000 South Asians. As the
audience and programming opportunities continue to grow, we look forward
to taking EBC to the next level.”
The competitive juices were
flowing in the Tug ‘O’ War
Competition overseen by Screamin’
Scott and Riff Rock Girl Stacy.
Screamin’ Scott kicks off
Rocktoberfest with a little polka from
the Kielbasa Kings.
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L-R: Milan Patel, Esq. & Alka Agrawal, EBC Radio; Dan Finn,
SVP & Reg’l Manager, Greater Media; Arvind Agrawal, EBC Radio;
Helen Hughes, Indus American Bank; Sunny Arora, N.S. Consulting.
congratulations
ENGAGEMENTS, BABIES
birthdays & WEDDINGS
Engaged!
WMMR Assistant Promotion Director
Todd DiFeo and WMMR Sales Assistant
Megan Collier got engaged on September 24.
They are planning a fall 2012 wedding. (Follow
their journey at www.megandtodd.weebly.com.)
Happy Birthday!
The Greater Media
Newspapers staff
surprised Advertising
Director Bob Waitt on
October 14 with a cake
in honor of his milestone 70th birthday.
Everyone who knows
Bob is impressed with
his nutrition and fitness
regimen.
A Proud Family
Moment
MAGIC 106.7’s Candy O’Terry and
daughter Colleen on her November
12 wedding day. Colleen was only
8 years old when Candy started
working for Greater Media in 1990.
Colleen is now an Account Supervisor for Mullen Advertising and will
be known as Colleen Esposito.
Photo credit: Anne Sweeney
Hello, Baby
Chase & Hunter
Greater Media New Jersey Regional
Executive Assistant Jennifer Alexander
Mundy and her husband, Kevin,
welcomed twin boys, Chase Alexander
(5 pounds 15 ounces, 18 inches) and
Hunter David (5 pounds 4 ounces, 16
inches), on October 19, 2011.
Hello, Baby Gabriella (l) & Aidan (r)
Hello, Baby Eloise
Greater Media Detroit’s own Regional Promotions Manager Ben Perez
became a grandpa on August 27, 2011…TWICE! Two of Ben’s daughters gave
birth a few hours apart, one in Michigan and the other in Florida, to grandson
Aidan Karter and granddaughter Gabriella Elizabeth
Hello, Baby Richard
TJ Nicolaides, Philadelphia Interactive
Technology Manager, and his wife Lauren
welcomed baby Eloise (aka Ellie) on
July 16, 2011.
MAGIC 100.1 and 95.9 WRAT’s Business/
Traffic Manager Sharon Zarnowski
welcomed her seventh grandchild,
Richard, on October 11, 2011!
Hello, Baby Keegan
Welcome, Baby Keegan! Greater Media Newspapers’ Brian Donahue and wife
Carla welcomed their son, Keegan James, on October 20, 2011. Vital statistics: 7
pounds 6 ounces, 19 inches. Brian is the Managing Editor of the Suburban, East
Brunswick Sentinel, and Edison/Metuchen Sentinel.
FA L L
2 01 1
g r ap e v i n e
43
LOOK WHO’S READING THE GRAPEVINE!
Something in the Grapevine seems to have
caught the attention of members of the
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band during their
visit to the Rat studios in New Jersey.
Country recording artist Canaan Smith
reads a copy of the Grapevine
backstage before his set at
Ned Divine’s club in Boston.
“American Idol” finalist and
country recording artist Josh
Gracin checks out the
Grapevine after a listener meet
and greet in the WKLB studios.
Arista recording artist Jerrod Niemann
picked up a copy of the Grapevine while
visiting WKLB before his American
Music Series performance at Toby Keith’s
I Love That Bar & Grill restaurant.
Recording artist and
“American Idol” finalist Lauren
Alaina checks out the Grapevine backstage at Toby Keith’s
I Love That Bar & Grill before
she performed her hit single in
front of a sold-out crowd.
Actor Adam Mucci from HBO’s
“Boardwalk Empire” dropped
by the WCTC studios in New
Brunswick, NJ. He’s either very
impressed (or very saddened)
by what he’s reading.
Singer/author/professor
(Berklee College of
Music) Livingston Taylor
stopped by 96.9 Boston
Talks WTKK to visit Jim and
Margery…and read a
copy of the latest Grapevine.
Greater Media, Inc., with headquarters in Braintree, Massachusetts, is the parent company of 22 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-WRAT-WJRZ New Jersey •
• WMGK-WPEN-WMMR-WBEN-WNUW Philadelphia •
• Atlanticville, Examiner, Hub, Independent, News Transcript, Sentinel, Suburban, Tri-Town News Newspapers • Motower Multilink •