It was 1974, soldering iron in hand, when I built a 100 watt AM station in my basement so I could be right next to my hero, Don Imus, on the local dial.  After a knock on my parents’ door from the FCC (my mother freaked!), I went legit, converting the pirate AM station into the first mass-distributed cable-only radio station.  That plug got pulled when it was time for college in Ithaca, New York.

I worked for a bunch of small Long Island and Ithaca stations, and 1 week after graduation in 1979, I got a big break to try to bring WBAB/Long Island from the bottom to the top of the ratings.  When I got there, I remember the night-time DJ tracking entire 3 Dog Night albums "because he liked them".  Later for him.

We assembled a great staff (that included Q104.3's Gerry Martire, Marc Coppola and  Ralph Tortora!) and by 1981 we beat WNEW-FM and WLIR in the L.I. Ratings.  By 1983, we over-threw the #1 rock station, WPLJ.  By 1985, we were #1 in the market...all persons 12 and over!  Not bad for a bunch of hoodlums. 

In 1999, after 20 years and a couple days, I left my post as WBAB VP/Programming to join Q104.3 in the Big Town.  It was always my dream to program a New York station, and Q104.3's ratings were pretty poor.  (I think #23 overall and #14 in Adults)  Our theory on winning was pretty simple:  program the music and conversation TO the listeners, as told BY the listeners.  So we decided to deliver New Yorkers their favorite classic rock tunes...mixed with some of the great, deep cuts off the studio backwall.  We knew all the great songs that were played in New York as we all  grew up...the songs on WNEW-FM, WPLJ (when it rocked), WXRK (when it was classic) and WBAB.  We took the afore- mentioned WBAB DJs...me included,  and mixed in Jim Kerr, Shelli Sonstein and Carol Miller from WPLJ, Maria Milito from WXRK, Ken Dashow, Ian O'Malley and Eddie Trunk from WNEW-FM and Jonathan Clarke from WLIR.   In the latest Arbritron PPM Ratings, this team took Q104.3 to the top 5 Overall, #2 Adults and #1 in Men.  I've been blessed to program what has become the most-listened-to rock station in America!