Heard Underground, in Your Dreams

Fascinating story of hard working NJ/NYC Broadcaster, and NJRM fan, Bernie Wagenblast,  who widened his talents to become something beyond the typical broadcaster.    If you have ever been on the NYC subway, you have heard him!  Check out the NY Times article.

There was a time when subway announcements sounded like this: “Gxxrschhh krrtzzz … Borough Hall … pbbbftttz qmmm … suspended … haargggrm.” It was hard to tell whose voice that was. Or even if it was human.

Now subway announcements sound like this: “There is … an uptown … local … 1 … train … to Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street.” The voice is instantly recognizable on any numbered line but the No. 7. It is a chipper, crisp, slightly plummy tenor belonging to Bernie Wagenblast... (to continue reading, click the link below to get to NY Times article).

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/your-fantasy-subway-announcements/

WTG Bernie!

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Dick Miller

IN NEED OF YOUR PRAYERS – not me, but my old friend Dick Miller – EX-WRAN/Ex-WMTR. US Navy Vet. Dick suffered a stroke in his sleep on Tuesday night, 17 January 2012. He is now at Dover General and next stop will be Kessler Rehab in West Orange, according to his loving wife, Patsy. Dick is radio and humour through and through. The man needs your prayers to recover fully! Thank you!

Rich Phoenix, RMC, NJRM Prez/AlbumZone Programme Presenter/North Plainfield Borough Clerk

NJRM live on WFMU 91.1FM

Dover (Morris County’s) New Jersey Radio Museum is pleased to announce its appearance on WFMU’s Seven Second Delay live from the UCB Theatre, just ’round the corner from Gristedes on West 26th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City. This special appearance was precipitated by the recognition that Seven Second Delay featuring Andy Breckman and Ken Freedman is now completing an unbroken twenty-year run on WFMU, meaning that it survived a major change in ownership of the station, the demise of Upsala College, Y2K and even the fearsome 21st Century itself. Present for the live broadcast which will be heard Wednesday evening, August 10th at 6:00 p.m. EDT, 2200 hrs. UTC and 2300 hrs. BST will be New Jersey Radio Museum South Jersey Vice President Big Jay Sorensen whom listeners will recognize from New York’s WCBS-FM as well as New Jersey Radio Museum President and AlbumZone Programme Presenter Rich Phoenix. Seven Second Delay’s remarkable run has qualified them for the NJRM Honorary Longevity Award which will be presented to Andy and Ken by Rich and Jay on Wednesday evening, August 10th. The show will be heard locally on 91.1 mhz. from Jersey City, New Jersey and worldwide via the web in multiple compatible audio formats at http://www.wfmu.org

Big Jay interview #1 – WHWH’s Herb Hobler

Now up on NJRM.org, on our “Sounds of New Jersey” page, a very interesting interview of WHWH (1350 Princeton) co-founder Herb Hobler. Conducted by Big Jay Sorensen and Charles Blanding, Herb discusses NJ radio, his foray into WHWH, his ownership of WPST and cable franchises.

NJRM’s Frank Cipolla’s “It Shocked Even Us!”

“IT SHOCKED EVEN US!”

AND MORE CRAZY STORIES COVERING LOCAL NEWS

BY FRANK CIPOLLA

Veteran news broadcaster Frank Cipolla parts the curtains to reveal all the behind the scenes shenanigans in your local TV newsroom in his new book

“It Shocked Even Us!”

Frank recounts the wonderful journey from his early days in small market radio to realizing his dream as a local TV news reporter and anchor in the nation’s largest market. Along the way he works beside all the great radio, TV and news personalities of the day including Don Imus, Alan Colmes, Howard Stern, Rolland Smith, Soupy Sales, Doctor Frank Field and many, many more.

He also encounters the famous and the not so famous celebrities while being exposed to the news media’s oversized egos, laughable station owners and a collection of friends he could only dream of knowing.

“It Shocked Even Us!” is a funny and touching romp through the local TV news kitchen where the sausage is made.

A portion of the proceeds from “It Shocked Even Us!” will also go to the ‘Broadcasters Foundation of America’ which provides financial help to broadcasters in need because of critical illness, advanced age, accident or other serious misfortune.

Frank’s book is available May15 with a promotional tour to follow including appearances on WNBC-TV, Fox Radio, “Better Connecticut”, WTNH-TV, WCTC-AM, WRNJ-AM and other TV and radio stations around the country.

Even though it will be officially launched May 15th – you can buy it now!

Click “Buy Now” for purchase.

For a promotional copy and to book Frank call Contacts Media

908-670-9500

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Frank Cipolla is an award winning news broadcaster who has been seen and heard on major market and network TV and radio for more than 30 years – most recently as an anchor and reporter at Channel 9 in NYC. Frank is currently an anchor at the Wall Street Journal Radio Network and is heard on more than 300 stations coast to coast. He lives in New Jersey with his wife.

New Jersey Radio Oral/Aural History Project

New Jersey Radio Museum (NJRM) has identified a unique, unprecedented project applying directly to the Garden State and its radio history — A New Jersey Radio Oral/Aural History.

Following the trend of families recording their elders’ narratives of family history, NJRM representatives are now reaching out to record one-on-one interviews with the individuals who have made their mark in New Jersey radio as presenters (air personalities), newscasters, practitioners, technicians, developers of successful stations, as inventors or theorists whose ideas resulted in on-air programming that broke new ground or simply uniquely served the audience in the public interest, convenience or necessity.

These recorded interviews will be archived with a growing library of airchecks of historic New Jersey radio events. The interviews and airchecks will become available on-line and at NJRM’s Dover headquarters at a future date.

NJRM professionals are now reaching out to colleagues and individuals to expedite Aural/Oral History interviews. Those wishing to become involved with the project as interviewees or to recommend specific individuals are encouraged to contact us and will be granted the ability to post.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all NJRM fans. It’s been a while since we checked in. Though things may seem quiet, there is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes in the museum family. We are always looking for all kinds of help, whether you were in radio or just a fan. If you are interested, please send a note to our prez, Rich Phoenix, rich@njrm.org

A new addition to the NJRM website will be to showcase the sounds of radio in NJ. Our first recording is up with sounds from 1932-1994. Just pop over to the “Sounds of NJ” tab and enjoy.

Thanks for following us and from our family to yours, we wish you a very happy and safe 2011.

Big Jay Sorensen joins NJRM!!!

BIG JAY SORENSEN IS

NEW JERSEY RADIO MUSEUM

VICE PRESIDENT FOR SOUTH JERSEY

8 September 2010

With immediate effect, well-known WCBS-FM Air Personality and Broadcast Executive BIG JAY SORENSEN has confirmed his appointment as South Jersey Vice President for the Dover, Morris County-based New Jersey Radio Museum (NJRM). NJRM has become a labor of love for all involved, and will serve as a statewide repository for all things related to New Jersey radio, including hardware (equipment), advertising and promotional paper, program and engineering logs as well as recorded airchecks and interviews with radio figures of the past and present. Approximately ten years ago, NJRM had its genesis amongst a group of North Jersey radio veterans who perceived the fast-changing local radio scene, and wished to archive what had made the medium a great local/live resource over the years. Early on, the executive committee decided that their mission would be the preservation of radio from across the entire state. It is with great pleasure that the NJRM announces the appointment of nationally known Big Jay Sorensen as its South Jersey Vice President. NJRM Co-Founder and Chair Carl VanOrden characterized Sorensen as a highly knowledgeable, recognizable, well-liked, enthusiastic and creative radio idea man with the drive it will take to coherently pull together all geographical corners of NJ radio history, its people and places that have made it uniquely special to so many listeners who rely on their local stations for vital details in their daily lives. NJRM has, of late, been involved in building-in its headquarters on West Blackwell Street in Dover from which it hopes to display unique artifacts and conduct interviews and live demonstrations of what it takes to produce traditional radio programming without over-reliance on automated 21^st century technology. The Museum has already conducted successful personality-driven theatrical fundraisers as well as road shows featuring classic broadcasts that were New Jersey based or themed, such as Orson Welles’ original War of the Worlds and Herbert Morrison’s WLS radio coverage of the Hindenberg disaster. As a longer-range goal, NJRM has hopes of encouraging young aspirants toward higher education through scholarships and broadcast-related career goals. The website, now under construction, may be found at www.njrm.org.

Richard K. Phoenix, RMC
NJRM President