Late WBNY Alumni Weekend Recap
I meant to get to this a lot sooner, but I again had a great time at the WBNY 91.3 FM 25th Anniversary/Alumni Weekend and New Media Weekend at Buffalo State College in October, and was honored and privileged to take part in a panel discussion as well as have lots of fun with a 2-hour air shift that Sunday, October 28.
I've thanked people here before, but I should mention that alumni like Tina Peel, Tom Calderone, John Rosso and the organizing committee/WBNY Alumni Association officers and staff at Buffalo State deserve credit for making the weekend a pretty big deal not just for alumni, but for current students, the college itself and listeners.
And as I have done in the past, here is my play list from the two hours I was DJing: 6-7 p.m. - Rodney Crowell, "Say You Love Me;" Blue Rodeo, "This Road;" Beausoleil, "Zydeco Gris-Gris;" Richard Thompson, "Dad's Gonna Kill Me;" The Jam, "Standards;" Roxy Music, "Same Old Scene;" Rockpile, "Pet You and Hold You;" Mark Freeland and Electroman, "Girl Power;" Nullstadt, "Jimmy;" Davy and the Crocketts, "Stage Zero;" the Nerves, "When You Find Out;" the Plimsouls, "Oldest Story in the World;" Peter Case, "Ain't Gonna Worry No More;" Southern Culture on the Skids, "8 Piece Box."
7-8 p.m. - Lucinda Williams, "Pineola;" Mamou, "Opelousas Sostan;" Girlpope, "Bad Habits;" Michael Oliver, "Little Miss Oblivious;" Roger Bryan, "Lighthouse;" Warren Zevon, "The Overdraft;" MC5, "Shakin' Street;" Los Lobos, "Done Gone Blue;" Jim Whitford, "Crash All Night;" the Pine Dogs, "Been on a Twister;" Enemies, "Disconnected;" Linda McRae, "This Winding Road;" Julie Miller, "All My Tears;" Carolyn Mark, "Happy 2 B Flying Away."
It is always nice to get to play music that I like now and over the more than 20 years since I was on-air at WBNY, and it was great to see so many friends, including some I haven't really encountered/talked to in too many years.
If there is a complaint I have from the weekend, it has nothing to do with the alumni, current students/air staff or the faculty and staff at Buffalo State College, but with what I perceive as the all but ignoring in the news media of some prominent alumni, as well as those who in my opinion stayed true to their WBNY years and experience and have and still are intensely interested in and promoting, DJing, selling, performing and/or writing about music.
In particular, it seems that the vast majority of the media, if they wrote or broadcast anything about the WBNY Alumni Weekend, our 25th anniversary or New Media Weekend, concentrated on the alumni of WBNY who are prominent in the media, in Buffalo, Western New York and nationally, as well as in politics. Mayor Byron Brown was frequently mentioned, as were the usual slew of local television and some radio broadcasters, despite the fact that many of them have never taken part in an alumni weekend or in much of any way to promote the station, while people like Cal Zone, John Hudson, Scott Michlin, Barri Falk, Rita Rich (Tarnovsky), Kevin Walsh, my sister, Heather (Hosey) Keenan, Randy Bushover, Tom Connolly, Dave Johnston, Brian Hartman and many others were all but forgotten.
People like Tina Peel, John Rosso, Tom Calderone, Ralph Cipolla and their like deserve all of the attention they have received as WBNY Alumni, and even more, because they have both achieved a lot in their fields and returned their time and effort to the station and the college. But in a town where non-journalism and non-broadcast skills seem to earn you on-air news jobs (and no, this is not exclusive to Buffalo), "celebrity" of this kind wins over commitment. Oh, well.
I've thanked people here before, but I should mention that alumni like Tina Peel, Tom Calderone, John Rosso and the organizing committee/WBNY Alumni Association officers and staff at Buffalo State deserve credit for making the weekend a pretty big deal not just for alumni, but for current students, the college itself and listeners.
And as I have done in the past, here is my play list from the two hours I was DJing: 6-7 p.m. - Rodney Crowell, "Say You Love Me;" Blue Rodeo, "This Road;" Beausoleil, "Zydeco Gris-Gris;" Richard Thompson, "Dad's Gonna Kill Me;" The Jam, "Standards;" Roxy Music, "Same Old Scene;" Rockpile, "Pet You and Hold You;" Mark Freeland and Electroman, "Girl Power;" Nullstadt, "Jimmy;" Davy and the Crocketts, "Stage Zero;" the Nerves, "When You Find Out;" the Plimsouls, "Oldest Story in the World;" Peter Case, "Ain't Gonna Worry No More;" Southern Culture on the Skids, "8 Piece Box."
7-8 p.m. - Lucinda Williams, "Pineola;" Mamou, "Opelousas Sostan;" Girlpope, "Bad Habits;" Michael Oliver, "Little Miss Oblivious;" Roger Bryan, "Lighthouse;" Warren Zevon, "The Overdraft;" MC5, "Shakin' Street;" Los Lobos, "Done Gone Blue;" Jim Whitford, "Crash All Night;" the Pine Dogs, "Been on a Twister;" Enemies, "Disconnected;" Linda McRae, "This Winding Road;" Julie Miller, "All My Tears;" Carolyn Mark, "Happy 2 B Flying Away."
It is always nice to get to play music that I like now and over the more than 20 years since I was on-air at WBNY, and it was great to see so many friends, including some I haven't really encountered/talked to in too many years.
If there is a complaint I have from the weekend, it has nothing to do with the alumni, current students/air staff or the faculty and staff at Buffalo State College, but with what I perceive as the all but ignoring in the news media of some prominent alumni, as well as those who in my opinion stayed true to their WBNY years and experience and have and still are intensely interested in and promoting, DJing, selling, performing and/or writing about music.
In particular, it seems that the vast majority of the media, if they wrote or broadcast anything about the WBNY Alumni Weekend, our 25th anniversary or New Media Weekend, concentrated on the alumni of WBNY who are prominent in the media, in Buffalo, Western New York and nationally, as well as in politics. Mayor Byron Brown was frequently mentioned, as were the usual slew of local television and some radio broadcasters, despite the fact that many of them have never taken part in an alumni weekend or in much of any way to promote the station, while people like Cal Zone, John Hudson, Scott Michlin, Barri Falk, Rita Rich (Tarnovsky), Kevin Walsh, my sister, Heather (Hosey) Keenan, Randy Bushover, Tom Connolly, Dave Johnston, Brian Hartman and many others were all but forgotten.
People like Tina Peel, John Rosso, Tom Calderone, Ralph Cipolla and their like deserve all of the attention they have received as WBNY Alumni, and even more, because they have both achieved a lot in their fields and returned their time and effort to the station and the college. But in a town where non-journalism and non-broadcast skills seem to earn you on-air news jobs (and no, this is not exclusive to Buffalo), "celebrity" of this kind wins over commitment. Oh, well.
posted by Kevin J. Hosey at 3:20 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for the shout-out, sorry I wasn't there, but I love the photos on wbnyalumni.com why am I surprised that everyone has aged like me?
Even though I didn't stay in radio, I was in news for 7 years, and I consider marketing/pr close enough for another 8 years. I'm surprised how much of what I did helps me in my latest career as a teaching assistant. We actually teach "who, what, why, when, and where" as the 5 w's of writing.
After a 5 year stab working in 'the music business'...an industry that I found to be both shallow and depressing, I chose to relocate back to Western NY to be closer to my wife's family. I've never looked back and I have no regrets in my current career/role as an educator and dedicated father. I will say that I still integrate my radio persona, shtick, and enthusiasm for music, media, and technology...skills and interests that were honed during my tenure at BNY in my workplace and with my kids. I cherish those couple of years when broadcasting @ BNY was a total creative and collaborative blast. I truly appreciate being able to continue to connect with this part of my past and youth 25 years later. If anything my passion for left of center music, punk rock, garage rock, thrift shop novelty records and their related subculture, as well as free-form radio has grown over the last few years, and I'm thrilled to be offered the opportunity to express myself once or twice a year on my old radio station. With that said, I am glad for any positive attention/recognition that BNY might get from namedropping Calderone, Brown, Peel, etc as an angle...I hope it helps the station in some way. Thanks Kev for the nice thoughts!
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