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RON
LAKE
August, 1974 - April, 1975
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From
1971-74 this individual worked at WLAP Lexington and
WKLO Louisville. As Ron Lake, The Rock and
Roll Pig, he joined WPOP for its final year of music
on the night shift. But he wasn't there at the very
end; he resigned two months before the axe fell and
was replaced by The Real
Neal Steele.
His
career has featured shows at WIFI FM Philadelphia; WLAV
A/F Grand Rapids; WLAC/ WKQB, WKDA/WKDF, and WMAK Nashville.
He also had cable television experience there and consulted
WWCR International Short Wave Radio on its live International
Country Music Programing to Europe. His experience is
diverse in other entertainment media. He is one of two
WPOP alumni whose real name was Jim Hicks, though
neither used that on the air. Click
here for details about the other.
Jim lives in Nashville (e-mail).
(10/31/10)
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T.J.
LAMBERT
June 3, 1972 - July, 1975
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Pennsylvania
is where Ted Lambert gained his radio experience.
He worked at WAEB Allentown; WARM Scranton and WIBG
Philadelphia before joining WPOP for 7:00PM to midnight
(later 6:00-10:00PM). T.J. was there at the end
when WPOP dumped music and installed an all-news format;
he briefly joined the sales department.
After
leaving Hartford, T.J. returned to the City of Brotherly
Love where he jocked at WIFI. His next stop was in record
promotion at Casablanca Records. T.J. then joined the
radio syndication firm, Drake-Chenault, based in Albuquerque,
NM. He later held an executive position at Jones Satellite
Radio Network in Denver. In
September 2008, T.J. was released after 16 years as
senior vice president of affiliate relations for ESPN/ABC
Radio Networks in Dallas. In December 2008, T.J. was
named executive vice president and chief operating officer
of Radiolicious, a native iPhone application available
through the iTunes App Store. From his base near Albuquerque,
NM, he opened the T.J.
Lambert Company in 2011 specializing in the introduction
of new media revenue platforms. In April 2013 T.J. was
appointed executive vice president and general manager
of Radio Ink magazine.
In
August 2016 T.J. became the team leader for Europe,
the Middle East & Africa for BMG Global/S-One Holdings
Corporation based in Barcelona, Spain; see
his note (7/17/23) (e-mail
).
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SAL
LaROSA
April-December, 1964
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Sal
was born in New Britain on August 10, 1943. While a
high school student in New Britain, Sal hired Don
Blair to host record hops. That ignited a love for
radio.
He
graduated from the Cambridge School of Broadcasting
in Boston in 1962 and was hired at WDEE in Hamden.
Sal
was hired for a brief stay as WPOP's all-night man (midnight
to 6:00 a.m.), though he also worked part-time in the
WPOP newsroom. Sal drove to work in a brand new Ford
Mustang and enjoyed boating on Long Island Sound and
bowling in his off-hours.
Sal
worked in public relations for a San Francisco hospital;
he died on June 26, 1991 at the age of 47.
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MICHAEL
LAWLESS
January 30, 1956-March 1960 &
January-April, 1964
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A
graduate of Emerson College in Boston, acase could be
made that Mike Lawless was the grand 'ol man of WPOP.
When WGTH was sold in July 1956, and renamed WPOP, Mike
had already worked there for at least a year and a half.
Mike grew up near Canton, MA and attended Thayer Academy,
Stonehill College and Emerson College. An avid jazz
and sports fan, he roomed with WTIC-competitor (and
former Emerson colleague Bill Hennessey) when he first
got to Hartford.
It
was announced that WGTH would become the first 24-hour
station in Hartford effective January 30, 1956. Mike
was the host of the all night show, Night Beat,
from midnight to 6:00 a.m. It is believed Mike and Del
Raycee were the only personalities to survive the
ownership change at WGTH; Raycee left WPOP in 1962.
In
January, 1959 Mike hosted the 7:00PM-midnight music
show on WPOP. By June the hours had changed to 9:00PM-midnight.
By July 1959 he was hosting 6:00-9:00PM. In October
1960 Mike was the manager of WJZZ in Bridgeport when
the renowned Dave Brubeck was music director! By early
1964 he was back working in the WPOP news department,
followed by a stint at WEXT in West Hartford.
His
obituary said he was the co-narrator of the Newport
Jazz Festival in 1962. His resume also included stops
at WBET in Brockton, MA and WIKE in Newport, VT. Later
in his career he spent 23 years as a Sears automotive
salesman in Braintree, MA.
Robert
Cleaves "Mike" Lawless died in Duxbury, MA
on April 17, 1996 after years of complications from
diabetes. He was 63.
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BOB
E. LLOYD
prior to October 8, 1955 - March
1956
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Born
in Norwich on October 28, 1924, Robert Lloyd Silverberg
studied at the University of Connecticut, where he got
his first exposure to radio. After a stint in the Navy,
he liked radio enough to return to his hometown as program
director of WICH. Then it was on to WAVZ in New Haven,
before the former WTHT in Hartford called. For a while
he hosted two music shows a day while also holding down
a shift at WSPR in Springfield. Known on the air as
Bob E. Lloyd, he was a popular disc jockey -
so much so that WPOP's predecessor, WGTH 1410, stole
him away for a few months in 1955-56. He hosted the
afternoon Waxworks program at WGTH, where he
was billed as the devilment director. Just months
before WGTH changed call letters to WPOP, Bob left Connecticut
for WHEC AM/TV in Rochester, NY where he had a long
run. He served a short time at WNEW FM in New York City
before setting in for another long run at WFAS in White
Plains. He retired from a 50-year broadcast career on
June 26, 1998.
After
retirement, Bob and his wife moved to Cape Cod. Ethel
died in June 2021; nine days later Bob passed away.
Read a note from
their daughter (10-15-22).
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PAUL
LOCKWOOD
January 1 - December, 1970
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Born
December 2, 1938, Paul Donald Lockwood was a native
of Rockville Centre, Long Island and a graduate of Oceanside
High School and Hobart College, where he began his broadcast
career. He was a sportscaster at WGVA in Geneva, NY.
He was hired as WPOP's news director. He came from New
York City where he worked for WPIX-FM, WNEW, WHN and
WINS.
After his year in Hartford he returned to New York at
WPIX FM and later spent 15 years with the CBS Radio
Network. He was also news director at WBAZ FM in Southold,
NY.
On
August 23, 1990 Paul was getting out of his car to do
a remote broadcast in Riverhead, Long Island when he
suffered a massive heart attack. He passed away on September
1, 1990 at the age of 51.
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BILL
LOVE
November 30, 1968 - August 14, 1971
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Born
June 3, 1943, they called this native Kentuckian Big
Bill Love because he was 6'6"...240 pounds...and
25 years old when he arrived to replace Steve
Morgan on WPOP's 9:00PM-1:00AM shift. Bill arrived
in Hartford just in time for Thanksgiving dinner at
program director Danny
Clayton's house; Bill promptly broke Clayton's electric
carving knife. Bill later held down the 1:00-4:00PM
and 10:00AM-3:00PM shifts before taking over morning
drive from Bill Winters
on January 28, 1970. He was teamed with Lou
Morton on sports and Dick Orkin's syndicated Tooth
Fairy series.
Bill
was an all-state football player and all-state band
instrumentalist. During high school he worked at a station
in his hometown, WSIP Paintsville, KY. While a sophomore
at the University of Kentucky, he became news director
and later a deejay at WLAP in Lexington , KY. Then it
was on to WHOO Orlando, FL and a brief stay at WKGN
Knoxville, TN before heading north to Hartford.
Bill left WPOP for the morning show at WKLO in Louisville,
KY. In 1973 he left for a few months to play album rock
at WHK in Cleveland where he worked for another WPOP
alum, Roy
Cooper. Bill returned to WKLO and his career has
taken him to WOMI/WBKR Owensboro, KY; WFBC Greenville/Spartanburg,
SC; WSLR Akron, OH (where he worked with an ex-WPOP
colleague, Bill
Coffey); WBKR (again); and WDOD Chattanooga, TN.
Bill
did middays at WKDQ in Evansville, IN for 17 years before
cutting back to part-time in October 2009.
On
May 17, 2021 Bill began hosting morning drive on WLYD
in Evansville, IN (e-mail);
see his note.
(5/10/21)
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MAD
DADDY
prior to October 31, 1963 - January,
1964
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Like
Hound Dog before
him, Mad Daddy provided a nightly syndicated show on
tape to WPOP. Originating from the mythical "Sponge
Rubber Heaven," WPOP aired the show for a few
months from 10:00PM to midnight.
Born in San Francisco, Pete Myers cut his teeth with
Armed Forces Radio during World War II. He studied at
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and worked
for a time as an actor. He went back to radio at KCBQ
in San Diego, then began perfecting a frantic-paced
rhyming act as "Mad Daddy" at WHK Cleveland.
In July 1959 he joined middle-of-the-road WNEW in New
York but the Mad Daddy persona didn't fit it so he went
across town to WINS. In 1965 Myers rejoined the staff
at WNEW in New York where he worked under his own name.
He
took his own life on October 4, 1968, at the age of
40.
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JIM
MARKO
prior to July 5, 1974 - ?
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Jim
was born in Bridgeport and attended Southern Connecticut
State College, earning a bachelor of arts in English
Literature. His voice was first heard on WNAB in Bridgeport.
He moved on to WOWW in Naugatuck where he was news director
and gosted an evening talk show. Later he was news director
at WIOF (known as Radio 104) in Waterbury, also a Merv
Griffin station.. He worked in the WPOP News department.
Since
the early 1990s Jim has held a number of public relations
and media consulting posts. Among the organizations
he worked for: GLAD, the Justice Resource Institute,
Community Research Initiative, Boston Center for the
Arts, and development director for the Cantata Singers.
Jim
is the Director of Development for the Lyric Stage Company
in Boston (11-20-17).
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Born
November 19, 1925 in Hartford, Joseph John Mariani
Jr. grew up in Connecticut, graduating from Wethersfield
High School. He spent World War II in the South Pacific
as a U.S. Navy radio operator. When he returned stateside
he attended the New England School of Broadcasting in
Bridgeport. He was hired as a disc jockey at WAVZ in
New Haven in 1948. In 1953 he moved to WEEI in Boston
where he reported news and hosted music programs before
joining the WPOP news department in 1964. John left
to become a newscaster at WCAU in Philadelphia. During
these years John admitted to being a compulsive gambler
until joining Gamblers Anonymous in 1965. He left WCAU
in 1975 teaming up with his wife, Barbaranne, at WTMR,
a religious station in Camden, NJ. He finished his career
as an evangelist at WPHL TV in Philadelphia.
John died in Newark, Delaware on May 7, 2003 at the
age of 77.
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BOB
MARSHALL
1963 - July 1973
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Robert Paiva was born on April 5, 1938
in Rhode Island but his family spent the early 1950s
in Glen Cove, NY. He graduated from Bristol, RI High
School in 1955 and attended the University of Rhode
Island where he was involved with the student station,
WRIU. He started working at WPOP in 1963 as assistant
promotion director. Much of his work involved organizing
shows at the Bushnell Auditorium and other venues. Some
of the acts he brought to Hartford were Buffalo Springfield,
The Moody Blues, Jimmy Hendricks, Paul Revere and the
Raiders, the Beach Boys, and several Dick Clark touring
caravans featuring multiple acts. In 1964 he helped
coordinate the Rolling Stones show at Dillon Stadium.
His on-air career started in February 1966 under a nom
de plume when WPOP president Joe Amaturo appointed
Bob as community relations and public service director.
He
adopted the name Bob Marshall while working at
a college station; it was a tribute to his favorite
jock growing up in New York, WNEW's Jerry Marshall.
Bob Marshall was listed in a WPOP newspaper ad
as a reporter who covered election results in November,
1966. But he actually replaced Sam
Holman as host of WPOP's late-night talk show, Hotline,
later alternating the duties with Ed
Clancy. Using his real name, Bob was WPOP's music
director and did occasional airshifts. In September
1972 he was promoted to program director, replacing
Lou Morton.
After
WPOP Bob worked as program director at WWYZ Waterbury
(and hired Ken Griffin
for afternoons), WLEE in Richmond, VA (where he reunited
with WPOP morning man Allen
King), and was station manager at WCMB AM/WSFM FM
in Harrisburg, PA. He spent five years at London Records
and many years in the automotive business in Connecticut.
Bob
died on December 7, 2023 at the age of 86; see
his note. (12/8/23)
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As
a teenager growing up in New Britain, Bob was the bass
player for a band called The Detroit Soul. WPOP's
music director, Bob Paiva (see Bob
Marshall above), had an interest in the group and
the guys hung around the station a lot, playing at station
events. With the encouragement of WPOP's Lee
Simms, Bob started his own radio career in 1968,
enrolling in the Cambridge School of Business & Broadcasting
in Boston. He worked at a number of Connecticut radio
stations including WLAE Meriden; WKSS Hartford; WINF
Manchester; WCCC Hartford and WCNX Middletown. It was
while working there in 1970 that WPOP news director
Paul Lockwood hired
Bob as a weekend 20/20 newsman.
His
tour at The Big 14 was short but Bob later worked
at WRCQ/WRCH Farmington and spent eight years hosting
middays at WDRC. For 27 years Bob was morning man at
WSCF
in Vero Beach, FL using his real name, Bart Mazzarella
(the Bartman).
Bob
retired from full-time radio in November 2018 and lives
in Florida; see
his note (10-19-15) (e-mail).
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MIKE
McCLELLAN
prior to October 8, 1961 - 1962?
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Born
in Knoxville in 1934, Samuel "Mike" McClellan
was news director at WPCT in Putnam, CT, then moved
to the news department of WICE Providence before landing
at WKNB in New Britain.
Mike
was hired in 1961 as night editor in the WPOP Pulse
Beat News department. At the time, the station aired
news at five minutes before the hour and twenty five
minutes after the hour 20 hours a day. He left WPOP
for a stint at WTIC, then headed for KSAN in San Francisco.
He spent two months in the news department of WKBW Buffalo
before being named news director at WUFO in Amherst,
MA on May 1, 1962.
In
September 1962 McClellan was named managing editor for
Gordon McLendon's WYNR in Chicago. In April 1963 he
crossed town to WVON in the Windy City. In April 1965
he was a street reporter for all-news WINS in New York.
He was a news anchor/writer at WINZ in Miami and joined
CNN2 in Atlanta in early 1982.
Mike's
current whereabouts are unknown.
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TERRY
McKAY
June, 1967 - July 14, 1968
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Terry
McKay was the music-playing
alter-ego of WPOP Newsman Mike Heid (who liked the name
Terry; he borrowed McKay from his grandmother).
He replaced Rusty Potz
as the weekend swing shift jock in November, 1967 while
writing and reading news during the week.
Mike/Terry
had experience with Armed Forces Radio Service in the
Philippines, where he was spotted by WPOP's continuity
chief, Barbara Bodnar who had also worked for AFRS.
Also
see Mike Heid; Mike
died on April 13, 2022 after a lengthy illness; he was
79.
(10/7/22) .
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KEVIN
McKEOWN
July-August, 1967
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Kevin
was born in New York City but moved to New Haven as
a kid. He got involved in radio while a student at Yale
(WYBC) then became a boss jock at WNHC and WDEE in nearby
Hamden.
His employment at WPOP was brief, but his broadcast
career has been lengthy: WPLR New Haven; KGB A/F San
Diego, CA; KROQ and KWST Los Angeles, CA. He also published
an on-line newsletter called The Source.
Today
Kevin is a Councilman
in Santa Monica, CA. He runs Kitchen Synch Consulting,
producing radio commercials for movies and television
(e-mail); see
his note. (5/13/01)
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JIM
McLAUGHLIN
March 30, 1964 - August, 1965
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A
native of Pittsburgh, Jim served in the US Army with
two years active in the Counter Intelligence Corps,
stationed at the Pentagon. He was honorably discharged
and completed his military obligation with 4 years in
the reserves. Jolly Jim McLaughlin came to WPOP
from KQV in Pittsburgh to host 11:00AM-3:00PM and later
9:00AM-noon. A graduate of the University of Kentucky
at Louisville, one highlight of his stay at WPOP was
competing against WTIC's Bob Steele in a cleanup contest
in front of Hartford's Old State House in May, 1964.
He left The Good Guys to join WNHC New Haven,
and after 10 years in broadcasting jumped ship to advertising
becoming creative director at Van Leeuwen Advertising.
Jim retired as a partner in McLaughlin,
DelVecchio & Casey Advertising in New Haven, which
he founded in 1972; see
his note. (5/14/01)
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JIM
MEEKER
April, 1966 - spring, 1967
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A
native of Beloit, Kansas, Jim studied pre-law at Washburn
University and engineering at Kansas State University.
Gentleman Jim Meeker arrived in Hartford from
KGB in San Diego to join WPOP, hosting the 3:00-6:30PM
shift. He had previously held radio posts in California,
Indiana and Missouri, and KISN in Portland, OR.
After
leaving The Big 14 Jim became the off-air program
director at KOL Seattle, WA before returning to California
where he worked at KWIZ Santa Ana; KRLA Pasadena; KEZY
Anaheim; KWOW Pomona. He was also president of Studio
West in Newport Beach where he produced syndicated radio
programs. Through the 1980s he held management positions
at KONG A/F in Visalia, CA; KSNN Merced, CA; KXA Seattle,
WA; KSAN FM/KNEW San Francisco, CA; and was director
of engineering for Crista Broadcasting.
After
Jim retired from radio he lived in Oregon and owned
a company in Kirkland, WA called Northwest Home Appraisals.
Jim
died in early October, 2016 of prostate cancer; he was
78. (10/15/16)
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STEVE
MORGAN
prior to July 12 - November, 1968
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An
alumni of WMNZ Montezuma, GA...WQSI & WTMA in Charleston,
SC...WFEA Manchester, NH and WSAI Cincinnati (all as
Johnny Long)...WQXI in Atlanta...and WFUN in Miami (as
Stephen W. Morgan), Steve came to WPOP when Steve
O'Brien left for Philadelphia. Dick
Heatherton vacated his 9:00PM-1:00AM shift for Morgan,
and took over O'Brien's 6:00-9:00PM shift. Steve Morgan
roomed with Heatherton and had the chance to meet his
sultry singing sister, Joey.
In addition to his on-air duties Morgan visited area
high schools to show off the WPOP/14 Arrow Shark Corvette
and give away copies of the WPOP "POP"
Music Explosion oldies album. His stay in Hartford
was short, and Steve left for WQAM, WMYQ, WINZ, WWOK,
WGST, WAIA/WIOD (all in Miami) and WTPX in Fort Lauderdale,
replaced by Big Bill Love.
In
2001 he wrote a novel called The Human Legacy
under his real name, J.L. Long. It's about a veteran
cop and his TV anchorwife and "greed, ignorance,
environmental cover-up and waste."
Steve
is retired and living in Kentucky (e-mail).(10-12-12)
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LOU
MORTON
January, 1969 - September 9, 1972
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A
native of Hamilton, OH, this was Lovable Lou's
second stint at The Big 14. From 1965-66 he did
morning drive as Kilroy.
Between times he co-hosted Speak Up Greater Hartford
on WINF in Manchester with Tracy
Cole. He was also WINF's program director, and did
a wake-up stint at WEXT in West Hartford.
In 1969 he joined Allen
King's morning show doing news and sports. Later
he worked with Bill Winters
and Bill Love in morning
drive and eventually became program director.
After
his second stint at The Big 14, Lou worked at
WCDQ Hamden; WOWW Naugatuck; WATR, WQQW and WWYZ Waterbury.
In 1979 he was doing morning drive at beautiful-music
WKCI in the New Haven market. His last on-air gig was
at WGAB West Hartford (a show produced by his son, Larry
Morton).
Lou
died on Veterans's Day 2014 at the age of 88 (click
to read more).
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MADCAP
JACK MURPHY
prior to January 16, 1961 - February
1962?
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Jack
was a talented morning man at WPOP. He came from WKNB,
replacing Paul
Smith who moved from morning drive to the WPOP News
Department, and was replaced by Morton
"Doc" Downey.
His
current whereabouts are unknown.
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MICHAEL
MURPHY
September 3-December, 1972
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Coming
from WCCC Hartford, Michael was hired for weekend work
at WPOP. He left to return to college and made a couple
of guest appearances around Memorial Day 1973. He later
returned to WPOP in August, 1973.
Also
see Bobby Brooks.
(e-mail)
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