producer nicknames

scranton · Nov 2, 2009

going back to "Muck", through the careers of vb, happy, sandy, john biff rooney and now huggy, radio producers in boston have colorful nicknames. Jodi Applegate used Sandy's real name today! the horror!

raccoonradio · Nov 2, 2009

John Curtin (WRKO) IIRC was "Chud", after saying something (IIRC) about a movie called C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Human Underground Dwellers)

VB--Howie has said that once Doug Goudie was giving him grief off-air about being married and Howie said,
"Well, we've never seen you with a woman. You're just a...virgin boy!" Later when he had his own "Pit"
show, Doug said it stood for Victor Bravo. He still IDs as VB on Fox 25 news.

Sandy, Nancy Shack, perhaps inspired by Sandy Nagro (read the book about Jerry Williams)
Howie had one producer called "Tattoo" and it may have had to do with having tattoos rather than being a dwarf (like Tattoo on Fantasy Island)

Happy works for Michele McPhee on WTKK these days and even plays some of the special effects he
used on Howie's show like the alcoholic beverage being poured

On the national level, James Golden is better known as Rush's Mr Snerdley

fredo · Nov 2, 2009

raccoonradio said:
John Curtin (WRKO) IIRC was "Chud", after saying something (IIRC) about a movie called C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Human Underground Dwellers)

VB--Howie has said that once Doug Goudie was giving him grief off-air about being married and Howie said,
"Well, we've never seen you with a woman. You're just a...virgin boy!" Later when he had his own "Pit"
show, Doug said it stood for Victor Bravo. He still IDs as VB on Fox 25 news.

Sandy, Nancy Shack, perhaps inspired by Sandy Nagro (read the book about Jerry Williams)
Howie had one producer called "Tattoo" and it may have had to do with having tattoos rather than being a dwarf (like Tattoo on Fantasy Island)

Happy works for Michele McPhee on WTKK these days and even plays some of the special effects he
used on Howie's show like the alcoholic beverage being poured

On the national level, James Golden is better known as Rush's Mr Snerdley

Happy got his nickname from John Ozone Osterlind and his then producer-side kick Rich "Dick Tetlow" Teeter. Matt "Happy" Burke was an intern at WAAF and WRKO with Ozone's shows. Teeter said he never once saw anyone so Happy all the time and there you go. Teeter was known as Dick Tetlow because of a televison show he had in Connecticut The Dick Ed Show he was Dick Tetlow and his partner was Ed Dickman. He went back to Rich Teeter when John Dennis and Gerry Callahan hired him after Ozone got fired. They liked the sound of " For Teeter, Meter and Chach"when they closed the show.

Cap-n Spackle · Nov 2, 2009

There was also "Butchie", who followed One Chick Dishing to NYC for ostensibly greener pastures. :

Thai · Nov 2, 2009

So who's "Biff" Rooney?

scranton · Nov 2, 2009

biff was the long-time producer of the noontime J& M show, before that the Eagle n' Braude show

raccoonradio · Nov 3, 2009

Butchie's real name is Paul Brennan and Howie said the nickname came from a Mayor Brennan or some kind of
politician (from Everett?)
I have the last ever "VB's Pit" show on cass. (2003?) and it has VB, Sandy, and Butchie

Thai · Nov 4, 2009

Yes, of course. I meant his real name. And who is Jay's "Dr." Parker?

scranton · Nov 5, 2009

biff was john roooney, dr parker is john parker, one of jay's earlier producers was the great jimmy carter

dumber than a box of hair · Nov 6, 2009

raccoonradio said:
Later when he had his own "Pit" show, Doug said it stood for Victor Bravo.

You missed what is really an inside joke. "Victor Bravo" is the standard radio-operator phonetic for the letters V and B. This Wikipedia article explains it (see the Telephony column on the right): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet

scranton · Nov 6, 2009

Today the Colonel subbing for howie mention that one of the staff's nicknames is Horshack. MGrahams producer is teh great and powerful Tom.

Off and on through the years the producer for the televised portion of IMus in the mOrning was nicknamed "Bigfoot"--for years I thought he was talking about some bigshot at the radio station or CBS.

raccoonradio · Nov 7, 2009

Speaking of RKO Nancy "Sandy" Shack was saying on Howie's show that she met Howie because he was being asked to review porno films for their nightly sex talk show with Phyllis (I think that was her name). Sandy said she didn't personally work at night when the show was on,she booked guests, etc. and somehow met Howie that way.

(Though I thought maybe Sandy was being board op or producer/asst. producer for Jerry and met Howie when he did fill ins or guest appearances...)

Research_Weenie · Nov 8, 2009

Anyone remember "Pudge" - brilliant producer for the Jess Cain show ?

scranton · Nov 9, 2009

are the titles board op and producer used inter-changeably

Radio Veteran · Nov 15, 2009

Research_Weenie said:
Anyone remember "Pudge" - brilliant producer for the Jess Cain show ?

John "Pudge" Flynn was one of Boston's best producer/board ops. He could razor blade edit tape faster than anyone can edit with one of the current computer based units (like the "Shortcut"). Unlike todays producers, Pudge's position was an engineering position and required a FCC First Class Radiotelephone Operators License (First Phone) now called the General Radiotelephone Operators License. There was also a technical engineer on duty during the Jess Cain show so that Pudge could concentrate on the show and not the technical needs of the AM FM facility. He was definitely not your typical show producer and the synergy between him and Jess Cain was something special. As Weenie said, Pudge was brilliant and often wrote some of the bits used on the show.

He was known as "Pudge" long before he worked in radio. it was a long time nickname.