RIP Lynn Samuels

[DToTheJ]

WABC's Mark Simone has tweeted that former WABC host Lynn Samuels, most recently heard on SiriusXM, has died.

Very sad news to report - Long time NYC radio host, heard for years on WABC, Lynn Samuels has passed away.

 

[Cosmopolite]

Lynn's program was done from her apartment in Woodside. When she missed her Saturday morning 10:00AM cue, Sirius management sent police to her apartment where they found her dead.

 

[gordonlee]

Very sad news. One didn't have to agree with her politics to recognize that she was a great broadcaster.

 

[L.A. Tarone]

I posted the following on the Northeast PA board:


I don't know how many in NEPA knew of her since she was a New York host, but Lynn Samuels has died. Police found her dead in her apartment. No details on a cause yet. Lynn spent years at WABC, which is where I heard her, though she'd previous worked at far left WBAI, and for the last few years had been on Sirrius Satellite Radio. Lynn was a firebrand liberal, and I'm on the other side politically, but I loved her. She was a great host, mainly because she was real -- nothing phony or pre-fab about her. She wasn't doctrinaire and was nobody's mouthpiece. She was funny, engaging and, at times, outrageous. I missed hearing her after she was let go at WABC and her website was regular stop of mine. Lynn was also proof that you don't need the world's greatest radio voice to be a good talk show host -- you just needed an interesting point of view. She always had one and will be missed.

 

[R.F. Burns]

I thought better than to bring this up on the "other" board but it should be noted that she wasn't a liberal. That term is used to frequently to describe anyone who doesn't "tow the (neo con) party line". I used to hear her on WBAI (which I rarely listened to) and she described herself as a anarchist, not a liberal. Teddy Kennedy was a liberal, Charles Schumer from NY is a liberal, Senator Bernie Sanders is a liberal. Lynn Samuels was a far left anarchist. Not the same thing as a liberal. To call her a liberal would be incorrect. WBAI and Pacifica isn't a liberal facility. There are few if any mainstream liberals associated with that station which gives it's airwaves to the very far left. Calling WBAI a liberal station is like calling those in patriot radio heard on short wave radio, conservative.

 

[mary]

sad to hear this I never met her but knew of her, I did not listen to her, as I do not like talk shows, but sending my condolence to her friends, fans and Family!!!! She was not that old, and dying Christmas eve I lost my own parents 1 week before Christmas, its not easy!!! Praying for her family!!!

 

[Walter Graff]

I'm so sad. I've listened to Lynn since her days on WBAI. She was a great, tell-it-like-it-is broadcaster, who didn't go with the party, or just when you thought she did, she challenged it. Christmas was one of your favorite days of the year. I guess if any day was a good day for her to go it was Christmas eve. Rest in peace Lynn. You will not make it to any radio hall of fame. You don't need to, you touched many lives, just because you were damn good. Whether you were discussing the laundromat you used to go to, or the president and his politics, you made yourself a friend in my car.

 

[WNTIRadio]

Whether you agreed with her or not, it didn't matter because she did ENTERTAINING radio. That is something that gets lost in the shuffle with a lot of the syndicated conservative hosts, and all of the former Air America airstaff.

Lynn was unique, personable and personal and real on the air. That was who she was, and she had a sense of humor about things and was like listening to a neighbor up the street.

When she was on WABC along with Bob Grant, you had two sides of a very entertaining coin.

Thinking about her after reading the posts and articles reminds me once again that it's time to bring back the entertainment factor of talk radio. C'mon Merlin, let's stop with the news experiment and bring back the sound of NYC on talk radio. Find that new generation of personalities to develop instead of trying to force feed yet another TV personality (Geraldo) down our throats. Give us all sides of the political debate and entertain us, not screech at us or preach at us.

 

[MarcR]

Lynn Samuels was a far left anarchist.

I think the correct label for her political leanings is libertarian socialist, which is a perfectly legitimate intellectual tradition. Most people hear the word "anarchist" and they associate it with nihilistic young people who go marauding through the streets during G8 summit conferences, but that's not characteristic of intellectual anarchists.

 

[chrish]

She was also on WRKO in Boston for a time.

 

[R.F. Burns]

Lynn Samuels was a far left anarchist.

I think the correct label for her political leanings is libertarian socialist, which is a perfectly legitimate intellectual tradition. Most people hear the word "anarchist" and they associate it with nihilistic young people who go marauding through the streets during G8 summit conferences, but that's not characteristic of intellectual anarchists.

Not to be argumentative, anarchist is the word she used to describe herself when she was on WBAI. I heard her call herself an anarchist and not a liberal on the air.

 

[wadio]

[Lynn] had a sense of humor about things and was like listening to a neighbor up the street. // C'mon Merlin, let's stop with the news experiment and bring back the sound of NYC on talk radio. Find that new generation of personalities to develop instead of trying to force feed yet another TV personality (Geraldo) down our throats. Give us all sides of the political debate and entertain us, not screech at us or preach at us.

One such person, Lisa Wexler, recently lost her microphone in Fairfield County when the WSTC-WNLK combo was sold but then resurfaced a few weeks later at WFAS in White Plains. She belongs in a major market, specifically New York.

Wexler can be fiercely opinionated but she arrives at her opinions independently. She doesn't lecture but instead takes the time to explain her positions -- often, as an attorney, from a legal perspective. As with Lynn Samuels, Wexler doesn't sound like the typical radio host but she's a genuinely interesting human being. A NY PD who's on the ball would do well to "discover" her for weekends and then give her a shot at a regular weekday show.

RIP, Lynn Samuels. Hopefully you've helped blaze a trail for others. That would be a good legacy.

 

[Isles22]

While I never liked Lynn's liberal views (except for her stance on Obama), she was extremely entertaining and enjoyed listening to her. What a shame. She will be missed/

 

[whdh1920]

rip Lynn Samuels,i listened to her off and on when i had my satellite radio!! and i loved her attitude and tell it like it is approach!!

 

[DToTheJ]

I'd want to think that Lynn was not "demoted" to weekends since she - a progressive host - criticized President Obama - a Democrat - but regardless, she was truly one of a kind - from her voice to her brain. She will be missed.

 

[Cosmopolite]

Lynn was buried today in a private service. Just the way she would've wanted.
The Alex Bennett-Richard Bey tribute will be re-broadcast this Saturday (the 31st) in her 10:00AM-1:00PM slot on Sirius XM Stars 107.

 

[wadio]

...on Sirius XM Stars 107.

Where unfortunately few will hear it.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

So you have to set your alarm and go tune in at that particular time if you want to hear it? There's no podcast, on-demand or whatever you want to call it? What decade are we in now?

 

[pinewood1972]

Podcast:

http://www.filedropper.com/lynnremembered

 

[joaniec]

I caught the live tribute. Richard Bey did a nice job with Alex Bennett. Mark Thompson plus other radio folk also called in. And, plenty of fans called in to share their thoughts about Lynn. She was a feisty one allright. Entertaining. Funny. r.i.p. Lynn.