WREF staffers

[710man]

Hello all..I got my radio career started at Ridgefield's WREF in the mid 80's, when they were live and local, before I headed off to college on the West coast, and where I've resided ever since, still doing this radio thing. Curious if anyone on this board knows what's become of the people I worked with so many years ago, Steve Hand, Judy Cutright, Al Shalon, Chris Clark, Tony Napoleon, Drew Wilder, guy named Bert, Lenny Kerr....those are the names I remember, just curious if any or all are still on the air.

Thanks

 

[Turntable]

WREF is now owned by Berkshire Broadcasting in Danbury, and is a sister station to both WLAD and WDAQ. It is currently running Scott Shannon's automated True Oldies Channel.

http://www.850wref.com

-A

 

[710man]

Thanks Alan, I saw that a while back, I'm sure its been quite some time since WREF was live and local.....but those were the heydays of radio, glad I got to take part in that era. At least in the majors, radio is still beating along, but a different story in smaller markets. Not that I need to tell you that.
It's been twenty years since I last worked with that crew, so I was just wondering what happened to everyone...seems like most fell off the plant, but air names tend to make it hard to trace folks down.

-710man

 

[RadioMan203]

Hello all..I got my radio career started at Ridgefield's WREF in the mid 80's, when they were live and local, before I headed off to college on the West coast, and where I've resided ever since, still doing this radio thing. Curious if anyone on this board knows what's become of the people I worked with so many years ago, Steve Hand, Judy Cutright, Al Shalon, Chris Clark, Tony Napoleon, Drew Wilder, guy named Bert, Lenny Kerr....those are the names I remember, just curious if any or all are still on the air.

Hey Mr710man,

I worked at WREF back in the days when Dennis Jackson owned it. Drew hired me when engineers Clayton Hintz relocated and after Joe Mahoney did his run there.

I worked with both Lenny Kerr and Tony Napoleon at WMMM. Tony passed away in the early 90's - see my WMMM tribute site for more http://wmmmradio.tripod.com/. I worked with Judy for WGCH's Stamford Classic marathon - very nice lady. I think Chris had a gig at WICC for awhile and still may be at Cumulus under a differrent air name. Lenny and Dennis voicetrack my oldies internet webcast.

Those were the days!

 

[710man]

Thanks for the info Bill...I was there from '85 through '87...were you there at that time? I was a high school kid who interned during the week, and ran the board saturday night and Sunday morning. Coolest job out of anyone at my school. Great memories, thanks for sharing...too bad about Tony, as I recall, a true pro and kind man.

-710man

 

[drc-fm fan]

Drew Wilder has been in sales @ WCCC for probably 9 or 10 years now.

 

[RadioMan203]

Thanks for the info Bill...I was there from '85 through '87...were you there at that time? I was a high school kid who interned during the week, and ran the board saturday night and Sunday morning. Coolest job out of anyone at my school. Great memories, thanks for sharing...too bad about Tony, as I recall, a true pro and kind man.

Yes, I was there around that time. I was actually "part-part time" working for Drew doing engineering (mostly after sign-off) while I was working at WMMM and doing work for WEBE as well. It was funny, as I first met Dennis (the owner) back in the 70's when I was in high school at community radio station WMNR - I don't think Dennis even knew I was working for him at that time. It was a great place with some great folks. I probably bumped into you at one time or another while there throwing the bull with the staff.

Tony was a true professional and a great friend. I rarely saw him get angry no matter what the challenge.

 

[ddwilder]

Interesting messages as WREF "The Reference" and "Refreshing" was a longggg time ago...I can't figure out who "710man" is????????? But appreciate whomever it is asking where all these former WREF'ers inc myself have gone. Yes I have been Sr AE at WCCC, Hartford for 9 years having left WREF in '87 in what appears to have been its heyday to be GM/part owner of WKZE AM/FM, Sharon and then to WHCN, Hartford
I'd be curious to know who 710man is and where everyone else is mentioned in the e-mails from the WREF past.

Drew Wilder

 

[Chintz]

I did not know many of the WREF staff as my work there was done after sign off. I was contracted to do studio maintenance from about 1985 to 1987. I relocated to Maine in 87 and currently work for a broadcast equipment manufacturer.

I did work with Tony Napoleon, Lenny Kerr, Bill DeFelice, and many others in my 12 years at WMMM.

Clayton Hintz

 

[RadioMan203]

It's great to see so many former WREFers alive and well. It's been eons since I've heard hide or hair from Drew and it's been awhile since hearing from Clayton. Perhaps once I finally get off my behind and update the WMMM tribute site I'll have to make a WREF history site as well.

 

[710man]

Drew, great to hear you're doing well! If you recall...I went by Jason Young, high school kid from nearby Bethel, then went off to school in Oregon after doing two years at WREF, worked the board on the weekends, and helped in the newsroom part-time during the week, with occasional board shifts. I'll never forget the "85-seconds" feature....my indoctrination to the world of M-O-S. I appreciated to this day my start in radio. I've worked in the biz ever since college...did TV news for several years, before heading back to radio when a great opportunity arose.
I don't go by the name Young anymore....but if you were to consider my handle, and think of the West Coast, you could probably figure out what I'm up to these days.

-Regards
710man

 

[randy50]

Had to jump in here.....worked for WREF in 1987-1988. Did everything: on-air, engineering, production. Worked with Bert Ross, Drew Wilder,Dennis Jackson,
Bob Balough to name a few. I used to do the 6PM- sign off shift during the Summer and fall. Hello to Bill and Clayton, who I see are on this board.
I believe it was Clayton who I took over for at PRN in Stamford. That was the start of my Radio career which lasted until 2008, when I left to do design work
for a video-conferencing company. I miss Radio. Who knows?, maybe I'll be back....

 

[PeterTripp]

Greetings follow alumni of the "Station of the Year." It was an exciting time, and this brings back some "timeless memories." Plus, there's just "something about community AMs." Don't forget Linda Randazzo, Saturday personalities Don (from WFAS), Holly Zyara, and Don Gordon on Sundays. The Virginia Wren and "Dog Talk" shows. Judy Cutright's "Sunday Times" interviews, and Bob Brown in News, yes even on Sundays! Rare is th station with Sunday news coverage today. Drew got us an article in the now defunct R&R, and gave away a grandfather clock to promote "Timeless Memories"? He had a year's worth of promotions sitting on the shelf in his office all ready to go.

Most memorable lines have got to be these from an Al Shalon commercial for the long gone defunct Sloper Lumber:

Al: "You southern girls are all alike."
Linda: "Oh fiddle-de-dee."

 

[Tom Gary]

I have to thank Tony Napolean (posthumosly) for getting into radio. It was the fall of 1972 when I was a Senior at Brookfield High School. Tony hosted a special interest class in the Electronics lab where I took my X block class. Tony's group was taking a tour of the WINE AM/FM transmitter site. I asked the electronics teacher if I could go, even though I wasn't in that group. He said "OK, just get a permission slip". I tagged along, then started hanging out with Tony during his afternoon shift.

Tom Renard, the News Director hired me as a news stringer after learning I was a Student Council homeroom rep. Pat Carlone, the CE, let me do part of Saturday night airshift. "Smokin' Tom Gary" was born but realized broadcast engineering was his true calling and is now CE at WREF. You knew it all had to tie in somewhere. There was this girl I met on the request line at WFCS while I attended Central CT State College on April 19, 1974. I married her on April 19, 1975. We had 13 years before an amicable divorce.