Re: Bob Katzen, WMRE

[dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net]

Years ago, most likely while Katzen was still on WMRE, I 
recall picking him up on a very strange show on WUNR. 
More on that in a minute.

I don't recall the WMRE lineup that you mentioned, but 
from the cast of characters you listed, it sounds as if 
the station had a good lineup not long before it entered 
it death throes. What I recall from that era is Hilary 
Stevens in AM drive--sometimes with Dana Hersey, who was 
toying with the idea of buying the station.

Anyhow, what Katzen was doing (under an assumed name) on 
WUNR was a gay/lesbian dating show. I heard the show 
only once or twice--stumbled across it while dialing 
around hoping to find anything enjoyable to listen to. I 
recognized the voice and stopped dialing. (Since WUNR is 
at what was the end of the dial in those days, I had to 
reverse direction anyhow. In case you're wondering about 
digital tuning, I don't think it was around then, and 
for sure, my radios didn't have it.)

What brought me up short was hearing a familiar voice 
doing this bizarre show. I soon recognized that the 
voice belonged to Katzen. I think the show was sponsored 
by a gay/lesbian newspaper. It had to have been brokered 
time because that's all WUNR has done since Arnie 
Ginsburg left for WMEX in the late 50s. And even his 
Night Train show may have been brokered.

I gathered from the comments that Katzen was making that 
he is gay. I'd think it would be really difficult for 
someone a straight person to host such a show. Although 
he made no attempt to disguise his voice or manner, I 
assumed that the phoney air name was some sort of half-
hearted attempt to avoid being identified with an 
"alternative lifestyle," as I suppose being so labeled 
could have hurt his career as a political reporter. Now, 
of course, the identification should have no particular 
effect on his career. Boston isn't Birmingham, after all.
 
> Any memories of that old WMRE lineup from a dozen
> years ago, which included Katzen, Morgan White Jr., 
> Marcia Masters, Paul Benzaquin, et al? I remember
> attending the "going-away party" for WMRE when the
> station went off-air; it was held at a now defunct
> restaurant called the Breakfast Club (corner of
> Brookline Ave. and Boylston St.). Met Bob there...
> nice guy.

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