Paul Benzaquin (was:Dave Maynard on the air)

["Bill O'Neill" <billo@erols.com>]

Dan Strassberg writes:

> I ABSOLUTELY remember Benzaquin on WEEI and perhaps also on WNAC
(680). I
> think that one of the programs  (in PM drive, if I recall correctly)
was
> called "Listen."

What was Benzaquin's WHDH actual talk run?  ('Aging' Chuck Igo may
recall?)  I fondly remember teching his overnight show, on occ.  He
had an unforgettable system of voice cues.  As you lined up the calls,
Paul would say, "Two six six.. one one hundred" (pause and up to tech
to whisper the caller's first name into his headphones) "Mary, you're
next on WHDH...."  It was that timing with the tech or producer that
made it real teamwork.  He'd get the occasional desparate caller and
would stay with them for (an un-90s) long time to move to some
resolution before releasing.  He had some "zingers" sfxs (low tech!)
that he'd cue after one of his many prepared set-ups to take into
spots.  He'd put together some plays-on-words, witticisms, etc. We'd
only worked together a few times and he once asked me how I spell my
last name to which I replied, "with two L's."  From that point on, if
he mentioned me, it was "Bill O'Neill with Two L's will be taking your
call at this time...."

Bill O'NeiLL