Brudnoy

[Ben Levy]

No, Syracuse 2002… and I’m not on Facebook at all.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Ron
Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2020 12:09 PM
To: 'Ben Levy'
Subject: RE: Brudnoy

I recall the night he was coughing non-stop on the air….I don’t remember a Ben Levy filling in, though…but I may not have been paying attention.

Is this you?

https://www.facebook.com/ben.levy/about_work_and_education

Syracuse, class of 2005?


Ron

From: Ben Levy <LostCluster@lostcluster.me> 
Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2020 11:08 AM
To: Ron <obrienron2@gmail.com>; boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org (boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org) <boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org>
Subject: RE: Brudnoy

Brudnoy was breaking rules left and right. He used his claim of AIDS to take too many days off, taking direct sponsor money for hours on his show (such as the “It’s safe to go on Monster…” series), and calling out from the on-air line on in a way that WBZ isn’t allowed to do so now. 1999 was a rough year for all things WBZ.

He became obsessed with me, and forced me on-air from the Syracuse University campus. I eventually ended up hosting the show, and keeping the station going until Paul Sullivan was ready.

This lead to the timeslot being shrunk into 3 hours, with a WBZ Evening News at 7, and WBZ Latenight News at 11. Emily Johnston and Alicia Cutbert were great co-anchors. 

Going on at the time was the state’s MCAS Debates, and their non-understanding that WRKO didn’t reach most of their state. They wanted to be on WBZ, but were stuck in Norm Nathan’s time of Midnight-5am. Brudnoy didn’t want to let them in, which means I had to host those hours.

Bottom line: If you want to honor Brudnoy, you weren’t listening in 1999.

Ben

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Ron
Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2020 12:14 AM
To: 'Ben Levy'
Subject: Brudnoy

>> Uh, Brudnoy doesn’t deserve any honors. Remember how that show shut down.

What's your problem with Brudnoy?   How did that "show shut down"?

R

-----Original Message-----
From: Boston-Radio-Interest <boston-radio-interest-bounces@lists.BostonRadio.org> On Behalf Of Ben Levy
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 9:43 AM
To: Doug Drown <ashboy1951@gmail.com>; Boston Radio Group <boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org>
Subject: RE: The Mount Rushmore of Boston Radio

Uh, Brudnoy doesn’t deserve any honors. Remember how that show shut down.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Doug Drown
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 2:47 AM
To: Boston Radio Group
Subject: The Mount Rushmore of Boston Radio

A coronavirus diversion with which to have a little reflective fun:
       One of the regular respondents to the New York Radio Message Board challenged his fellow respondents this past weekend to each come up with four nominees for a Mount Rushmore of New York Radio Personalities.  He laid down two requirements:  the nominees have to have been part of New York radio between 1960 and the present; each of the four has to represent a specific genre (DJ, newscaster, sportscaster, meteorologist, talk host, et al.), with no overlapping --- one can't be nominated to represent two categories.
       His main criterion is that persons nominated be *influential --- *not necessarily in terms of popularity or longevity of service (though those can be factors), but overall excellence such that they were, or are, "cutting edge" --- ground breakers whose presence on the air in some way significantly influenced the broadcasting industry and/or the wider culture of the city or region: people whose singular gifts will long be remembered.
       Let's give this a try with Boston radio personalities.  Participants may name a nominee and a runner-up in each category.
       I haven't lived in eastern Massachusetts in many years, but here's my list:
       DJ:  Arnie Ginsburg, Jess Cain
       News:  Gary LaPierre
       Sports:  Bob Lobel, Gil Santos
       Weather:  Don Kent
       Talk:  Jerry Williams, David Brudnoy

        Your turn.

        Doug Drown