On Tuesday evening, September 12, 2017 the Welsh Room at the Greece Public Library was filled with memories, laughter and stories of when radio ruled in Rochester. The Greece Historical Society hosted another outstanding presentation “The Rochester Radio Show.” Local Rochester radio personality and New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame member Jack Palvino and Tom Proietti, the Resident Scholar in Media at St. John Fisher College, kept the audience of over 100 radio listeners entertained with remembrances of Palvino’s 40 years in what he refers to as his Labor of Love… Broadcasting.
Most famous for his “Palvino In The Morning” radio show broadcast from the Midtown Tower during the 1970s, Palvino spoke of radio during this era as, “Like a family in everyone’s home. Radio is the theater of the mind because it forces you to use your imagination.”
Palvino also talked about his book “On The Air… My Life In Radio, 1957-1997. The memoir recounts his 40 year career and his philosophy that “If you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life.” The book also contains photos and accounts of his interviews with four U.S. Presidents and numerous sports and entertainment celebrities including Pete Rose, Mickey Mantle, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, Monkees, Supremes and many, many more. Proceeds from the sale of his book go to an “Excellence in Communications” student scholarship fund. To date 60 students have been helped through this scholarship.
Speaking on the future of radio Palvino said, “Radio will survive. The key is for each station to find their niche. The truth is that 95% of the population listen to the radio at some point and providing the listener with what they are interested in will keep them listening.”
During the program Tom Proietti interviewed his long-time friend and mentor in a conversational format. Both men are St. John Fisher College Alumni and have worked together through the years in both radio and in development of the Media and Communication program at St. John Fisher.
The evening concluded with a question and answer segment where audience members related to the men their radio remembrances.
Photos by Bill Sauers
