Category: WGMC@50 Podcast

Mike Velazquez has been a volunteer DJ with Jazz90.1 for 13 years, and a fan of jazz since he was a child. He first came to the station as an evening host, and now hosts middays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Mike shares his story about how a conversation with the late Gary O.…

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Jazz90.1 has had the opportunity to partner with many amazing musicians during our five decade history. Many of those players are from right here in Rochester, and they have remained our close personal friends. From the old Meet The Artist Concert Series at Apollo Middle School, to our jazz cruises and other community concerts –…

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Nick Francesco has been in the microcomputer industry since 1975. He has done extensive training, including adjunct teaching at various colleges, and lots of end-user support. Nick also spent 20 years as a professional actor, and since 1989, Nick has co-hosted Sound Bytes heard weekly on Jazz90.1. From the start of the show on Rochester…

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Joëlle VanBuren served as Jazz90.1’s morning show host for nearly 30 years. She first got her taste for radio while a student at Purdue University (while studying French.) Before radio, she was a social worker at the Monroe County Department of Social Services. She began her radio career after being rejected by 1180 WHAM for…

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Al Meilutis has been a life-long fan of Polka music. Although he has officially retired from the airwaves as co-host of The Polka Bandstand Show on Jazz90.1 – his story about how he arrived behind the mic is quite interesting. On Al’s wedding day in the early 90’s, the late Ray Serafin and his band…

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Wednesday afternoon host Tom Christian has quite the story about how he landed his own midday shift on Jazz90.1. Tom and his late wife Kathy have been supporters of the station for decades, and when Tom heard our call for new DJ’s – he decided to see what it was all about. Hear Tom’s story…

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Lynda Wildman has been with Jazz90.1 for 17 years. During that time, she has volunteered on air, in our membership fulfillment department, and eventually landed as our Office Assistant, taking over for Jack Mindy when he retired. She now is the permanent Monday afternoon host – on air from 4-6 p.m. each week. With no…

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Derrick Lucas has spent all of his adult life with Jazz90.1 serving in various capacities. From a teenage volunteer, to our Operations Assistant and Music Director, it’s safe to say that Derrick has worn all of the hats here. Derrick has been with the station for 35 years, and can be credited for its rapid…

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Jeff Harris has been a life-long fan of the blues. He discovered his passion for blues while growing up in the Bronx, avidly listening to left-of-the-dial radio stations and sneaking into blues and jazz clubs. He began seriously collecting blues while in high school and hosted a blues show for several years when he attended…

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Nate Jones is our youngest volunteer DJ. He hosts a weekly program called “Jazz Wavelengths” on Jazz90.1. A life of following his passions (for the environment, art, and music) lead Nate to come and volunteer in 2021. As an artist himself (poetry, hip-hop and alternative rock music), jazz has been a consistent source of inspiration…

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Andy Heinze is one of our longest-serving volunteer DJ’s. He came to the station in 1989, and now hosts a weekly program called “Andy’s Mood” every Friday night. Andy was raised on an eclectic musical diet that included Bebop, Big-Band, 70’s Fusion and hard rock. On this episode of WGMC@50, Andy reflects on his time…

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Jazz90.1’s Rick Petrie has always been a fan of more adventurous types of music. Rick has hosted adventurous radio programs in Rochester since 1988, including “Nothing Is” and “Live China” on WITR, and “In All Languages” on WRUR. He currently hosts “North Star Sounds” on Jazz90.1 every Tuesday night from 9 p.m. to midnight. In…

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Jazz90.1 Station Manager Rob Linton came to WGMC in 2004 when he was just 24 years old and fresh out of graduate school. He had started his career first at WWWG 1460 AM in high school, then with Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartRadio,) at stations like 1180 WHAM, 95.1/95.5 The Nerve, Mix 1005, Sunny 102.3…

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Monday evening host Cory Halloran first learned about Jazz90.1 when he was a student of Prof. Rob Linton at Monroe Community College, then St. John Fisher University. His interest in radio led him to an internship with the station while at Fisher, then an independent study, and finally as a volunteer host. Cory has hosted…

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Monday evening host Dan Gross has been a volunteer with Jazz90.1 since he was just 22 – and a recent grad of SUNY Oswego. During his time at the station, Dan has established himself as Rochester’s only legitimate music reporter – both recording artists and featuring them as part of The Rochester Indie Musician Spotlight…

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Otto Bruno has been with Jazz90.1 for nearly 25 years. In that time, he’s hosted a weekly program called “The Sunday Music Festa,” and previously hosted a show called “Sinatra and Co.” His love for ‘ol blue eyes even led him to host a Frank Sinatra marathon for his centennial a few years back. Otto…

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Phil Dodd has been with Jazz90.1 since 1995. During that time, he has served in many volunteer capacities including weekend host, weekday host, volunteer coordinator and more. Heck – he’s just about done it all for the station that he loves. Phil talks about his time with the station in this week’s episode of…

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Many long-time listeners and members remember Charyll Monk. She was the driving force behind development for Jazz90.1, and oversaw office operations, too. Charyll reflects back to her time with the station, and just how hard everyone worked to ensure its success in the “lean” years.

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Mike Serowik came to WGMC back in the 1980’s after falling in love with radio during his time at Purdue University. The college station was jazz and classical based, and jazz was Mike’s love. Mike eventually moved to Rochester to begin his career at Kodak, and he discovered WGMC-FM. He eventually landed a jazz show…

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Eric Gruner served in many roles at Jazz90.1 before becoming the station’s General Manager. During his tenure, Eric was responsible for numerous projects that would enhance our listening area, including the addition of a second frequency on 105.1 FM to better serve the East Side of Rochester, and he would begin the lengthy and expensive…

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