Moravia native Diane Wade got her start in radio at Cornell University's campus station. A couple of decades later, she's still at it, serving up hits of the '60s and '70s at Oldies 92.1 as WSEN's midday air personality. We go 'Beyond the Studio' with Diane to find out what makes her tick when the microphone is turned off.
She's Oldies 92's midday jock, but what is she like outside of the studio?
The village of Moravia, New York may be known to the world as the home of United States President Millard Fillmore or for the annual bathtub races that used to be held in his honor. But it's also home to a girl who excelled in high school sports and wound up on the radio.
Diane Wade's radio career has brought her to all ends of the Finger Lakes, from her start at Cornell's college station, to a five-year gig in Cortland as OK-100's midday air personality, then to afternoon drive at WNYR in Waterloo. After a year of that bad commute, she spent two years at 93Q (WNTQ) and then a short stint at 95X (WAQX) before landing at Oldies 92.1 (WSEN) in 1992 as the station's evening air personality. Wade made the move to middays four years ago.
That's her radio resume, but, as always, here at 'Beyond the Studio' we like to check under the hood in our quest for fascinating tidbits, like, how many miles she's got on her car.
We asked her...
What was the last book that you read?
"I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt. Great vacation reading.
If you could take only one CD to a desert island, what would it be?
Santana's Greatest Hits, Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4 ...
Letterman, Leno, or Koppel?
Johnny Carson ... Oh, okay, Letterman.
Which three famous people (dead or alive) would you invite to dinner?
Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, and Steve Martin.
Which song at your station would you not shed a tear for if it never came up in rotation again?
Just one? Let's see ... "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" by Gerry and the Pacemakers. Not that it's a bad song but after you hear it for the 156th time ...
How many days do you think you would last on Survivor and why?
Oh, I'd do great until they tried to make me eat something gross.
What talent would you most like to have?
I'd like to be a foot or so taller and play basketball in the WNBA.
What would you be doing if you weren't in radio?
If I wasn't in radio or playing in the WNBA, I'd probably be selling Skippy ice cream.
Name something about yourself that people would be surprised to find out.
I can juggle, play banjo pretty well, and make my lips do this funky sideways thing that no one else that I've ever met can do.
What's your dream vacation?
That would be your basic tropical island thing, but I'd have to be able to take more than the obligatory one week at a time.
What does the odometer on your vehicle read?
Let me go look ... is there enough space here? 237,602!