UTICA-ROME -- It's been a little over a year since Mark Piersma and Frank Elias started co-hosting WUTQ's midday talk show, Talk of the Town. Last week, the station celebrated the milestone with a special edition of the program, featuring plenty of special guests and donations were collected for the Utica Food Bank.
They say it's bad luck to open an umbrella indoors, but Talk of the Town co-host Frank Elias, at right, obviously doesn't buy into that superstition. Co-host Mark Piersma is in the middle. Elias had the umbrella out because he was asking the man in blue -- NewsChannel 2 (WKTV) meteorologist Bill Kardas -- if there happened to be any rain in the forecast.
And in case you're wondering, no, that isn't the regular WUTQ studio. Roser Communications Operations Manager Dave Silvers tells CNYRadio.com that the pair moved their show out of the studio to a more spacious area of the Adirondack Bank building, so there would be enough room to accommodate all of the special guests -- and their donations for the Utica Food Bank.
Guests were also asked to sign a giant greeting card for the hosting duo. We spotted a number of notable names, including the mayors of Utica and Rome, the Oneida County Sheriff, and other local dignitaries and business owners.
Talk of the Town airs weekday mornings from 7-10am on 100.7 WUTQ-FM.
Our thanks to Dave Silvers for sharing this photo! We're always interested in taking a look at the latest happenings -- or a blast from the past -- from your local radio or TV station. Send those shots to cnyradio@cnyradio.com or upload via the Contact Form. There's a new Picture of the Week every Friday at 7:00am.