UTICA-ROME -- After 55 years of broadcasting in the Mohawk Valley, Hank Brown is ready to hang up his headphones for good. His final broadcast on 95.5FM WUSP will be New Year's Eve, Tuesday, December 31. This, according to a press release from WUSP's Tom Coyne today.
Some history on Brown's career, from said press release:
Hank began his Mohawk Valley radio career in 1957 at WLFH radio in Little Falls. Over the years Hank has broadcast on WRUN, WIBX, WUTQ and WADR radio. After a yearlong hiatus, Brown came back to the airwaves on WUSP and WRCK radio, the stations of Good Guys Broadcasting Inc. in Utica.
On the television side, Brown was well known for hosting "Twist-a-Rama" on WKTV, a local program which featured teenagers dancing to the hottest new records, similar to "American Bandstand."
“When we bought the stations, it was with the intent to have true community stations," said Good Guys Broadcasting co-owner Tom Coyne. "Hank Brown has meant ‘community broadcasting’ for almost as long as I’ve been alive.”
After years as "your host for coffee and toast" on the former WUTQ 1550 and WADR 1480, then-owner Roser Communications Network decided in 2011 to replace Brown's morning timeslot with a simulcast of the audio from WKTV's morning newscast. Later that year, Brown announced plans to return to the airwaves via the brand new, 10,000-watt WKAJ 1120, but frequent readers of CNYRadio.com will recall that station's launch was delayed by a number of problems -- including a construction permit cancellation that was finally reversed over a year later. But by then, Brown had already signed with WUSP -- bringing him back to his previous frequencies, which had since been purchased from Roser by Good Guys Broadcasting.
Good Guys co-owner Frank Abbadessa said, “We are proud to have brought Hank back to the radio and to be the last stop in his long, illustrious career.”
95.5 WUSP is translator W238CA/Utica, simulcasting 1550 WUSP Utica and 1480 WRCK Remsen. The stations primarily offer sports-talk programming, including Coyne on morning drive, and a mixture of local programming and syndicated fare from CBS Sports Radio and Yahoo Sports Radio. The stations also carry live coverage of New England Patriots football, New York Mets baseball and a variety of high school sporting events.
CNYRadio.com would like to congratulate to Hank Brown for a long career, and wish him all the best in retirement. Please join by sharing your thoughts in the comments below!
Covering the happenings at dozens of TV and radio stations in two markets is no easy task! We're always grateful for your "official" station announcements and "unofficial" insider tips. Anytime you've got news to share about local radio or TV, use our Contact Form. You can choose whether to include your own contact info, or remain anonymous.
Congratulations to our good buddy Hank Brown and he we hope his 2 million listeners find solace in getting radio programming to their liking.
Hank, that time I came out to see you and be on your program in 2007, I had a blast! I hope your retirement goes well.