Dan Forte (former CBS part-timer) 5/1/07
I just happened to stumble-upon your amazing and nostalgic Web site and wanted to take a moment to say "thanks!" I am a 51-year-old native New Yorker and grew up listening to WCBS and had aspirations of being a radio broadcaster/newswriter.
Back in the 1970s, I attended Hunter College. I took an advanced newswriting course taught by CBS newswriter Max Goldstein and he felt I had enough potential to call the powers at be at CND and schedule a network newswriting test for me!
I will never forget sitting in the network radio newswroom in absolute awe as Doug Edwards prepared his "World Tonight" broadcast. Amidst the organized chaos and distinctive sound of teletype machines, I was given miles of wire copy and asked to write a regular on-the-hour network radio news broadcast, Talk about pressure...
In any event, the news execs were also impressed, but felt I should "pay my dues" first. I was asked if I would accept a part time overnight desk assistant gig sans benefits. I needed my day job, so I turned it down. Undeterred, I sent a tape to WCBS-FM's VP/GM Jim McQuade who was equally-impressed by my writing and voice and had their news director, Beverly Poppell contact me. I was offered a standby newswriting/on-air gig and did some fill-in sub work for then FM anchor/announcer Hal Simms.
I went on to become an advertising copywriter (who became quite close with Fred Friendly when researching an article for the Art Directors Club on Ben Shahn), a jazz album liner notes writer, director of international PR and marketing for the Blue Note Jazz Club, part-time teacher of jazz history at The Juilliard School and now a senior editor at an educational publishing company.
Enough name-dropping! Bottom line is I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed your site. It brought back a flood of memories for me, personally and also gave me a chance to hear the voices of the legends and the ones I grew-up listening to. I particularly miss hearing the voices of Doug Edwards, Dallas Townsend and the "World News Roundup," Robert Trout, Reid Collins, Richard C. Hottelet and David Jackson.
My fondest memories, however, are sharing the weekday AM drive into Manhattan to Hunter College with my dad along with Lou Adler and Jim Donnelly during the mid 1970s. While we talked about life, those anchors kept us informed of what was going on in the world locally, nationally and internationally.
At present, my wife and I reside in our 1760 Colonial high atop the Delaware River in the sleepy town of Carpentersville, New Jersey. A lover of radio, we can pull in stations from as far away as Toronto, Canada, but unfortunately, cannot get WCBS or WINS until we get into our car and commute into the office each weekday morning on Route 78 East!
Again, my sincerest thanks for all the memories and helping fill the void left by the voices of NY radio news of yesteryear!
Best regards,
Dan Forte
Senior Editor
GGS Book Services
Product Development
254 West 31st Street/6th Floor
New York, NY 10001
http://www.ggs-books.com
Phone: (646) 453-1025
Fax: (212) 564-8285
