'97 Dog Licenses Now Available

Albert Mazetis 
January 24, 1997 
Albert Mazetis, 67, Of East Main Street, Larksville, Died Friday At The 
Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Wilkes-barre.

By BRIAN MALINA; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Monday, January 27, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





It's 9:20 a.m. on WILK radio. Yolanda from Exeter is on the air ranting
about excess perks received by Wilkes-Barre officials. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm tired of elected officials complaining about benefits. They ran for
the position. They should just do the job," Yolanda screams. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Talk show host Fred Williams chortles in agreement and expands the attack
to state legislators who get an additional $110 per diem to go to work. "I
would probably see myself thrown through the front window of this radio
station if I asked for that." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Welcome to talk radio of the '90s: ripping into local corruption, tearing
into higher taxes and complaining about life itself. Nothing seems off-limits. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Williams is a master of what he calls the "good stuff." Translation --
three hours each morning of ridiculing politicians, school districts or anyone
else he views as sipping too long at the public trough. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While Williams tends to take an aggressive, sometimes angry approach to his
show, WARM talkmeister Rob Neyhard is more calming, like talking with a
friend. Still, Neyhard has ruffled the feathers of some area listeners by
talking about personal issues -- such as sex. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Talk radio wasn't always like this. Years ago, Top 40 music, news and happy
chat ruled the AM dial. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "(AM radio) is not the pussycat thing I recall 10 years ago," radio veteran
Harry West says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the 1970s, radio stations rarely aired live calls, let alone allowed
harsh criticism of public officials. "They were afraid of lawsuits," West
says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Back then they offered equal time to anybody and everybody. If someone
went on air and criticized (President Bill) Clinton, someone from his camp
would get a chance to come on and respond." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's different now. An early morning turn of the dial greets listeners with
a barrage of voices and opinions on politics, sex, sports -- and that's all
before lunch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If the dial stopped on 980 WILK at 10 a.m., someone unfamiliar with talk
radio might be shocked to hear Williams berating Luzerne County officials for
allegedly "putting in the fix" to save a local cohort. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A few more turns to the left and the listener might find 590 WARM's Neyhard
interviewing former football star "Mean Joe" Green about an upcoming
appearance at a Boy Scout dinner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A quick flip to the FM band shows talk radio invading. Syndicated shock
jock Howard Stern rudely awakens thousands of listeners each morning in
Northeastern Pennsylvania on 98 ROCK. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 West, who entertained WARM listeners for more than 20 years with his
morning mix of music, news and hokey humor, says he saw building blocks of
talk radio being put in place 15 years ago when FM stations started to steal
music lovers from the AM dial. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was against the change to talk at first. I thought music could still
carry AM radio," West says. He realizes he was wrong and would love to take
another shot on talk radio. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was already known as the nice guy. I would like very much to be the
devil's advocate," says West, 66, who currently hosts a morning show on WKXP,
a country station in Bloomsburg. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 AM listeners can expect the tide of talk to continue growing in the coming
years, says Holland Cooke, news talk specialist for McVay Media of Washington,
D.C.: "This is the best time in 20 years for AM radio. It's only going to get
bigger." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The appetite for host-audience interaction and technological advances could
mean an explosion of new AM stations almost two decades after many industry
insiders predicted the death of AM radio, Cooke says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The next big technological leap will happen when everything goes digital,"
which will allow additional stations to fit into the AM band, he says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Neyhard says it's listener interaction that attracted him to talk radio. "I
get to talk about what I want to talk about. I get to meet all kinds of
people. It's fascinating." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since starting his talk show two years ago, Neyhard has interviewed
politicians, authors and even a sex expert -- the latter show had the phones
ringing off the hook, he says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't do it for shock value. It has to be entertaining." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Both Neyhard and Williams choose their topics. Both start each program with
about 10 topics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Not just an entertainer, Williams sees his role as a crusader. He says
Northeastern Pennsylvania needs him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Before I came to the area. No one questioned public, elected officials. I
have criticized judges on down. I really have taken them over the coals." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1995, Williams' constant tirade encouraging voters to say no to a
referendum question on a proposed Luzerne County arena/convention center
prompted the WILK station manager to allow arena supporters one morning a week
to give their point of view. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Williams says he will give equal time to any local official who wants to go
on his program and respond to his statements. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the industry's optimism, Billy Waschko, program director at WAZL
1490 AM, says the boom of talk radio eventually will fade. Talk radio, he
says, is another flavor of the day, bound to fall sooner or later. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "A lot of formats have ups and downs. Country, for instance, was the
hottest thing going for a while. Now it's slipping. I feel the same thing
(will happen) with talk," Waschko says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WAZL, which programs a nostalgia format, tried a talk radio show that ended
last year. "It just didn't get much of a response." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Competition from WILK and WARM, along with a limited number of quality talk
shows, prompted Waschko to pull the plug on talk radio. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But that shouldn't be seen as a sign of weakness for talk radio. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Neyhard and Williams say the national experts are right. Talk radio will be
around a long time, and both plan to stay on air to reap the rewards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I have an insatiable appetite for news," says 40-year radio veteran
Williams. "I'll be here for the little people." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's like being on a merry-go-round going 70 mph for four hours," Neyhard
says. "This is the best job in the world. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/BOB ESPOSITO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WARM talk show host Rob Neyhard chats it up with callers from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. each weekday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/RICHARD SABATURA &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WILK talkmeister Fred Williams says he's a crusader for the people of
Northeastern Pennsylvania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Radio Talks Up A Storm -- Of Anger, Complaints And Sex It's A Far Cry From The Music And News That Was On Am Stations 20 Years Ago