Today's guest is Steve Simpson, morning news anchor and editor at the legendary WCCO in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He's WJPZ Class of 1985, and he tells us some great stories from Syracuse, as well as a lengthy radio career in the Midwest in his time.
Steve grew up in Bucks County, PA, near Philly. Like so many of us, he was infatuated with radio, rigging equipment in his basement, and quickly learning that Syracuse was the place for an aspiring broadcaster. And when he got to campus, he saw the contrast between WAER and WJPZ. Folks like his future coworker Mike Tirico and other sportscasters belonged at WAER. But for Steve, that Top 40 format and spirit drew him to that old rickety house where the University Sheraton sits now. He did mornings out of that house, worked with Hall of Famer Mary Mancini, and even had to call the fire department one morning when they called smoke. And the Syracuse FD were perplexed when they walked inside and found a radio station.
Steve was Program Director when the station moved to FM, and he credits his classmates with all the hard work to get the station over to 89.1. By then, he had moved over to WHEN in Syracuse. But his friends needed a highly produced legal ID. So Steve tells the story of cracking open a few beers after midnight, heading into a commercial production studio with a coworker, and making some radio magic for his classmates.
Following a few stops in the Salt City, Simpson got a call from a radio station in Indianapolis, where he worked for WFBL for 25 years - before and after being acquired by Emmis. When his time ended there, he was ready to get out of the business, until a call came from his former program director, now at WCCO-Minneapolis. He's been there since 2014.
We spend some time talking about the radio industry. Steve believes live, local radio is still important. And he considers himself lucky to be working at a station that still does that so well in 2023.
And of course we bring it back to "the secret handshake" that is WJPZ. It doesn't matter your age or location. When you meet a fellow JPZ'er, the connection is always something special.
Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTickets
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts
Want to be on the show? Email JAG at jag@jagpodcastproductions.com
Connect with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/
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