WLNG - Key Persons
A lifelong resident of Amityville, Al has been involved with Long Island radio since the mid-1960s. His first contact with WLNG was during the mid-1970s when he was the Chief Engineer and Saturday night air personality at WGBB in Freeport. Paul Sidney liked the technique of sound of WGBB and asked Al to visit Sag Harbor and try to improve the sound of WLNG. From the mid-1970s to 1992, Al operated his own business of constructing and maintaining communications systems for many of the fire departments in Western Suffolk County. He became involved with WLNG again in 1981 on a part-time basis performing some technical maintenance and hosting an occasional Saturday Night Oldies Show. In 1992 he purchased a home in Sag Harbor and shared his time between Amityville and Sag Harbor. Al has been the host of WLNG's "Nightwatch" six nights a week since March 2003. Al is a substitute church organist at several churches. He is also a theatre organist and serves as the House Organist at The Sands Point Preserve and is one of the House Organists at Chaminade High School in Mineola Al is a 52-year member, Ex-Captain and a Chaplain of the Amityville Fire Department and belongs to many other organizations.
Job Titles:
- Chief Meteorologist
- Program Director
Bill is the Program Director, Chief Meteorologist, Caretaker, and DJ for 92.1 WLNG FM in Sag Harbor, NY. He is a 15-time Emmy Award Winner, Awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and is a NY Times Best Selling Author.
For the past 30 years Bill was the Senior Meteorologist for WABC-TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News, 95.5 FM WPLJ Radio and 77 WABC AM Radio.
He also can be heard on the ABC Radio Network, ESPN Radio and Martha Stewart Radio. He has filled in for Ginger Zee on ABC News' "Good Morning America", appeared on "Good Morning America Weekend", "ABC News With David Muir", "LIVE! with Kelly And Ryan","ESPN's "Sports Center", The Discovery Channel's "How Stuff Works," and "The View".
In 1985, Bill was awarded the prestigious broadcast Seal of Approval from The American Meteorological Society and has been honored by The National Weather Service as "Outstanding Meteorologist." Bill was recently awarded "Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters" from Dowling College, Oakdale, NY and "Honorary Doctorate of Science" from Centenary College in Hackettstown, NJ.
When he's not forecasting the weather, Bill is a New York Times Best Selling Author for his novel "Category 7," a techno-thriller about a hurricane bound for New York City. His other works include "Frozen Fire," "Dry Ice," "Blackmail Earth," and a weather book for kids titled, "It's Raining Fish & Spiders." Bill has appeared on the New York stage, playing himself in "The Radio City Christmas Spectacular" at Radio City Music Hall. He's also appeared on Broadway as the candlestick "Lumier" in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." He has performed stand-up comedy on "The Punch Line Circuit," "Comedy Nation" and "Dangerfield's." He is a member of the Friars Club, The NY Broadcasters Association and The American Meteorological Society.
Born in Southampton and raised in Sag Harbor, NY. He joined Air Force in and soon found himself involved with Armed Forces Radio. About the same time WLNG was starting business as the radio station for the East End of Long Island. Bob joined forces with WLNG as a news reporter 1964 replacing Marv Albert as the high school football announcer. He created WLNG's Live Five basketball team, which raised funds for numerous East End charities. He has been a part of the WLNG family for over 40 years. He was honored by Southampton Town by the late Southampton Town Supervisor, Vince Cannuscio, with a "Bob Bubka Day" proclamation. Bob is the co-author with Tom Clavin of The Ryder Cup Golf's Greatest Event, forwarded by Jack Nicklaus.
1981 Bob started specializing in golf reporting/broadcasting working with the legendary voice of Notre Dame football, Al Wester. Building on his golf experience, in 1995 Bob was named The Voice of Tournament Radio Broadcasting which specialized in providing live golf reports to national sports networks, hosting "Outside the Ropes" golf show from the PGA TOUR heard on NBC Sports Internet site, www.golf.com. In 1999 Bob added the title of American Golf Correspondant to TalkSport Radio UK - the single largest commercial radio station in the UK.
Starting in 2004 "Outside the Ropes" moved to pgatour.com and Bob hosted a 4 hour show directly from the PGA TOUR until he was asked to be one of the first play by play announcers on the Sirius XM LIVE Play by Play coverage of the PGA TOUR which started up in 2006.
In 2010, The Grill Room Golf Show was born. Bob and Golf Channel's Alex Miceli co-host the ongoing nationally acclaimed show on Sirius208 XM93, the PGA TOUR Radio Network. Bob continues to be an integral part of the golf coverage on TalkSport Radio UK, to co-host The Grill Room and continues to do sports reports on WLNG.
He is known as "The Voice of Golf".
Since his sophomore year in Centereach high school when he was chosen to narrate a national presentation for New York state Bryan has found himself in front of a microphone. From competing across the country in high school speech & debate tournaments to recording audio books, narrating documentaries and movie trailers or performing on stage and screen. The former WLNG fun guy from the early 2000's could only think of 1 station that he wanted to work with when he returned to the airwaves after a 7 year absence.
But they didn't want to hire him so he's back at WLNG.
A theatre and film aficionado away from broadcast house you can glimpses, mostly very brief, of Bryan on television episodes of Blue Bloods, Law & Order, FBI: Most Wanted, Daredevil (coming in 2025) and an appearance in Spike Lees' newest film currently in post production or you might catch him at various poetry readings and performance arts venues across long island and Manhattan. Whether it's a Shakespeare festival, an intimate black box theatre or off - Broadway (he hasn't made it to the bright lights…yet) If there is something to be read (or eat) Bryan is usually there with his mouth open.
At home Bryan is blessed to spend time with his amazing, unbelievably supportive and loving partner Celeste & the 2 greatest future step daughters in the world Candice & Jacqueline.
Chris Buckhout began his slow descent into radio mediocrity back in the mid 80's when he and his brother were hired to move all the 45 records in the building up to higher ground due to an impending Nor-easter that subsequently washed through the building on the Redwood Causeway. After rescuing 10,000 golden oldies from their salt water demise, Chris returned to middle school. When he was 16, Chris worked at the station for about a year part time after school to help out with various record keeping and administrative duties. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1992, he returned to East Hampton and shortly thereafter Paul Sidney hired him for an overnight on-air position six days a week. Coupled with his somewhat unseemly lifestyle, the all night shift took a toll on him, and Chris left WLNG for the third time after only about 6 months, only to return in July of 1997. Since then Chris has been with WLNG as a full time employee, and currently handles Traffic, Billing, Sales Commissions, as well as a regular on-air shift weekdays 11-2. He lives in the East Hampton area with his wife, and three children.
Chris was raised in Uniondale, L.I., and attended Chaminade High School in Mineola. He has a B.A. from University of Dayton.
Chris has served in various management positions for retail businesses over a 44 year career: Lord & Taylor, Gap and Banana Republic, Coach, American Eagle Outfitters, and CEO of Henri Bendel in NYC. He oversaw international operations for Gap and AEO, including a permanent role in London for Gap, Inc. and a Canadian assignment for American Eagle.
He retired 3 years ago.
Chris started his radio career in the late 60's in Dayton, Ohio. He had the #1 morning drive show on FM in 1969 and '70. (You can ignore the fact that in 1969 hardly any cars had FM receivers). But #1 is #1!!!!
He and his wife Rebecca are the parents of 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters, and they live in Sag Harbor.
Growing up in the halls of WGLI where his father Dick Moore was a DJ and Program director, Dan's love of radio started at an early age. As a kid he would bring his record player underneath the dining room table and play radio station. Talking up the same Beach Boys record over and over until his parents could simply not take it anymore. Around 10 he was gifted a small part 15 transmitter and would broadcast oldies to all the neighbors that cared to listen. As the internet progressed Dan was part of one of the first online radio stations (metroradio.com) as a DJ in his young teen years. After going off to college he joined the NYIT radio station and quickly rose through the ranks to president and GM. One of his proudest moments was going in front of the board of the school to successfully pitch bringing the radio station into the 21 st century by rebuilding the studios and launching an online stream. After college Dan bounced around to a few local AM stations and to Business talk radio network. When not on air at WLNG Dan spends his free time tinkering with engineering duties at the station as well as bothering his family with facts about songs on the radio that his wife and kids never asked him about.
The WLNG radio family is sad to announce the passing of our longtime weather man Don Thompson. Don passed away today (Friday 4/3/20) at the age of 66 in Denver, Colorado, where he lived for the last several years. He had been with WLNG for the last quarter century and had also been a DJ here years ago, going by the nickname "Big Daddy." Don worked right up to the end, even filing weather reports on Gary Sapiane's morning show today (4/3/20) His daughter Beth says the family will have a memorial service on the East End at a later date. No donation information is available at this time.
Ed grew up in Queens and attended high school in New York City with basketball legend Kareem Abdul Jabar, then Lew Alcindor, and he has a B.A. in Psychology from St. John's University.
He spent his business career in media publishing working with such notable organizations as Conde-Nast, Time Inc., and Gannett. In 1972 he established an independent publishers representative company in the midwest representing a variety of national and international print media groups, guiding early companies venturing into the worldwide web and eventually heading up the advertising for Foreign Affairs, the public facing magazine of the Council on Foreign Relations and their digital properties.
In another universe, back in the 80s, Ed was the weekend voice playing top hits of the day on WIVS, a local AM radio station in the Chicago suburbs very similar to WLNG in that it was also owned by a local media celebrity.
Ed is retired, lives in East Hampton and has four grown children with growing families of their own thriving in different parts of the country.
Gary Sapiane is from Westhampton Beach, Long Island, New York. Gary started in radio when he was a junior at the Westhampton Beach High School. Gary's first radio gig was with WAPC Radio in Riverhead, Long Island, New York. Gary went on to be one of the owners of WKVO Radio in Havelock, North Carolina. Gary actually read his first commercial on the air at WLNG when Gary stopped by to visit the late Paul Sidney in 1964. Gary worked weekends at WLNG in 1970, and in 1975, Gary started full time. In 2008, after Paul Sidney had passed away Gary became the station manager, and in 2012, Gary became President of Main Street Broadcasting, Inc. Gary's hobbies include Storm Chasing (especially tornados), aviation and riding the Cross Sound Ferry between Orient Point Long Island, New York and New London Ct during Winter Nor'easters!!!!!
Joe Ricker set up WLNG's news department and served as news director from 1963 retiring in 1994. Joe came to WLNG from WTAR AM/FM/TV in Norfolk, Virginia. He also worked at WCOA in Pensacola, Florida and was on Armed Forces Radio in Japan from 1958 to 1961. Joe served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1957, the U.S . Air Force from 1957 to 1961 and in the Air National Guard from 1975 to 1992 retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant. Joe's career highlights include helicopter coverage of a tidal wave in Japan in 1960. Coverage of the civil rights movement in Florida and Virginia, including coverage of the first Greyhound Bus civil rights sit-in in Norfolk.
He was the top newsman on Long Island. He helped to build WLNG's audience into the biggest on eastern Long Island. He was the news director coming into the station at 4 am to gather and write the news and sports. WLNG had no wire service then and Joe had to rely on area Police Departments which he had a solid reputation with, to give him the news. Many departments would tip him off on big arrests telling him to hold the story until the arrests were made. He had to get state news and sports scores by listening to New York City stations and rewriting the stories.
Joe also was the anchor on election night coverage. He also did the morning show for several years and was known as "The Morning Mayor".
He was the news side of WLNG's Morning show called "1692 East" with Don Neville and Joe Ricker. Don handled the music and Joe the local news from 6 to10 am. This lasted through the mid 70s when Don retired and Joe handled the morning show by himself until 1985 when he was teamed up with Gary Sapiane who handled the music.
He did many speed walks on the East End for various charities. He would speed walk from Sag Harbor to Montauk to raise money. He was excellent in his narration of the Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Southampton Fourth of July Parade. He covered many Whaling Festivals in Sag Harbor and interviewed Marshall Drew one of the Titantic survivors who lived in Rhode Island and John Steinbeck in Sag Harbor.
The late Paul Sidney President and General Manage of WLNG began his career at WLNG in 1964 coming across long island sound from WLIS, Old Saybrook Connecticut. WLNG was at 1600 on the AM dial at the time and Paul just loved the big signal the station had and that was one of the factors of him coming here.....he stayed for 45 years......Paul loved every facet of the broadcasting industry and at age 11 he was hanging out at the Dumont TV studios in New York. Paul is responsible for WLNG's format of oldies, jingles, reverb and making the station live and local. His philosophy was "its what's between the music that counts" Paul did countless live broadcasts from firemens pancake breakfasts, local carnivals, store openings and three times from the U.S. Open Golf Tournament. He earned the title of master of disaster from his live coverage of snow storms, hurricanes and nor-easters. Paul's many awards include a lifetime achievement award from the Nassau Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and he was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2007....Paul's favorite bench on Sag Harbor's Main Street, where he would sit everyday bears a plaque in his honor.
Rusty Potz is from Hartford, Connecticut and is married with 4 children and 3 grandchildren. Rusty got his degree from the University of Hartford. He's been in radio since 1963 and has been on 20 different radio stations, most of them in Hartford, New Haven, and Springfield, Mass. At one time, he worked 4 stations simultaneously. In 1967 at WPOP Rusty's show was the top rated evening show in Connecticut. In 1969 WAVZ in New Haven received the TV-RADIO MIRROR award for Rusty's show as the top show on the east coast. Rusty was the program director at WCCC in Hartford for many years. He came to WLNG on September 1, 1975. He once received a runner-up award from Billboard Magazine for personality of the year in a small market on WLNG. Rusty is a Kiwanis Club past President, and a former vice-president of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, a former board member of the Southampton Chamber of Commerce, and a former member of the St. Andrews School Board. Rusty is now executive vice-president of WLNG, as well as sales manager.