03/11/2026
Sci-Fi on the Radio Goes for 42 Years at Stony Brook’s WUSB(FM)
For Howard Margolin, "Destinies" can be traced to a bedroom in East Northport, N.Y.
By Nick Langan ⋅Radio World
On Feb. 9, 1976, two Long Island, N.Y., elementary school kids, Howard Margolin and Steve Benzer, met, and eventually bonded over a shared love of radio.
Six years later, that friendship pulled them into a scene straight out of science fiction itself.
They discovered a backyard pirate FM station called WRAR, “Rebel Alliance Radio,” run by Preston Nichols. Its 400-watt signal, beamed from a shed in Nichols’ yard, carried music across the island.
Nichols, who died in 2018, would later gain notoriety for the Camp Hero conspiracy theories in his co-authored book, “The Montauk Project.”
The boys were so captivated they reached out to Nichols directly. He agreed to sell them a two-watt transmitter — but only after they proved themselves with an on-air shift at WRAR.
“We had to prove our worth,” Margolin recalled. They passed the test, and, on March 18, 1982, launched WOHM, “Resistance Radio,” from Benzer’s bedroom in East Northport.
“I think we had 250 albums between the two of us and Steve’s girlfriend loaned us some records,” Margolin said. The friends spun music, cracked jokes and played at being broadcasters. “We used to give the legal ID as ‘WOHM, Smithtown, New York.’ When I asked Steve why we were saying Smithtown, he replied, ‘because it’s not East Northport.'”
WOHM lasted only for five months, ending when Benzer’s family moved to Texas. He would later launch Expert Broadcast Electronics, currently providing engineering services to U.S. stations.
Margolin stayed behind on Long Island and enrolled at Stony Brook University as a biology major. Drawn to the campus station 90.1 WUSB(FM), he joined through the school’s “Science Fiction Forum” — the oldest student organization at Stony Brook.
Theater of the mind
In 1988, Howard Margolin interviews Sylvester McCoy. Credit: Jon CIn 1988, Howard Margolin interviewed actor Sylvester McCoy for “Destinies.” Credit: Jon C. Manzo
A fellow student invited Margolin to read a short story on air — WUSB had been licensed at its 90.1 FM dial position for about seven years by then — and with a theater background, Margolin jumped at the chance.
He also carried memories of evenings spent listening to “Golden Age” radio dramas “The Shadow,” “The Green Hornet” and “The Lone Ranger” on 106.7 WRVR(FM), after his father told him about listening to those shows when he was a child in the 1930s and 1940s.
So when the opportunity came to perform science fiction on the radio, Margolin said, “it was a no-brainer.”
That spark grew into “Destinies — The Voice of Science Fiction.” Created by Gary Halada and Mike Botwin, and now approaching its 43rd year, it stands as one of radio’s longest-running science fiction programs.
In fact, as far as Margolin knows, Destinies is the second-longest running show of its kind in the world. The first is “Hour of the Wolf” on New York’s 99.5 WBAI(FM).
Margolin joined the cast in March 1984 and remains the producer and host to this day.
Vision by day, ears by night
After graduating Stony Brook, Margolin became a full-time optometrist, but Stony Brook allows both students and graduates to continue their WUSB shifts. For example, Jim Wiener, who has been with the station since 1969, back when it operated as an AM carrier current station, still hosts a show on the station.
“I think there’s a lot of people either that get bit by the bug and do it full-time, or the best of both worlds and do it as a little non-paying side-hustle,” Margolin said.
By the fall of 1985, Destinies would take the Friday at 11:30 p.m. slot, where it has been ever since.
Howard Margolin, in 2011, at WUSB(FM)'s studios at Stony Brook University.Howard Margolin, in 2011, at WUSB(FM)’s studios at Stony Brook University.
A renovation of the Stony Brook student union building in 2017 forced WUSB to move its studios. To keep Destinies going, Margolin began producing the show on his home computer, employing newer technologies, like the Audacity editing software and a USB microphone.
“I bought a foam cover on eBay for 75 cents,” he remembered.
By the time COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, he had already pivoted to home production for three years, only going into the studio for live broadcasts. Ironically, more than 35 years after his pirate days, he was once again doing radio from a bedroom set-up.
Since 1984, he has worked with a film review team that helps him discuss the latest sci-fi flicks. Dave Campfield, an independent filmmaker, has been on the team since 2019, along with his producing partner, Justin Paul, who joined in 2022.
Audrey Dettmering has been with him since 2006. “Captain” Phil Merkel, who joined the review team in 2005, began archiving the show later that year.
Now, Merkel, who lives in West Coxsackie, N.Y., assists WUSB’s remote broadcasting setup, and he hosts two WUSB offerings of his own, “Captain Phil’s Planet” and “Friday Night Freeform.”
Intensive planning
Destinies regularly features segments such as “Dear Cthulhu,” a collaboration with author Patrick Thomas. Thomas writes a satirical advice column from the perspective of Cthulhu, the elder god from H.P. Lovecraft’s mythology.
Listeners “write in” with their problems — the letters are actually written by Thomas — some serious, some absurd, and Margolin reads the letters while Thomas provides answers as the “carnivorous elder god.”
Margolin gets to play a new character each month, from a five-year-old girl to a British woman whose boyfriend built a hydrogen dirigible in their backyard.
His optometry life usually stays separate from Destinies, but sometimes the link is too obvious. When his patient Christina M. Rau mentioned she wrote “science fiction feminist poetry,” she became a regular contributor.
Howard Margolin and a reunion of some of his writer guests in 2023. Left to right: Drew Henriksen, Patrick Thomas, Roy Mauritsen and Keith R.A. DeCandido.Howard Margolin and a reunion of some of his writer guests in 2023. Left to right: Drew Henriksen, Patrick Thomas, Roy Mauritsen and Keith R.A. DeCandido. Credit: Leonard J. Provenzano
Each month, for the past five years, he has taken one of Rau’s poems and mixed it with music to present on air.
Margolin’s preparation for each show is meticulous. “Everything I say is written out,” he said.
The show also includes memorials for those in the sci-fi genre who have recently passed and celebrations for milestones in film history.
Long Island sci-fi radio
Does science fiction translate to the radio?
In many ways, Margolin said, it’s the perfect medium. After all, it’s an oral art form.
The platform has allowed Margolin to interview the likes of Adam West and Stan Lee. When an author is on the show, he often has them read a passage from their book.
To make it more dynamic, Margolin will read the dialogue for a secondary character, creating a back-and-forth narrative rather than a single person narrating. “It’s much more interesting for the listener that way,” he said.
Perhaps his favorite subject was Julius Schwartz, editor of “Superman” comics from 1971–1986.
“I grew up reading his comics,” he said. They would end up becoming friends before Schwartz passed in 2004.
He recalled another opportunity in 2002 to talk with Richard Matheson, the author of “I Am Legend,” “The Shrinking Man” and “Somewhere in Time.”
Howard Margolin interviews Mark Gruenwald in 1985.Howard Margolin interviews Marvel Comics’ Mark Gruenwald for “Destinies” in 1985.
Another legendary figure he spoke to, in 2000, was musical satirist Tom Lehrer, who recently passed at the age of 97.
College radio connection
As he approaches the 42nd anniversary of his involvement with Destinies on March 13, Margolin still has plenty of passion for his labor of love.
He’s seen many faces come and go. Today, the WUSB program that follows Destinies is hosted by two Stony Brook undergraduates born in 2004.
But, as is the beauty of college radio: Margolin explained they “speak the same language about film review” despite the generation gap. The two shows will often fill a “crossover” segment with back-and-forth banter.
It all goes back to those days when he and Steve ran WOHM out of a Long Island bedroom.
“It’s been 44 years since we ran our pirate station,” Margolin said. “He’s making a living out of it, and for me, it’s my creative outlet.”
