The RDV Radio Netwwork

07/31/2024

Yesterday Jack McAvoy said "Goodbye" to WRDV Radio after more than 600 broadcasts. Jack had the 3 to 6 PM "Drive-time" slot for most of the time he was at the station. He and his wife Mary are moving to Virginia to be closer to their family and we will all miss him. Jack and I came to the station in 2013 with Bill Marren and the late Dave Cameron. I have opened the Tuesday daytimes (8 AM to Noon) since early 2013 and Jack closed the daytime hours for almost the same amount of time. Tuesdays will never seem the same. Good luck my friend!

03/11/2024

Even though the first Academy Awards were handed out in 1929 it was 1934 before the first music, best tune, Oscar was awarded. Join me tomorrow at 8AM on the RDV Radio Network's "Good Morning Show" for a musical look at "Oscar's Big Night". We'll feature that first winner ("The Continental") and all the other ones well in to the 1960's. As an extra added attraction, we'll also spotlight some of the great tunes that came in as runners up. This is from the time when movies were great and the silver screen influenced what we listened to on the radio and the records and song sheets we purchased. Join me, I think you'll like the show.

02/12/2024

Tuesday's "Good Morning Show" at 8 AM on the RDV Radio Network will take you to New Orleans where we'll celebrate Mardi Gras. It's our annual salute to "The Big Easy" and all the sons and daughters of the Crescent City - Louis Armstrong, Harry Connick Jr., Dr. John, The Boswell Sisters, Al Hirt, Professor Longhair, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Pete Fountain, Mugsy Spanier and so many more. We're dedicating the show to a man who lived and loved Dixieland, the one and only Buzz Allen. See you in the morning.

12/22/2023

Every year Jean Shepherd's wonderful "A Christmas Story" is a traditional TV icon of the season. But long before it achieved that status Jean, Ralphie, The Old Man, Flick and all the rest of the cast of characters from the mid-40's in Hammond, Indiana saved me one night on my radio show. I was pretty new to radio (the station was WIFI, 92.5 FM in Philadelphia), it was late December and I was doing a five-nights-a-week talk show (8-to-10 PM) from "The Harvest House Restaurant" in the King of Prussia PA Plaza.
It was Christmas eve and my two scheduled guests failed to show up. It was cold, snowy, the restaurant was practically empty. I contacted the engineer (Craig Baker) back at the station and told him to get ready to fill the two hours with music, that I had no guests, hence no show. He said "you'd better call Buzz" (the station manager) and so I did. Buzz, my mentor in this business, said "The show has to go on, you'll have to wing it". And so I did.
In my brief case was the latest copy of "Pl***oy" magazine and in that magazine was Shepherd's classic story about a little boy who wanted a Red Ryder BeBe gun for Christmas. "You'll shoot your eye out" was pretty much the reply he got from his parents, his teacher and just about everyone else.
I had two hours to kill and all I had a long magazine story about a little boy, his family and friends and Christmas. The solution was clear, that was it. I would read the story to my audience. And I did.
To add to the effect, the woman who played the organ at the restaurant (her name was Ginny) got in to the act and began to lightly play Christmas music in the back ground. There was snow on the ground. The scene was set and it went off without a hitch.
A few years later I met Mr. Shepherd at a pool party in New Hope. His wife (Lois Nettleton) was appearing in a play at Bucks County Playhouse. Sitting around the pool, at the home of my friend Penny Larsen, I told him the story. and how his prose had saved me. He laughed and said "You probably violated every copyright law in the book and I love it. It was inspired radio. Good for you" Excellsior!"
And so it was. I had his blessings albeit a couple of years late.
So I every year on WTBS (when the movie runs for 24 hours on Christmas Eve) I make sure to catch it and enjoy, once again, my involvement with Ralphie and his Red Ryder rifle.
This Christmas, just like Ralphie's family, we will celebrate the holiday with a family dinner out - at a local Chinese restaurant.
As Ralphie would have said "Merry Christmas to All..and to all a good night".

12/18/2023

Two "Good Morning Shows" left in 2023. Join me tomorrow at 8 AM on the RDV Radio Network for your favorite Christmas, winter, big band, swing and pop tunes. As always we'll have a lot of good music. Here's an earlier version of me and the Christmas cards we sent out from WIBF (back in the 70's). I was part of a big band format called "The Friends With Pleasure" that included my radio mentor Buzz Allen and Dave Solomon who is now part of the RDV team. Small world.

08/12/2021

We mourn the passing of longtime VP/GM Todd Allen. For the past 30 years Todd was the heart and soul of our radio network. He died this past Monday, he was 70. Funeral services on August 18 at the Urban Funeral Home, Ambler PA.

02/10/2021

Got a call yesterday morning on my show from a woman in Richmond VA. She told me she has listened to the station since 2007. She discovered WRDV while visiting friends in the Doylestown PA area. She loved the music - especially the daytime big band/swing/pop format - and then discovered she could get it on the web at www.wrdv.org She said she has told lots of people how to listen to us over the years. Thank you Theresa!

05/22/2019

A recent report from our internet streamer reflects over 300,000 "hits" on WRDV worldwide for the month of March. Listeners all over the Globe. That's why we say "WRDV is heard around the corner and around the world".

02/15/2019

Thanks to our media partners at Montgomery Media (Times Chronicle and other papers), Daily Intelligencer, Bucks County Courier, and Fox TV29 for their coverage and support of our current efforts to build a new disc jockey class for the spring. The reaction to their exposure has been gratifying. If you know anyone who'd like to take part in the next class tell them to send a brief letter to: Todd Allen, WRDV FM, P O Box 2012, Warminster PA 18974.

01/29/2019

WRDV is taking applicants for our new disc jockey class starting in early spring. The all-volunteer public radio station needs, mostly, people that can spare a few weekday hours to take part in our daytime programming. The class runs on Thursday evenings and lasts six weeks. Every one of the 50+ people on staff at WRDV joined the station this way. We'll teach you how to be an on-air personality, how to "run the board", the do's and don'ts of broadcasting and how much fun you can have being a part of this great team. Don't know the music? Don't fret, we'll teach you that too (we have over 22,000 titles in our library). Interested? You can download an application from our website and just drop us a note at: WRDV FM, P O Box 2012, Warminster PA 18974 and we'll mail one to you.

01/25/2019

WRDV RADIO HANGS OUT ‘HELP WANTED’ SIGN FOR NEW DEEJAYS

HATBORO PA - Have you ever listened to the on-air radio hosts and said “I can do that” ? Well such a chance is now being offered to you by Public Radio’s Bucks Mont educational Radio Association (WRDV FM, WLBS FM) in Hatboro and classes for new disc jockeys will be forming early this spring.

The all-volunteer radio station airs live programming seven-days-a-week and is currently in need of people who can offer up-to four-hours-weekdays to bring music and entertainment to the airwaves.

As a member of the class you will learn how to format a program, work the technical aspects of the radio business and bring music and entertainment to a large and growing audience. Classes generally run from 7-to-9 pm on Thursday evenings at the Hatboro studios and are taught by General Manager Todd Allen, Music Director Ted Taylor and Production Director Bill Jacobs.

Originally started in 1980 as a training ground for young people who wanted to get in to the radio field, the four-station-network - with global internet reach - now offers training for people from teenagers to senior citizens. Age is no barrier and approximately 50 people now work weekly at the station.

While the weekday format is Big Band and Swing and weekends are Golden Oldies you don’t need to have a deep knowledge of either format because WRDV staffers will train you to create enjoyable programs. The RDV record library currently has 22,000+ titles on-location for deejays to work from.

If you would like to apply you can access an application at the station’s website www.wrdv.org or e-mail [email protected] and one will be sent to you. If you care to send an inquiry about the positions mail to: WRDV FM, P. O. Box 2012, Warminster PA 18974.

12/24/2018

The RDV Radio Network has announced changes in its daytime deejay lineup beginning the first week of the new year.The new lineup begins on January 7 when, at 12 Noon, Connie Gale (of Hatboro) takes over the Noon-to-3 pm slot with “Connie’s Canteen”. Ms. Gale has been a regular substitute deejay at the station for the past year. The next change is Wednesday morning when 16-year-station veteran Bob Mackie (of Richboro) assumes the 8 AM to Noon slot. The third change happens on Thursday when Tom Gamble (Delaware County) takes over the 3-to-6 PM slot replacing longtime host Dale Temple (of Warwick) who has retired.

Public Radio in the Philadelphia area