Who Me - thanks for award

[OpenMike]

Quotes - see link for complete article


In May when the New York State Broadcasters Association announced broadcaster Paul Sidney of Sag Harbor’s radio station, WLNG induction into their 2007 Hall of Fame, Sidney thought it was a different Paul Sidney. Sidney, the only broadcaster in the New York/Long Island region to be honored had to be convinced it was him. “I never sent them a note so I don’t know how I was selected. Everybody was telling me about it, and I was shocked so many people knew about me. I never went around blowing my horn. I was just fortunate enough to do what I loved to do,” said the humble veteran of over 45 years.



As he was allowed to enter into the NYC broadcasting community when he was just a boy…it would become the foundation of his own style. Reaching out to the people the way they reached out to him. In between the music, Sidney would cover Sag Harbor and East End news that was important to his listeners and the community, from a lost dog to the death of a familiar neighborhood face.

“In those days if you weren’t good on the air you wouldn’t have a job,” he admitted. His idols in the NY area were Don Russell from Dumont Television, and radioman, Herb Oscar. He’s seen a lot of changes in radio broadcasting since the 60s, “Right now a lot of radio stations don’t care about the people. The honesty is gone. Now they hit the button for the commercials, playing seven or ten of them in a row. Sometimes without anyone even being in the building. It’s all computer operated,” he remarked as the old days of radio have vanished. “You have to do things for people…you need that one on one connection.”

With the recent Imus debacle Sidney says he doesn’t like what he does or listens to that type of broadcasting, others do and that’s the point. “In the past you couldn’t do that or you’d lose your license. But that was his style and why he was hired,” he explained. “Others are doing the same thing but they singled him out. I have nothing against him. He was nice to me at periods, talking up me and the station.”

complete story at

http://www.hamptons.com/detail.ihtml?id ... &townflag=