Left to right: Tom Bergeron, Phil Christie, Gary LaPierre
|
Hollywood personality Tom Bergeron, recently retired WBZ anchor Gary LaPierre and popular radio personality Phil Christie hosted “WHAV’s 60th Anniversary, ‘A Promise Fulfilled.’”
Bergeron praised his mentor, the late Ed Johnson, and recalled his favorite moments working with news anchor Ralph Hall and the late Bill Pike. LaPierre discussed the station’s news coverage over the years, while Phil Christie, well-known for stints at WBZ and WHDH, talked about the station’s earliest days.
“This was a candid look at the history of the WHAV call, honestly recalling both the good and bad times for the station,” said WHAV General Manager Tim Coco, who went to work for the station in 1978. “The high moments were great, including the on-air wedding of personalities Ed Johnson and Pat Sprague which will be heard again during the special for the first time in more than 50 years. The low moments include the Haverhill Gazette’s troubles launching WHAV in 1947 through financial difficulties in the 1950s, regulatory issues in the early 1980s and political turmoil in the mid-1990s,” he said.
“WHAV’s 60th Anniversary, ‘A Promise Fulfilled,’” includes excerpts from rare and previously unaired audio. Besides the Johnson wedding, rare material includes the voices of Haverhill Gazette Publisher Jack Russ, Arthur Flynn (“Assignment Haverhill”), Bill Pike (“Open Mike Show”), weatherman Earl “Bud” Smith, Maynard Allen and Ken Spaulding. There is also a previously unaired humorous monologue by Hall, who succeeded LaPierre in 1963.
Listen below:
|
