Archive: Around Town

If you are a fan of WHCU's Morning Newswatch you are in for a treat.  The show usually runs from 5:30am to 9am, but next Friday (March 6th) you can listen to host Lee Rayburn on 870 AM and 95.9 FM all day long.  The very first News Talk WHCU Wine & Dine Radiothon will be an extension of the show, with all the national and local news, regular features, local guests Greg Fry and the WHCU News Team.  And listeners will get to bid on 13 Wine & Dine packages to benefit United Way of Tompkins County.

"This is a chance to be local all day long, and for that I am grateful," Rayburn says.  "It's an opportunity to give back to the United Way, and when you consider how much they give back to our community it's totally worth it.  And to see some of our favorite restaurants stepping up and contributing, and the audience that bids on these restaurant and wine pairings."

Rayburn says the Radiothon will realize a long held dream, to host a longer local talk show.  When he started in radio he tried emulating music radio hosts by doing 40 or 50 minutes commercial-free during his three hour show.  That didn't go over well with the station's management when they found out, and he hasn't done it since.  But this time Cayuga Radio Group General Manager Chet Osadchey is entirely on board for the marathon show that will preempt the station's national programming including Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

When Rayburn pitched the idea of a day-long local talk show to benefit a local charity, Osadchey suggested United Way, because it is a one-stop not-for-profit that gives back to many programs across Tompkins County.

"I give Chet all the credit in the world for making this happen and paving the way for these local benevolent businesses, WHCU and the United Way to come together for one day," Rayburn says.  "He was excited about it.  He put all the pieces together."

Local wineries and restaurants jumped at the chance to participate.  Some of them will be showing up at the studio during the Radiothon with food and wine.  Rayburn claims that he will taste the wine without swallowing it, a first for him.

Rayburn gets to work at 4:30am every morning to prepare before Morning Newswatch goes on the air at 5:30.  So, while working until 6pm wouldn't be too much of a chore for most people, it means Rayburn will be working a 14 and a half hour shift on Friday.  On top of that he is booked to host a 'talk-back' that evening at the Kitchen Theatre.  But he is looking forward to it because the part of his job he loves the most is being on the air.

"I'm worried about losing my voice," he says.  "But back before I was in radio I used to make toothpaste tubes and we would work 12 hour swing shifts.  That was work!  This is not like making toothpaste tubes by a longshot.  This is having fun and allowing anybody else who is listening to join in and have fun with us."

The Radiothon will not be like an NPR fund drive where programming is interrupted to ask for donations.  Instead it will be an extended Morning Newswatch with local talk, commentary and all the features Rayburn brings listeners every morning.

"The Wine and Dine Radiothon will be a talk show," he says.  "It will still contain all the elements of controversy and news stories and up to the minute headlines.  It's not pleading for money.  It's reminding folks that we are auctioning off restaurant and wine pairings, but in the midst of all that we're still covering the news of the day on the national scene and in our back yard.  It's not going to be like pledge drives on other radio stations: it's going to be us doing what we usually do, but doing it all day long.  Greg Fry will be on hand with the entire news crew, and our cast of characters from the community will be showing up.  Some of the restaurants will bring some food."

Wine & Dine packages will be auctioned off every hour between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and will include the following pairings:

• The Crystal Lake Café & Americana Vineyards & Winery
• Stella’s Barn & The Seneca Lake Wine Trail
• red’s place & Glenora Wine Cellars
• Booker’s Backyard & Lakewood Vineyards
• Joe’s Restaurant & Six Mile Creek Vineyards
• Agava Restaurant & Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards
• Bandwagon Brew Pub & Hosmer Winery
• Ithaca Bakery & King Ferry Winery
• The Antlers Restaurant & Buttonwood Grove Winery
• Coltivare & Heron Hill Winery
• Corks and More Wine Bar & Wagner Valley Brewery
• The Boatyard Grill & Wagner Winery
• Ciao! Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta & Lucas Vineyards

Rayburn worries about sustaining a quality on-air experience for 12 straight hours, but he is excited to try.  He says that the Radiothon will be a way to get the county-wide community together for an organization that gives right back to the community.

Local leaders will be among the on air guests, as well as 2014/15 Community Campaign Co-Chairs Lisa Whitaker, Carl Sgrecci and Hannah Wildenstein and many other local personalities.

"I'm excited to see all these pieces come together," Rayburn says.  "I'm also a little bit nervous to see if they do come together.  Ultimately that will be my responsibility on Friday.  If nothing else, it will be interesting to listen to.  It's an opportunity for us to all come together as a community."

v11i9