WOW RADIO – MEET CT’S NEW AWARD WINNING RADIO STATION
By Kat Gullage
BEHIND THE SCENES AT WOW Radio with Brian Smith and Pam Landry
Did you know there’s a radio station in Wallingford CT? I didn’t either! But there is and it’s legit! WOW Radio is spinning your favorite tunes from the 60s to the 90s, showcasing familiar radio voices, providing local news and weather updates and hosting a variety of special guests including community leaders, organizations and live bands. My editor invited me to a behind the scenes peek at the studio. He told me it was located inside a local car dealership. I was like, “Really”? He said yes, it’s at WOW Toyota of Wallingford. Okaaaaayyyy.
I’ve been in my share of car dealerships. I was impressed as soon as I pulled into the driveway. Brand new surface, tons of shiny new cars perfectly parked, architecturally pleasing building looming over the compound. I made my way to the showroom and my first word was “Wow”. There’s literally one of Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR race cars hanging from the freaking ceiling. Another NASCAR hot rod, the M&M’s car, is mounted to the wall. In addition, there is video arcade and playland. The whole place is sleek and modern but also welcoming. My next stop was the radio station.
I’ve also been in a few studios. I was not expecting what I found. WOW Radio is the nicest one I’ve seen. Sizable space with state of the art technology, all shiny and new! The duo at the helm was none other than local radio veterans Brian Smith (remember the Smith & Barber show on WPLR?) and Pam Landry (remember her lunch hour show Landry’ Luncheonette, also on WPLR?).
Even with top notch components, you need people with masterful multi-tasking skills and this team has a handle on it. They were spinning music and news breaks, offering up live interactions with the guests of the moment, and yet they immediately acknowledged my editor and I when we entered the room.
Paul Walsh, talented local artist and representative of the Connecticut Fallen Firefighter Memorial, was being interviewed. Connecticut Fallen Firefighter Memorial is a mouthful and Smith had to say it thoughtfully in order to keep from stumbling over it. Remy Adair, a gifted and creative young lady who wrote a song for fallen firefighters, was also in attendance. She had a bit of laryngitis so she couldn’t sing the song live in the studio. The experienced crew promptly adapted by having her read the song and talk about what inspired it.
Smith and Landry also assisted Remy with polishing off some Halloween candy. I was positioned on the Smith’s side of the rig so I gathered most of my information from him. I learned about their haunted garbage can situation. Receptacle number one was an R2D2 replica that was somehow always in the way. The second canister had some sort of electronic mechanism and would chatter at will. Fingers crossed for wastebasket number three. Our editor, Ralph Beauchamp, got on the mic for a moment and introduced our kick ass website, myampmusic.co, showcasing music related local happenings, interviews, reviews and photography.
Contributed Photos
Time flew by watching the choreography of it all. The show was good, I enjoyed it! As it wrapped, Smith asked if I had taken any photos. I said yes, I had captured just some candids. He explained that he prefers to wear shades in pictures, that’s kinda his thing. He stores them next to his spider web tights. Which is probably in close proximity to the recent award bestowed upon Smith and Landry as Best Connecticut Radio Show from Connecticut Magazine’s poll. Like I said previously, this is the real deal folks.
Ralph invited me to sit in as he interviewed the DJs. We entered the conference room one after another until the entire WOW Radio team filed in. Smith, Landry, the production crew Paul, Holly and Robin. Also in attendance was the person that built the studio, Ryan. He informed me that the studio, this technological mothership, was built in three months! Owner Steve Zion was the last to join us.
I gushed over the quality of his Toyota Dealership / Radio Station fortress. I inquired about the service area. Zion got up, said “Come with me”. We ditched everyone and he gave me a private tour of the inner workings. More “WOWs” from me. The area where you pull your car in is like a Daytona 500 pit stop. You could eat off the floor where the mechanics work with the most modernized lifts I didn’t even know existed. A line from Jurassic Park came to mind “spared no expense”.
We rejoined the group. Ralph took the helm for the interview questions and I continued to observe. Zion is a true believer of radio. “It’s the one thing people take with them everywhere.” He built his client base solely on radio. WOW broadcasts on their own app and website (WOWRADIOCT.COM). The metalhead in me did inquire about the musical format. Another radio station putting us in a classic rock coma? WOW is streamed throughout the facility, so it makes sense that they don’t have Slayer or Megadeth in their rotation.
They do offer Smith and Zion broadcasting from 8AM-11AM, Smith and Landry from 11AM-3PM and replayed at 5PM. Also, Holly and Robin have a fun Mixtape show that airs on Saturday and Sunday at 7PM. There’s an interactive option on the app called a “Shout Out”. You record a message and it automatically sends it to the team to be played on the show.
WOW Radio is already an established community champion. They are a fixture at multiple local events and are honored to represent at each and every one of them. I must say, the loyalty and teamwork here is bar none. The crew lives and breathes enthusiasm and positivity for every task. This speaks volumes for Mr. Zion and his leadership. Some of their tag lines are “We will, we will, WOW you” and “Where the WOW factor is high”. Give WOW Radio a shot, not only do they deserve our support, but you’ll find it is a Wonder Of Wonders!
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