In The Archives
- Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones
- Ronnie Wood — The Rolling Stones
- Andrew Loog Oldham — The Rolling Stones
- Bill Wyman — The Rolling Stones
- Bev Bevan – ELO
- Ben Folds
- Clarence Clemons – The E Street band
- Crosby, Stills & Nash
- Darlene Love – The Phil Spector Christmas Album
- Dan Fogelberg
- David Crosby
- Dion
- Donovan
- Elton John
- Elvis Costello
- Eric Burdon – The Animals
- Flo & Eddie – The Turtles
- Grace Slick – Jefferson Airplane
- Graham Nash
- Gregg Allman – The Allman Brothers
- Jake Clemons – The E Street Band
- Jerry Garcia – The Grateful Dead
- John Fogerty – CCR
- John Lennon
- John Mellencamp
- Joni Mitchell
- Jorma Kaukonen – Hot Tuna
- Judy Collins
- Julian Lennon
- Justin Hayward – The Moody Blues
- Kenny Vance – Looking For An Echo
- LENNONYC
- Levon Helm – The Band
- Little Richard
- Meat Loaf
- Mel Brooks
- Nils Lofgren
- Patti Smith
- Paul Simon
- P.F. Sloan – Eve of Destruction
- Phish
- Pete Townshend – The Who
- Phoebe Snow
- Randy Bachman – BTO
- Ray Davies – The Kinks
- Richie Havens
- Rick Derringer – The McCoys
- Rick Nielsen – Cheap Trick
- Ringo Starr
- Robert Plant – Led Zeppelin
- Rock ‘N’ Roll Never Forgets
- Roger Daltrey – The Who
- Ronnie Lane – The Small Faces
- Ronnie Spector
- Rosko
- Scott Muni
- Sid Bernstein and The Beatles
- The Beatles Invade America
- Woodstock Remembered – The 50th Anniversary
- Zacherle
Dennis Elsas and Scott Muni
“I grew up listening to you,” I told Scott Muni the first time I met him in June 1971. Scott was the program director at WNEW-FM, and I was hoping to make a good first impression on my job interview. His response was a bemused vocal grunt, which I would later learn was Muni verbal shorthand for almost anything. I (and most of the staff) would subsequently spend many years mimicking that sound and his unique gravely voice, in our never ending game of admiration and imitation of our Boss.
I really had grown up listening to him. From New York’s powerhouse AM Top 40 stations WMCA and WABC, to the brave new world of progressive FM rock (initially at WOR-FM before he came to WNEW-FM on December 18th, 1967), I was a fan.
Initially he hired me as a part-timer for summer relief. Within six months I became the station’s music director working directly for and with him, an experience that was an amazing education in the world of rock radio and the music industry. He played hard and he played to win, but he always had fun and mostly success in doing so.
Denis Elsas with Scott Muni
We worked together through 1997 up until the final dismantling of the once proud place “Where Rock Lived.” All through the years, he never let me forget that first comment about growing up listening to him and was always amused when he began to hear the next generation of listeners tell me the same thing about myself.
I don’t remember that he or anyone else within the station actually referred to him off-air as “The Professor.” It was a nickname given to him sometime in the mid to late 1980’s by one of the many programming consultants that kept trying to re-shape our sound. We preferred “Fats” – a loving term of endearment that he often used for almost anyone that played on his team.
This audio is from April 30th, 1979. It was WNEW-FM’s final night broadcasting from our legendary studios at 565 Fifth Avenue just before our facilities were to move across town. I’m doing my nightly 6-10PM show and have invited “Scottso” to sit in for awhile following his afternoon shift and share some memories with me and our loyal WNEW-FM audience. Here’s an audio snapshot of that moment in time: