Radio Deejay Gio’s Last Day After Fifty Years at 92 PRO-FM

Today is the last on-air radio day for Giovanni of 92 PRO-FM’s “Gio, Jay Buff, and Bekah” and “Giovanni and Kim.” After more than fifty years of behind-the-scenes radio production and twenty-five years of ruling the airwaves as an on-air personality, he is retiring from the station. He’s going out on his own terms, which is unheard of in the cutthroat radio broadcast industry. Today, we celebrate Gio’s accomplishments on the station all day as they welcome special guests to send the beloved deejay off in style. We had the chance to interview Gio about his fifty-year career in radio before his final day, when he’ll hang up his headphones (maybe for good, or will there be a podcast in his future?).

Jamie: I want to go back to the beginning of your radio career and tell people how you got into it. Was it something you always planned to do or was it something you fell into?

Gio: The beginning is really simple. When my parents moved to our house in Johnston, they had an intercom system on the wall in the house. Back then, you could play the radio through the whole house. My dad worked at Rolo Manufacturing on Pine Street, and he used to be the first one to open up the costume jewelry shop. He would be up early around 5:30 a.m. and he’d turn the radio on in the house. It was his way of waking us up, my mother and I. I laugh at that because I get up even earlier now. I was thirteen or fourteen. My father went in early to open up the place and I go in every day and the place is empty. It’s mirroring what my dad used to do without me even planning it.

Jamie: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Gio: So now I’m laying in bed. He’s in the bathroom, and we only had one bathroom. I listened to the radio and the people talking. I started getting interested in what was going on and more interested in the behind the scenes. I end up realizing I am fascinated by it. I don’t realize it until I’m older about how they’re presenting the news or how they talk over the songs or play the commercials. I don’t realize that until I’m in radio, and I’m like this is the stuff that I used to pay attention to. I don’t know if you know who Salty Brine is? I decided to write him a letter asking him if I could have a tour of the studio. I needed to know what it looked like. One day we’re having breakfast. It was a Saturday and the phone rings at eight o’clock in the morning and my mother answers the phone, and she gets taken aback because guess who’s on the other end of the line? Salty Brine calls the house. And he said well, your son wrote me a letter.

Jamie: Did she recognize his voice first?

Gio: I’m sure he identified himself. He said I’d like to make arrangements for him to come down. So we arranged to go down to the studio, which at the time was located behind the Amp, called the Civic Center back then. It was right behind WPRO, Channel 12 was on the top floor. That’s where we went. We got all dressed up. My father acted like we were going to meet royalty. I wish we were camera happy like we are today. I just remember going there, but I have no pictures. He was probably about fifty back then. I went to visit him in 1967 or 68, something like that.

Jamie: Did he like you? Did he take you under his wing?

Gio: He was such a likable guy but I don’t remember the actual visit. But I knew this is where I need to be. A couple of years go by. I’m listening and I’m enthralled. Now I get home from high school around 2 p.m. and I start calling the radio station request line. Jimmy Gray was the midday guy at the time and he’d answer the phone. I started having conversations with him and asking him about radio. He was nice, and he’d answer questions while he was doing the show and he would just leave me on the line. He had a speaker phone in the studio. He knew it was me calling and he’d leave me on the speaker and do his show, and once in a while, we would chat. People would walk in and talk to him, and I’d be listening. I was like this is the greatest thing in the world. I would do that every day for a half hour or so after I got home from high school. At this time, I’m a freshman in high school at Johnston High in 1969-70.  I don’t remember how but I became friends with another deejay at a station. His name was Gary Berkowitz. He’s the guy that initiated the format change for PRO-FM. I got to know him when he was doing the night show from 7 p.m. to midnight. By this time, I’m sixteen or seventeen. I can drive, I have a car. He said I need help at night. Can you come in a couple hours at night? I said, “Yea, absolutely.” So I go down there every night around 7 p.m. I’d help him out. It was just him on the air. That’s how radio goes, it runs on a thin staff.

Jamie: Wow you went in really young.

Gio: This was 1973. I was a senior in high school. I’m doing the night thing with him and at one point, I walk in, and he said, “I’m not going to need you soon.” I said, “how come?” He said, “They are moving the station to the Wampanoag trail. They built a new studio.” I said that’s sad, but I kept in touch. I knew the program director. His name was Jay Clark. I wasn’t going into the studio because they didn’t need me in the new building. But I would call Jay Clark once a week. I was working at Rolo with my father in his department. I’m seventeen or eighteen, out of high school, no plan, no clue what I am doing with my life. I hadn’t thought about college. It wasn’t on my radar. Back then, it wasn’t the thing it is today. It was a weird period. I call Jay every week. Finally, he said, I do have something for you. Come in next Thursday. I go in and he hires me, puts me on the payroll and I have to do a project for him. It was after 5 p.m. in the production room. I did that for three or four months. Then when I was done with the project, he said, I don’t need you anymore. I was like, here we go again. I wasn’t a part of PRO-FM just yet, then Gary said you’re not going anywhere. I’m going to talk to management. So he hires me for $100 a week to basically be his secretary.

Jamie: You were really persistent…

Gio: With Jay and Bekah, it was the same thing. Jay came in. He was interested in radio as a kid. One time he was on the air with Kim and I, and Will Gilbert, doing a project for Barrington High School. He came on the air with us. He told us he won a prize with us once. Now he’s an on-air personality.

Jamie: But how did you end up on air?

Gio: Fifty years is a lot to cover. So I am a flunkie but I’m soaking everything up. I am doing production. Learning how stuff works, but not on the air yet. Then weekday people take a day off, and you have to have weekend people filling in on the air. It’s a twenty-four-seven operation. One of the guys did it since he was a kid on weekends. Andy Field is now a well known news reporter, and he was in New York for several years on ABC radio network. Back then, he was a little ahead of me radio-wise and a year older than me, and he was doing a weekend shift at PRO-FM. Andy did the early morning Saturday and Sunday shows. You get the crap shows when you’re young. Gary said to me, “what are you doing Saturday morning?” I said, “what do you mean?” Andy called in sick for the weekend, and they asked me if I wanted to go on the air. So that was it, I went on the air. The rest as they say is history.

Jamie: You have to seize the opportunity when it comes your way.

Gio: Absolutely. I was petrified out of my mind, but I did it. I couldn’t believe it, but I did it.

Jamie: Do you remember what you talked about?

Gio: All I remember is the first song I ever played. It was a terrible song. You are not going to know it. It’s “My Maria” by B.W. Stevenson. I always remembered that, but I can’t remember anything else about that day.

Jamie: It was April 29, fifty years ago, to the day? Is that right?

Gio: Not exactly to the day. I was already involved with the station in 1973, so I’ve been there for over fifty years. Just not necessarily payroll. I just love being part of the whole business. I didn’t really care if I was on the air. I liked doing production, and I still do. I like all the editing and imaging, and branding for PRO-FM. It’s just me and a computer and I’m creative with whatever I have to work with. I never set out to be a morning host. I used to go in early, and at this point, Jimmy Gray was the morning host at PRO-FM, so I’d go in the studio while he was on the air, and I’d laugh at his jokes and he’d defer to me. I’d be a character on his show once in a while. It was the same guy I used to call when I was coming home from school. It had come full circle. But then, Jimmy leaves, and they bring someone else in. After a while, I’m on air more, middays. I was permanently on the mid-day shift and I was also doing production, off-air. I was filling in in the mornings. Finally, they let the guy before me go, and they looked at me, and said, “we think we want to try you out on mornings.” So that’s how I got on the morning show. It took twenty-five years. We just celebrated twenty-five years of me being on mornings.

Jamie: But you loved it all. It didn’t really matter to you to make that big jump?

Gio: No I didn’t care. Even to this day, I love walking in the building. I love it all. I want to be a part of it. And even after I’m done, I’m still going to be a part of it in some fashion.

Jamie: I imagine it would be hard to detach because it’s such a big part of your life. 

Gio: I am ready to stop waking up at four in the morning and having to worry about talking about Taylor Swift. At this point, I feel like pop culture is getting away from me. I can keep up with it. But I feel like a grandfather talking about Taylor Swift.

Jamie: No one can tell what age you are when you’re talking on the radio. You’re timeless. When you were first starting out, what was your favorite type of music? What did you get excited talking about? What was your niche?

Gio: I like the back in time, Top 40 pop music. All that stuff was popular back then.

Jamie: So you are not a Deadhead or anything like that?

Gio: I like the Beatles and stuff like that. The classics. Very mainstream. I don’t get that eclectic. I couldn’t do a shift at the old WBRU with the college kids. They know everything.

Jamie: So for you, was it more about the personality and the conversation than the music itself. Or did you feel a pull to both?

Gio: In the beginning, I was just a deejay. Talking over the songs, taking requests. Giving away prizes. I just love it. Everytime I get a phone call, I just light up. I love going back and forth with somebody. I like to chat. I can chat with anyone, no problem. Although I’m introverted which is weird. I’m an introvert.

Jamie: I can’t believe that!

Gio: But I can be an extroverted introvert. I learned that about myself. It’s just me, a microphone and two other people in the room with me. That’s why when the news of my retirement broke – Will Gilbert knew when I was going to make the announcement. I call Will Gilbert my spirit animal. I need to have him by my side. Not that I’m a nervous Nelly, but I can look at him and breathe easier. I said you have to be there that morning. It’s going to be at 7:15 a.m. on the 15th of February. He came in and he was on the air with all of us, Jay and Bekah. You know he works at Channel 12, obviously. I think he told them what was going to happen. I’m on air doing my retirement announcement. I look up and they had my retirement news scrolling on the bottom of Channel 12 news. I couldn’t believe the outpouring.

Jamie: What was it like? Did you hear from everyone over the years?

Gio: It was all over Facebook. Imagine this. PRO-FM posts about it. It’s 50 million responses. Will posts about it. They tag me in it. It was crazy. All my social media was blowing up.

Jamie: Get ready for the whirlwind again.

Gio: It’s going to happen again, because I’m here with you. I’m talking to Mike Montecalvo for “Street Stories.” I am completely overwhelmed.

Jamie: That is going to be a lot of social stimulation. I want to know more about your favorite stories from being on the air. Moments that stand out in your mind. I heard there was a moment with Sofía Vergara. Was that a good moment for you? She’s stunning, and I love her series on Netflix, “Griselda.”

Gio: There are people I really like. Sofía Vergara is one of them. Not because she’s a raging beauty, but I just thought she was really cool. She was great on “Modern Family.” I just thought she was really funny. The thing with Sofía. This is when the introvert becomes the extrovert and I’m hiding behind the microphone. It’s just me and whoever is in the room with me and she couldn’t even see me. I’ll just suddenly become very outgoing. I’m more quiet than you can imagine regularly. I was talking to Sofía Vergara. She was talking about “Modern Family.” I said, “Sofía, I got a great idea to get the ratings up. You do the whole show in a bikini.” She starts laughing. My partner Kim at the time, she said, “That’s not nice. You shouldn’t say that.” Sofía says, “Don’t give them any ideas. They’ll make me do it.” I said, “Okay, then Ed O’Neill will be in the bikini.” She starts laughing hysterically, and that is how I got Sofía Vergara laughing. I don’t even plan that stuff. I think about it later and I’m like where did that come from?

Jamie: That’s what makes you good at responding to people in an interview setting. It makes the conversation fun and engaging, when we are driving in the morning and listening to the radio. People like that, memorable stories. It must be hard today, because a lot of that is censored for sure. Do you have a hard time with that? You have to be really careful about what you say. Do you feel like that can hold you back sometimes?

Gio: You hit on something very important. I always say this. I think I said it on the air too. I always say, “I’m one sentence away from being canceled,” because you never know. We have a delay unit in, so if someone does say something stupid, we just push the button. I do hold back more than I normally would.

Jamie: It could affect me too. That’s one of my fears, as the editor-in-chief of Rhode Island Monthly. We print something, and I’m the person that is responsible. When you are a personal entity, but you’re representing a bigger brand. For you, that’s gotta be one of the things you’ve had to deal with, right? 

Gio: Absolutely. I always have to remind myself: “Remember who you are.” I’m not an ego guy. Remember what you represent. I don’t want to be that person that gets caught yelling at someone, or being a jerk. I’m not a jerk anyway. I’m a good guy.

Jamie: I can tell that right away. What are some of your favorite moments? Cool people you have interviewed in the past? Once-in-a-lifetime situations. You’ve had access to so many celebrities. What are some notable ones?

Gio: For the fiftieth anniversary broadcast, I was going though all the tapes we were able to save. I save everything at home. It’s all digital. Will saved a lot of stuff, too, so he and I make sure we have everything covered, so in case my house burns down, he’s got it.

Jamie:  What about the early days?

Gio: That’s the problem. The technology wasn’t there yet. We have some clips, but not a lot. I have a bunch of CD-ROMS. Remember those? We used to save the show on those. I was going through a lot of them, and some of the things I forgot about. We talked to Robin Williams once promoting his standup specials coming out on DVD. That was pretty cool.

Jamie: That must have been hard. I mean obviously he was a comedian and really funny, but with his mental health battle and what happened, that’s got to be nostalgic for you to reflect on those interviews with people you’ve spoken with. There have been a lot of people like that, unfortunately. 

Gio: The problem is, I forget half the people we talk to. It depends on the celebrity, but I’m not a groupie.

Jamie: You keep it professional.

Gio: It must have rubbed off on my son. He’s in fashion. He’s a stylist and or a stylist assistant. He went out to LA for a month for Lululemon, and he styled their whole campaign for their website. He works his butt off. Ten years, he’s been in New York. It’s a tough business. He’s been with so many celebrities. I actually lost track. He said to me the other day, “I might be doing something with Jake Gyllenhaal.” I said that’s cool. Add him to the list. He said, “Don’t you remember I already did something with him two years ago?”

Jamie: They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, like you said. 

Gio: When he’s with a celebrity, I’ll always say, how were they? Were they cool? He says, “Yea, I don’t get too close.” He keeps his distance. He’s professional.

Jamie: Not taking selfies and all that stuff. So what do you think about the changing landscape of radio? I know there have been some tough times with other hosts being let go. Did anything like that ever happen to you?

Gio: No. I’m thankful for that. I don’t know how I survived all that. I wish I had an answer for you. Every time I walk in the building, I say to myself, “How did I get here? How did I survive?” I survived, I don’t know how many program directors. We were sold two or three times. Business is not what it used to be. Somehow I’m still there. How is this still possible? I don’t know.

Jamie: Just because you are a good person, I’m sure. 

Gio: I just go in and try to do the best job I can. I try not to make any waves. I’m not a diva. I don’t ask for anything. I just show up. I’m dependable and reliable. If I say to you that it’s going to happen, it will happen. If I can’t make it happen, then I let them know. I can’t make it happen because of this, that and the other.

Jamie: That’s the best life advice you could give anyone right there. You realize that? You could take that and apply it to anything in life. That’s how you can have that longevity. I try hard not to be a diva, but sometimes it happens….[laughs]

What do you think about the future of radio? I know you brought up that radio is not dead.

Gio: That’s a tough question to ask because I don’t want to crap all over the business. I worry about it. In our building, we’re still live and local. Not every radio station is like that, whether you know it or not. Not a lot of people are in the studio live. Some places aren’t like that. I respect everyone I have to compete against. We can’t control what our bosses say to do. They are dealt the hand they are dealt and they do the best they can. I worry about the future because how much more consolidation can we do? How much more AI? That kind of stuff. Things aren’t the same as they were forty or fifty years ago when I started. We’re still here. And everything is cost-cutting, and I worry about the future of the business.

Jamie: You can’t be replaced by AI. Everyone knows Gio. Your voice is so recognizable. 

Gio: How weird would that be if you found out you were listening to an AI radio host? AI is pretty cool right now; imagine ten years from now. They can do a lot of stuff.

Jamie: I don’t think AI can replicate the quickfire responses and humor. It’s dull and informational and doesn’t have the charm and personality behind it. 

Gio: Let me stop you… 2006: there’s no iPhone. 2007: there’s an iPhone. Can you imagine in 2006 the things you can do today just on your phone? Imagine ten years from now.

Jamie: One good thing about radio is the proliferation of podcasts. People love the storytelling of podcasts and I think that actually benefits radio. Because radio is a lot of storytelling. What is your thought on podcasts?

Gio: At first I was like, they’re stealing our jobs. They are doing the things we should be doing. I remember a few years ago when they came out with that podcast about Buddy Cianci?

Jamie: Crimetown, my favorite.

Gio: I was hooked. I couldn’t believe it. It made me discover Market Basket in South Attleboro because every Saturday morning I’d get in the car and plug the phone in and I’d listen to podcasts all the way from Barrington to South Attleboro. I’d go on walks and as I was listening, I was like this is what we should be doing with radio. Why isn’t there a station that does this?

Jamie: Well there is talk radio. It’s more newsy, like NPR. 

Gio: Yea but why not do stories? Does public radio do stuff like that now?

Jamie: Yea, but it’s more newsy. They talk about complex issues. They talk about everything. It doesn’t have to be politics.

Gio: I want the stories. It’s like listening to an audiobook but with sound effects. Someone said to me, we should do a podcast when you retire and have all the crazy radio people on who you worked with in the past.

Jamie: Turn it into a radio industry one? That would be cool. There are so many people who have interesting things to say. That’s why I love interviews. That’s why I love my job. I learn new things every day. It’s fascinating. 

Gio: Before all this stuff came out, there was no way to get that. Who’s going to greenlight that? Maybe a book that’s about as close as you’re going to get. But a podcast it’s like a living breathing thing. This is where I come in. I really love all that production stuff. I really enjoyed how Crimetown did the sound effects and music. It’s like a movie without the video clips. It’s so well done. It puts you right there and I love that.

Jamie: Since you are a master interviewer, and you have a conversational tone, you should. Do you think you would take your talents in a different direction? 

Gio: You have to have a premise for those podcasts. The radio industry might be a good premise, because even if you’re not a radio person, you might find it interesting. We were only going to do it for our friends in the business and others that know us, or would be interested in hearing stories from the business. It’s not about making money. It’s just about having something to do. That’s what everyone has been saying to me. I’m surprised you haven’t asked me, and I do appreciate it: “What are you going to do when you retire?”

Jamie: I figure you’ll find something to do. Enjoy your life, maybe?  How about that? Enjoy your life?

Gio: That’s my answer. My answer is I’ll figure it out. It’s too busy right now. I can’t think about it.

I need a month to not do anything. I have a closet that looks like a bomb went off in it.

Jamie: Gio, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you retire? Organize my closet… [laughs].

Gio: My garage needs to be cleaned out. I’m not even joking about this. My basement is a mess. I have to clean it. So when that’s done. The thing I tell Will Gilbert, I would say to Will, talking about retirement. I don’t want to die at work or at the studio. I don’t want to still be working and then just die. I want to be done with it. I’m not saying that in a bad way. It’s just time. It’s time to let the young people take over. I’m 68. I’m going to be 69 in the fall. How much more can I do? I don’t mind doing some part time work if people ask me. I’ll still do some work for the station if they ask me.

Jamie: Guest appearances, fill in when someone is sick, stuff like that?

Gio: I don’t mind doing that. I just want to have three or four days a week where those are my days.

Jamie: What do you like to do in your downtime?

Gio: I don’t really have any down time. I don’t know the answer to that yet.

Jamie: You like to go for walks though.

Gio: I love that. I also recently discovered the library.

Jamie: The library? It’s been there all along you know. 

Gio: We were talking about it one day. Jay was talking about it. Jay said something about a library card. And I was like why don’t I have a library card? So after work, I went to Barrington library and got a library card. And I realized I have a kindle. You can borrow books and it goes right to the kindle. You have to wait sometimes, but why the hell not?

Jamie: You can get camping gear and sports equipment. We did a whole story on things you didn’t know you can get at a library and rent out. 

Gio: Maybe I’ll end up volunteering at the library. I’ll figure it out. I love animals. I definitely want to volunteer at an animal shelter. I don’t know when or what.

Jamie: I know you like to read obviously. So why did you want to go out on fifty years exactly? I thought it was to the day, but it’s kind of a ballpark.

Gio: It just seemed like the right day. I tossed it around to a lot of people. They said it’s a great idea. So I said let’s do it.

Jamie: Are there any other stories we didn’t get to talk about that are most memorable to you?

Gio: There is one story I didn’t tell you yet. I’m going to tell it on the air before I sign off, but feel free to use it. Here’s the story. It’s 1978 or ‘79. Billy Joel had the 52nd Street album out, doing a tour. He came through Providence. He was at the Civic Center and we gave away tickets, and we have backstage passes. It was my job that night to escort the listeners backstage to meet Billy Joel. Back there, they have a huge garage because they have to load in and load out all the equipment. And for some reason, when we got there, the limo driver backed into the Civic Center and closed the garage door. Our limo was sitting in the backstage area. We go meet Billy Joel and take pictures.I don’t know where the pictures ended up. When we’re all done, we all pile in the limo because we have to get the listeners back. And they open the garage door. I’m sitting in the backseat on the right side, visible from the side window. The garage opens and I see all these fans going nuts. They think the limo has Billy Joel in it. Here’s what I do. No one saw me do this. I’m sitting here in the chair and the limo starts to pull out. I hide my face in the window with my hand. No one knew what was going on. All of a sudden, the people are screaming and shaking the car. The people in the limo are like what’s going on, and they are like what are you doing? I said just tell me when the driver is about to take off. He had to wind his way through the parking lot. Everyone is going, you’re crazy. I said just tell me when it’s time. It’s time, they said. I lift my hand away, and there are a couple of girls looking at me and they just scream at the top of their lungs with disappointment, “It’s not Billy Joel!!!!” Then the limo takes off. People thought I was Billy Joel for a minute and a half. It was really freaky.

Jamie: Haha. That reminds me of one time when my friend impersonated Lady Gaga in Montreal, before Lady Gaga made it big, and we all played along. 

Is there anything else? I mean fifty years in radio. There’s probably so much we didn’t get into . Does anything stand out to you? Should I talk to anyone else about you? Salty Brine? Should I call him up from the dead?

Gio: Ask Kim, Will, They know me pretty well. And Jay. Davy Morris. He used to be my boss. In 1990 I started deejaying weddings. He would set me up.

Jamie: Well that’s that then. Monday is the day. 

Gio: When you know you know. That’s how I feel about stepping away. I just know. It’s just time.

Jamie: Well I hope you get that time to relax and kick back. Are you a beach person?

Gio: I might become one. There’s no reason why I can’t now.

Jamie: Just wear SPF. You don’t want to get any wrinkles. You don’t have any wrinkles now…

Gio: That’s because I stay out of the sun. It’s really funny because now I have time to do things. I can just hop on a train and go to New York to see my son and have lunch.

Jamie: You can have a girlfriend now. You’ll have time. I’ve heard you talk on the radio. You’ve had some dating adventures. You’re going to enjoy life. 

Gio: Hopefully I have some time left.

Oh by the way, my first name is Dan. I think I am going to say it on my last day. I’m going to say, I’ve been telling you a big fat lie my whole life.

Jamie: Are you going to go by Dan in your everyday personal life? 

Gio: Just as a human being, yea. My credit card says that.

Jamie: I always thought your name was Giovanni Giovanni.

Gio: Everyone thinks that.

Jamie: Well, that is the ultimate Mic drop!