Celebrate Forty Years of Music and Memories with Lite 105 This Week

Courtesy of Lite 105

In case you hadn’t heard, one of southern New England’s favorite radio stations is turning the big 4-0 this Saturday, June 14, and they’re celebrating by paying it forward to the fans.

“We’re revisiting some of our favorite moments from the last four decades in the week leading up,” Heather Gersten, co-host of Lite 105‘s morning show, previews.

Though the building originated in the forties, the station officially changed its call letters to WWLI-FM and became colloquially known as Lite 105 in 1985. To kick off the rebrand, “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone played for twenty-four hours straight as a lead up to the new name announcement. The morning show was led by Rhode Island broadcasting legend Gary DeGraide (fun fact: his father, Gene, was also a local radio heavyweight before him) at the time, and he went on to host for twenty-three years before retiring in 2005. Luckily, Gersten had the chance to work with him prior to his departure, joining him as co-host in 2003. Just prior, Gersten had moved from her home state of New York to Boston in 1999 for a morning show role at Star 93.7. She worked there for about three years before a friend alerted her to the opportunity in Providence.

Courtesy of Lite 105

“I actually interviewed with Gary for two days, and interestingly enough, it was during The Station nightclub fire,” Gersten recalls. “So my first audition on the air here was during coverage of the fire. I remember driving in that morning and thinking, ‘I hope there’s something to talk about on the news,’ because I wasn’t familiar with the area and didn’t know what I would talk about. But never in a million years would I imagine my first time on the air would be updating a death toll. It was awful.”

Yet while many people could have been turned off, she persevered.

“I’m married to a firefighter and I’m a rock fan, so all that hits home. You can imagine I could have been [at the Station nightclub that night], as a spectator,” Gersten explains.

She also had been worried that Lite 105 might be wary of hiring her because she was pregnant at the time and would soon require maternity leave. Fortunately, the station knew they had a keeper on their hands.

“And now the audience has, in a way, grown up with my voice. Whenever I mention my son and that he’s in college now, listeners will say, ‘Wow I remember when he was born!’ It’s pretty cool,” she says. “I just hit twenty-two years at the station, so I got a couple more years and then I’ll beat Gary!”

While DeGraide had already signed up to participate in this year’s anniversary by providing some nostalgic clips and jingles from his time at the station,  he also fortuitously was in town this past week and was able to stop by to lend a few soundbites. Part of the interview can be found here, with more audio and video to be shared on Lite 105’s socials soon, so stay tuned!

Former Lite 105 Morning Host Gary DeGraide stopped by with his wife, Susan, to catch up with Heather & Matty and Amy. Courtesy of Lite 105’s Facebook.

“I think our listeners will really like it. I know that there have been a lot of people who have been with us throughout the years and will enjoy hearing him again,” she says.

Gersten and her current co-host, Matty Blake, also plan to play hit songs from Lite 105’s inaugural year on Saturday, the station’s actual anniversary.

“We’re going to “Party Like it’s 1985 ALL day, starting at 6 a.m. and going all the way to the Wicked Awesome 80s Show, playing even deeper cuts from 1985,” Gersten reveals.

I’m at the very least anticipating pop ear worms by the likes of A-ha, Madonna, Starship, Whitney Houston and Sting throughout the day. Longtime listeners, however, will remember that, for a time, the station had more emphasis on one genre in particular.

“When I started, it was called Lite Rock 105. And then, I’d probably say right after COVID, we went through a change and everyone was thinking ‘rock’ wasn’t a true description of what we were, so we went back to Lite 105,” Gersten explains. “But when we were Lite Rock 105, people would say, ‘Hey Lite 105,’ and now that we’re Lite 105, they’ll say ‘Lite Rock 105.’ We joke around and say just drop the rock.”

Listeners are additionally encouraged to call in this week and share some of their favorite memories from throughout the years, and Gersten is sure to share some her own, as well.

“For me, coming to Rhode Island from working in New York and Boston, I was like, ‘Oh, we’re never going to have the celebrities pass through here like you’d have in other big markets,’” she says. “But that wasn’t true. We’ve definitely had our fair share of big names come though.”

She recalls a time when she not only got to interview Kevin Costner over the phone, but also hung out with him at the Park Theater in Cranston. Another time, the station was able to bring Steve Perry from Journey in to do an appearance for a Gloria Gemma Research Foundation fundraiser.

“And he’s like my all time crush ever,” Gersten says with a laugh. “So to get to interview him here in Rhode Island was quite the coup. It was pretty awesome.”

She also has an impressive resume when it comes to overall contributions to the station. It makes sense that she often refers to it as one of her kids.

“The Heather and Matty Show is probably one of the best radio shows I’ve done in my life. I’m so proud of it.” she says. “And I do the Wicked Awesome 80s Show with Amy every Saturday night, that’s been on for eleven years. I’m also the Imaging Director and the Assistant Program Director, so, every promo and jingle that you hear on the air was produced by me. But I also want to acknowledge all of the people here at Lite 105 who make everything so special, including Matty Blake, Amy Pontes, Vic Edwards, Mike Romano, Mary Ellen Kachinske and Holly Paras! It’s a team effort!”

And all that’s not to mention the local organizations and Rhody residents she and the Lite 105 team have helped over the years.

“I’m really proud of the work we’ve done with the Rhode Island SPCA; we’ve helped get hundreds of animals adopted. And we’ve done a radiothon with Hasbro Children’s Hospital for the past two decades. While there’s a lot of fun with this job, and a ton of cool prizes to give out, those are the things that stick with you,” Gersten says. “Also, knowing that someone’s driving home from work and maybe they had a terrible day, but for like two seconds we gave them something to laugh about. That’s why we do what we do.”

If you want to join in on the fun, be sure to tune in every morning this week and especially on Saturday for the chance to share your own Lite 105 greatest hits. Learn more at  https://www.lite105.com/2025/06/07/lite-105s-40th-anniversary-is-coming-up/