MIX Blog

39 odd things about me… 

1. Do you put ketchup on hot dogs? Either Ketchup & Mustard or Cheese

2. Choice of soda? Diet Cherry Pepsi

It’s fun to learn odd things about friends.

1. Favorite Smell? Turkey when you wake up on a holiday morning, or the smell of blacktop during road construction, it reminds me of my mom “Grandma Bea”
2. Last time cried? Last week during some movie
3. Favorite pizza? Tony’s in Whitesboro, Joe’s, or Slice depending on my mood
4. Favorite flower? Lilacs
5. Favorite animal? One that don’t bite me
6. Did you go to college? Sure Did HCCC
7. Untie your shoes when taking them off? Negative
8. Roller coaster? LOVE Them! I can’t do “Spinny Rides” but yes coasters all day
9. Favorite ice cream? Soft Serve Twist of Cherry Garcia
10. Shorts or jeans? Shorts
11. What are you listening to? Mix 102.5 before I go on the air at 3pm
12. Favorite TV show? I go in spurts, but right now it’s Power, Rediculousness, & Sopranos
13. Tattoos? 5
14. Hair Color? Light Brown, hint of red
15. Eye Color? Brown
16. Height? 6’1
17. Favorite food to eat? Pizza & Sushi
18. Favorite holiday? St. Patty’s Day (aka my birthday) and Christmas because of people being having The Christmas Spirit
19. Beer or wine? Vodka Please
20. Night owl or morning? Night Owl
21. Favorite day of week? Sunday
22. Do you have a nickname? Big Poppa, Large Father, but my favorite is Dad
23. Favorite season? Spring
24. Favorite place to getaway? Disney or anyplace with sun, water, & peace
25. Missing someone? Of course! Just another reason to make each day count
26. Dream vacation? Vegas, LA, & Austalia
27. Regrets? Regrets? No. I’ve made a ton of mistakes, but I’ve learned from them all & they’ve make me who I am today
28. Middle name? Lee
29. Ocean or lake? As long as I have a chair & a beverage, I don’t care

I used to LOVE the old MySpace surveys that everyone would take. I found one & figured it would be cool to share! BP

1. Do you like bleu cheese? On wings, that’s about it

2. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Cherry Pepsi

3. Do you own a gun? Negative

4. What flavor of Kool-Aid? Red or Purple

5. Hotdogs? Hoffman’s or Zweigle’s

6. Favorite tv show? Sopranos

7 Believe in ghosts? Jury is still out on this one

8. What do you drink in the morning? Coffee or Sugar-free RedBull

9. Can you do a push-up? Man I hope so

10. Favorite jewelry? I don’t wear much. I guess the earrings I’ve had in for like 15yrs

11. Favorite hobby? Napping lol

12. Do you have ADD? No but I can Subtract

13. Do you wear glasses? Only Sunglasses At Night

14. Favorite cartoon character? Charlie Brown

15. Three things you did yesterday?
1. Talked on the radio
2. Ate a slice of pizza
3. Packed for a much needed weekend away

16. Four drinks you drink?
1. Coffee w/ extra skim & 3 Splenda and a couple pieces of ice
2. Sugar-Free RedBull
3. Cherry Vodka w/ Sugar-Free RedBull. Double Please
4. Water

17. Current worries? No real worries, Loving life & not sweating the small stuff

18. Do you believe in magic? I believe in Leon Entienne

19. Favorite place to be? Near water

20. How did you ring in the new year? DJ’in at Turning Stone

21. Where would you like to vacation? Currently counting down the hours before heading to Montreal

23. Favorite color? Blue

24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Nope. Cotton with a high thread count please

25. Can you whistle? Surprisingly, I Cannot

26. What are you doing right now? Taking this survey nosey!

27. Where would you rather be right now? Disney World

29. Favorite food? Pizza

30. Least favorite chore? All of them lol

32. What’s in your pocket? $23

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Stupidity on FB

34. Favorite animal? Not a big animal guy

35. What’s your most recent injury? Does stubbing my toe count?

36. How many tv’s in your house? 5

37. Worst pain ever? Losing someone you care about

38. Do you like to dance? When there’s enough vodka in my system lol

39. Do you like camping? I like glamping, where there’s a fire and such, but I sleep in a real bed

40. How do you eat you steak? Medium rare

Happy Anniversary

It’s been a year since I’ve made “The Switch To The Mix”, and all I can say is WOW. First off it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, It feels like yesterday was the press conference announcing the switch. But at the same time, so much has changed within the last twelve months. It’s been a year of transition. Transitioning to this company that has treated me with nothing but love & respect. Transitioning from doing a morning radio show for over 15 years, to afternoons. It’s a completely different animal & I’ve enjoyed the new professional challenge that the switch presented. Transitioning as a parent who now has a child in college. (I still think I’m WAY too young to have a college kid). And Transitioning on a personal level…

I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, & that you learn something from everyone and every experience you have.

Never stop growing, learning, or trying

Cheers to the last 12 months, the memories that were made, the people were lost, & the friends that were gained.

Looking forward to what the next twelve months has in store.

BP .

It’s been 5 months since I made the decision to leave my comfort zone and what I had known professionally for 10yrs, & change not only radio stations, but time slots as well.

Over those past five months the question I get asked most is “Gary can you let the dogs out?” Which of course the answer is “Yes Dear”

But the question I get asked the most in public is, “Why the change?”

The answer “They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse”

I realize it’s kind of a generic answer, but it’s true.

Ever since I was a child I LOVED radio. I was THE annoying kid calling radio stations winning contests, & pestering the DJ’s. I always wanted to be the DJ who “played the cool music in the morning.” Starting when I was 17, that’s what I worked toward. Becoming an intern at ROCK 107 while still in High School. Getting My 1^st live air shift when I was 18, and getting my 1^st full time radio job at 19. Doing 7-Midnight and becoming Promotions Director.

I left radio to start my young family & became a salesman. 1^st cell phones, then cars, then yellow pages. (yes that’s how old I am)

I was providing for my family, but I was just unhappy. So I picked up a part-time weekend shift at ROCK 107 to help scratch that itch. That’s where I met Frank McBride. After a few months, Frank called me and said that management was giving him his own morning show, & that he’d like for me to be his on-air sidekick. It was classic rock, but it was mornings. So I left my full-time sales job & took a pretty hefty pay-cut to have a career in something that I truly love.

“Frank McBride & The Big Show” lasted about 5 years. In that time, I learned more about the business & about life than in any other time in my career. I miss Frank & think of him often.

When Frank was let go, I jumped to the station that played the new music, where I started as Promotions Director and was on midday (10am-2pm). Within 6 months, I was bumped to Morning Drive, & “Big Poppa In The Morning” was born.

For the next ten years, I hustled. I pushed myself physically, mentally & emotionally. Honoring station events, watching my mobile DJ business flourish, & still be on point every weekday starting at 6am. But I was ok because I was doing what I had always wanted to do. “Be the Morning DJ playing the cool new music”

A few years ago, I felt myself becoming complacent, losing touch with the younger end of the demo, feeling “too old” for the format. So we decided to add a sidekick! The sidekick search revitalized me! I was teaching and learning all at the same time! It was some of the most fun I had on the radio during my entire career.

But when you burn the candle at both ends for too long, your body starts to break down. Unfortunately that was beginning to happen. Between post concussion syndrome & a major gallbladder problem, keeping up the late night weekend DJ gigs, & early morning radio was becoming harder & harder to do.

So when the opportunity to help a station grow, have a daily/weekly schedule that lets me take care of my body better, & talk to an audience that I have more in common with. It was a no brainer.

So now we have “Big Poppa In The Afternoon on MIX 102.5”

Over the last 23yrs in this business, I’ve have been EXTREMELY blessed to have had the opportunities to be apart of special events, meet & interview some of the most celebrated/notorious people, and have had experiences that I have never dreamed were possible. Thank You CNY for giving me the honor to do what I love for a living, & cheers to the future & all that it holds!

BP