One of the last baton holders from the free-form era of commercial Rock radio in New York is calling it a career.
Vin Scelsa will end his “Idiot’s Delight” program on 90.7 WFUV on Saturday, May 2. His final show on SiriusXM’s “The Loft” will air on Thursday, April 30. A tribute concert, “Vin Scelsa’s Fare Thee Well Concert” will take place on Monday, June 8.
Sclesa began his New York radio career in 1967 at 91.1 WFMU with later stops at 99.5 WBAI, 95.5 WABC-FM, 92.7 WLIR, multiple runs at 102.7 WNEW, “92.3 K-Rock” WXRK and finally at WFUV where he has been since WNEW dropped its Hot Talk format in 2001.
In a statement posted on WFUV’s site, Scelsa stated, “I am incredibly lucky to have spent my entire radio career doing exactly what I’ve wanted. The kind of programming autonomy I’ve enjoyed, on both commercial and public radio over all these years, is unique. I am grateful to all the stations I’ve worked on for the privilege of being allowed to wander through their airwaves wherever my interests have taken me. I am grateful to my listeners for their support and their indulgence as we shared this journey together. It’s hard to let go, of course, but I always promised myself and my audience that when the time was right I would stop. How lucky am I that I get to decide even this!”
Autodyne
As a Scelsa listener since 1972, I can safely say that he nurtured the freeform ethos from noncommercial radio into the 70s progressive music era of FM, through the 80s, when it was going out of style and into the 90s, the dawn of the AAA era. Indulgent at times, but never boring, a huge swath of my vast music collection exists only thanks to Vin’s guidance. He’s one of the few well-known personalities who always selected his own music, interviewed artists conversationally for whatever time period felt right and followed his own muse. How many other influential radio figures can claim that legacy? One of a kind. Enjoy your retirement, Vin.