It’s Saturday night! Where Is Geno?
Hey all, it’s Geno. Let me start this by saying… I’m going nowhere. I love being on the air at Q105.
As you know, I host the afternoon show on Q105. But I also have a lot of behind-the-scenes responsibilities. In addition to that, I’ve got some some pretty exciting news I haven’t shared. I’m now heard on other radio stations around the country.
With these new responsibilities, it’s been a challenge juggling it all. And 4 straight years of 1 day weekends has been tough. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I have cut something. Sadly, it has to be the hosting the SNDP.
Getting to host a show like the Saturday Night Dance Party was one of the last things on my bucket list to do in radio. Growing up, I loved a radio show called Open House Party. It was a live call in party show much like the SNDP. John Garabedian (the show’s host) became a good friend when I lived in Boston. Getting to be in studio to watch OHP live was surreal after listening to the show throughout my childhood. One day I hoped to take over the show, but as I got older, playing Top 40 music for teenagers became way less appealing. I just turned 50 and the idea of playing the awful stuff that kids listen to now makes me cringe. 😆
When the Saturday Night Dance Party’s previous host left Q105 a few years ago, I didn’t want to see the show go away. I love old school party jams. I was on the air at our country station at that point, but Ted (Q105’s head honcho) let me step in and keep the show alive. I had so much fun that I kept nagging my country station boss Travis Daily to let me move over to Q105 permanently. He did. It’s been a blast ever since.
I’ve been able to enjoy so many great moments hosting The Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party. The first time I finally got to see a Freestyle Explosion, I actually was the HOST of it! That’s crazy to me. I’ll never forget that night roaming around backstage at USF chatting with Shannon, Stevie B, The Jets and Lisa Lisa like we were old friends or something. And there were so many other awesome nights like that with Rob Base, Taylor Dayne, George LaMond, Tone Loc and most recently Debbie Deb, who’s become a great friend.
But even more than interacting with the artists I grew up listening to, the real fun of the show was what YOU brought to the SNDP. Some would complain because I wouldn’t take requests by text or tweets or in Facebook comments. There was a good reason for that. YOU bring the PARTY to The Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party. It’s your stories of clubs that are long gone, memories of how you remember the songs you requested and just your overall passion for this music that made the show what it was. I just pressed play. The magic of the show is the music and the love of this music. You can’t feel that in a tweet or text.
So many of our callers delivered those great stories and moments week after week that they really became my cohosts. One particular caller kept calling in with so many great songs that we brought him on the air to be a part of the team (DJ Hoof). I can’t thank my DJs enough for bringing the show to the next level. DJ Paul S was with me from week 1. Then as time went on, we had great guest sets from Stevie B’s DJ, DJ Slice and so many other talented guys like Nestor Cruz and Speedy Junior.
The thing about the importance of the phone callers and my DJs doing their mixes is – both required me to be in the building every Saturday night. 4 years of one day weekends… it begins to mess with your brain. Plus with the new radio stations I’m on, unfortunately I have to cut something. And I can’t cut the part that pays me lol. I could pre-record the show. But not taking calls and eliminating the mixes … it just wouldn’t be the same.
I don’t know the plan for the show. That’s not my call. But I have pitched an idea to management they seem to like that I think SNDP listeners will enjoy. In fact, if you look through the SNDP Facebook page posts over the past few weeks, I’ve already planted seeds for the idea I have. All I can say is… stay tuned!
What about Freestyle Explosion Throwback Jam? Oh I’ll DEFINITELY still be there on stage hosting. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. And YES, Q105 will still be giving away tickets every Saturday night via that text contest right up until the week before the concert.
The other thing that isn’t going away… this music. All of our DJs bring the party online. They have Mixcloud accounts, YouTube channels and DJ Hoof is even firing back up an online radio station that SNDP listeners will love that can turn it into Saturday night anytime you like! The party never ends!
Party on!
Geno
105 Most Requested Songs on The Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party
