Rhode Island Braces For Post-Giovanni Era

• New England radio listeners are headed for a serious mental adjustment far sooner than they are comfortable with, following last week’s major reveal that Giovanni, a beloved radio fixture at Cumulus Top 40 WPRO (92 PRO-FM)/Providence for the past… hang on to something… 50 freakin’ years — the last 25 in morning drive — will retire on April 29, perfectly coinciding with PRO-FM’s 50th anniversary.

Amazingly, Gio, 68, whose given name is Daniel Centofanti, also marks his half-century of service to PRO-FM at the same time. He joined the station shortly after its Top 40 launch on April 29, 1974 as a teenage programming assistant and fill-in jock. During the ensuing years he worked his way up through the ranks, doing middays and nights before he was promoted into the morning chair in 1999. And the rest, as they say, is Rhode Island radio history.

While Gio was characteristically low-key about his news, his legions of fans — and local media — certainly were not, as his announcement quickly became actual “Breaking News” across the region. Gio’s former producer and longtime friend Will Gilbert, who hosts The Rhode Show on WPRI-TV (Channel 12)/Providence arrived with a camera crew, and the story just blew up from there.

In a conversation with the Boston Globe, Gio, said, “It’s very rare in our business that someone gets to write their own ticket, but that’s what I’ve been able to do.” Gio acknowledged that he has no immediate plans, post retirement, other than volunteering at a local animal shelter. Most of all, he told the Globe‘s Dan McGowan, he’ll miss the connections he’s made with generations of Rhode Islanders. “You become a part of people’s lives,” Giovanni said. “I’ve been very lucky.”

RAMP spoke with Gary Berkowitz, noted AC consultant who served as PRO-FM’s PD twice — from its April 1974 sign-on until 1979, then again from 1980-82. “I’m very happy and proud of Giovanni for accomplishing 50 years at PRO-FM. Its unheard of in radio,” Berko said. “From day one, back in 1974, Gio was always my ‘Go-to-Guy’ for everything, and he continued to do that for his fantastic 50-year run at one of America’s premier Top 40 radio stations.”

Accurately comparing Gio to another Rhode Island media legend, Gio’s co-host Bekah Berger said, “Gio is the Salty Brine of our generation.”