RI Radio HOF Class of ’17!
The Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame announced its class of inductees for 2017, it includes plenty of familiar and talented New England friends — JayBeau Jones, Tony Mascaro, Frank Kingston Smith, Dick Rakovan, Myrna Lamb and Roger Laliberte. • Jones, the artist formerly known as “Johnny Dowd” worked at the late, great JB105/Providence from 1979-84. His career has taken him to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Hartford and Worcester. Jones currently does afternoons on WROR/Boston and is heard on SiriusXM’s ’70s on 7. • Tony Mascaro has been PD of WPRO-AM/Providence since 2014. Mascaro famously spent 17 years at PRO-FM, later served as MD of WPLJ/New York from 1997-2011 and PD of WABC/New York from 2012-2013. • Frank Kingston Smith began his RI broadcasting career in 1967 when Hall of Famer Bob DeCarlo hired him at WICE. His legendary voice was heard on WRKO/Boston under his Bill Drake-assigned name “Bobby Mitchell,” and he later reverted to his real name at WABC/New York. Smith returned to Boston in 1974 and spent nearly 20 years at WHDH, WVBF, WBZ, WRKO, WROR, WKKT and WODS. Smith has continued to work as a voiceover artist.
Dick Rakovan was named GM of WPRO AM & FM in 1974, and over the next five years captained WPRO-AM’s defense against aggressive competitors WJAR and WGNG; he notably took half-automated PRO-FM live and local 24/7 against newcomer JB105. Rakovan is a retired SVP of the Radio Advertising Bureau. • Myrna Lamb was an astrologer, published author and teacher who hosted shows on WHJJ and WPRO, first on astrology, then a general advice show syndicated on NBC and broadcast on 300 radio stations from 1990-93. In 1989, she was a substitute host on the Sally Jessy Raphael Show. Lamb died in 2014. • Roger Laliberte began his radio career in 1957 at WWRI/W. Warwick where he started L’Echo Musical, targeted to the area’s large French-Canadian population. Since 1985 the show has been airing on WNRI, where Laliberte is a partner.
The induction banquet for the Class of 2017 is happening Thursday, May 4 at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, RI. Tickets are $55 each (a table of 10 is $500) and proceeds will benefit Special Olympics of Rhode Island. Tickets may be purchased by calling 401-741-3130 and for more info, visit rirhof.org.
