Hide Article Text (OCR)
NEW CASTLE NEWS, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2004 A7CitynativeBy KRISTIN CHAPMANnclocal@ncnewsonline.comNew Castle native Lawrence Conti Jr., 69, has joined the ranks of Lawrence Welk, Edward R. Murrow and Samuel Townsend.Conti became a part of that elite group when he was inducted into the Akron-based Broadcasters Hall of Fame.“It was very impressive,” said Conti, who was one of 16 inducted Sept. 25 during a ceremony in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.Conti, who now lives in Board-man, said that when found out he had been accepted into the hall, hewas at first skeptical.“On one hand I was happy to hearit and on other a little bit leery,” hesaid. But the more I got into it, andsaw the people in it, that’s whatimpressed me the most.”in broadcastinghallNew Castle native nificant contribution to the radio ornow living in Ohiois inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame for his contributions in radio and television.It was Conti’s wife, Marguerite, who had taken the initiative in getting Conti to apply.“It’s just such a worthwhile organization to honor people who’ve made significant contributions to radio and the TV industry,” she said. “I was thrilled that his nomination was accepted because I was just so happy for him and I knew he made such a contribution and he would finally receive the recognition he deserved.”Admittance into the hall, which is located at the Crown Plaza in Quaker Square, requires that candidates have served in the broadcasting field for at least 15 years and have made a sig-television industry as a performer, station owner, manager, producer or other distinguished personnel.“Many people do these things and are unrewarded,” said Mary Helen Bowers, president of the hall of fame. This is a way of recognizing people who have served in broadcasting through the years.”Conti’s broadcasting career began in 1954 at age 19 working as a cameraman for WKST-TV in New Castle (now WYTV in Youngstown). Later his work would take him to such places as Youngstown, New Orleans, New York and New Jersey, where he did everything from working as a disc jockey to managing radio stations.Conti’s broadcasting contributions include being the first to put country music on the air in Youngstown for WKBN during the 1960s.IIIt was very popular,” he said. “It became quite successful.Much of his later work, Conti said, involved managing radio stations and helping struggling stations rebuild.I had ideas I wanted to try and I wanted to move on to bigger and better things, which is the reason I wanted to move from station to station, he said. It wasn’t easy. It meant uprooting the family, making new friends and putting your kids in new schools.But looking back over his career, Conti said he is satisfied.“I enjoyed it while I was in it,” he said. “I did a lot of good I think, and I certainly made a name for myself by taking stations that were run down and turning them around.“I made a lot of friends and worked with some great people — I have a lot of good memories.”ofLawrence Conti Jr.
Newspaper Details
New Castle News Weekend
New Castle, Pennsylvania, US
Sat, Oct 30, 2004
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 10 Jul 2020
Other Publications Near New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle News Weekend
New Castle Daily City News
Daily City News
New Castle Weekly News
New Castle Index
