Lost Journal

Humor Column
by Tim Mollen
June 29, 2006

On 3WT-FM, Stew Jay was King DJ

Journal Entry: February 14, 1982 (age 12)

The boom box I got for Christmas is awesome.  It lets me record off the radio onto a cassette, so I can make mixes of the best new songs, like “Sausalito Summernight” by Diesel.  I spend hours in my room with a finger poised on the record button, in case “Hearts” by Marty Balin comes on.  I’ve gotten pretty good at starting and stopping the recording just after and before the DJ talks.  Dick Clark and Casey Kasem make this task easier on their weekly countdown shows, because they drop hints to let you know what’s coming up.

My favorite radio station is WWWT-FM, which broadcasts from Owego.  3WT, as it is known, plays good music, and has great DJs, such as Scott Michaels.  But the best DJ is named Stew Jay Guy.  He has a good sense of humor and always plays the best tunes.  Every Sunday night, he hosts a show called “The Stew Jay Survey.”  He asks the audience a strange question, and they call in with their stranger answers.  This gives my fellow seventh-graders and me a chance to say something that may get on the air.

Today is Valentine’s Day, and Stew Jay’s question was “Who is your favorite Valentine’s Day couple?”  I called in the names of my friend Peco Hull and this girl in our class named Maria.  They’ve gone on the moonlight skate at a few roller-skating parties, so it’s pretty official that they’re a couple.  Peco always listens to the show, so I know he heard his name on the air.  I’m not sure he’ll be happy about the context, but tough beans.

A few weeks ago, Stew Jay recorded my telephone call and played it on the air.  Luckily, I didn’t identify myself.  I didn’t sound too cool when Stew asked why I was whispering, and I replied, “Because I’m supposed to be in bed.”  My parents don’t understand that bedtimes can’t be allowed to interfere with the Stew Jay Survey on Sunday nights any more than they are allowed to interfere with SCTV on late Friday nights.

Listening to 3WT, and Stew Jay in particular, makes me think I’d like to be a DJ.  He always introduces himself with great confidence, saying, “It is I, the Stew Jay Guy.”  His polished radio voice gives him an aura of cool, especially when he is introducing something like “Burnin’ for You” by Blue Oyster Cult.  I’m hoping that when my voice changes, I’ll sound something like him.  But until then, I’ll just sing along with my 45 of Charlie Dore’s tune “Pilot of the Airwaves.”

© 2006 Tim Mollen

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