radio UNLEASHED

Our mission is to make music lovers happy. Host Dave Leonard has been building a loyal following for over 30 years, programming with artistic integrity since he introduced his free-form fun to WKZE as their first Program Director in 1993 and to WDST as their VP/Programming in 1996. He is known and respected by industry leaders and fans of all ages. He established his reputation by consistently curating and exposing the best new music, helping emerging artists, and demonstrating a keen sensibility of how to beautifully segue music from all genres and time periods.Dave has endeared himself to music-loving fans with his fun personality, approachable style, and artistic integrity. His fans appreciate the way he keeps them in touch with what’s hip and ahead of the curve. He was crowdsourcing long before it became a modern marketing phenomenon.Famous for breaking new songs and acts, Leonard supports the artists in more ways than one, hosting Woodstock’s annual Davestock, which presents up to a dozen acts each year in this increasingly popular outdoor music fest.Dave is one of the top tastemakers in the country and recently has brought his loyal fan base to the podcast world after syndcating on over 30 on NPR and commercial Triple A radio across the country.

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radio UNLEASHED

WDST Friday May 9th, 1990 pt 1

January 15, 2022 • Dave Leonard • Season 1990 • Episode 5091990

Those of you that know me know that to be unleashed I need to be on top of my game behind the scenes. While quarantining I have spent a lot of time organizing my physical and digital space, deleting tons of files and folders on my computer, organizing and framing my photos, alphabetizing my vinyl and listening to some of my old radio shows that I recorded on cassette. These upcoming posts are the first of some of those shows recorded on cassette.

A little context.

In the Spring of 1989 I moved to Pine Plains in the Hudson Valley of New York after a few years of skiing, bartending and DJ'ing on KMTN in in Jackson Hole, WY. I drove across the Hudson River to Woodstock and went to WDST looking for a job. The station was transitioning into a new decade. Jeanne Atwood was the Music Director and was the guiding force for the new music being played and Richard Fusco the Program Director. He hired me on the spot and I started on air that September. My first on-air shifts were on weekends sharing the weekend shifts with another new hire, Nic Harcourt.

I quickly added weekday duties and became the evening DJ with a three hour show Monday through Fridays from 9pm to midnight, working on air seven days a week while also selling ads for the Harlem Valley Times in Dutchess County. My air-shift followed the late Betty McDonald and her jazz show and proceeded Mark Zip with his "Forward in all Directions" show that started at midnight. I loved the interaction with both of them in the studio as we transitioned in and out of our respective shows.

These recordings are segments from those weeknight and weekend shows where we were breaking a lot of new music, some of which has passed the test of time and has become classic. Enjoy.

#WDST #RadioForThe1990s#RadioWoodstock #procrastinatingconstructively #RadioUnleashed

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