This week we lost two great radio broadcasters
by Art Vuolo

Honestly, I can’t remember when last this space looked more like an obituary page than a radio column, but this was a very sad week. The local radio community is still reeling from the passing of two well-known personalities.

For long-time Detroit radio listeners the name Paul Christy is certainly familiar. Born Paul Christides he died of complications from Parkinson’s decease last Monday. His son Scott hoped to bring his dad to the last Detroit Radio Reunion in September of 2005, but even then he was too weak to make the trip from his home outside of Lansing.

Paul Christy was last heard locally on the ill-fated full-service WYUR-AM (1310) which is now progressive talk WDTW-AM. He worked at WCAR (now WDFN-AM 1130) WABX-FM (now WYCD 99.5) when it was top 40, WMXD-FM (92.3) and in the late 70’s he was program director at WNIC-FM/AM (100.3 and 1310) and discovered a young man by the name of John Huzar working under the name of Tom Michaels at pop WAAM-AM (1600) out in Ann Arbor. Today you know him as Jim Harper at WMGC-FM 105.1 (Magic). Christy also hired a local guy with a NICe voice by the name of Alan Almond, still at WNIC with a few punctuations in his 100.3 FM career.

Another radio icon who worked closely with Paul Christy is Ed Christian CEO of Saga Communications. Ed was manager of WNIC, which was a beautiful music station and wanted to make it more mainstream. He said “I was the architect and Paul was the draftsman who implemented the plan flawlessly.”

Outside of Detroit Christy had an impressive resume, flipping WLOL in Minneapolis to a top 40 format, he was at Washington DC’s WEAM it’s hit music heyday and even worked at Chicago’s legendary Big 10, WCFL.

Andrew Ashwood, now running Fox Sports Radio nationally from Los Angeles was the last DJ hired by Paul at WABX while it was a top 40 station. He remembers “Paul and his wife Joan even let me stay at their house in Huntington Woods until I found a place to live.” Steve Schram, now manager of NPR WUOM-FM (91.7) and Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor, said “I sat in the WNIC lobby all day waiting to see him, and when he said we’ll have to re-schedule I told him I’m not leaving until you hire me…and he did.” Schram, under the name of Steve Edwards helped with the revival of Keener 13 when WNIC-AM became WWKR. Paul Christy, 69, was a passionate broadcaster and he will be greatly missed.

The very next day we got word that popular morning co-host Rhonda Hart at Christian WMUZ-FM (103.5) died suddenly in her sleep at just 46 years old. She did the show on Monday and late that night her husband Eric found her not breathing. At press time, it was still unclear what the cause of death was.

Rhonda’s name is familiar to WWJ-AM (950) traffic tipsters as a reporter for Metro Traffic Service for a number of years.

Former WKRK-FM (97.1) mid-day host Michelle McKormick worked with Rhonda in Grand Rapids, and recalls “she was one of the first to welcome me to Detroit and was one of the warmest and nicest good souls I ever met.”

Rhonda Hart worked locally at WABX, WRIF, WYCD, WOMC and WCSX. Upon becoming morning co-host with Jon Culbert, she was quoted as saying “I am excited to join WMUZ, where I’ll have the opportunity to openly share my faith.” Between Detroit and Grand Rapids her radio career spanned 25 years.

e-mail Art Vuolo  ArtVuolo@aol.com