Elton Spitzer – the Man Behind WLIR

Sad to see the passing of Elton Spitzer, the man who operated WLIR-FM in its heyday in the 1970s and 80s.  For those of us lucky enough to live in the New York City area in those heady days, the importance of WLIR can not be overstated.  There was no internet; MTV did not launch until 1981 and that was on cable – and no one had cable; the only place to find out about new music was on the radio.  And for the most part, New York City radio was a desert. Because the market was so huge, no large station could take any risks. In the late 1970s, the station focused on punk and new wave music that the mainstream completely ignored and consistently highlighted local bands.  And in the early eighties, WLIR became the most influential station in the New York City area and, usually, one of the first stops for new bands coming to the US from Europe. Many artists got their first play on WLIR months before they ever broke out more generally. With Dennis McNamara as program director, classic DJs like Larry the Duck, DJ Andre, Donna Donna, and Malibu Sue, lots of local events, and the general fun that the station exuded, WLIR was the go-to spot on your radio dial. It all ended when the station lost its license in 1987. For those of you who still long for those days gone by, the station still lives on as the internet station wlir.fm.