Radio legend immortalized

WILI’s Norman enshrined in broadcaster hall of fame

CLAIRE GALVIN

CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

October 20, 2018

WILLIMANTIC — The voice of Willimantic morning radio recently claimed a place among the Nutmeg State’s broadcasting elite. WILI- AM’s morning talk- show host Wayne Norman was inducted earlier this month into the Connecticut Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

Norman said WILI’s general manager Andy Russell had informed Norman about his recognition.

“I was shocked and flabbergasted and, of course, deeply honored,” Norman said.

The hall recognizes accomplished people in radio and television.

The winners are not only those who appear on television or speak on the radio.

Behind-the-scenes producers, program directors, engineers and more also have the opportunity to be inducted.

Norman is one of 16 people to be inducted into the hall of fame. The hall inducted 12 people in 2015 and four people in 2018.

The four inducted in 2018 are all associated with AM radio, which Norman said he found interesting. The other three inducted were Charlie Parker, Barbara Davitt and Walter Martinez. Norman and the three others were honored during a ceremony Oct. 11.

“People tell me I’m a pretty good interviewer,” Norman said. “When aspiring broadcasters ask me, ‘ what are the tricks to being a good interviewer?’ I say, ‘One: be a good listener and two: do your homework.’” Norman said it helps to research your interview subject and their background before interviewing them on the air.

These days, Norman said it is very rare for him to get nervous speaking on the air after 53 years in broadcasting. “From a public speaking standpoint, one thing that alleviates nervousness is being well-prepared,” Norman said. “I don’t just wing it, I know where I want to go.”

Norman, who lives in Mansfield, started on WILI in 1970. He has the longest continuously running morning show in Connecticut.

At 70 years old, Norman said he has no plans to retire from the industry.

“I think radio will always remain viable as long as it remains a point-to-point communication,” Norman said. “When I’m talking on the radio, I don’t think of myself as talking to a lot of people. I think of myself as talking to one person.”

Besides his longevity, Norman said his community involvement also made him a viable candidate for the hall of fame.

Norman said he is the only radio guy in Connecticut, and probably the whole country, who is the grand marshal of a  boom box parade.

The WILI Boom Box Parade takes place on the Fourth of July and is the largest true radio parade in the world, according to Norman.

Norman is also well-known to local sports fans, as he has been the radio voice of University of Connecticut athletics for decades, especially broadcasting UConn football and UConn men’s basketball.

 

Chronicle Op-Ed page, October 28, 2018

Our View

Norman’s honor is well deserved

Comparing a morning radio personality to a comfortable pair of shoes may seem trite, but the analogy fits when it comes to WILI’s Wayne Norman.

He’s been a part of the Willimantic community since 1970, when he started his morning radio program.

It is a show — “The Wayne Norman Show” — that is still going strong today, with the 20-something Norman growing up and evolving into the 70-year-old elder statesman of the Thread City’s airwaves.

And, earlier this month, the Connecticut Broadcasters Association honored the radio personality/sports announcer with, perhaps, its ultimate honor — the organization’s hall of fame.

It doesn’t matter what group or organization bestows the designation, being put into any hall of fame is a significant achievement of excellence.

And in Norman’s case, it is well deserved.

For much of the area, our day begins by turning on 1400 AM on the radio dial (95.3 on the FM dial) and listening to Norman’s conversational style.

Whether talking about University of Connecticut sports, the Red Sox or with a guest, Norman’s voice is practically woven into the fabric of our community.

In the past decades, we’ve learned of his special affinity with weather, theater, travel, the Beatles and Fenway Park.

We know that every September, we will learn what happened in 1985 when Hurricane Gloria ravaged the city.

Norman’s account of the storm damage is a part of WILI history, part of our local history.

And we try and figure out what song he will play that ties into the morning-show guest.

Sometimes we are right. Sometimes we’re way off. It’s still fun to try.

Fans of UConn basketball and football have Norman’s voice etched into their soundtrack of support — during good times and bad.

If you listen to him long enough, like with that beloved uncle you see every year at Christmas, the stories are replayed over time.

But no one seems to mind.

He’s Wayno. He’s one of us. He is Willimantic.

The shoe fits quite nicely. And we’re OK with that.