This story, complete with 12 Harold Hanka photos, ran on page one of the Willimantic Chronicle on May 5, 1979.
THE FIRST VOICE YOU HEAR EVERY MORNING
by Jim Andisio, Staff Writer. Courtesy of The Chronicle
You open one eye and look at the clock next to the bed. 5:30 a.m. It’s too early to get up, but the Red Sox went into extra innings the night before and you’re dying to find out who won.
There’s one person sure to know exactly what happened so you reach over to your radio and a few seconds later you hear the confident voice of Wayne Norman from the WILI studio, telling you just what you wanted to hear.
You picture a relaxed radio personality sitting in front of the microphone getting ready to sip his morning coffee during the next commercial. What you missed was seeing Wayne run from his morning equipment check to the microphone a split second before ABC’s news roundup ends.
Wayne’s official sign in time at the studio is 5:17 a.m. and he says he’s only overslept three times since 1971.
“Once I set the clock wrong so it really wasn’t my fault,” says a smiling Norman.
He seems to be in a state of perpetual motion for the first two hours of radio time. There are commercial tapes which have to be arranged, community service messages which have to be set up, records chosen, and put back on the shelf after they are played, and sports broadcasts over ABC which have to be monitored to find details and information about games.
If there’s one thing Wayne knows, it’s sports. He said he loves to go to Red Sox games, even if it means getting back at 2 a.m.
“I go to bed later than most people because I take a nap every afternoon. If for some reason I miss my nap, then I go to bed at 9 o’clock at night,” he said.
Although he can get into most sporting events for free because of his affiliation with the radio station, Wayne said that footing the gas bill to Boston and back is becoming expensive and he may be going to fewer games.
“Today’s an important day,” he said Wednesday, “because last night the Yankees and Red Sox both played on the West Coast and most of my listeners don’t know what happened.
“When I went to sleep last night, the Sox were doing well. The game went into extra innings and they ended up losing. Most of the local teams did well and I was going to lead off my broadcast today telling my listeners what a good day it was for sports fans. I’ll have to change my lead now,” he said.
Wayne said he likes to concentrate on local sports as much as possible since the Hartford stations don’t carry that type of information.
“In addition to local sports I like to inform my listeners about things like time and temperature. They like to hear the time so they know if they’re running late or not and they like to know what the weather will be so they know how to dress, that’s important,” he said.
From his console in the studio, Wayne can see digital readouts of time and temperature, plus a view of Main Street, Willimantic.
“The morning is an important time for radio listeners. During the winter they depend on weather reports to find out how bad the roads are,” he said.
“When I report sports I try to be objective. I don’t let my personal feelings influence me. It’s the same way with the music I play. I look for the mellow songs people like to hear in the morning.
“I like all kinds of music from Broadway tunes to some disco music. My mother raised me on Broadway music.”
Wayne got his training at the University of Connecticut where he worked for the campus station. He said he didn’t have much time to study because he spent spent 40 to 50 hours a week with the station.
“One day I got a call from WILI offering me a job so I took it. At first I didn’t work in the morning, but I accepted the shift when the position opened up. I did the afternoon show for about a year,” he said.
Wayne came to Connecticut when he was a senior in high school and his parents moved here from California when his father was promoted. His parents have since moved back to California, but Wayne decided to stay here.
“Willimantic isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be. I really like it here; it’s a nice area and my employers take good care of me,” he said.
“When I get tired of working or living here I guess I’ll move back to California,” he added.
How does Wayne know if HE’S running late in the morning when getting ready for work?
“I listen to WTIC. If I hear the sports come on, I know it’s time to leave,” he said.
