History -

Welcome to WTIT Tape Radio. The Nation’s first & longest running Tape Radio Station. We know that your first question is: What the hell is Tape Radio? Like many young people, WTIT founder, Bud Weiser had a strong desire to become a radio DJ. In the sixties, a majority of DJs had names like “Sonny Shores” “Rusty Potts”, “Sandy Beach” and “Rusty Nails”. Our founder thought “Bud Weiser” was the perfect radio name. The irony is, that while Bud spent years working in radio (See: “Radio Daze”), he was never known as Bud Weiser.

Now while playing music and jingles was always a part of WTIT, the
main ingredient was comedy. While the jocks played the rock songs of the era (See: See: WTIT Top 100 Play lists), the guys would create whatever comedy bit seemed to fit their fancy. At times WTIT would perform spoofs of commercials, TV shows, movies & the News. In addition, the WTIT DJs would talk and joke about their lives at that time, debated politics and moaned about girlfriends, wives and later… divorces, remarriages, kids and jobs. WTIT became a journal of the lives of a group of friends. These guys always were very close friends. The first tape was recorded in May of 1967. All tapes still exist (now in digital, some with the music remastered) and there aren’t any “lost” tapes and the recordings span from 1967 to 2022.

The difference between the creation of WTIT and other kids who tried or just played radio is that WTIT “Tape Radio” never ended. It morphed. While friends changed over time with all of us, during the over fifty years of WTIT, new jocks replaced the old. There were even brief periods that the taping paused. At times, WTIT seemed to be toast, only to have the whole Tape Radio thing start up again. A good example of this was in 1982. It had been a couple of years between tapes. The group decided to have a “(Either) Last Tape Show or WTIT’s 15th Anniversary Show“. The tape number was 137. Within a short period of time, the process started
up all over again, but since the last show included members flying in from across the country, new members were recruited. There are over 620 tapes as of now, so far, into 2022.

Along with Bud, the “founding fathers” were Galloping Gary and Bouncing Billy, “the Original Barefoot Boy”. We were 15-year-old kids. While at first a lot of other DJs contributed (See: “WTIT DJs”), by 1968 the five main seats were filled. With Bud, Gary & Bill, it would be Gypsy and Johnnie Walker that would complete the first “starring” DJ staff. This lineup would last six years. Bud graduated from Emerson College and was on the air for years.

Gary had finished college in Washington, D.C. and remained in DC. Johnnie & Billy decided to tour the country in 1973.

Billy would return, but Johnnie stayed in Colorado where he taught skiing. It would be there that Johnnie met his ex-wife who both would return to Connecticut to raise kids. Johnnie returned to the mountains to be closer to his family in 2015. Johnnie passed away on July 4th, 2018. His story & WTIT’s story had always the same.

By 1974, Gypsy had left and replaced by Gregarious Greg. Many Miles took Johnnie Walker’s seat (until of course he returned). Johnnie did not give up his chair until 2015,

After over 40 years of recordings. Johnnie moved back to Colorado) Meanwhile, into 1975, Johnnie & Bud would navigate all the changes to come. In 1976, WTIT held their 10th Birthday Party (along with former jocks & gals of the group) and the staff was Bud Weiser, Johnnie Walker, Bouncing Billy, Galloping Gary, Gregarious Greg, Ken Kolt and Teddy Q (see Kingswood Connection).

No changes in staff would occur again until 1985. The Infamous 1982 “15th Anniversary Party” would star Bud, Johnnie, Gary, Greg and Ken. Bud & Johnnie decided by the end of the evening that soon we’d continue. In 1985, there were a lot of empty chairs. Bud Weiser and Johnnie Walker were the only two remaining and new recruiting was in order. In the meantime, Bud contacted Bouncing Billy, because Billy still remained in the area as a detective for a local police department. Billy returned to help out (i.e. train the new jock,) in what we all appeared to be his last tape, with Bud and Johnnie, and the new rookie, the Cosmic Commando, who would take Bill’s chair.

Before 1985 ended, Bob Smirnoff would grab one of vacant chairs. In January of 1986, B.B. Bacardi would join the group. This line-up, of Bud, Johnnie, Cos, Bob & B.B. would be both responsible for a great deal of comedy because of the frequency of the sessions which were recorded weekly.

1987 was a great year for WTIT. It was the 20th Anniversary and the group hit Tape 200. In January of 1987, a 20th Anniversary/Tape 200 party was held. Along with the current staff of Bud, Johnnie, Cos, Bob and B.B., Gregarious Greg and two contributors from Kingswood in the sixties, Carter B. & Teddy Q would spend a memorable night with a guest, Moonbeam. What was not known at the time, was that while recording Tape 200; Bob Smirnoff would announce his intention to leave us. Bob was changing jobs and travel was involved. Something had to give, and it turned out to be WTIT.

Before sessions in 1987 finished, Rock Rolling took Bob’s place. Rock had worked with Johnnie and played poker with us with a group that upon its demise helped restart WTIT. Rock’s brother, The Midnight Playboy would become join us in 1988. In 1988, B.B. left. No one at WTIT has heard from him since. and to this day it is unknown what became of him. A business partner of Rock’s, Mic Dry, took B.B.’s place. It would not be long though, before WTIT lost an important member. The Cosmic Commando would be promoted in his job and move.

By 1990, Mic left both WTIT and Rock’s business. A friend of the Midnight Plowboy’s, Captain Morgan, would take over for Cos. B.B.’s chair was another story. As fate would have it, Midnight became full time. Harvey Wallbanger would join in 1993, and for the first time WTIT carried six members. Harvey, still a very close friend of Bud’s, would move to Atlanta in 1995. Thus it was a short time with six, but Harvey got involved with Bud on the WTIT Blog from 2008 to 2009, during the peak years of writing the blog. In 2011, Harvey would join Bud to record WTIT’s last recording from The Gatewood Studio and joined us again in 2015.

In 1997 a 30th Anniversary Party would be held. Ironically, it would be the last tape from what was known as The Turnbull Studio, because Bud got divorced again. The line-up on the 30th Anniversary Show was Bud Weiser, Johnnie Walker, Rock Rolling, Gregarious Greg & The Cosmic Commando. It would be Cos’ last recording session until 20 years later at our 50th and (Cos appeared in DJ staff pics in both 2011 & 2012).

The next big milestone happened in 2007. WTIT had reached the 40 year milestone. The DJ staff that night in August was: Bud Weiser, Johnnie Walker, Rock Rolling and Gregarious Greg. From 2006-2017 the WTIT Comedy had reached a whole new audience through our blog won multiple awards for its comedy. Bud Weiser hosted the site. By 2009 the blog had reached 1000 posts, averaged hundreds of hits a day and had been visited by over 150,000 people. It is because of Bud’s impact on the bloggers of the world that WTIT has so many “likes” on Facebook. Obviously, reached a huge audience that the Tape Radio station could not. Of course when you have a radio station that you have to be in the WTIT Studio to hear, it limits your audience.

From 2006 to 2012 WTIT was a trio. Bud Weiser, Johnnie Walker & Rock Rolling did most of the recording sessions. The chairs that started with Bouncing Billy and Gypsy Joe in 2012, after a 17-year absence, we would see the return of The Midnight Plowboy for WTIT’s 45th Anniversary Party and Bud’s stag. Bud was to try marriage for a third time. Midnight announced his intention to return to the group and recorded with us since the end of 2013.

But as much as a surprise that it was, the next addition came as a compete shock. Bud Weiser and Bouncing Bill decided to meet for a drink. They had not spoken (no drama, just changed as things often do) since Billy’s last recording session in 1985. In 2013 Bouncing Billy would return to WTIT after nearly thirty years. His first recording would bring Gregarious Greg back for a night.

Coming as a total surprise and for the first time since 1982, another of our Original 5 returned. Galloping Gary lives in D.C. & visited his dad (since deceased) occasionally in town. Without warning in July of 2014 he showed up. He simply said, “We’re recording tonight, right?” So the Galloping Gary Garage Show returned for one night. The month before we got together with Gypsy. It’s a full circle thing, we guess.

On May 15th – 16th in 2015 the last Johnnie Walker Wing Ding was recorded. Johnnie arrived back in Colorado in early June 2015. It is rather fitting that Gregarious Greg accepted the invitation to return full time of taking over for Johnnie. In late 2015 Harvey Wallbanger, who came to town to visit Bud, recorded another session. The last from The Gatewood Studio, as Bud and his wife bought a house.

On April 29, 2017 WTIT’s 50th Anniversary Show and party was held. Four of the original 5 were there: Bud, Johnnie, Gary & Billy. Greg, who was the first guy to replace an original DJ, Gypsy, (in 1974) was there. Of the guys who joined us after the 1985 reboot, Rock, Midnight, Cos and Captain attended. We had 9 DJs recording, the most ever. (The only significant DJ missing was Gypsy due to his health.) The tape number was 600.

Today the lineup is Bud, Rock, Midnight, Billy and Greg, as of this writing. And even though were reduced during the dog days of the pandmic, into 2022 we’ve recorded 620 sessions. We will record into 2022, until Bud leaves for Phoenix.

We lost our great friend Jumping Johnnie Walker on July 4, 2018.
He was one of our original five. Words cannot express our sense of loss. Other than Bud, no one was with us longer. No one was more talented. Here were the guys at his “Celebration of Life” Ceremony in October at the Hartford Golf Club. (from left: Greg, Billy, Midnight, Bud, Cos & Rock)