Radio Active is William O'Shaughnessy's fifth collection of essays, on-air interviews, tributes and eulogies, endorsements, recollections of an evening, and more from "perhaps the finest broadcaster in America" whose commentaries are akin to "potato chips" per former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger because "You can't stop with only one."
The book opens with a ringing signature defense of the First Amendment and collected O'Shaughnessy correspondence with heroes and "villains," and insightful sections honoring former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who said, "When O'Shaughnessy is on his game . . . he's better than anyone on the air or in print." There is also a section on the estimable Bush family.
In eliciting "provocative and candid revelations" from his wide circle, this new compendium pulses with brilliant, insightful prose and a life-affirming reverence for luminous people, places, and events, past and present.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Mario M. Cuomo xv
Introduction 1
PART I. THE FIRST AMENDMENT
"Forty-five Simple Words" by Jack Valenti 5
Bill O'Reilly's "Character Assassination": A WVOX Commentary 8
The Silencing of Imus 12
Bob Grant on the Imus Controversy 15
"Don't Hush Rush . . . " 18
Missing in Action by Patrick D. Maines 21
The Real Obscenity 24
Floyd Abrams: Notes and Observations on the First Amendment 26
Free Speech on the Airwaves: Confab with Mario Cuomo 32
Ambassador Ogden Rogers Reid 43
Nancy Pelosi v. James Madison 46
Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism 57
Obsequious Acquiescence by William O'Shaughnessy 62
Issue Advertising Is the Issue 69
Re: Corporate Censorship 71
First Amendment Warriors by William O'Shaughnessy 72
A Towering Triumvirate 77
PART II. OPEN MIC RADIO INTERVIEWS
Chris Ruddy, Chairman of Newsmax 85
Interview with Dan Rather on his Book What Unites Us 90
Bill Mohl, President, Entergy Wholesale Commodities 93
Roger Stone on The Man Who Killed Kennedy, the Cuomos, and More 105
Richard Norton Smith, Historian and Biographer 115
Angelo Martinelli, Publisher 137
"The Mendicant," Father Paul Lostritto, O.F.M. 147
Bishop Joseph Sullivan 161
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York 170
Dr. Christopher Comfort, Medical Director, Calvary Hospital 174
Frank Gifford: "#16" 185
William O'Shaughnessy on the Fred Dicker Radio Show 188
Alfred F. Kelly Jr. 191
Gerald Shargel, Esq. 204
John Cahill 212
PART III. OF AN EVENING...
A Little Night Music 231
The Best Interpreters of the Great American Songbook 234
"A Real New York Evening . . . " Review 236
On the Occasion of Sirio Maccioni's Eightieth Birthday 237
Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque 238
Saloon Songs from Toots Shor to Sirio Maccioni 249
More "Saloon Songs" (an Update) 257
"The Numbers" 264
The One Night Stand of Charles Osgood 268
PART IV. IN PRAISE OF "VIVID SOULS"
The Unforgettables 273
A Different Kind of List 289
Vivid Women in Every Season 293
Notes for the Four Seasons Tribute Evening 296
Westchester County Press Ninetieth Anniversary 299
Richard Clark's Eightieth Birthday 301
Judge Samuel Fredman's Ninetieth-Birthday Celebration 304
HOPE Community Services Gala: Honoring Frank Endress 311
Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Christian Brothers 314
A Community Celebration Honoring Commissioner Patrick J. Carroll 316
PART V. EULOGIES: THE LAST WORD
Eulogy for John S. Pritchard III 323
Henry Kissinger's Tribute to John McCain 326
Philip Roth, Out and About of an Evening 329
Governor Andrew Cuomo's Eulogy for Jimmy Breslin 333
A Personal Tribute to Jimmy Breslin 336
Our Neighbor Ruby Dee 344
Tribute to Ruby Dee by Harry Belafonte 346
"A Death in the Family": Tim Russert 349
Don Rickles and the Focaccia Kid at Le Cirque! 354
Frances W. Preston, "Th e Lady from Nashville" 355
Kate O'Shaughnessy Nulty's Tribute to Mary Jane Wharton, Her Grandmother 357
Nelson: A Child of the Neighborhood 359
William O'Shaughnessy's Tribute to Martin Beck 365
Tribute to Paul Hutton 368
Tribute to Peter Mustich, Townie 370
Another Beloved Townie Open Line Caller 372
Tribute to Rick Buckley, Beloved Broadcaster 376
Tribute to Stu Olds, Beloved Broadcast Exec 379
Tribute to Ward Quaal, Broadcasting's Greatest Statesman 382
William B. Williams's Hall of Fame Induction 384
Tribute to Dawson B. "Tack" Nail 387
The Passing of Peggy Burton 390
Diane Gagliardi Collins Passes Away at Ninety 392
John Mara's Eulogy for Ann T. Mara 393
Eulogy for Joseph A. Anastasi, "The Captain" 398
Eulogy for the Hon. Salvatore T. Generoso, "The Last Legend" 401
Caryl Donnelly Plunkett: An Appreciation 404
An Appreciation of Jim Delmonico (1920–2012) 408
The Incomparable "Joe Slick": An Appreciation 410
John Scully: A Sailor and a Gentleman 414
A Tribute to "Colonel" Marty Rochelle 417
Tribute to Ambassador Edward Noonan Ney 420
Tribute to Bob Grant 421
"The Amazin' " Bill Mazer 422
Tribute to Governor Brendan Byrne 423
Page Morton Black, the "Chock full o'Nuts" Lady 424
Brother Driscoll of Iona, Great Educator and More 427
Rush Limbaugh III Tribute to Ed McLaughlin 430
PART VI. THE OBLIGATORY MARIO M. CUOMO SECTION IN EVERY BILL O'SHAUGHNESSY BOOK
"The Morning After": A Stunningly Candid Interview with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo 441
Remarks of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo at Central Synagogue Interfaith Service 455
Mario Cuomo: A Dream 460
Matilda Cuomo 461
William O'Shaughnessy Interview with Mario Cuomo Re: Andy O'Rourke 472
Interview with Mario M. Cuomo 476
Dutch Treat Club Annual Dinner Presentation of the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement
in the Arts for Governor Mario M. Cuomo 484
Dutch Treat Club Luncheon 486
An Evanescent Supreme Court Nomination: The Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Story 497
Andrew Cuomo's Eulogy for Mario Cuomo 500
Mario: This Is Personal 513
"Quotable Quotes"—Reviews of Mario Cuomo: Remembrances of a Remarkable Man 523
A Note on Mario Cuomo and Teilhard de Chardin 532
Mario Cuomo's Omega Society Speech: A Meditation on Ultimate Values 533
PART VII. THE EXTRAORDINARY BUSH FAMILY
George W. Bush's Eulogy for His Father, President George H.W. Bush 541
Whitney Global Media Endorsement: George H.W. Bush for President, 1992 546
Thank You Letter from "41" 551
George W. Bush for President, 2000 552
Billy Bush Deserves a Second Chance 555
Phil Reisman: In Defense of Billy Bush 557
"Great on Imus": A Letter from Jonathan Bush 559
Jonathan Bush's Letter on Imus to CBS Radio 560
PART VIII. AIRBORNE ENDORSEMENTS
Governor Andrew Cuomo for Governor 565
Alessandra Biaggi for State Senate 569
Julie Killian for State Senate 571
George Latimer for Westchester County Executive 576
Rob Astorino for County Executive 580
Judge Daniel Angiolillo 584
Ernie Davis for Mayor 587
Stay the Course with Mayor Bradley 589
PART IX. A MAN OF LETTERS
Letter to Rush Limbaugh (March 1, 2018) 593
Letter to Rush Limbaugh (March 26, 2018) 594
Letter from Rush Limbaugh to William O'Shaughnessy 596
Letter to Rush Limbaugh (April 23, 2018) 597
The Holy Roman Catholic Church: Letter to Michael "Lionel" Lebron 598
A Note from Dan Rather 600
Facebook Note from Kate O'Shaughnessy Nulty 601
In Defense of Le Cirque: Letter to Pete Wells 602
Letter to Pete Wells Regarding the new Four Seasons 605
Admiring John Sterling: Letter to Scott Herman 607
"A Westchester Legend": Letter from Samuel G. Fredman 609
Re: William B. Williams and Rick Buckley: Letter from Dick Robinson 611
Letter to William O'Shaughnessy from Ralph Graves 613
PART X. THE GREAT ISSUES. ABORTION AND THE DEATH PENALTY: LIFE IN EVERY INSTANCE
Timothy Cardinal Dolan: Reclaim the Truth of the Human Person 617
The Greatest Issue, Abortion: A WVOX Commentary 624
The Death Penalty (Pope Francis's view) 625
The Death Penalty (Gov. Mario M. Cuomo's view) 626
Las Vegas Shooting: Another "Thoughts and Prayers" Day 631
The New Killing Season 634
Comments from "The Deplorables" 636
The 137 Real Reasons Why Hillary Lost and Trump Won 639
"Those People" 644
Down-Home Democracy in the Land of Thomas Paine 646
Fifty Years after President Kennedy Was Assassinated 647
Acknowledgments 649
Index 657
Photographs follow pages 200 and 424
About the Author :
William O'Shaughnessy was President and Editorial Director of Whitney Global Media, parent company for WVOX and WVIP in Westchester County, New York. Radio Active was preceded by five successful books: Mario Cuomo: Remembrances of a Remarkable Man; Vox Populi; More Riffs, Rants, and Raves; It All Comes Back to Me Now; and Airwaves.
Review :
Radio Active is a glorious hodgepodge of snippets from the O'Shaughnessy files.-- "Foreword Reviews"
If you love great thoughts expressed in very good writing, I urge you to pick up a copy of Radio Active... Not only is it a good read, but it serves as a textbook on interviewing skills, ammunition for defending the First Amendment, and an object lesson in respecting and reconciling widely-differing points of view.-- "The Small Market Radio Newsletter"
