Remember the good old days of radio? You know, back when stations played more music than commercials, the same five songs weren’t played on an endless loop and DJs didn’t love to hear themselves talk?
Todd Kowalcyk does. And he, along with the other DJs at Wolf Rock Radio, are doing something about it.
The Streetsboro resident hosts a twice-weekly radio show where he spins his favorite tunes on Wolf Rock, a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week network consisting of DJs from all over the world that was started eight years ago by station owner Brian Wolf. Wolf Rock Radio’s business model is advertiser driven; unlike many internet-based radio networks/programs, there is no charge to listen to Wolf Rock’s shows.
“Wolf Rock Radio is radio,” Kowalcyk said. “We don’t archive shows; nor are they re-streamed. We like to keep it fresh and organic that way.”
Kowalcyk slips into his “Triple T Todd” alter ego for his show, The Mix Tape, which airs from 8-10 a.m. every Thursday and Friday (the TTT moniker comes from Kowalcyk’s height — he stands 6-foot-6 — and derives from “Too Tall Todd,” coined by Brian Wolf’s wife, Rachel).
And with the Triple T Todd persona comes a rock ‘n roll radio show to match — originating from his own home studio in Streetsboro.
“The Mix Tape is all about the music,” said Kowalcyk, whose show has aired on Wolf Rock since May 2021. “The DJs at Wolf Rock Radio make a point of not talking over your favorite songs. We also would rather talk less in order to play more music. My show is fun and light. I don’t do too many deep cuts but have been known to throw in a zinger now and again. I like to have fun and keep things light with my brand of zaniness. I make a point of playing Weird Al every Friday. I thoroughly enjoy his parodies as well as his original tracks. I’m probably the goofball of the station, but I know my lane, I guess.
“I try to give a flavor of the radio experience I had as a teenager. I listened to the ’50s station and the classic rock stations. I grew up in Northeast Ohio listening to The Buzzard 100.7, WNCX 98.5 and Magic 105.7. I remember DJs like Kid Leo and Mr. Classic Bill Lewis. That’s the experience that I try to bring to each show. I’ll drop in a movie clip from time to time and Easter eggs as further spice as a callback to old-school radio.”
All Wolf Rock Radio shows, including The Mix Tape, can be heard on www.wolfrockradio.com. Shows can also be found on various apps:
— Simple Radio (streema.com) app from any app store
— www.live365.com (type Wolf Rock Radio in the search box)
— https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wolfrock/?cs=us.wknr
— https://www.radio.net/s/wolfrockradio
— https://tunein.com/radio/WOLF-ROCK-RADIO-s296576/
— http://radio.garden/listen/wolf-rock-radio/1HHU6hsl
Like The Mix Tape, Wolf Rock Radio’s other shows are primarily produced from home studios, although some of its DJs take their shows on the road from time to time to do live remotes at local businesses and community events.
“Wolf Rock Radio is committed to bringing back the radio experience we all grew up with,” Kowalcyk said. “We play classic rock as well as some of the newest bands and local bands that are out there creating great music. We don’t do podcasts. Podcasts are a different thing altogether. We do radio and play straight rock ‘n roll. Now, rock ‘n roll has been around a long time, and we all add our own color to our shows and focus on different subcategories under the umbrella of rock. We have DJs from all over the world. Some focus on metal, some on indie rock, some, like me, focus more on classic rock.
“I get to play some of the best music from the ’50s all the way to today. As an example, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees just came out with a new album titled ‘Dolenz Sings Nesmith,’ and I was thrilled to play a few tracks off of it as soon as it came out.”
The Monkees are on Kowalcyk’s list of favorite bands that includes the Beatles and the Eagles. “You’ll probably hear a track from at least one of these on each Mix Tape,” he said.
The Mix Tape playlist can be influenced by things going on in the music world at the moment, such as the recent death of legendary singer Meat Loaf, to whom Kowalcyk is paying tribute this week on the show. Or it can be whatever strikes him that particular day.
“If there is a holiday or current rock event, that’ll be the theme of a Mix Tape,” he said. “After all, the best mix tapes that I’m sure we all made had a theme. Sometimes I overtly mention the theme, like my Meat Loaf tribute, but often times it’s more of a ‘Where’s Waldo?’ type of thing. I will generate a musical lineup based on a theme or my mood at the time of creating the playlist. Usually it’s simply, ‘what do I feel like hearing today?’”
But it’s far from a one-man show. “Requests take priority at Wolf Rock Radio, and The Mix Tape is no exception,” he said. “I’m thrilled to play something or dedicate a song that was requested by a listener. Music is an interactive art form, and radio should be interactive as well. You should be able to make a request from your local station, see your local jocks out and about at local events. This interactivity has been lost in what passes for radio today.
“After I compile a playlist, I arrange the music the way I think it should be arranged and decide where I want to come in and why. I then place the ads that need to go on my show, check my time to see how long everything is, make adjustments, and I’m ready to go. A two-hour show takes at least three hours to produce. Believe it or not, the goofier I get, the longer it takes to add sound effects and movie clips between songs. I wouldn’t do it, though, if I didn’t enjoy it and, ultimately, hope the audience enjoys it as well.”
Kowalcyk did bring some background in radio to Wolf Rock, working at his college radio station as well as WERE and WNCX in the ’90s. He also dabbles in acting.
“I have a home-based voice-over business, and I heard about Wolf Rock Radio via social media and contacted Brian Wolf,” Kowalcyk said, “and this guy is Mr. Radio with an infectious passion for radio. We hit it off immediately and seemed to be cut from the same cloth. He heard of my experience in radio and talked me into doing a show. I wasn’t sure that I had the time, but Mrs. Triple T has been very supportive.
“I agreed to do it, learned the technology and voila, I’m doing a show. It’s been great, and the crew at Wolf Rock Radio is great and very supportive. I’m thrilled to be doing it.”
And doing it the way radio used to be done.
“At Wolf Rock Radio, you’ll definitely not hear the same song over and over,” he said.
As it should be.
Tom Hardesty is a Portager sports columnist. He was formerly assistant sports editor at the Record-Courier and author of the book Glimpses of Heaven.