Six Weeks On-Air, But a Lifetime of Gratitude

I came to the Capital Region terrified.

Okay, that may be a stretch, but hear me out. I graduated college in May of 2020, after having the final two months of my senior year taken away from me and my classmates due to COVID. Not only that, I had my first job taken away, as with the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season, came the removal of all non-essential staff.

So, I came to the Region to join 104.5 The Team after spending months working part-time jobs, calling college hockey on the weekends, and trying to wedge my size 11 shoe in someone's door. Moving to a new region, a new apartment, a new state even; the process was somewhat intimidating.

It finally happened, and as part of my new gig, I had a new co-host. Some guy named Jeff stood in the office door across from mine.

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It's amazing what six weeks worth of time can do. Jeff Levack and I had ZERO idea who each other were until the end of March of this year. He is an absolute legend in Capital Region radio, with more than two decades of service time under his belt. However, to me, a kid from Connecticut, he was just...Jeff. Or, as I found out after someone commented that I sounded like I was his school principal, he was just...Levack.

All of that said, it was now our responsibility, and ours alone, to build a new brand of sports talk radio in the afternoon. Spending four hours a day with only the two people in a room can really teach you a lot about the other person. For me, it taught me that while the host "Levack" is an incredible talent and has earned every bit of praise he's been given (and then some), the person when the microphones turn off is even better.

Jeff Levack made my transition up to the Capital Region so much easier, simply by being there for me at every turn. He helped introduce me to the amazing people that work in this building, as well as the incredible listeners to the station. He introduced me to George Manias of the FireWolves, which seems to have worked out pretty well. And, most importantly, he lent me his ear, his wisdom and his laughs whenever I needed it.

I am extremely excited to get to work with Charlie, and continue to evolve the product we have on our airwaves and online. But, as they say, you always remember your first.

So thank you, Jeff Levack, for everything.