Farewell to WRNJ's Russ Long- 6/23/17
Today is WRNJ afternoon drive DJ, Russ Long's last show after 41 years in the broadcasting business, most serving right here in Hackettstown.
Whether on the AM morning show, or the afternoon drive time, I can say Russ Long was always entertaining and the ultimate true pro!
Big shoes to fill whomever tries to replace Russ- like trying to replace Derek Jeter!
Congrats on a great and colorful career- will always remember your coverage and service during our Super Storms a few years ago and the subsequent power outages for days as the testament to your skill to bring together the community and impart information that served us all in a time of crisis in this area.
Good luck Russ, on your journey back to Maine- all your friends you have made here and listeners will miss you!
The Rhyme Animal Russ has become a legend in the Hackettstown area not just for his work at WRNJ but for his fantastic personality and ability to just walk up to anyone at anytime...start a conversation with them like he knew them his entire life...Did not matter either if it was the man who picked up his garbage or the Mayor. he treated everyone the same. We love you, Russ Long and you will be very much missed. God Speed!
Joyful Doc South should be put back in the place of Russ Long. A class act who should never have been let go to begin with. Would like to see someone as deserving as Doc back on the air.
politicsfan
CF Forever listener but when Russ and the E R doc were on the air mocking stroke symptoms, that was it. Still listen to Mike in the am. Love him!.....
dsl1121 Sorry I missed your last show Russ. You will be missed. I agree, bring back Doc South!
Ever since the programming change, we hardly ever listen anymore. We used to have the house radio on all day and tuned into WRNJ. Now it's hardly on.
4paws I have listened to RNJ for about 28 years and feel fortunate to have this very good local radio station to inform me of the events, etc. in my community and so much more. In my humble opinion Russ Long's on-air personality and his interest in the local people he interacted with was a very important part of the station's success. Russ retired once before about 6 or 7 years ago. I don't think we, his listeners, will see him return. Good Wishes for a Wonderful Retirement in Maine. It will be difficult to fill your shoes!
MrsPipes Russ was always nice to me, and I first met him back in 1988 when I came to the area to get Warren County Community College's fundraising and branding (before that became a buzzword) up and growing. He wasn't just nice to me because I was buying advertising, he really is an approachable guy you could get to know, and he knows more about sports than the station allowed him to show ... none of that fake plastic stuff from Russ, he's authentic. Always loved saying, on the football broadcasts, Tigers facing third and Russ Long. Best wishes, Russ :-D
Andy Loigu I've always liked listening to Russ long , in the mornings. I hope he enjoys his retirement.
sparksjbc1964 Not cool he and an emergency room doctor ridiculed stroke victims on air recently.
Thought Russ could have ended his career in classy way.
Oh well, Trump ridiculed disabled people and became our president. That's the country we live in ...
Let's not besmirch the reputation of a man who served Northwest New Jersey so well in his 30+ years on the air at WRNJ. A few weeks ago, an inadvertent statement made about an upcoming program featuring advice on stroke care was not made by Russ but rather by a non-medical person he was interviewing. That person knew immediately that he made a mistake and Russ skillfully took the conversation in another direction. Russ is the least offensive person you could ever want to meet. I used to kid him about how his Jesuit education wasn't the best track to becoming an irreverent "bad boy" of radio. He was anything but.
Thanks to The Rhyme Animal, Joyful, MrsPipes, and Andy Loigu and others for understanding what a gift Russ has been to those who have listened to him over a long and very distinguished broadcasting career.
Norman Worth, WRNJ Now that I think about it. I've always admired the ability Russ had to work all that equipment in the control room. His shows struck me as always being under control and very well planned. The ducks were definitely in a row nicely. I greatly admired his ability with that kind of thing.
Me, I'm lucky to have learned how to kind of type. Thank Heaven for spell check. I'm still not that sure of all the controls on the typical turntable. All that broadcasting technical gobbeldeegook flies in one ear and out the other with me. You just can't imagine. I think I belong to the crank up Victrola school of broadcasting and do just fine with my little home spun web station and writing the self published books I do. I'm a winger in a world where planning and know how is a very handy thing to have.
Russ got all of you through Hurricane Sandy and many a snow day. When the World Trade Center was hit, I'm pretty certain that he did a great job sorting out the events of that awful day too.
We should all consider ourselves lucky that he's been with us for so many years.
Doc South Doc South's comment shows that he is a class act and is missed on the air. Nice of Mr. Worth to get on the forum and address the comments that have been made, but find it very odd he does not address the fact that we would like Doc South back on the air after he took him off the air years ago. The stroke comment with Russ Long was offensive to me, especially since I lost a loved one to a stroke and Andy, even though my name is politicsfan, no need to bring up your dislike of President Trump on this forum topic, when it is way off topic.
Would have been nice if Mr. Worth commented on some of us wanting Doc South back on the air, instead of just focusing on Russ Long, who should just take the long way home back to Maine where he belongs.
Strangerdanger Well, Trump DID ridicule a disabled person, that's a fact. I've seen it several times. Otherwise, I would not have gone there. I don't troll about Trump. I hope he becomes a good president, because we'll all suffer if he doesn't. Humor is not easy ... if you are constantly TRYING to be funny, you'll end up being offensive.
I just slip humor in whenever something funny occurs to me.
Like Russ Long ... he's my Maine man! He'll get to see the sunrises before any of us here in Jersey. He's in Red Sox Nation, a genteel democracy ruled by baseball fundamentalists who have strict moral codes, where Fenway Franks and clam chowda must be served before a meal can be considered kosher. They also have strict dress codes, blue pinstripes are forbidden between April and October. They suffered during the wicked domination of the Union of Steinbrenner Satanic Republics, but now have been released as Luke Francona learned to use the Force and repel the dark side. Red Sox Nation has enjoyed a revival of pride and prosperity. Enjoy the holidays, Russ. May the Fourth be with you.
Just to set the record straight. I lost both of my parents to strokes. I would never ever make light of victims or the symptoms. Knowing the signs of a stroke can save the life of someone you love..
Russ Long Norm and everyone at WRNJ are upstanding people and continue to be an asset to the community. Thanks for the good work, Russ Long!
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