Bill Ayres
Encyclopedia
Bill Ayres is a talk radio
host and Executive Director and co-founder of World Hunger Year
.
Ayres became a Catholic
priest for the Archdiocese
in New York
in 1966, but always had a fondness for radio broadcasting, starting as WGSM on Long Island
. He began hosting and producing a weekly radio talk show on New York radio station WPLJ 95.5 FM
in 1973. At first called On This Rock, it featured interviews with rock musicians, that focused on the spiritual meaning of the music to them, rather than its commercial aspects. Known on-air as Father Bill Ayres, and then titled The Bill Ayres Show, he has taken thousands of calls and offered advice about personal, relational, spiritual and social values. He has been known for his great way of giving advice and helping others with their problems. as well as playing music by artists whose outlook he thought along similar lines as his.
He served for ten years at St. Joseph's Church in Babylon, New York
until 1979. He resigned from the active priesthood in the early 1980s and focused on charitable work full-time.
In 1975, Ayres and his close friend, folksinger and songwriter Harry Chapin
, saw a pressing need to aid the impoverished with basic needs such as food. They began World Hunger Year (WHY), an organization with a stated mission to defeat hunger through charity, using grassroots efforts and rallying celebrities and leaders to help promote the cause. Ayres has served as Executive Director since 1983. Ayres and Chapin believed that solutions to hunger and poverty are found through long-term solutions, like supporting community-based organizations that empower individuals and build self-reliance.
Ayres has spun off another national hunger coalition, The Medford Group of national hunger organizations. He was a founding member of the National Jobs for All Coalition, a full-employment group, suggested their series, Uncommon Sense, and is on their Advisory Board. He is also a board member of Long Island Cares, Long Island's food bank.
He is the co-author of the book All You Need is Love: And 99 Other Life Lessons From Classic Rock Songs with radio colleague Pete Fornatale
.
He resides in Huntington, New York
with his wife Jeannine and has two daughters, Michelle and Suzanne.
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host and Executive Director and co-founder of World Hunger Year
World Hunger Year
WhyHunger is an organization that seeks to address the root causes of hunger and poverty. WhyHunger was founded in 1975 by folk singer Harry Chapin, a social activist who was as well known for his humanitarian efforts as for his guitar ballads, and 95.5 WPLJ New York, legendary radio D.J. Bill...
.
Ayres became a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest for the Archdiocese
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1966, but always had a fondness for radio broadcasting, starting as WGSM on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He began hosting and producing a weekly radio talk show on New York radio station WPLJ 95.5 FM
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
in 1973. At first called On This Rock, it featured interviews with rock musicians, that focused on the spiritual meaning of the music to them, rather than its commercial aspects. Known on-air as Father Bill Ayres, and then titled The Bill Ayres Show, he has taken thousands of calls and offered advice about personal, relational, spiritual and social values. He has been known for his great way of giving advice and helping others with their problems. as well as playing music by artists whose outlook he thought along similar lines as his.
He served for ten years at St. Joseph's Church in Babylon, New York
Babylon (village), New York
Babylon is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 12,615 at the 2000 census.Its official name is The Incorporated Village of Babylon...
until 1979. He resigned from the active priesthood in the early 1980s and focused on charitable work full-time.
In 1975, Ayres and his close friend, folksinger and songwriter Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
, saw a pressing need to aid the impoverished with basic needs such as food. They began World Hunger Year (WHY), an organization with a stated mission to defeat hunger through charity, using grassroots efforts and rallying celebrities and leaders to help promote the cause. Ayres has served as Executive Director since 1983. Ayres and Chapin believed that solutions to hunger and poverty are found through long-term solutions, like supporting community-based organizations that empower individuals and build self-reliance.
Ayres has spun off another national hunger coalition, The Medford Group of national hunger organizations. He was a founding member of the National Jobs for All Coalition, a full-employment group, suggested their series, Uncommon Sense, and is on their Advisory Board. He is also a board member of Long Island Cares, Long Island's food bank.
He is the co-author of the book All You Need is Love: And 99 Other Life Lessons From Classic Rock Songs with radio colleague Pete Fornatale
Pete Fornatale
Peter Fornatale is a New York City disc jockey who played an important role in the progressive rock era of FM broadcasting....
.
He resides in Huntington, New York
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
with his wife Jeannine and has two daughters, Michelle and Suzanne.