Brother Wease
Encyclopedia
Brother Wease is the on-air name
of Alan Levin (born November 1, 1946 in Rochester, NY
), a radio personality from Rochester, New York
. He is currently heard on WFXF
95.1 FM "The Fox" in Brighton, as well as WHTK AM 1280 /FM 107.3 in Rochester and the Finger Lakes. (All three stations serve the metro Rochester area and are headquartered in the same building.)
radio group to Entercom Communications
. Levin and officials from station owner Entercom Communications
tried but failed to negotiate a new contract. His co-hosts remained and took over the show, which was renamed "The Break Room."
Shortly after leaving WCMF, Levin accepted a job as a sales executive at Clear Channel Communications
due to a "non-compete" clause in his previous contract. He then returned to the airwaves on November 17, 2008 on WFXF
"95.1 THE FOX" with a new supporting cast, including female co-host Lilly Hisenaj (formerly on XM's Ron & Fez Show), Jamie Lissow, a local Rochester stand-up comic and executive morning show producer Anthony Caiazzo This new incarnation is called "The Wease Show."
From March through September 2004, Wease hosted both his WCMF music show and a similar program on WBUF
, WCMF's Buffalo
sister station in the CBS station group which was using a FM talk format. He was also heard weekends on New York City's WNEW-FM during its days as a hot-talk station in the middle of the last decade. He hosted a three hour music show on XM Satellite Radio
's Virus channel in December 2006.
Notable radio personalities Wease has worked with include Opie of Opie and Anthony
, BJ Shea, and current syndicated liberal talk radio host Stephanie Miller
, then known as "Sister Sleaze."
Wease is known for his openness with listeners, including the sharing of much of his personal life. He is a war veteran, having completed three tours of duty in Vietnam
. He has been married three times,divorced two times and has six children.He also has a special needs child that is now in the care of the state of PA after he divorced his first wife in Philly. He met his current wife, Doreen, when she was a guest on his show. He is a motorcycle enthusiast and an avid poker player.
Wease served as an emcee for Woodstock '94
and Woodstock 1999
. His work history also includes stints as a concert promoter and a mail carrier, and he is part owner of a tattoo parlor in Rochester called Physical Graffitihttp://www.physicalgraffiti.com/home.html.
In 1997, Wease founded the Wease Cares Children's Fund to raise money for children in need.
, a rare form of sinus cancer
. Wease underwent seven weeks of radiation treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
in New York, during which he intended to broadcast from a makeshift studio in his apartment for as long as he was physically capable. Wease never missed a show, despite being able to broadcast for only a few minutes on certain days. During his treatment, WCMF established "Kick Cancer's Ass," a campaign which raised nearly $100,000 for children with cancer. Wease returned to Rochester following his treatment. He learned in August 2005 that the treatment for his cancer had been successful.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Alan Levin (born November 1, 1946 in Rochester, NY
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
), a radio personality from Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. He is currently heard on WFXF
WFXF
WFXF, also known as "The Fox", is a classic rock FM radio station in the Rochester region of upstate New York.- History :- Rural Radio Network/Ivy Network/CBN :...
95.1 FM "The Fox" in Brighton, as well as WHTK AM 1280 /FM 107.3 in Rochester and the Finger Lakes. (All three stations serve the metro Rochester area and are headquartered in the same building.)
Radio career
Levin began his on-air career as a late evening host and soon moved to the morning show in 1985 on Rochester's WCMF (96.5), using the name "Brother Wease." His show, called "The Brother Wease Morning Circus," was among the highest rated shows in the Rochester market. He also hosted a Saturday music show entitled "Radio Free Wease." He left that show and the station in January 2008 when his contract ran out as the station was being sold from the CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
radio group to Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications Corporation is the fourth-largest broadcasting company in the United States. As of November 2009, Entercom operates 110 radio stations in 23 markets across the United States....
. Levin and officials from station owner Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications Corporation is the fourth-largest broadcasting company in the United States. As of November 2009, Entercom operates 110 radio stations in 23 markets across the United States....
tried but failed to negotiate a new contract. His co-hosts remained and took over the show, which was renamed "The Break Room."
Shortly after leaving WCMF, Levin accepted a job as a sales executive at Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
due to a "non-compete" clause in his previous contract. He then returned to the airwaves on November 17, 2008 on WFXF
WFXF
WFXF, also known as "The Fox", is a classic rock FM radio station in the Rochester region of upstate New York.- History :- Rural Radio Network/Ivy Network/CBN :...
"95.1 THE FOX" with a new supporting cast, including female co-host Lilly Hisenaj (formerly on XM's Ron & Fez Show), Jamie Lissow, a local Rochester stand-up comic and executive morning show producer Anthony Caiazzo This new incarnation is called "The Wease Show."
From March through September 2004, Wease hosted both his WCMF music show and a similar program on WBUF
WBUF
WBUF is an FM radio station in Buffalo, New York. Its transmitter is located in Buffalo. It is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts on 92.9 FM. The station signed on in 1947.-Programming:...
, WCMF's Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
sister station in the CBS station group which was using a FM talk format. He was also heard weekends on New York City's WNEW-FM during its days as a hot-talk station in the middle of the last decade. He hosted a three hour music show on XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
's Virus channel in December 2006.
Notable radio personalities Wease has worked with include Opie of Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
, BJ Shea, and current syndicated liberal talk radio host Stephanie Miller
Stephanie Miller
Stephanie Catherine Miller is an American comedienne and host of The Stephanie Miller Show, a progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles and syndicated nationally by Dial Global. Talkers magazine ranked her as the 24th most important radio talk show host in America for 2010.-Early...
, then known as "Sister Sleaze."
Personal life
Brother Wease came by his stage name from his school nickname, which was "Weasel".Wease is known for his openness with listeners, including the sharing of much of his personal life. He is a war veteran, having completed three tours of duty in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. He has been married three times,divorced two times and has six children.He also has a special needs child that is now in the care of the state of PA after he divorced his first wife in Philly. He met his current wife, Doreen, when she was a guest on his show. He is a motorcycle enthusiast and an avid poker player.
Wease served as an emcee for Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94, often called the "commercial Woodstock" or "Mudstock", was a music festival organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival of 1969...
and Woodstock 1999
Woodstock 1999
Woodstock 1999, also called Woodstock 99, performed July 22–25, 1999, was the second large-scale music festival that attempted to emulate the original Woodstock Festival of 1969. Like the previous Woodstock festivals it was performed in upstate New York, this time in Rome, New York, around 200...
. His work history also includes stints as a concert promoter and a mail carrier, and he is part owner of a tattoo parlor in Rochester called Physical Graffitihttp://www.physicalgraffiti.com/home.html.
In 1997, Wease founded the Wease Cares Children's Fund to raise money for children in need.
Cancer
Wease announced on his February 2, 2005 show that he had been diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinomaNasopharyngeal carcinoma
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is the most common cancer originating in the nasopharynx, the uppermost region of the pharynx , behind the nose where the nasal passages and auditory tubes join the remainder of the upper respiratory tract. NPC differs significantly from other cancers of the head and neck...
, a rare form of sinus cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Wease underwent seven weeks of radiation treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
in New York, during which he intended to broadcast from a makeshift studio in his apartment for as long as he was physically capable. Wease never missed a show, despite being able to broadcast for only a few minutes on certain days. During his treatment, WCMF established "Kick Cancer's Ass," a campaign which raised nearly $100,000 for children with cancer. Wease returned to Rochester following his treatment. He learned in August 2005 that the treatment for his cancer had been successful.
Legal Troubles
Levin was sued twice by former co-workers in the late 1990s over comments he made about them on the air. Cindy Pierce, a former co-host, said his lewd remarks about her forced her off the air. Account executive Jodi Strada claimed Wease humiliated her by on-air sexual references. Both suits were settled out of court for undisclosed sums.External links
- Rochester Wiki - Brother Wease
- Brother Wease Website - as of April 2009 - Fox 95.1FM