Gaffney returns to airwaves

Popular radio talk show host Dan Gaffney launched his new program on Delaware 105.9 FM, the area’s newest news-talk radio station.

The station’s first day on-air was Sept. 4. Gaffney, 49, is station program director. He’s been a radio broadcaster for nearly 30 years.

Originally from Ohio, Gaffney said he moved to Delaware in 1986 to work at WGMD, the station he left last month.

It takes a lot of energy to be the morning man on a radio talk show. He gets up at 2:30 a.m., goes on-air at 5:30 and ends the show at 10 a.m.

But his day isn’t over yet. He’ll spend a few hours recording commercials and spots promoting his station and his show.

“Apart from a four-year stint when I worked at other stations, I was at WGMD for 26 years,” he said.

Gaffney said after saying WGMD for so many years, “I’ve caught myself a few times, but I also might have actually slipped up a few times. I don’t actually know that to be sure,” he said.

What listeners don’t see is how animated Gaffney sometimes becomes - gesturing, grimacing, smiling and all the while taking calls from listeners, many of whose voices he recognizes because they’ve followed him to the new station.

Gaffney gives frequent callers nicknames such as ‘Listener Jay’ and ‘Copy Jim.’

Colin Walls, a listener and advertiser, drops by with coffee and cookies for Gaffney. They joke about putting the coffee where it could spill into Gaffney’s soundboard.

“I’m sure the engineer would love to see that precariously balanced there,” Gaffney said about the coffee, which was nowhere near the equipment.

Delaware 105.9 is just off Route 14 near Milford. The station is owned by Delmarva Broadcasting Co., which also owns stations operating in adjacent studios including Eagle 97.7; 97.5 Cat Country; Classic Hits Cool 101.3; Oldies 97.1; and La Exitosa 930 AM, a Spanish-language broadcast.

The company also owns WDEL 1150 AM in Wilmington and other stations in Salisbury and Ocean City, Md.

Mike Kazala, the company’s regional general manager, pops into the studio near the end of Gaffney’s show to tell him things went well.

Kazala said getting the new station up and running came down to the wire - and radio stations today require miles of wire. Each station in the complex is linked to computers.  Kazala said the radio signal for Gaffney’s show is transmitted to an antenna near Angola.

“We’re getting swamped with local callers. When you start at a new station, you never know if people have heard that, but it seems a lot have, and we’re appreciative,” Gaffney tells a listener.

It’s a few minutes before Gaffney will end his first day, which by all accounts has gone well.

He jokes about picking up empty coffee cups, show notes and neckties so the studio will be ready for the next host, Sue Monday.

“I have a whole list of things we did not talk about, so maybe tomorrow we could talk about rabid foxes in Rehoboth Beach, drag volleyball, offshore wind and other local things of this nature until we get down to a dull roar,” Gaffney said, leaving his audience wanting more. To listen online, go to www.delaware1059.com.