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Popular radio personality Anthony Famiglietti has joined the WLNG team.
Here's Anthony!
It’s been just three months since radio personality Anthony Famiglietti abruptly departed from WEHM in Water Mill, where he helmed the popular “Mornings with Anthony” show.
He remained silent when he left WEHM, leaving his fans to wonder and speculate about his leaving. Fans lamented his disappearance on social media.
But soon, they’ll have a chance to cheer his return — albeit on a different station, and at a different time of day.
Bill Evans, the owner of WLNG, confirmed on Tuesday that Mr. Famiglietti will be joining the radio station’s staff.
“We have a very great DJ team,” said Mr. Evans, who has owned the station with his wife, Sandra Foschi, for about a year. “It’s the most experienced, the most talented and the most legendary lineup of DJs on the East End.”
Mr. Evans said Mr. Famiglietti will host the 6 p.m.-to-midnight slot, Monday through Friday. “We’re glad to be adding Anthony to our all-star lineup,” he said. “We’re delighted and proud to welcome him to the LNG family.”
Mr. Famiglietti is slated to start on Monday.
"WLNG has been adding a lot of talent to their roster lately. They are investing in good local programming, which we should all praise in today’s climate," he said. "It will be interesting to see how I can incorporate elements of my show that I’ve become known for into the fabric of the station. But I will say it has been refreshing working with such great programmers like Bill and Gary that know how to support personalities like myself so that we can entertain people unencumbered."
“I’m very excited he’s joining the station,” Gary Sapiane, the station’s general manager, added. “We were always friendly. He was always a gentleman. I was on in the morning opposite him, and it was never like we were in competition.”
The pair exchanged friendly emails, Mr. Sapiane said, revealing that although they were email pals for several years, they never met in person until just recently.
The internet played its part in the two forging a friendship. It also served as a place for Mr. Famiglietti’s fans to gather to vent when he vanished. A Facebook page titled “Where’s Anthony?” which launched in early November, has more than 900 members.
The page’s earliest posts bemoaned the departure. More recent comments offer speculation about where the popular personality might land. He joined the group recently via his “Anthony OnAir” website but has been coy in response to questions about his plans. Instead, he posted a New Year’s greeting and playlist.
After graduating from St. John’s University with a degree in sports management in 2005, Mr. Famiglietti found employment as a media relations assistant and press announcer for the New York Islanders. From there, he moved to CBS-FM Radio, where he toiled as programming promotions coordinator.
He landed the gig as morning talk show host with WEHM in 2007, and also was the director of web and social media for the station until his exodus last fall.
Robin Botta of Manorville launched the “Where’s Anthony?” Facebook group. She said she “kind of got the feeling” her favorite radio personality was headed to WLNG. “He reached out to thank me for all the support,” she said, “but I didn’t ask.”
Ms. Botta said she’d been listening to Mr. Sapiane’s morning show to “get a taste” of the station. It seems to her like big changes are happening at the station since the new owners took over.
“If Anthony can bring all these people to the new station,” she said, “that will be good for them.”
She feels an evening drive time slot would be a great fit. “I think that’s great,” she said. “As long as he can stay local, I’m happy. This is very cool.”
Last year, Mr. Evans, then a senior meteorologist for WABC-TV, along with Ms. Foschi, a Sag Harbor resident and owner of Health SOS, a physical therapy practice with offices based in Babylon, bought the Sag Harbor-based WLNG. The $3.9 million purchase, made by Ms. Foschi under the limited liability corporation Bark Out Loud Dogs Media, includes $3.2 million for the purchase of the waterfront property on Redwood Road in Sag Harbor, $125,000 for the station’s tower site on Millstone Road in Sag Harbor, and $525,000 for WLNG’s license and station assets.
