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Ira Rosenblatt is a lifelong broadcaster having grown up at the feet of Sam Rosenblatt. He has held almost every imaginable position in broadcasting.
He is President/CEO of WS Media.
Contact him at 412.370.4143 or vie e-mail at idrbmr@aol.com.
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Earlier this week, I got a call from a long time friend, asking if I had access to any free Hershey Park tickets. Of course, having been in the radio industry for almost 40 years, this was not necessarily a strange question. In fact, while I was affiliated with some former radio stations, specifically in central PA, I usually ended the season with tickets that I didn’t have time to give away! So, calls like this were expected.
Here’s why this was most interesting:
In 1975, I moved to Harrisburg, PA, as General Sales Manager of WKBO, a very successful AM rock station. Of course, at the time, there were about 2/3 fewer stations in that market and no FMs were factors in the area. Anyway, one of the first clients I got to know was Tom Cantone, Advertising Manager at Hershey Park. Besides becoming good friends as business associates, we also became friends on a personal level. While he and I both worked in the central PA area, he made sure that my son Michael had what he called a “Golden Lifetime pass” to Hershey Park.
Of course, as careers in this industry go, both of us moved on over the years, but regardless of where we were, we continued to stay in touch. Tom’s career grew in the entertainment field while I stayed in radio.
For some time now, Tom has been VP of Entertainment at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Over the past few years I’ve been to Tom’s most recent wedding, as well as the naming ceremony of his daughter. Although we haven’t done any business together in over 30 years, the relationship we built continues to stay strong and will certainly last far longer than some of our marriages.
Anyway, as you might have guessed, the call I got for free Hershey Park tickets was from Tom! The best part is that I was able to make some calls to some people I used to work with in that market, and was able to get the passes for him. It sure made me feel good knowing that I was able to reciprocate after all these years. But, the most important lesson to take away from this story, is that the relationships we build in this business can last forever. I hope you are building some of your own!!!!
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