"Burning Up The Air" - About the Book

The Authors

Steve Elman was born in Rochester, New York.

He cut his teeth in radio at the State University of New York at in Binghamton, on WHRW, one of the nation's pioneering progressive college radio stations, where he served as General Manager in 1969-70.

He has been a radio professional since 1972, when he was hired to produce “The Jerry Williams Show” for WBZ, Boston. At the same time he was working with Jerry, he pursued a career as a jazz announcer on WBUR, and became one of Boston's best-known jazz DJs from 1972-1982.

During his years with “The Jerry Williams Show” (1972-73), Elman produced the “Vietnam Veteran” programs, which resulted in front-page coverage for “The Jerry Williams Show” in newspapers throughout the country; the Watergate shows; a live forum on freedom of the press at Boston's Faneuil Hall; interviews with Senator George McGovern, columnist Jack Anderson, director Alfred Hitchcock, comedians Mort Sahl and Dick Gregory, and authors Tom Wicker, James Reston, David Halberstam, and Hunter S. Thompson. Throughout the time he produced it, “The Jerry Williams Show” was the number one evening program in Boston radio and regularly drew listeners from more than 30 states. Upon his departure from the Williams show, Jerry presented him with an antique pocket watch from his private collection, inscribed, “To Steve Elman from Jerry Williams with gratitude.”He subsequently was an afternoon classical music announcer on WBUR (1982-1987), and moved into management at the station thereafter. From 1992 through 2004, he was Assistant General Manager of The WBUR Group. In that role, he helped General Manager Jane Christo establish WBUR as one of New England's most respected news and information stations and began the process of establishing public radio to serve Rhode Island. He currently is Secretary of the Executive Council of The WBUR Group.

He lives with his wife Joanne D'Alcomo, one of Boston's most accomplished trial attorneys, in Brighton, Massachusetts.

Alan Tolz was born in Philadelphia.

He has been a radio professional since 1979 when WWDB-FM, Philadelphia, the first all-talk FM station in America, hired him as Executive Producer. He produced “The Jerry Williams Show” for the station and booked guests for Bob Grant, Irv Homer, Frank Ford, Domenic Quinn, and Bernie Herman as well as for Jerry Williams. During his year with “The Jerry Williams Show” on WWDB-FM, he produced the first adaptation of the Cosmopolitan sex surveys for radio. In 1980, Tolz became Production Director for the station (and its sister station WHAT-AM) as well as Executive Producer for Orange Productions, an in-house syndication company that produced “Sounds of Sinatra” and “Sid Mark's Music Machine.”

Tolz subsequently re-teamed with Jerry Williams from 1983 to 1987 at WRKO in Boston. During his four years with “The Jerry Williams Show” on WRKO, he produced programs with a major impact on Massachusetts public policy, including the shows that led to the repeal of the Massachusetts mandatory seatbelt law and the programs that led to the abandonment of plans to construct a prison in the town of New Braintree, Massachusetts. Throughout the time he produced the program on WRKO, “The Jerry Williams Show” was consistently rated among the top five radio programs in afternoon drive time in Boston. From 1984 through 1985, while working with Jerry, he also was the producer of Charles Laquidara's “Big Mattress” morning show on WBCN.

His broadcast management experience includes operations management for WKBR, Manchester, NH (1987-88), sales management and general management of WBOQ-FM, Gloucester, Massachusetts (1988-1996). He is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Marlin Broadcasting, LLC, which owns and operates WCCC FM/AM, Hartford, CT and Beethoven.com, “The World's Classical Radio Station,” one of the most popular sources of streamed classical music programming over the net.

In 2003, Tolz founded Jerrywilliams.org. He also serves as a board member for the Jerry Williams Endowed Scholarship at Boston University's College of Communications.

He lives with his wife Deborah and his daughter Jessica in Bedford, New Hampshire.