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Oct 7, 2011

WVTF Music Director Seth Williamson dies

Music Director Seth Williamson, who had been with WVTF in Roanoke, Va., since October 1983, died Thursday night (Oct. 6) at Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, Va., following surgery. He was 62.

Williamson hosted the daily Morning Classics program as well as the weekly Back to the Blue Ridge, focusing on the traditional acoustic music of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

"On the air, Seth was never simply an announcer,” said WVTF General Manager Glenn Gleixner in a statement. “Rather, he was really talking with his friends — about about music, life and nature. He was deeply connected with his audience and that's how he saw radio, as a personal connection with listeners."

Williamson was also an accomplished musician himself, playing trumpet, euphonium, trombone and bluegrass banjo. He often played with the Sauerkraut Band, a German group known for local Oktoberfest performances.

WVTF announcer and composer Steve Brown frequently wrote music for Williamson. "It was such a delight to compose for his euphonium, knowing how happy he would be to play it,” Brown said. “He always knew how to have fun with each piece.”

Brown will host an on-air musical tribute from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12, featuring the music that Williamson enjoyed sharing with his thousands of listeners throughout the years.

Funeral arrangements are pending. (Image: WVTF)

"Welcome to 'Thoughts on Thoughts' "

In case you missed it, NBC's Parks and Recreation opened with a hilarious two-minute send-up of an NPR interview with character Leslie Knope on Thursday night (Oct. 7). Here's a link.

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NPR's David Greene hosted a live streaming special on Oct. 6 that remembered Jobs' life and assessed his legacy. The hour-long special was featured on the NPR News iPhone app and on NPR.org. "We wanted to make sure [the special] could be heard on the devices that Jobs created," said spokesperson Emerson Brown.

NPR.org's archive of the show, which may be broadcast on NPR member stations, is here. Greene interviewed friends and colleagues of the Apple innovator and talked with record producer Phil Ramone about how the iPod and iTunes changed the music industry.

The special also highlights one of Jobs' most resonating public speeches, his 2005 Stanford University commencement address.

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