The LuLac Edition #4,012, February 21st, 2019

DAVID DeCOSMO'S  6 DECADES IN BROADCASTING

DeCosmo  at the start of his storied career. 

 On the air doing one of thousands of stand ups with his video side kick the late Bob Dennis. 

Here he is in great form and better than ever on ECTV. 

(Photos: DeCosmo blogsite)

Long time broadcaster David DeCosmo is celebrating 6 decades in broadcasting this year. 60 years. He started hanging around radio station WAZL at he age of 15 and things in broadcasting have changed since then. Now most anyone can get sound from an IPhone but Davis first assignment was to tape a presentation by then Congressman Dan Flood. For those of us who remember the dulcet tones of Flood, it was almost impossible to keep up with the ebb and flow of his vocal levels but somehow DeCosmo brought back a finished product that could air. 
 Starting out as a teenager in Hazleton Area radio has led to Dave becoming  a veritable institution in this radio and TV market. For years he was the News Director of WILK in Wilkes Barre and a well known fixture in County government covering meetings and the like. During the 1972 flood DeCosmo helped found the Agnes Flood Radio network putting together a string of local radio stations that provided vital information at time of crisis. 
David was also the very first President of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Media Association. Those meetings, which I was a part of were seminars conducted by the broadcast and news print greats of NEPA.  DeCosmo also served twice as President of the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association.
In 1973 he went on to WMJW and won many broadcasting awards there as News Director. DeCosmo later shifted to TV where he and the late Kevin Jortdan were the premier news duo for WYOU TV. DeCosmo stayed at the station covering a myriad of stories that bordered on the national corners of the news realm.
He was the last witness to testify at a Coroner's inquest regarding the Teddy Kennedy-Mary Jo Kopechne situation.  He has been an educator of students wanting to get in the media and his wealth of institutional knowledge is untouchable.
Not content to sit on the sidelines, DeCosmo still does a weekly TV show on ECTV which we promote weekly here on LuLac. 
David and his wife's wedding was announced on National Radio by none other than Paul Harvey on ABC when Harvey was detailing the number of marriages that stood the test of time. Dave ad his wife Leona were barely newlyweds when Harvey bestowed  that honor. Plus I'm sure Harvey is smiling somewhere knowing that the "two kids" he mentioned years ago are still together and thriving.
For me, he has been a mentor, friend, confidante and supporter of every endeavor I have undertaken. He was the best damn softball pitcher my softball team, The Lady Killers ever had. 
On 60 years of excellence and dedication, we salute David DeCosmo and hope you will too.


LUZERNE CTY. GOP LINCOLN DAY DINNER

This year the Luzerne County GOP will be holding its Lincoln Day diner. After the big win by Donald Trump in the County, the GOP stopped having it. Chairman Justin Behrens announced the event will be on Saturday March 2nd at 9am at Genetti’s.


ANOTHER TEACHER ON COUNCIL

The Luzerne County Council chose another teacher, that makes 8 to fill the vacanvcy of Edd Brominski who retired earlier this year. This was no big surprise because as early as the initial interviews, it was going to be Joe Bilbow all the way. The other applicants, all Democrats as required: Dominic Butchko, Gene Camoni, Martin Dartoe, Hal Gabriel, Michael Giamber, James Kennedy, Lois Komensky, Bonnie Markowski and Michael McGlynn
never really stood any chance.
Bilbow has 25 years of experience in public education, including 13 in administrative functions.
He has said he wants to work with the 10 council members to come up with the best solutions for citizens. As a principal, he said he is accustomed to making decisions and resolving problems.
He applied largely because he saw it as an opportunity to get involved instead of sitting back and complaining about and critiquing council’s decisions. So did the others, one wonders why a citizen advocate closer to the Brominski mold was not chosen. I guess the other teachers wanted to be more comfortable in their decision making and not have a gadfly to bother them with the details. Bilbow’s appointment is a chance for the County GOP to make hay on this pick. 
That said, the Council works in tandem and is running pretty well with no great damage done to the way things are run. It was a majority vote and for those who have complained about too many educators, take a look at some bof the School Boards we've had in the past.


MESSAGE FROM NEWT

Failed former Speaker and Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is alarmed. Alarmed we say because of the Democratic Green New Deal. Here’s what he’s been telling people. . The radical Left's Green New Deal is alarming. It is nothing more than an excuse to drive our nation towards Socialism. Their poorly-written proposal promises to rebuild or update nearly all buildings in the United States and almost completely eliminate air travel and non-electric cars. Guess who they want to pay for all of this? That's right, it's YOU
To fund their far-reaching reforms, Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — one of the main proponents of the Green New Deal — proposed a tax increase to 70 percent on top income earners. History has shown time and time again that Socialism doesn't work.
Neither does the tax cuts for the rich Newt. I love how they play the old Socialism card when no one realizes that if they were ever stuck in a trulky socialist country, they’d be screaming like little piggies.

SCAVO RUNNING IN THE 114TH

Frank Scavo of Old Forge is running as a Republican for the seat that was held by the late Sid Michaels Kavulich. Scavo has been non stop in his efforts to get elected and has decided that this race might be winnable for him. We disagree nationally on things but there is no doubt he will bring passion to the position. Here’s some info on an event coming up in a few days. 

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

 Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400-The Game, NEPA's Fox .Sports Radio and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.

ECTV LIVE


Jamie Hailstone will be the featured guest on ECTV Live during the week of February 25th to outline plans for this year's Saint Patrick's Parade in Scranton. ECTV Live is seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is aired three times daily throughout the week.

The program is Produced and anchored by David DeCosmo with Rusty Fender as co-host. The program is directed by Mark Migilore. After its initial broadcast the program will be available for viewing on the electric city television YouTube page

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP
SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1969

Our 1969 logo

Four hundred Major League Baseball players boycott spring training over owners' refusal to increase their pension-fund contributions along with television broadcast revenues. Te boycott will end in late February…..The Mariner 6 Mars probe is launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station…….Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the First Amendment applies to public schools…..in Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mayor James Tate says that infrastructure improvement in the city will contuse…meanwhile in Scranton Mayor James Walsh launches his re-election bid and fifty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Traces” by the -Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost.