Talker To Finally Retire At 93-Years-Young

Paul Hunsberger has been in radio so long he uses a frame of reference to refresh his memory.

“I’ve been married for 64 years and with 1240 AM WSNJ in Bridgeton, NJ regularly for 63,” Hunsberger told Greg Adomaitis at nj.com Monday.

Now, the 93-year-old will make one last sign off at “the end of this year.”

WSNJ-AM President Jim Quinn was the first to know.   “I told Jim I have to leave,” he said, citing his own and his wife’s health conditions.

“My wife’s been wanting me to retire” and he’s told her “OK, honey, this is it.” He and Roberta don’t have any vacations planned but retirement will give them the chance to take care of their needs.

Hunsberger joined WSNJ in 1948. The World War II U.S. Army vet was in the service from 1943 to 1946.

He hooked up with the station upon returning to Vineland after the war. Except, they told him there weren’t any openings so he went back to a Vineland station, “1360 AM on the dial,” and into sales work.

Soon after, his future employer gave him a call and offered an opening.

The station said their advertisers were switching accounts over to the now-defunct WWBZ-AM in Vineland. He jumped ship and signed a one-year contract with WSNJ.

“That was the only contract I’ve seen since,” he said.

This wasn’t his first foray into radio broadcasting. He worked as an announcer after high school and completed college courses before being drafted. There were three radio stations in Cumberland County when Hunsberger started and all segments were done live and face to face.

As technology in the field changed, so did Hunsberger’s roles — from sales work to procuring and producing his own shows and now account executive with WSNJ.   With five interviews a week, the 10,000 guests he hosted hailed from all over the world and he broadcasted from a variety of locations at home and abroad.

“I never repeated a guest,” he said. Notable ones include Pat Robertson, Liberace and Bess Myerson. As far as memories go, “There’s too many for the paper.”

Some highlights include:

• A former lesbian from New York who “came out” because of a relative and went back because of religion and married a male adulterer.
• A man from North Jersey who spent 16 years in prison for not snitching on his uncle, who he watched shoot a woman.
• A man enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous who bailed on an interview and was spotted by Hunsberger on the second attempt walking very slowly toward the studio.

Read More.