R.I.P.: Longtime NEPA Radio Personality D C Day

D C Day

Her legal name was Denise Lenchak, but a generation of Rock WEZX 107 listeners knew her as D.C. Day. The definitive female voice of local rock radio for more than 20 years died Tuesday after a long illness.

She was 52, according to The Citizens Voice.  Click Here for Audio Tribute.

D.C.’s death was a shock to listeners and longtime friends who had missed her mid-day slot in their daily lives since she left the airwaves almost a year ago.

“She was the quintessential classic rock jock,” WEZX-FM program director Rick Everett said Wednesday as station staff struggled with the loss. “She had a reassuring voice and she had a real knowledge of music that came out in these wonderful stories she told in between songs.

D.C. started at Rock 107 in 1994. She also worked at Top40 WKRZ 98.5 FM.

“She was like the Welcome Wagon here,” said Rock 107 traffic manager Mauri Olshefski, who was an intern when she met D.C. in 1998.

“She reached out to all the new people. She made you feel important and showed you the ropes. And she was the one woman on the station. I really respected that.”

“She had a great rapport with the audience and it showed in her consistent top ratings,” said Janice Dowdell, a former Rock 107 colleague.”Without a doubt she was the best female voice in NEPA.”