NYC Radio: Cousin Brucie Returning to 77WABC

Legendary radio personality Bruce Morrow, known by his legions of fans worldwide as Cousin Brucie, is coming home to 77WABC, the iconic radio station where he first introduced fans to The Beatles, Motown, 60s soul, surf music, and more. 

From 6 to 9 pm ET every Saturday night, beginning September 5, Cousin Brucie’s Saturday Night Rock & Roll Party will return to the airwaves at the station he helped build decades ago. Cousin Brucie will be heard live on 77WABC, New York, sister station WLIR-FM 107.1, Hampton Bays, NY, and streaming across the country on the WABC App and www.wabcradio.com. The debut show will also be replayed on Labor Day Monday, September 7, from noon to 3 p.m. ET.

“Cousins, this is literally one of the most exciting projects of my life,” said Morrow. “It completes a circle… a career circle. It all started at WABC, and here we are all these years later, and the magic is still here. And what magic we’re going to make!”

Both radio stations and their digital platforms are owned by John Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Media. 

“Brucie is a national treasure and talent. Listeners everywhere can now hear this radio icon and their favorite music from the early days of rock and roll on our radio stations and streaming on our digital platforms,” commented Catsimatidis. “Red Apple Media is about bringing the best in information and entertainment to New York and all of America however they want to listen… on their phone, radio, smart speaker or computer.”

“It’s an honor to be part of these two legendary brands coming together and to welcome Cousin Brucie home to 77WABC,” added Chad Lopez, President of Red Apple Media and 77WABC.

“We’re excited to bring MUSIC Radio back to 77WABC every Saturday night with Cousin Brucie, everyone across America can stream him and us at WABCRadio.com,” stated Dave LaBrozzi, Senior Vice President of Programming for Red Apple Media and 77WABC.

Brucie’s longtime attorney, Judy Tint, shared, “I grew up listening to Cousin Brucie, and I’m still one of his biggest fans. It’s an honor to have helped bring him back to WABC, and I can’t wait to listen.”

Most recently, Cousin Brucie was heard by paid subscribers on SiriusXM satellite radio, where he has hosted his Wednesday and Saturday night programs since 2005. With his return to 77WABC, Cousin Brucie’s shows will be freely accessible to his loyal listeners in the tri-state area and across the country.

Bruce Morrow at WABC

An acclaimed and beloved broadcaster for over fifty years, Cousin Brucie was born in Brooklyn and grew up a true son of New York City. While attending New York University, he founded the first NYU radio station “with a $28 grant and a couple of wires clipped together.” After early jobs in Bermuda and various other markets, he joined 77WABC in 1961, just as rock and roll music was becoming popular and a few years ahead of the British Invasion that brought The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and more. Cousin Brucie and Ed Sullivan introduced The Beatles at their famous Shea Stadium concert on August 15, 1965. For two decades, he also hosted live concerts broadcast from Palisades Amusement Park, featuring some of the biggest musical acts of the era, many of whom attribute their success to Cousin Brucie playing their songs on the radio.

In the 80s and 90s, Cousin Brucie was heard on WCBS-FM, New York’s oldies station, at the time, where he hosted the Saturday Night Dance Party, The Top 15 Yesterday and Today Countdown, and The Yearbook. At the time, Cousin Brucie also hosted the nationally syndicated radio show, Cruisin' America. Since 2005, Morrow’s weekly Sirius/XM Satellite Radio programs, “Cruisin’ with Cousin Brucie” and “Cousin Brucie’s Rock & Roll Party” have been heard by hundreds of thousands of listeners in the US and around the globe.

Morrow has appeared in films such as Dirty Dancing and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, had featured roles on Broadway in “Grease” and “Memphis,” and has made countless television appearances in shows including PBS’s “My Music” series, featured guest spots on morning television, and more. Morrow’s philanthropic work includes the Variety Children's Charity (for which he served as President for ten years) to help fund children in need; and his longtime support of WhyHunger, thanks to his close friendship with the organization’s founder, the late singer-songwriter Harry Chapin.  He is the author of several critically-acclaimed bestsellers, including Cousin Brucie: My Life in Rock & Roll Radio, and Doo Wop: The Music, the Time, the Era. 

Cousin Brucie was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001. He is the recipient of the Bravery in Radio Award from William Paterson University for his “inspirational radio programming and lifelong commitment to radio,” the TALKERS Magazine 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Montclair State University, for excellence in broadcasting.