A great posting from the NY Radio Message Board. Dave Herman was a longtime morning guy at free-form WNEW-FM. He was a laid-back, mellow-voiced jock -- very much in the Dave Morey mode. Here's his Donna Summer memory:
"My personal Donna Summer story: It's 1979, the disco vs. rock war is raging. 'Disco Sucks!' cried many a rock fan! I hear 'Hot Stuff' and LOVE that record. So I start playing it on WNEW-FM every single morning pointing out that Skunk Baxter was playing lead guitar on it. A certain segment of the station audience start a small rebellion. Management is flooded with complaint letters about disco music on WNEW-FM. For some it was the end of the world as they knew it. After about a week of playing it every morning I am called into Mel Karmazin's office. He is the big boss. 'They'e KILLING us over this Donna Summer record you are playing', he says and shows me a box full of mail. He calls Scott Muni into the office (our program director). Mel to Scott: 'Should he be playing this or should he stop?' Mel asks. Scott's answer: 'personally I won't play it, but if Dave thinks he should be playing it then Dave plays it. That's how it works around here'. And he leaves the office. At year's end Rolling Stone names 'Hot Stuff' as single of the year."
