RIP Pat Collins

*Note: This chat with Pat took place right after the announcement that The FBHW Show was nominated for the Hall of Fame. I put Pat on and we had a great, nostalgic chat about the roots of that show and how much Pat assisted with it's growth.

I received word yesterday from Pat's lovely wife, Donna that Pat had passed away.

Pat helped launch 105.7 The Hawk on the Jersey Shore in the Summer of 2002. We (Gregg, Chris, Eric) knew right from the jump that we had stumbled onto someone who was special.

Pat Collins was the first "Champion" of the FBHW Show. There were other folks at that time who were super supportive, but Pat was special. Essentially, Pat didn't screw with us. He trusted us and knew we'd do well by him and for the radio station. He treated us like professionals at a time when we probably weren't sure how to actually be professional.

It was Pat's job to convince Jersey Shore advertisers to spend money advertising their products or services on our show. I vividly remember the first time we saw Pat "in action." We (Gregg, Chris, Eric) went with Pat on a sales call to a local beer distributor. Basically, he wanted Coors Light to be the official beer of the show. Frankly it was embarrassing. I say that because he did such an amazing job "selling us" that we blushed. Nobody had ever spoken so highly about us. We weren't comfortable with it because that was the first time we'd experienced accolades like that from "one of the suits." He got the sale, and many more after that.

Later, Nassau Broadcasting shipped Pat up to Portland, Maine to run radio stations there. One of them was rock station, "The Bone." Opie and Anthony went to Satellite and "The Bone" needed a morning show. We (FBHW Show) got the call because of Pat. That was our first affiliate outside of New Jersey. Again, this was a huge confidence booster for us. We were so happy, but scared we'd fuck it up. Pat offered tons of encouragement and the show took off. If there was any negative blowback, we weren't aware of it, because Pat helped filter out the noise so that we could do our jobs and not be stressed.

As time passed, we started doing LIVE shows in markets where the show was heard. We had done a show or two in other towns and they all sounded great! The vibe at LIVE shows was different in front of a LIVE audience. But Pat wanted Portland, Maine to be the most energetic! He took the "larger than life" sounds of the previous shows as a challenge and was dedicated to making the Portland shows sound the biggest and best. He didn't let us down. His efforts completely catapulted Portland to the top of the list for us. Pat went so far as to give the audience a "pep-talk" before the show started. He'd encourage them to be a great audience: Cheering loudly when the show started and when we'd be coming back from commercial. He'd stress to the crowd that he wanted Portland, Maine to be the "gold standard" when it comes to a great audience. The crowd responded amazingly and I'll never forget the support we got.

Years later, I'm out of radio and I start this podcast. Who's there to remind me that I have all the tools I need at my disposal? Pat Collins. He went out of his way to remind me that I could do this and that he had no doubt things would work out.

I always enjoyed my time with you, Pat. Thanks so much for the encouragement, support and friendship. You are missed and always will be.

RIP Pat Collins

EZ

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