WHAV disc jockey Chris Porter eats, breathes and sleeps radio even as he works a “day job” with Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in Boston.
Porter was the focus Thursday of the latest “Behind the Mic” segment on the “Win for Breakfast” program. His “All Request Friday Night” show features listener-favorite songs and classic sounding jingles reminiscent of earlier age
“I’m a jingle fanatic so I just had to get jingles. I plan on getting some more. You never know,” he said.
Listeners to Porter, heard Fridays, from 6-10 p.m., are bound to hear songs they haven’t heard for some time. “Every single week it’s different. Sometimes people want to hear the mellow stuff, sometimes people want to hear the rock ‘n roll, sometimes people want to hear the dance music. It all really depends on what mood people are in that night,” he said.
Porter became fascinated with radio while growing up, and even built his own “flea power” radio station before getting involved with WHAV when he served as producer of the Open Mic show with the late Bill Macek. He was encouraged by WHAV General Manager Tim Coco to do his own show
“We had an intern here—this was about 2017—and we did a show because I was helping to train her. Then she left and I was getting some good feedback. I just figured, you know what I think I’m going to continue to do the show, and then when COVID hit is when it really took off and I started doing the ‘All Request Friday Night.’ I started getting the jingles. I can’t tell you the amount of people who have called in and said I helped them get through those times, which really makes me feel good,” he said.
Porter also does similar shows at radio stations in Salisbury and Nashua, N.H., on a volunteer basis. He admits his job with Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in Boston is a way to support his “radio habit.”
Besides WHAV.net, WHAV’s “Merrimack Valley Newsmakers” podcasts are available via Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and Alexa.