New York Times
March 5, 2006
Radio Days
by Steven Kurutz
If you have been in TriBeCa lately, or even if you haven't, you may have heard the newest voice of downtown, an Internet radio station called TribecaRadio.net that has been broadcasting since January. The station's founder, as well as its program director, advertising chief and supervisor of technical support, is a local musician named Leigh Crizoe, who, additionally, is the host of "The T Train With Leigh C," a music program that the station broadcasts whenever airtime is empty.
Mr. Crizoe has deep-set eyes and is soft-spoken and neighborly, like Ned Flanders on "The Simpsons." To the extent that he is known by the larger public, it is as the composer of several popular advertising jingles, including spots for The Wiz electronics stores ("Nobody Beats the Wiz").
"They used to call me the king of the hooks," Mr. Crizoe said one recent morning, talking from Tribeca Radio's makeshift sound studio, a loft on Hubert Street that doubles as his home.
Mr. Crizoe said he had embarked on his latest venture because he sees TriBeCa as a vibrant place, and because he wants to put some local flavor back into radio, which in his opinion has become overly corporate. He plans to cover events like the TriBeCa Film Festival, hire his neighbors as D.J.'s, and, if and when ad revenue picks up, install a call-in system.
"I see a big future in Internet radio," he said. "TriBeCa is known all over the world. Look at the Subaru Tribeca."
Brevity is essential in the jingle business, but radio demands content 24/7, a challenge Mr. Crizoe has met with an inclusive attitude and lots of jazz. "I recently got a call from a local periodontist," Mr. Crizoe said. "He wanted to do a music show. I said, why not?"
Mr. Crizoe's partner, Rhio (one name, like Cher), is an authority on raw foods, and so far the schedule leans heavily toward health topics, including a program with a holistic dentist and another called "Hooked on Raw."
One morning a few weeks ago, Mr. Crizoe was joined in the studio by his newest recruits, Amy Sewell and Mina White, hosts of an hour-long gabfest called "Eavesdropping With Amy and Mina." They had come to record the next week's program, their second.
Ms. Sewell is in her early 40's, blond with a sharp wit, while Ms. White is in her 20's, brunette, and plays the sidekick role. "We're like Mutt and Jeff," Ms. Sewell said. "We bridge the divide between the generations, unsuccessfully."
Neither woman had ever done a radio program; Ms White is a graphic designer, and Ms. Sewell wrote and produced the 2005 documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom," about a dancing competition among New York schoolchildren.
They decided to work for the station, they said, because they feel as if TriBeCa is losing its identity. "Everything is so corporate and whitewashed down here now," said Ms. White, who grew up in the neighborhood.
After the two women had settled in, Mr. Crizoe ushered them into the sound booth, a room just big enough to comfortably hold a desk, a few chairs, computer equipment and the two hosts. The show's premise is that the audience listens as the women have an everyday conversation about topics ranging from Barbie dolls to school funding, which is more or less what followed for the next hour.
Ms. White played hip-hop songs and leafed through celebrity magazines while Ms. Sewell complained about a Donald Trump-led hotel project rumored to be going up near the Holland Tunnel. Ms. White introduced the Bob Dylan song "knockin' on Heaven's Door," noting, mistakenly, that it had been recorded by Led Zeppelin.
Reacting to the error, Ms. Sewell said, "I like the fact that we're unpolished and a bit unprofessional l— as opposed to 'Scott and Todd in the Morning' or something."
The Voice of TriBeCa
Program highlights on TribecaRadio.net
"UNDER THE INFLUENCE" An hour of themed music — Barry White on Valentine's Day, for instance — with a moonlighting periodontist, Dr. Michael Toffler, serving as host. To date, Dr. Toffler is the station's only commercial sponsor. (Mon., Wed., Fri.: 9 to 10 p.m.)
"HEALTHY MOUTH, HEALTHY BODY" Advice from Dr. Victor Zeines, a holistic dentist. (Tues., Thurs., Sat.: 4 to 5 p.m.)
"HIGH VIBE" Bob Dagger, the owner of an East Village health food store also called High Vibe, invites friends to discuss how to live a rich and healthy life. Past guests include the photographer John Huba and the jazz bassist Stanley Banks. (Mon., Wed., Fri.: 9 a.m., 7 p.m. 3 a.m.
"WHAT'S GOING ON" A weekly four-minute social commentary show with Shaune Velazquez, son of the station's founder. The host has an Andy Rooneyish perspective, as in a bit about a friend with a parking ticket: "He lost the case because the judge told him that there should have been a no-parking sign there. Guess he should call the psychic hotline before parking." (Times vary)