FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Melissa Bachtel
Phone: 216-831-3761
Fax: 216-514-4699
Email: melissab@envisionradio.com
(FEBRUARY 2012) – Envision Radio Networks® proudly welcomes WMTM-FM/Albany, GA as the newest affiliate of Paul Shaffer’s 60-Second Rewind, the daily vignette featuring David Letterman’s longtime musical director’s stories about all the hit-makers of the sixties, seventies and eighties. With the addition of Paul Shaffer’s 60-Second Rewind, Cruisin’ 94 joins over 200 other affiliates on the Envision Entertainment Network.
Paul Shaffer’s 60-Second Rewind revisits the stars that topped the charts and the one-hit wonders who wish they did with Paul’s unique story-telling, comedic twist, and one-of-a-kind audio clips. Perfect for Classic Hits and Adult Hits stations, this daily feature takes a look back at a versatile mix of artists including: Journey, Donna Summer, The Beatles, Men at Work, Cher, Diana Ross, Duran Duran, The Temptations, Elton John, Chic, Blue Oyster Cult and The Rolling Stones.
Available on a barter basis, Paul Shaffer’s 60-Second Rewind can be programmed multiple times throughout the day both on-air and online, and attracts local sponsors with the opportunity to tie-in their business to one of late-night’s leading musical men.
Interested stations can find more information about Paul Shaffer’s 60-Second Rewind at www.60SecondRewind.com or by contacting Melissa Bachtel at melissab@envisionradio.com or 216-831-3761.
About Paul Shaffer:
World-renowned bandleader Paul Shaffer has been David Letterman’s musical director and sidekick for the past 30 years. A Grammy Award-winning master of musical and verbal improv, he has conducted a televised jam that included Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Jeff Beck; been musical director at the White House, authored the best-selling memoir “We’ll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives”, and traded on-air quips with celebrities from Julia Roberts, Tina Fey, and Nathan Lane to Bill Murray, Donald Trump, and Jack Black.
Shaffer’s professional career was launched in 1972 when, after hearing him play piano, composer Stephen Schwartz hired him on the spot to be musical director for the celebrated Toronto production of “Godspell.” The now-legendary cast included Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, and Gilda Radner. The show was a massive hit and Shaffer’s star ignited. Two years later, he opened on Broadway, playing piano in the musical, “The Magic Show.” The next stop on his trajectory was a five-year stint with a new television show, “NBC’s Saturday Night Live.” He played keyboards, composed special musical material and became a featured performer; his dead-on impression of Don Kirshner became an SNL mainstay.
In 1977, Shaffer took a brief break from “Saturday Night Live” to star in the CBS-TV comedy series “A Year at the Top,” produced by Norman Lear and the aforementioned Don Kirshner. After his return to SNL, he collaborated with Gilda Radner on the songs for her one-woman Broadway show, “Gilda Radner: Live from New York,” in which he also appeared. He served as musical director for the Blues Brothers—John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd—on their double platinum album and national tour.
In addition to his albums “Coast to Coast” (1989) and “The World’s Most Dangerous Party” (1993), Shaffer has recorded with such diverse artists as Diana Ross, Yoko Ono and Robert Plant’s Honeydrippers. He composed the “Late Show” theme song and, with Paul Jabara, wrote the #1’80s dance hit “It’s Raining Men,” performed by the Weather Girls and re-recorded by Geri Halliwell for the “Bridget Jones’s Diary” soundtrack, topping the British pop charts in 2001. In 2002, he received his first Grammy Award, Best Country Instrumental, for the “Earl Scruggs and Friends” album. He also co-produced an avant-garde jazz album for his mentor, Tsziji Munoz.
His feature film roles include infamous local promotion man Artie Fufkin in Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap.” He also appeared in the Mike Nichols-directed “Gilda Live,” the Bill Murray movie “Scrooged,” and with John Travolta in “Look Who’s Talking Too,” and voiced Hermes in Disney’s animated feature “Hercules” and the television series based on the film. He produced the gold-selling soundtrack for and appeared in “Blues Brothers 2000” and composed original songs for the movie “Strangers with Candy.”
Shaffer has served as musical producer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony since its inception in 1986. He led the band for the “We Are the World” finale of “Live Aid,” hosted CBS’s 1994 New Year’s Eve special from New York’s Times Square, and was musical director of the closing concert at the 1996 Olympic Games. He appeared with the Blues Brothers at the 1996 Super Bowl halftime show and was musical director of the 1999 “Concert of the Century” at the White House, featuring Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Gloria Estefan, ‘N Sync and others, to aid music programs in public schools. He was the musical director of Paul McCartney’s “Concert for New York” and appeared with Faith Hill on the “America: A Tribute to Heroes” telethon, both of which honored and raised money for victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Shaffer holds two honorary doctorate degrees, was inducted into the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame, has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and was awarded the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honor. He is currently the National Spokesperson for Epilepsy Canada. He lives in the New York area with his wife and two children.
About Envision Radio Networks®:
Envision Radio Networks® provides content and services to more than 1,200 radio stations and reaches millions of listeners each week. Envision Radio Networks, Inc. is the largest independently owned affiliate relations company in the country and supplies all types of programming and services to radio including morning show prep, short-form vignettes, virtual news-weather-sports broadcasts, live syndicated morning shows, long-form weekend programming, 24/7 formats, comedy services, event programming, off-air tools, web content, album releases and artist specials. Envision Radio Networks® is based in Cleveland, Ohio, with offices in New York City and San Francisco.
