The death of Schechter last week made me realize what a debt I must owe him. I can probably trace some of my own alt-journalist and activist pursuits directly to him. That’s because I listened avidly to WBCN-FM in Boston when I was a teenager, and never turned down the volume (as some of my friends did) when Schecter’s “News Dissector” broadcasts came on. He did longer news shows on Sunday morning, I seem to remember. I went to see him speak a few times, back then and later in life. He was a real celebrity to me. He personalized the news in a way which only the alternative print press was doing back then, and made me care about world events in a way I never had.
It was nice to read the obituaries and realize what a long full life he’d had, despite having to move on from one newscasting job to another as times and trends changed. He made notable documentaries, befriended world leaders and maintained his interests and values. I am living proof of those he deeply inspired along the way.
But back to that earlier point. News was a key part of the better FM radio stations the way news used to be a part of alternative weeklies. Schechter took that as a given. So do I. Wish more did.