Staff Writer Fenton Wright sat down with the host of Chagigah Radio, Hal Slifer (a.k.a. Jersey Hal), to get to know a bit more about his life and multifaceted work at the station.
What was the initial spark that got you into music?
I grew up in New Jersey, a couple of miles from New York City. As a kid I loved listening to the radio and in New York City they had amazing radio hosts. I enjoyed listening to the DJs more than the music. I listened to WWRL which was a rhythm and blues station, WABC which was top 40, and from there I realized my love of music and being on the radio. My two older sisters really knew their music and they would drag me to many music concerts. We always had music playing in our house from show tunes, klezmer, to rock & roll.
Would you say that radio was something that you always wanted to do?
Ever since I was about ten years old my passion was to be on the radio. My Dad owned a computer repair business and had a few radio stations as his clients. I would go with my Dad when he needed to repair machines and I got to talk with many of the radio hosts at the different stations. I enjoyed watching the DJs doing their radio programs and at a young age I was “hooked on radio”.
How do you feel like your upbringing prepared you for your career and life in radio and beyond?
After college I worked the nomadic life of a radio disc jockey moving from town to town from a 250 watt radio station in Berlin, N.H. to being a featured host on “The Rock of New Hampshire”, WGIR in Manchester, and eventually settling into the Boston market on WERS
What specifically do you look for when you play songs on the radio?
When I first came to WERS I replaced the host of Chagigah on Sunday mornings. The show had been playing very religious music and had virtually no ratings. Coming from the world of Top 40 radio I started to play “the hits” and programmed the show to cater to a wider audience who enjoyed everything from David Broza to Barbara Streisand.
During the week I am known as Jersey Hal when I sit in for George Knight in the mornings and enjoy playing a wide variety of music that is alternative, indie, and local. WERS has a fantastic music staff and the mix of music is enjoyed by our large audience of music lovers.
Is there any one of your roles that you prefer more than the others?
I enjoy both of my radio hosting roles at WERS. For Chagigah I am the producer as well as the host and I am allowed to have free reign in programming my show. When I am hosting as Jersey Hal I enjoy knowing that our radio listeners enjoy such a wide range of what we call our “Uncommon Radio”
Why do you feel that it is so impactful for there to be a space outside of just political discourse that focuses on Jewish music?
Chagigah has always been a program playing the music of Jewish singers and songwriters. It is not a political program as our listeners want to have an oasis away from Politics, News and Noise. Our listeners want to get away from the daily bombardment of news on TV and Radio and look forward to Chagigah as an escape to a radio experience where they can enjoy music and memories.
What are your plans for the future?
I have been with WERS going on ten years and I look forward to many more years of being a team player at this gem of a radio station.
Are there any other interesting fun facts you want people to know?
I am a person who has “the radio bug”. I enjoy being on the radio and communicating one on one with my audience. When I am not on the air I enjoy swimming, going to the movies, and enjoying a family life with my wife Dee, and my son David and his family.
Hal is on the air weekends on WERS, and fills in for George Knight and other radio hosts during the week. You can reach Hal at HalSlifer@WERS.org
