KQED Public Radio airs programming from many different sources: NPR, PBS, BBC and our own local shows like "Forum," to name some. Yet, to many listeners, it's all just "KQED," a seamless run of information that somehow fits together.
One reason for that is our staff announcers, who function as almost masters of ceremonies, smoothly segueing the audience from one show to the next.
And to many, these on-air personalities are KQED Radio. If you ask my wife, for instance, what person she thinks of when she hears those call letters, she says Jerry Neuman.
And now, after 37 years, Jerry is retiring, putting an end to his reign as the longest-serving employee of KQED Radio. Jerry has been with the station since 1976, when the station still played classical music. Here's his official KQED bio:
Jerry Neuman's lifelong love affair with radio began over 50 years ago, when he represented PS 91 in Brooklyn as a Quiz Kid on WNYE. Thanks to a family member who was in the Metropolitan Opera chorus, Jerry cut his teeth on the classics. When Jerry attended Ithaca College and heard of an opening for someone familiar with classical music, his dream of becoming a radio announcer was realized.
After college and service in the Army Security Agency, Jerry switched coasts and took a position with Doubleday & Co. Publishers. In 1974 he returned to radio announcing at KDFC in San Francisco. Two years later Jerry joined KQED, where he hosted "Music Quiz," the Oakland Symphony broadcasts, "The Joyous Diversion," and "Check It Out," a program that promoted the use of libraries and that he produced and syndicated to NPR.
When not on the air, Jerry is a devotee of the speedbag -- it helps him maintain hand-and-eye coordination. He says it's also the one piece of equipment that's always available at the gym. Jerry was also a massage therapist for 10 years and still sees a few clients.
Therapeutic hands, and a sly wit wrapped in a soothing tone -- it's Jerry Neuman, the afternoon-evening voice of KQED Public Radio.
Also, one of his biggest accomplishments, in my book: that dulcet voice taking the pain out of many a pledge drive. Well, at least a little bit, anyway.