Madsen Remembers

 

One of the most popular figures in our Pioneer Valley media scene is Dave Madsen, best known for his nearly two decades at WGGB-TV40 as reporter and anchor. His bio at the station's website includes this info about his long media career in our Valley:

Madsen in 1982

Dave Madsen is celebrating his 40th year in broadcasting and 19th anniversary with abc40. Dave came to abc40 in 1992 after spending twelve years with WWLP-TV. He began his career in 1970 with WMAS in Springfield. Later that year he began a nine-year association with WHMP Radio in Northampton.

Dave was born and raised in Southampton, attending schools there and in Easthampton. He attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where he majored in Communications studies. He now serves as an adjunct professor at the University, teaching a television news writing course in the Journalism department.

Dave and his wife Linda, a registered nurse, will celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary in September. They have two sons, Christopher and Greg.

I used to hang around TV40 a bit in the 1990's when I was one of the stable of fill-in hosts for the now defunct Dan Yorke Show. I occasionally chatted with Madsen, and in contrast to the stereotype of news anchors as vain egomaniacs, he always came across as a nice, down to earth guy. Here is the news team when I was around - Mike Ratte, Madsen, Eileen Curran and Tom Bevacqua in 1995.

A bunch of historic media pictures from Madsen's personal collection are floating around the internet, and here are a few classics. Speaking of Dan Yorke, that's him in the second row, second from the right, in this 1992 photo of the TV40 softball team. Others who appear in the pic are Mike Ratté, Mary DeLiso, Clayton Trauernicht, Dave Fraser, Eileen Curran, Ed Carroll, Jim Cline, Dan Salamone and Priscilla Ress.

Madsen has been at TV40 for so long that people have almost forgotten about the more than a decade he worked for arch-rival TV22, as seen in this 1980 photo of a billboard in Springfield. Note the adjoining billboard for the long lost, lamented Dreikorn's bread.

Here's a picture of the TV22 crew at a 1985 St. Patrick's Day parade in Holyoke. Note the youthful Sy Becker! What other local media stars of yore can you recognize?

The man above in the grey trenchcoat is the late local weatherman legend John Quill. Here is a picture of Quill's set in the pre-computer era when you actually had to try to explain the weather while drawing with an ink marker on maps. Yet despite the primitive technology, Quill was renowned for his mostly accurate forecasts. 

This is Madsen with actor Ed Begley (St. Elsewhere). Begley's sister Allene Begley-Curto was a Springfield School Committee member about twenty years ago.

 



One of the great things about a gig with a TV station is that you never know when you might meet one of your heroes. Madsen with Yaz in 1988.

With Ted Kennedy in 1988.

With fellow Massachusetts resident James Taylor in 2008.

 



Returning to the present, here I am this morning in beautiful downtown Amherst boldly holding a product from Arizona.

Oh no! I hope I don't get arrested for violating the official town boycott of the allegedly racist hate state of Arizona, where they dare to try to enforce immigration laws!

The woodland way into downtown Northampton sure can be pretty this time of year. 

This iceboy stands outside of Thornes in downtown Hamp. 

The back exit of the Haymarket Cafe is covered in ice!

Spotted in a Northampton parking lot. 

In Northampton the other night. 

Whiting Resevoir in Holyoke by Robert Genest.