Joseph Torsitano:
CLASS OF 1975
Alturas Elementary SchoolClass of 1975
Alturas, CA
Pleasant Valley High SchoolClass of 1981
Chico, CA
Bidwell Junior High SchoolClass of 1978
Chico, CA
Western Hills Elementary SchoolClass of 1975
El paso, TX
W. Arthur Sewell Elementary SchoolClass of 1975
Tucson, AZ
Joseph's Story
Life
Life for me started in Alturas, CA. Being raised by a railroader meant we moved some. By the time I finished high school I'd been through Tucson, AZ, El Paso, TX, and Chico, CA. Soon after high school I started my full-time career in radio. There was Elko NV, Burney CA, Redding CA, Carson City NV, Citrus Heights CA, Lincoln CA and now southern Oregon. Radio people tend to move a lot... only way to move up sometimes. Eventually I got near the top in my field and didn't like the view. So I went back to the "small-time."
My high-school sweetheart wife and I have been married since 1984. We have two terrific boys (one in the Navy), two dogs, a cat and a sun conure (a very noisy but beautiful bird). Camping is our favorite get-away activity. When the TV is on we're probably watching In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, CSI NY, Castle or shows on DVD like Firefly, WKRP in Cincinnati, Northern Exposure or Mystery Science Theater 3000 (preferably the ones with Joel).
Like most engineers I'm interested in electronics and computers. I'm still very interested in railroading. For over ten years I was frequently a volunteer at the Nevada State Railroad Museum and President of their non-profit support group for three years. I'm also a licensed private pilot.
School
I was incredibly shy and awkward as a teenager, so most people probably didn't know me in junior high or high school. I've lost touch with everyone I did know in school. And there are some people I wish I would've been brave enough to talk to (like the girl who sent me a note in typing class once). In high school when I wasn't in class I spent almost all my time in the high school radio station....Expand for more
So how does a shy person become a DJ? Heck if I know! :) Even during class times I'd sometimes talk my teachers into letting me go to the radio station if I finished up my class work. With all the time I spent at the radio station and late Tuesday night in TV class at City Council meetings I'm amazed I kept my grade point up and managed to graduate on time. :)
Workplace
I went to community college for a couple semesters. But a friend convinced me the Chief Engineer's position at a new FM station in Elko, NV, would be much more fun. And so my full-time career in broadcasting started just before I was 19.
After Elko came Burney, CA, Redding, CA, Carson City, NV, Sacramento, CA and Grants Pass, OR. Each move was a move up until I became Regional Engineering Manager for the largest radio station company in the country. But I wasn't able to spend time with my family like I wanted, so I took a position as staff engineer for a large Christian radio network.
As our kids grew I wanted to get them out of the "large" city atmosphere and get back to a more rural area like where I spent most of my life. An engineering position with a large talk radio network in Southern Oregon was our ticket. However my family (especially my wife) needed me at home more than that position would allow, so I went into semi-retirement and focused on my quickly growing Internet business, WeatherForYou.com.
I wanted to keep my hands in radio some way, so I applied for a part-time position at the local radio station. Turns out they needed a full-time Chief Engineer/Webmaster/IT person. Sounded like fun so I took that position in addition to running my Internet weather company.
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Reunions
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