Betty Jo Cugini
TELEVISION-RADIO
Betty Jo Cugini is a seasoned media professional with a decades-spanning, multifaceted career.
in TV and Radio. As the former Vice President of News for WJAR TV, her leadership shaped the news landscape. Notably, she co-produced the high-profile Claus von Bulow trial and exemplified excellence in journalism across multiple roles for WJAR NBC 10, where the team was awarded a National Edward R. Murrow Award. Concurrently, Cugini shared her expertiseas an Associate Professor at Emerson College, inspiring the next generation of communicators. Her commitment to community service is evident through roles as a trustee at Dean College and a board member at Adoption Rhode Island and Family Service of RI. She has earned prestigious awards recognizing her contributions, including induction into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
DAN YORKE
RADIO
Dan Yorke began working professionally in 1982 as a host and producer while at the University of Dayton at WVUD FM, a 50,000-watt commercial station. His first full-time job out of college was in New Jersey at WRNJ in Hackettstown in 1983. He was News Anchor, then News Director and Talk Show Host. In 1985, moved to Springfield Massachusetts and was Morning Host of WSPR and News Director of WMAS AM/FM. In 1987, Dan became Program Director for WGAB for Vanguard Communications in Long Island and was named VP of Operations for the Five Station group. In 1988, he became an owner/operator of WSPR in Springfield and beginning in 1990 held positions as Talk Host for WHYN and WNZZ for a decade while hosting a nightly television show at ABC affiliate WGGB. In 1999, Providence came calling and Dan started his so-far 25-year run as Afternoon and Mid-Day Host at Southern New England’s News/Talk WPRO-AM. He has also hosted Dan Yorke State of Mind on Fox-TV and WPRI-TV.
Dan is a Sports Broadcaster as well doing basketball play-by-play for Central Connecticut and the University of Massachusetts. He has been the Public Address announcer at the Ryan Center for URI men’s basketball since 2014 and the producer of High School Basketball Championships on Cumulus since 2013. He also owns the communications and consulting firm DYCOMM, LLC. Dan has been named to Talkers Magazine Heavy Hundred List for the last two decades and has also hosted on-air as a freelance talk show host in Pittsburgh and Boston.
JOE HASSETT
RADIO
Joe Hasset was a four-year basketball letterman for Dave Gavitt at Providence College after his high school career at LaSalle Academy. He reached all-American status as a Graduate of the Providence College class of 1977. A six-year NBA veteran, he played with Seattle, Indiana, Golden State, and Dallas, and won a World Championship in 1979 at Seattle coached by former Friar great Lenny Wilkens. Upon retirement from the NBA in 1984, Joe began working in the bond brokerage and investment advising business for Fleet, Bank of America, and—presently—with Janney Montgomery Scott. Joe teamed up with Eric Reed from 1985-1987 and Gary Cohen in 1988 for Friar broadcasts on WICE-AM. With his now 35-year “marriage” to John Rooke (RIRTVHOF Class of 2011) as the longest-tenured basketball radio broadcast team in the country, Hassett has been broadcasting Providence basketball in RI and throughout Southern New England for nearly 40 years. Joe and wife Paula have four children (Matthew, Shawna, Whitney and Brooke) and eight grandchildren. He loves to play golf...even as he talks basketball.
PAUL ZANGARI
RADIO
Paul Zangari’s work has long involved his passions: broadcast media and cars. He started in the media in 1968, reading news on WXTR in Pawtucket. When the station morphed into Gold ’n’ Great WGNG he morphed into “Zang” the disc jockey. He left to indulge his love of cars, restoring classics and maintaining cars used in The Great Gatsby (Robert Redford, Paramount, 1974) in Newport and New York City. Through most of that time he continued working part-time in the media, especially at Channel 36 which is now RI PBS. Zang returned to the air fulltime in 1977, at All-News WEAN, and reported on such events as the blizzard of 1978, the first trial of Claus von Bülow, and—from Washington—local congressional reaction to President Reagan’s 1983 State of the Union message. When WEAN ended in 1985, he continued with RI PBS, hosting public-affairs and news programs, as well as auctions and fundraisers. Locally he’s probably best-known for hosting auctions and fundraisers on RI PBS, co-hosting his car-care show Drive-Thru Radio—which has aired on WPRO since 1988— with his brother John, and for anchoring news on WPRO. He was also the car guy on The Popular Mechanics Show (Discovery Channel, 1995) and currently works at the news assignment desk at WJAR NBC 10. Paul lives in Lincoln with his wife Karen, who entered his life as a guest on Thirteenth State on RI PBS. Their 22-year-old son Adam is also a journalist.
SEAN DALY
Television
Sean Daly says he has two corrupt politicians to thank for 42 rewarding years in TV News: Richard Nixon and Buddy Cianci. In 1973 as a senior in high school, Sean began a weekend mailroom job at NBC’s sprawling TV and Radio headquarters in his hometown of Washington, DC. His timing was auspicious. As luck would have it, President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal broke wide open that summer. Sean quickly graduated to the network TV newsroom, and the hook was set. While working full time, earned a degree from American University in history, which Sean likes to joke is “just old news!” In 1979, Sean recorded his own audition tape after hours on David Brinkley’s empty set. Lights, camera, action! That led to a job reporting on NBC’s TV station in New Orleans. After three years down south, Sean arrived in Rhode Island in 1981. During his job interview, the late Rhode Island TV anchorman John Sweeney drove Sean to City Hall to meet Mayor Buddy Cianci. As if poetry, Sean’s final broadcasts 35 years later were coverage of Mayor Cianci’s death and funeral for Channel 12. In retirement, Sean still is happiest when he’s out and about, only now on the other side of the lens. He enjoys spending time with his wife and their friends and large family. On the air and off, he thinks “anyone lucky enough to have a faithful crew, is lucky ENOUGH!”
CHRIS DI PAOLO
Radio
Chris DiPaola was a native of the Westerly area, growing up in the village of Ashaway during the 1970s and 1980s. His earliest exposure to radio came from listening to WNBC in New York City, where personalities like Imus, Stern, and Soupy Sales left a lasting impression. At just 15 years old, he was hired by local broadcaster John Fuller, learning firsthand the importance of community involvement in radio. Over time, Chris became a prominent figure, known for his larger-than-life personality and charismatic presence. Despite the limited number of commercial licenses available, he launched WBLQ in 1997 and quickly established it as a vital local voice. He dedicated himself to community events, broadcasting high school football games and providing critical information during storms like hurricane Sandy. In 2007, he seized the opportunity to turn WBLQ into a profitable and respected voice for the community. In 2020, he expanded his reach with the purchase of Kent County’s WWRI, launching 105.5. Chris’s untimely passing in October 2022 left a void, but his impact on the community and local radio industry endures as a testament to his passion and dedication.