New Time Slot for Beloved Program

He lived a double life for many years. By day, he was Mr. Nittoli, North Carolina public high school teacher and principal. But on Saturdays he was Rocco, long-time host of Music Hall at WCOM FM Community Radio. Music Hall was one of the first programs on Carrboro’s then newly-established community radio station. Rocco has been there since the beginning, 24 years ago. Music Hall has moved to Mondays at 1-3 p.m. newly titled, "The Best of Music Hall." The Best of Music Hall features Rocco continuing to send out the “best and most popular songs from the Great American Songbook.” Rocco promises that the highly popular broadcast will continue to include all eras (back to the 1940s) and all genres.

Rocco came to Carrboro when his wife, Hatsy, started graduate school at UNC. While primarily an educator, Rocco had a great deal of radio broadcasting experience which began in the early 1960s.

When Hatsy introduced him to the founders of WCOM, they were glad to bring him on as a DJ. Jacques Menache, one of the station’s founders, recalls: “I met Rocco in 2002 shortly after starting WCOM with my friends, Ruffin Slater and Peg Nolan. Rocco was so impressive to all us amateurs, as he was a professional DJ with such a distinctive voice and presence, that he became our mentor and best example of quality radio. He was always there on Saturday mornings for Music Hall.”

And here in Carrboro, Rocco has witnessed many changes in WCOM as changes occurred in the community. Early on, the station was housed in what had been a bank building. Of that time, Rocco recalls working conditions that could be very challenging. “But WCOM remained persistent. Over 24 years, things change. Eventually WCOM broadcast from four different locations, each with its own special reason for being.”

And through those changing years, says Menache, “Many professional DJs, strong voices, and personalities eventually joined the WCOM family, but no one had the influence and staying power that Rocco so generously gifted us.”

“Tofu Dave” Bellin, another original DJ, added further praise to Rocco. “WCOM disc jockey Rocco Nittoli is smooth and professional. His resonant 80+ year old voice enlivens the station and the Saturday mornings of listeners and online fans across the country. For decades, Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, Nittoli mixed a variety of popular music spanning the past 70 years on his radio show, 'Music Hall.' Rocco was an educator, beloved principal of an eastern NC high school, and before that a commercial radio personality. At WCOM he mentors new DJs, shows us all how to do professional radio, and how to treat others with the respect we all deserve. He is truly one of our local hometown radio heroes!”

WCOM’s new studio is behind large windows in the Drakeford Library building. If you look in one window, you will see the WCOM Wall of Fame, which is under development, and in the upper left corner of the Wall you can see five golden records representing the early volunteers who have kept the station going over the years and right there among them you will see the gold record that says “ROCCO.”

Station founder Menache, “I love the man, and his wife, Hatsy - I am grateful for his continuous and continuing presence in my life.”

In all, Rocco has hosted over 1100 Saturday Music Halls. In addition, Rocco estimates he substituted or cohosted another 500 programs. And for many of those years, until he retired from the public school system, Mr. Nitolli/Rocco faithfully fulfilled both careers. Now he feels his sonorous voice is changing with older age and his busy schedule is more taxing than it was and he has decided to move to a shorter, easier afternoon time slot.

Says Rocco, “I’d like to say I am thankful and grateful to have been a part of WCOM for the first 20+ years. I’ve met and worked with so many talented, dedicated and hard-working people who have kept WCOM on the air and become part of the Carrboro/Chapel Hill community. Many of us at WCOM now believe that we are a diamond in the rough and now that it has a permanent location it will continue to enhance our community in even more ways.”

The Best of Music Hall with Rocco Nittoli airs Mondays 1 - 3pm on WCOM-LP 103.5 FM (wcomfm.org).