Behind the Mic

Maggie Brennan has been with WCBE since she began as an intern in 1993. She’s passionate about sharing music from all over the world with our listeners and takes pride in showcasing a wide range of artists from here in central Ohio on her weekday music program.

Award-winning musician, producer, and journalist Sean Carney won first place with his band at The International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, in 2007, kickstarting a fifteen-year period of international touring that included concerts in 29 countries and more than 50 European tours.

Descended from the giant sloths of the Ohio plains, Doug Dangler has spent his life pursuing Yeti and the perfect walnut-crusted cheeseball. He survives on twigs and berries in the wilds of Columbus, occasionally surfacing to conduct interviews with musicians, authors, and other creative types through a system of idiosyncratic grunts and whistles. But seriously, he’s a real person whose hobby is finding interesting people and having them talk about creativity. Dangler attended the University of Toledo, earning a BA in chemistry and biology. For nearly two decades, he’s managed the College of Arts and Sciences Digital Media Studio at The Ohio State University.

Tristan DeMaria volunteered with the station from 2008 to 2019. He was hired to assist with the weekend broadcast and is now in charge of membership and website operations. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from Hiram College and an AAS in Computer Science from Columbus State Community College. DeMaria plays a lot of video games and enjoys walking in Columbus’ beautiful parks.

John DeSando holds a BA from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in English from The University of Arizona. He served several universities as a professor, dean, and academic vice president. He has been producing and broadcasting as a film critic on It’s Movie Time and Cinema Classics for more than two decades. DeSando received the Los Angeles Press Club's first-place honors for national entertainment journalism.

Mike Foley joined WCBE in February 2000, coming from WUFT in Gainesville, Florida. Foley has worked in various roles, from producing news and feature stories to engineering Live From Studio A sessions. A series of music features Foley started in 2018 called Music Journeys has grown into a podcast and radio show. He also assists in developing other programs in WCBE's Podcast Experience. Foley hosts The Morning Mix, a weekday music show featuring emerging and established musicians, our Columbus-area and Ohio-based talent, and additional artists that inspire him.

Los Giles is a Columbus native, drummer, and longtime member of the Columbus music scene. He graduated from the Ohio Center for Broadcasting in 2010 and joined WCBE in 2011. In 2020, Giles became the host and producer of Trip The Groove Fantastic.

A native of Chicago, naturalized citizen of Cincinnati and resident of Columbus, Alison attended Earlham College and the Ohio State University. She has equal passion for Midwest history, hockey and Slavic poetry.

Jim Maneri is a composer, conductor, jazz pianist, audio engineer, and music educator with more than 10k gigs under his belt. He’s played piano in sketchy jazz bars, conducted Broadway shows, traveled with a circus, and has mixed original electronic dance music at large music festivals for thousands.

Jack Marchbanks grew up in Dayton during the 1970s funk explosion in Southwestern Ohio. Grounded in R&B and rock, Marchbanks came to appreciate jazz much later in life. But, as the saying goes, converts make the most zealous advocates.

Anna Oscard began her long association with WCBE as a volunteer on the children's variety show Kids' Sundae. While her daughter appeared on air, she assisted the engineer in the sound booth. That’s when she caught the radio bug. In 1994, Oscard was asked to write and voice Celtic news and calendar spots for the independently produced program, Toss the Feathers. In 2007, she became the host and independent producer.

Jon Peterson has been the volunteer host and independent producer of Shakin It Radio since 2006. Listeners might remember him best as host of Radio Free Columbus, which ran on WCBE from 1991 to 1995 when Peterson was Music Director. The program won Ohio Educational Broadcasting’s highest honor as “Program of the Year” in 1993.

Catherine Rinella is a creature of unknown quantity. She can be found haunting the hallways of WCBE on any given night or weekend, yet few ever see her. It is rumored that she was once an OSU undergrad intern who sold her soul to the station in exchange for employment. Now, her ghost wanders between studios, always watching, always listening, and occasionally hosting. When Rinella does escape the void, she works as a sound designer for local theaters and an audio editor for multiple podcast productions.

Mike Taylor joined WCBE as a volunteer in 2001, mixing bands and improving Studio A. In early 2002 he was offered the position of morning music host. Taylor has held that position ever since and is currently Studio Engineer, Music Librarian, and Curator.

Terry Wilson was born and raised on the Appalachian Plateau in a small town called Salem, Ohio. Ironically, legendary Rock 'n' roll radio DJ, songwriter, and rock music cinema pioneer Alan Freed grew up there too. So, it seemed natural that with just a little encouragement, Wilson would gravitate toward showing off for a living too.