It's been a tough year for local radio personalities, with shrinking budgets and format changes yielding numerous layoffs at WTDY. The latest casualty is Pat Gallagher, who served as a program director and midday host for the adult alternative station 105.5 Triple M.
A 21-year veteran of the station, Gallagher spearheaded many initiatives to support area musicians, such as the annual Project M. In his 15 years as a program director, he also helped develop programs such as Live from Studio M, which has featured Suzanne Vega, the Jayhawks and other nationally renowned artists.
Gallagher's last broadcast was Sept. 26. Afterward, fans poured out their support on his Facebook page. Fellow radio personalities chimed in, including Tom Teuber, who served as a Triple M program director from 1995 to 2006. He posted a photo in which the band Garbage visited Gallagher at the studio in 1996. Many other well-wishers are local musicians. Among them is Michael Massey, who composed the score to Madison Ballet's much-lauded Dracula.
"I have never seen a more amiable, fresh and humbly professional outlook on life," Massey commented to Gallagher. "There will be a void on the airwaves until you return. Radio ain't what it used to be."
