Richard Brian “Rich” Conaty was born on November 30, 1954, and died on December 30, 2016.

He was a New York City disc jockey, originally from Astoria, New York.

Conaty was an important figure in FM broadcasting of jazz and popular music of the 1920s and 1930s.

He hosted a weekly music radio show, “The Big Broadcast”, on Fordham University’s FM radio station, WFUV, in the Bronx, New York.

The show was made up of jazz and popular music recordings from the 1890s through the 1930s.

He founded “The Big Broadcast” when he was a freshman at Fordham University in January 1973.

During 1983, Conaty was hired by program director Jim Lowe at WNEW-AM, where he worked weekends, and briefly filled in as the host of the radio show, “Make Believe Ballroom,” made famous by William B. Williams.

He was Jonathan Schwartz’s co-host on “New York Tonight.”

He brought “The Big Broadcast” and his Saturday program, “The Big Bandstand,” to WQEW
in December 1992.

During July 1997, he brought his shows back to WFUV.

Which airs live every Sunday from 8pm-12midnight (ET) and streams live on the internet.

Rich Conaty passed away at 62 years old.