| Don Geronimo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michael Sorce |
| Born | September 18, 1958 |
| Show | The Don Geronimo Show |
| Station(s) | KHTK |
| Country | USA |
| Previous show(s) | Don and Mike Show |
Michael Sorce (born September 18, 1958), better known by his stage name Don Geronimo, is an American radio personality[1] formerly featured on the nationally syndicated radio talk show Don and Mike Show.[2] On June 21, 2010, Geronimo began hosting "The Don Geronimo Show" on CBS Radio's Sports 1140 KHTK in Sacramento, California.
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Geronimo began his career in radio at the age of 13 when he went to work at Rockville, Maryland AM station WINX (now WLXE, a Spanish-language music station).[3][4][5] He continued working at a variety of local stations, being fired at each for lacking the required FCC broadcaster's license, before forging a license. Geronimo landed what was then his dream job at WLS-FM in Chicago, Illinois in the early 1980s. He then moved to WBBM-FM (B96) to do the evening show. Eventually, he replaced Dick Biondi doing morning drive at the same station.[4]
Geronimo returned to the Washington, D.C. area in 1985, doing afternoons at WAVA. He moved to mornings in 1986, replacing Charlie & Harrigan. His partnership with Mike O'Meara, co-host of the Don and Mike Show, was forged at WAVA. Their show moved to WJFK-FM in 1991.[3][4]
Washington Post radio reporter Marc Fisher features Geronimo in his book Something in the Air, on the rise and fall of radio in the United States. Fisher also conducted an interview with Geronimo prior to his first of three retirements, the first from The Don & Mike Show in 2008, during which Don spoke out about his frustration with the direction radio has taken following high profile decency events such as the Janet Jackson Super Bowl incident.[6]
After only two months in retirement, Geronimo announced that he would return to the air on WOCM, a small, independently owned radio station in Ocean City, Maryland. Don Geronimo's Rockin' Soul Show featured popular music from the '70s and '80s. Geronimo described the show as "music that doesn't suck". After one month on the air at WOCM, Geronimo was fired from the station over creative differences. Don subsequently hosted a mid-morning talk show on WGMD (92.7 FM Rehoboth Beach, Delaware) from June 22, 2009 to October 13, 2009, when he retired for his second time, although he did some fill-in work at Classic Hits WCBS-FM in New York a few days in late November and December 2009.[7]
Don Geronimo was named midday host of Sports 1140 KHTK (AM), Sacramento effective on Monday, June 21, 2010. The four-hour program was scheduled Monday through Friday, noon to 4 pm local time. On January 27, Geronimo announced that he would be a regular on the TV show Good Day Sacramento, with his first appearance on February 14, 2011. On May 9, 2011, Geronimo announced that his contract with CBS was extended through 2014 and he was named Program Director for Sports 1140 KHTK. As of July 11, 2011, Geronimo's show moved to the morning drive, 5:30–10 am local time after the "Rise Guys" left for a gig in San Francisco. At the same time, Don also ended his in-studio presence on Good Day Sacramento. He now occasionally contributes to GDS remotely via camera.[8]
Don has worked at the following stations:[4]
| Number | Date | Station | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1973 | WRWC | Rockton, IL |
| 2 | 1974 | WGEZ | Beloit, WI |
| 3 | 1974 | WYFE | Rockford, IL |
| 4 | 1974 | WNAM | Oshkosh, WI |
| 5 | 1975 | WOKY | Milwaukee, WI |
| 6 | 1975 | WROK (AM) | Rockford, IL |
| 7 | 1976 | WKTQ "13Q" | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 8 | 1977 | WXLO "99X" | New York City, NY |
| 9 | 1978 | WGBF | Evansville, IN |
| 10 | 1978 | WCAO | Baltimore, MD |
| 11 | 1978 | WWDC-AM | Washington, DC |
| 12 | 1978 | WPRO-FM | Providence, RI |
| 13 | 1980 | WNDE | Indianapolis, IN |
| 14 | 1980 | KIIS-FM | Indianapolis, IN |
| 15 | WDRQ | Detroit, MI | |
| 16 | 1982 | WPGC-FM | Washington, DC |
| 17 | 1982 | KIIS-FM | Los Angeles, CA |
| 18 | 1982 | KFI | Los Angeles, CA[9] |
| 19 | 1982 | WLS-FM | Chicago, IL[9] |
| 20 | WBZZ "B94" | Pittsburgh, PA | |
| 21 | WBBM-FM "B96" | Chicago, IL | |
| 22 | March 1985–1991 | WAVA | Washington, DC [10] |
| 23 | 1991–April 2008 | WJFK | Washington, DC [11].[12][13] |
| 24 | July 7, 2008–? | WOCM | Ocean City, MD[14] |
| 25 | June 22, 2009–October 13, 2009 | WGMD | Rehoboth Beach, DE.[6] |
| 26 | June 2010–present | KHTK | Sacramento, CA [15] |
Geronimo first appeared on air part-time on WINX in Rockville, Maryland in 1971.[3] In November, December 2009, Geronimo fill-ed shifts on WCBS-FM in New York City.[16]
Don has appeared in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Babylon 5, and The King of Queens. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has stated on several occasions on the Don and Mike Show that he and his partner at that time, Mike O'Meara, spoke without authorization during their Babylon 5 taping, which was supposed to have been a non-speaking role for each. Rather than re-shoot the scene, the show's producers arranged for their union memberships. This paved the way for a speaking role on King of Queens, where he spoke one line, "Lookin' good, Heffernan!" He has also co-hosted with Marty Bass post-game coverage of the Baltimore Ravens games for WJZ-TV (Channel 13).
Don is married and has one son and one daughter from previous marriages. He currently lives in Sacramento, California with his wife Janet and their two dogs: Butterbean and Oscar.
Don's former wife, Freda, died on July 10, 2005 in an automobile accident on Maryland Route 90 near Ocean City, Maryland, where the Sorces had their vacation home. Freda was a frequent caller to the Don and Mike Show and her spirited interaction with Don was an integral part of the show. Don was on hiatus from the show until August 1, 2005, when he returned to the air with an emotional solo broadcast.[17][11]
On Friday, October 22, 2010, during the Don Geronimo live stage show Don slipped and fell off the stage. Don suffered head trauma and was admitted to a local hospital and later transferred to ICU.[18] He returned to host his radio show on November 8, 2010.
In 1994, Geronimo and his then radio partner Mike O'Meara were sued for $35 million by an anonymous University of Maryland student who claimed the pair had violated his privacy and inflicted emotional distress. Also named in the suit were station manager Ken Stevens, the show's traffic reporter and a producer who had previously been involved romantically with the accuser.[19][20]
In 1998 was stopped by police for a moving violation (exceeding 75 mph in a 35 mph zone), at which time he was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and driving under the influence of a narcotic.[21]
In May 2007, a Leesburg, Virginia man named Carl Grossman, who had once been a frequent caller to the Don and Mike Show, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of stalking. Geronimo had received a letter from the man which contained threats to himself and his family. The judge also issued a lifetime restraining order in the case.[22]
On February 4, 2008, Don announced his retirement from his radio show to pursue his personal life for a while. His last appearance on the Don and Mike Show was Friday, April 11, 2008 with Mike O'Meara to continue the show after that (as the Mike O'Meara Show). Don was widely expected to return to radio in some form in the future.[12][13]
After only 2 months in retirement, Geronimo announced that he would return to the air on WOCM, a small, independently owned radio station in Ocean City, Maryland. Don Geronimo's Rockin' Soul Show aired weekdays from 1 pm - 3pm featuring popular music from the 1970s and 1980s. After 4 weeks, Geronimo left the station.[23][24]
In May 2010, Geronimo announced that beginning June 21, he would be returning to KHTK, a station which formerly syndicated the Don and Mike Show, to host a mid-day show.[15]
Don Geronimo can currently be heard on KHTK Sports 1140 [25] from 5:30am to 10am Pacific Time.