WRIP has been the voice of the Catskills for 20 years. Named “Small Business of the Year” by the Greene County Chamber of Commerce in 2014, WRIP was founded in August 1999 by Chairman Dennis Jackson and Guy Patrick Garraghan, a native son of Windham, New York.
WRIP grew and flourished under Garraghan’s guidance for eleven years. Upon his untimely passing on November 2, 2010, WRIP continued under the leadership of Jay Fink, President and General Manager, who has been our on-air voice for over sixteen years. We continue to expand our reach to outlying areas of our broadcasting region.
Our listeners enjoy a blend of today’s hits with yesterday’s favorites along with specially produced interviews and shows that are not found on other nationally-owned stations.
Our Founder
Guy Patrick Garraghan founded WRIP in 1999 along with Chairman Dennis Jackson. Guy was a lifelong resident of the Catskill Region and was a morning radio fixture in the Northern Catskills for more than 30 years, 17 of them as the wake up voice on WCKL in Catskill, NY. A lover of the Catskills, Guy was known around the area as one of the best personalities in the region. His untimely passing on November 2, 2010 left a void in the Mountaintop community. Guy will always be fondly remembered by those who knew him – and missed by the thousands who awoke to his voice every morning.
Jay Fink
Originally from Long Island, Jay Fink is WRIP’s President and General Manager. Jay has been a part of the WRIP family since its debut in 1999. Prior to working with the station, Jay worked or consulted at radio stations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Jay is proud to be a full-time Mountaintop resident and is active with many organizations in the community, including the Greene County Chamber of Commerce and the Windham Rotary Club. Jay spent over a dozen years in the music business before returning to broadcasting.
Joe Loverro
Joe fell into the radio business a while back in Philadelphia where he worked at WIFI 92.5. Following his Philadelphia career, Joe headed to stations in various cities, including Albany, Atlantic City, San Jose, CA, Burlington, VT, Augusta, ME, and many more before settling down with WRIP 97.9. Joe’s favorite pastimes and hobbies include astronomy and railroads, but his dedication will always be to radio. Joe is the proud 2016 recipient of the T. Patrick Meehan Community Service Award from the Community of Windham Foundation
John Harper
John’s warm and friendly voice keeps everyone company from 9 am to 2 pm every weekday! Originally from Stamford, CT, John joined WRIP with passion, commitment and dedication. John plays more of today’s hits and yesterday’s favorites along with ABC News updates during his ‘Midday in the Mountains’ segment.
Bill Jacquemin
Master Prognosticator in the WRIP 97.9 Mountain Weather Center, the only radio voice bringing you pinpoint weather forecasting for our unique Catskills climate. After 24 years as WRIP's Chief Meteorologist, Bill has retired. His last broadcast was on May 31, 2023. Meteorologist Christopher Roscia took over Bill's duties on June 1, 2023.
Kelly Green (Sundays 7 PM to Midnight)
Join Kelly Green every week here on WRIP, host of our popular Sunday Night Nice ‘n’ Easy program, featuring the best of American Pop Standards.
Patricia Morrow
Lifelong Windham resident Patricia Morrow joined the WRIP family on November 5, 2010 as our Commercial Traffic Manager. She also compiles our Datebook of events, and maintains our website and social media pages. In addition to her work at WRIP, Patti has been the Windham Town Historian since 1987. She is a founding member and Trustee Emeritus of the Town of Windham Historical Society, served several terms on the Town of Windham’s Architectural Review Board and the Mountain Top Historical Society’s Board of Trustees, and was the editor and publisher of Greene Genes: A Genealogical Quarterly About Greene County, New York from 1988 to 1999.