Last week, USM’s community radio station, WMPG, lost one if its favorite members: technical director Phil Hersey. To many at the station, he was like family. Hersey was born on May 7 1951 on Long Island in New York City, according to his cousin, Pamela Hersey. “At some point he came up to join Lyle, that’s his father,” Pamela said. “I think he was in his thirties.” Not long after that, Phil found his way to WMPG. By all accounts, he was extremely introverted, and little is known about his personal life. He never married.
“He knew he was welcome anytime [with the family], but he never took us up on it,” Pamela said. “The older he got, it seems, the more introspective he got.”
Over the course of his employment, WMPG became Hersey’s family, and he was well-loved there.
“He was like everyone’s cousin or crazy uncle,” said Patrick Babcock, a DJ at the station who runs a nighttime Grateful Dead show. While reclusive in his personal life, Hersey was a gregarious and opinionated member of the station.
He had a reputation for honesty and plain-spokenness. His cheer and straightforwardness earned him the admiration and trust of his peers.
“There was a sense of purity to Phil. He’d just say why he disagreed with you in two or three sentences. He wouldn’t have to be elaborate. That was nocturnal Phil, diabetic Phil. He was a definite character around here,” Babcock said. To quote the ‘Dead, Phil was ‘honest to the point of recklessness,'”
“A lot of people thought he was quirky ‘cuz he would space out, which was probably attributable to the diabetes,” said John Joyce, the station’s office manager. “He didn’t have health insurance, and it’s like $500 whenever you call an ambulance. So we all kind of helped him out. [Station manager] Jim Rand kept Phil alive for years.” The cause of Hersey’s death is unknown, but those who know him best agree that it was probably the diabetes he’d been struggling with for years.
“We hadn’t seen him for a couple of days and I went over to his house. I found him there,” Rand said.
Hersey was known for his diligence and talent on the job. In addition to maintaining the station’s equipment, he helped with the station’s Local Motives show, where local bands play live on the air. Hersey also recorded the bands as they played. According to WMPG’s website (http://www.wmpg.org), Hersey recorded around 500 bands while he was there.
“I don’t think that number is an exaggeration,” Joyce said. “He was an incredible audio technician. He knew how to mix down a band like you wouldn’t believe.”
Hersey’s main responsibility was to maintain and repair the broadcast equipment. He went above and beyond his job description, pulling long overnight hours with a fetishistic attention to detail.
“My show was an hour and a half long. It was amazing to see how he’d take apart the whole station, it seems, and have it put together by the time my shift ended.” Hersey’s care for the equipment was invaluable to the station.
“He was very tedious when he’d fix something,” Joyce said. “he would work on it until it was fixed.” Joyce said that Hersey hated computers and other digital equipment. “He has a hammer that he labeled “digital repair tool,” Joyce said. “I think I’m gonna get it framed.”
“There’s a saying in the radio business: a good technical director is like gold,” Rand said.
“I don’t even know what that place is gonna be like without him,” said DJ Buddy Bourgeoisie.
“We’ve been in such shock that we haven’t even begun to discuss how we’re going to fill the void.”