Old Westbury Web Radio is keeping nostalgia alive with a compelling program: The Five N’ Dime music show. The show celebrates the past, bringing music and culture to a new generation of listeners through engaging discussions and carefully curated playlists.
For Glen Cove’s own Ralph Comitino., co-hosting The Five N’ Dime Music show has been more than just an opportunity—it’s been a sanctuary. “I love doing this. The job I have in Glen Cove is stressful, but when I come here, everything feels lifted off my shoulders,” he said. “Gio and Joe are like brothers to me.”
Comitino, who joined the Five N’ Dime just a few months ago, was introduced to the program by Locust Valley resident Joe Gallo. “Joe said to me, ‘Why don’t you just come in and sit with us one time?’ I did, and the rest is history. It was just like peanut butter and jelly.”
Comitino’s enthusiasm for the show has been evident in his commitment. “A lot of the people in Glen Cove listen. I get a lot of feedback from people who tell me how great the show was, and if you missed it, Gio puts it on his Mixcloud,” he adds. “There are nights when there’s nothing on TV, so I just listen to an old show.”
As the station manager of OWWR, Joe Manfredi is passionate about keeping the spirit of radio alive. He strongly refutes claims that radio is fading. “If it weren’t for radio, podcasting wouldn’t exist,” he said. “Radio generates too much revenue to disappear. While traditional stations may struggle, college and internet radio stations remain strong.”
Manfredi believes radio is evolving rather than dying. “Radio is still very, very solid. It’s just shifting,” he said. “Music is the one thing everyone has in common. It brings people together. That’s what makes shows like The Five N’ Dime music show and so special.”
Since July 2019, Giovanni Dainotto has hosted The Five N’ Dime Music Show, a program dedicated to classic hits from the 1950s and 1960s, with occasional detours into the 1970s and 1980s. Airing every Monday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. the show features Doo-Wop, British Invasion, Pop, Folk, Americana, and Disco, bringing timeless music to fans across generations.
Dainotto, who hails from Deer Park and works in the Human Resources department at AHRD Nassau, was inspired to start the show after discovering OWWR. “I wanted to go to school for radio, TV, and journalism,” he said. “I toured this college, came across the station, and I loved it. So I started taking radio classes with Joe Manfredi, and I asked him if I could do a radio show.”
For years, Dainotto ran the show solo, but in the past year, he welcomed co-hosts Gallo and Comitino. “Joe has been on for one year, Ralph’s been on for about four or five months,” he said. “I went from doing this alone for five years to suddenly having two co-hosts, and it’s been a blast.”
The dynamic changed with their addition, making the show even more engaging. “There’s more camaraderie, more conversation. We go on tangents, but it’s all organic,” he says. “I’m playing a little less music, but not in a negative way. There’s something people can look forward to—a mix of great music and lively discussion.”
For those who can’t tune in live at owwrny.org, past shows are available at Mixcloud.com.
