Midday host of JVC’s “Your Island Live”, Tom Schiliro was prepping for his show last week when he had an interesting call on his cell phone. He said the phone rang and the caller ID said “White House.” “Not sure what to expect I answered and was told that the White House Advance Team wanted to speak with me about driving a dignitary vehicle in the Presidential Motorcade on the upcoming Long Island trip by POTUS.”
Not sure what was happening Schiliro gave some very polite answers to some very vetting questions and asked if he could call back because he was getting ready to go on air on the LI News Radio mid-day show. Schiliro called JVC CEO John Caracciolo who was as bewildered as Tom, neither had even heard of a planned Presidential visit to Long Island in the upcoming week.
When Schiliro called the Advance Team back he was informed that they often reach out to select retired police officers and military personal in the local area to participate in the Presidential Motorcade by driving cars that shuttle local invited guests and business dignitary’s around the Presidential route for that trip. Tom’s name was put on a list by local Congressman Lee Zeldin and Brookhaven Political leader Jessie Garcia because of the community work Tom does with LI News Radio and his tenure with the Suffolk County Police Department. Schiliro signed right up and went through the rigorous screening.
Tom’s show on LI News Radio 103.9 “Your Island Live” is a talk/conversation show with a mix of local politicians, community leaders, listener call in’s and many experts and officials from the Suffolk County Police Department contributing regularly to his show. So Tom used his detective skills, Tom is a retired Suffolk Police Officer, and made some calls to the brass. He found out that yes, President Trump was planning a visit to the Island in the next week and yes, they were in the planning stages of coordinating his motorcade route and staging areas.
LI News Radio listeners or even the staff of the station were not given any advance notice about their midday man’s “remote broadcast” on Friday, they just knew that Schiliro was out and there was a fill in host but then according to guidance sent out by the White House press office, President Trump’s Air Force One arrival at 11:50 a.m. at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton was the all clear for Tom to call into the studio and give the LI News listeners a once in a lifetime backstage broadcast from the actual POTUS motorcade.
Schiliro reported live whenever he had the opportunity and clearance to do so, of course he never called in while actually driving in the motorcade because NY is a hands free cellular phone state!
Schiliro will be back on the air on Monday to tell all of the backstage stories like the one when Air Force One landed and Congressman Zeldin jumped in the car with Tom and said, “I’m going to ride with you”, then there was a knock on the window from a Secret Service Officer who said, “ Congressman, the President requests you ride with him”, so Congressman Zeldin jumped out with apologies to Tom and the LI News Radio listeners!
JVC Media’s President and CEO John Caracciolo added, “We’re so proud of the work Tom and the entire LI News Radio team does every day. “I am thrilled to have hosts and reporters like Tom Schiliro, Frank MacKay, Jay Oliver, Donna Vaughn and Drew Scott this team knows what it means to be live, local and in touch with their listeners. Wow is all I can say.”
