Fr. John P. Gatzak
Executive Director, ORTV, Inc.
General Manager, WJMJ-FM
Television Mass Executive Producer
Fr. John fulfilled his seminary studies at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield,
Connecticut, where he received an A.A. degree; St. John Seminary, Brighton,
Massachusetts, where he received a B.A. in Philosophy; and he completed his
priestly formation at the Pontifical North American College, Rome, Italy. While
in Rome, Fr. John earned his S.T.B. degree and an M.A. in Theology from the
Pontifical Gregorian University.
On June 29, 1975, the Feast of
Saints Peter and Paul, Fr. John was ordained to the priesthood by
the Holy Father, Paul VI (now Saint Pope Paul VI) in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
In 1980, Fr. John received an M.A. in Corporate and Political Communications
from Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut.
From August 1975 to November 1975 he served as assistant pastor at St. John the
Evangelist Parish, New Britain, Connecticut.
From 1975 to 1979 he served as associate pastor at Holy Infant Parish, Orange,
Connecticut.
From 1979 to 1987 he served as Catholic chaplain to Trinity College, Hartford,
Connecticut, and The University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut.
From 1984 to 1987 he served as assistant Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Hartford.
On November 12, 1987, Fr. John was appointed the Executive Director of the Office of Radio & Television.
In addition to his duties as executive director of ORTV, Inc. (Office of Radio &
Television) Father John has served in the following positions:
Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Hartford, November 1987 to August 2010
Executive Editor of The Catholic Transcript, December 1992 to June 1997
Administrator of Blessed Sacrament Parish, East Hartford, Connecticut, August
1996 to October 1997.
In April 2008, then Archbishop Mansell tasked Father John with the oversight of
WJMJ-FM, and in August 2008, upon the retirement of WJMJ's then general manager,
Father John became WJMJ's general manager. In January 2009, the administration,
operations and staff of WJMJ-FM were merged into the Office of Radio &
Television.
e-Mail: ortv
Mark Andrews
WJMJ Rock 'N Roll Revival Host, Saturday 8 p.m. -midnight and Catholic High School Football Play-by-Play Announcer
Mark took to the WJMJ airwaves in September 2009 with its first
LIVE Catholic high school football broadcast.. More to come.
e-Mail: AndrewsM
Traci Colletti
Receptionist
Traci joined the crew full time, in August 2021.
Traci is the first person you will usually hear
when you call ORTV. She brings many years
of administrative experience to the position.
In addition to answering the telephones, Traci
is responsible for maintain donation records and
scheduling the hundreds of daily requests for
television Mass prayers and intentions.
She also assists with the
day-to-day administrative functions of the
office.
e-Mail: Traci.Colletti
Glenn Colligan
WJMJ Weekday Mid-day Host, Noon-3 p.m., Saturday Mid-Day Host, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Glenn took to the WJMJ airwaves in May 2009.
More to come.
e-Mail: ColliganG
Joe D'Ambrosio
WJMJ fill-in Announcer
Joe "D" took to the WJMJ airwaves in June 2021 after a long radio and television broadcast career in
Connecticut. Many Connecticut radio listeners will recognize his voice from his many years as the voice
of UConn basketball.
e-Mail: Joe.Dambrosio
Larry Dasilva
WJMJ Sunday Mid-day Host, noon-2 p.m. and fill-in Announcer
Larry took to the WJMJ airwaves in March 2019.
More to come.
e-Mail: DasilvaL
Kimberly Eustace
Accounting Clerk
Kim joined the crew full time, in June 2020;
however, she has been associated with ORTV since
2012. Kim assists the business manager in
carrying out ORTV's business functions,
primarily accounts payable and receivable and
payroll and assists with the
day-to-day administrative functions of the
office.
e-Mail: EustaceK
Lauren Frey
Senior Administrative Assistant
Lauren joined the crew in July 2018 as Senior
Administrative Assistant. As Father John's assistant, she is
tasked with keeping him on schedule. Together with the business
manager, Lauren assists with overseeing ORTV's various
administrative and fundraising functions.
e-Mail: SzaboL
Jules Gallo
WJMJ Weekend Overnight Host, midnight-5:30 a.m./fill-in announcer and Writer/Reporter
Jules, a native of Queens, who commutes from New York to be on-air, took to the WJMJ airwaves in June 2022. Jules is also
a Writer/Reporter for Crossroads Magazine™. More to come.
e-Mail: Jules.Gallo
Jerry Kristafer
WJMJ Weekday Morning Host, 5:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
Jerry, a legend on Connecticut radio took to the WJMJ airwaves in
November 2013. More to come.
e-Mail: KristaferJ
Eric McGrath
Production Assistant and Writer/Reporter
Eric joined the crew, part time, in August 2022 as a Production Assistant for the daily television Mass
and other radio and television productions. A
native of Dublin, Ireland, Eric came to the USA
many years ago and coached soccer. In February 2023, he became a full-time staff member with additional
duties as a Writer/Reporter for Crossroads Magazine™ and That's the Spirit™.
He also reports the religious news on WJMJ.
e-Mail: Eric.McGrath
Scott Parmelee, CPA
Business Manager
Scott is a 1984 graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a B.S. in
Business Administration. He earned his CPA that same year. Scott
worked in public accounting for 5 years with a "Big 8" accounting firm and
two years in internal auditing with a major insurance company.
Scott started as a volunteer with ORTV in 1989 and became a staff member
in February 1992. Scott was also the business manager for The Catholic
Transcript from 1993 to 1997. Scott is an Extraordinary Minister of the
Eucharist for St. Anthony Parish in Prospect.
Scott is responsible for all ORTV business functions,
budgeting, accounts payable, HR, payroll, etc.; maintaining our computer systems and this web site;
and he coordinates all the pilgrimages and
tours sponsored by the Office of Radio
& Television and WJMJ Radio.
e-Mail: ParmeleeS
Tom Ray III
Chief Broadcast Engineer
Tom joined the crew, part time, in March 2018; however, he
has been providing consulting on broadcast engineering matters to
ORTV for many years. In fact he built ORTV's first radio production studio back
when ORTV was located in Hartford. Tom is responsible for keeping both the daily television
Mass and WJMJ Radio on the air. He oversees the planning, acquisition and installation of all radio and
television broadcast equipment, including WJMJ's transmitters and translators, and ensures compliance
with all FCC rules and regulations.
e-Mail: RayT.eng
Tom Ray IV
Radio Producer/Production Assistant
Tom went from an intern to part time employee to a full time
crew member. Tom's primary responsibilities are in radio
production, and you sometimes hear him on WJMJ filling in for Father
John "In the Afterglow". Tom also helps out with the production of the daily television Mass
and other radio and television productions.
e-Mail: RayT
Chris Ryan
WJMJ Weekday Afternoon Host, 3 p.m.-7 p.m., Saturday Afternoon Host, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
Chris took to the WJMJ airwaves in July 2022.
More to come.
e-Mail: Chris.Ryan
Steve Savino
Program Director and WJMJ Weekday Late Morning Host, 10 a.m.-Noon
Steve joined ORTV and WJMJ in October 2017. More to come.
e-Mail: SavinoS
Tom Vesci
WJMJ fill-in Announcer and Writer/Reporter
Tom took to the WJMJ airwaves in April 2015 as a fill-in announcer. He also occassional
performs duties as a Writer/Reporter for Crossroads Magazine™.
e-Mail: VesciT
Tom Zarecki
WJMJ fill-in Announcer
Tom took to the WJMJ airwaves in December 2010. More to come.
e-Mail: ZareckiT
Sara Ziegler
Senior Videographer and Video Editor
Sara joined the staff in December 2005. Sara performs duties as videographer and
video editor, and various production
duties for the television Mass other productions and special projects, and
for Crossroads Magazine™. Sara also assists with the Closed
Captioning duties for the various television programs produced by
the Office of Radio & Television.
e-Mail: ZieglerS
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