FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 20, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 67
vschneps@gmail.com
As I made my way through
the rain on a drizzly
Th ursday morning going
up the stairs to the 2 Penn Plaza
offi ces, which serves as home to
77 WABC Radio for a few more
months, I was fi lled with joyous
anticipation.
It was the beginning of the day
where I would meet my longtime
idol Joan Hamburg, then
lunch with Barbara Askins,
the dynamic leader of the iconic
125th Street BID, at Red
Rooster — my favorite restaurant
in Harlem — before heading
back to my Bayside offi ce to
prepare for a debate sponsored
by the Queens Courier with the
candidates running for Queens
Borough President. Our media
company was co-hosting it at
the beautiful, unique co-op, the
North Shore Towers. What a
day it was!
At WABC, I was humbled to be
interviewed by Joan Hamburg,
the legendary broadcaster whom
I grew up listening to.
Aft er I was buzzed into the
recording studio, I was directed
to the waiting room, where
surprisingly there was a video
screen welcoming Eric Adams,
the current Borough President
of Brooklyn who was to be a
guest on an upcoming show. I
took a snapshot of my friend and
texted it to him.
As Joan’s producer Jennifer
Grod led me down the corridor
to be interviewed, I literally
bumped into Curtis Sliwa, who
looked older than I remembered
but was still wearing his iconic
red cap and jacket of his trademark
Guardian Angels group.
He was rushing to record his
radio show, but we still had time
to reminisce about our mutual
friend Paul Carlucci, a former
executive of the New York
Post who had negotiated a dozen
years ago to acquire the Queens
Courier. We obviously rejected
the off er.
I was thrilled to talk with Joan
about our latest acquisitions:
amNewYork Metro and Metro
Philadelphia. But I was also anxious
to talk to her about being on
my Power Women Podcast.
Aft er our introduction, we
launched into a mutual admiration
chat. She was so impressed
with our news leadership in New
York City.
WABC was recently purchased
by John Catsimatidis and the
offi ces of the once legendary station
looked like a ghost town.
On the walls leading to Joan’s
studio were portraits of stars like
Don Imus and Sean Hannity,
among others who had made
WABC the “go-to” New York
radio station. Joan has reigned
there for decades, during which
she brought to her recording studio
the stars of New York City.
I can’t wait to hear the broadcast
we did together. Her show
is aired Saturday at 1 p.m. Keep
you posted!
From there, I was off to
Harlem to have lunch with the
woman who everyone calls
“Switzerland,” because she is
beloved from every corner of
Harlem.
Not only did Barbara knock on
the doors of every landlord on
125th Street to create the BID,
she has led it for decades. She
knows everything and everyone
on 125th Street, which is
home to the legendary Apollo
Th eatre. When I saw a run down
and rusted gated building on
the street, she immediately said
with anger and frustration, “that
building is owned by the city
and has been vacant for years
and that’s disgraceful!” I took a
photo of it and sent it to my editor
of amNewYork Metro Robert
Pozarycki, to see why!
We made It through the rain
into the Red Rooster restaurant,
where I had happily enjoyed
lunch (and written about it) a
few weeks prior. We found a
quiet table in the corner, but
within minutes I noticed these
women walking through in stunning
red dresses and red suits. It
was a sea of red!
Being curious, I asked one
of the women and Barbara fi gured
out that they were probably
coming from the Apollo
Th eatre that holds “Dining With
the Divas,” an annual fund-raiser
that advances women’s leadership
through arts and education.
Th is year’s event was chaired by
a powerful threesome: Betsy
Cohen, Joan Haff enreff er and
Carolyn Minick Mason.
I saw my old friend Philippa
Karteron and her daughter,
who was wearing a gorgeous red
feathered jacket, in the crowd.
I was so delighted also to
see Hope Knight, Queens’
own President and CEO of the
Greater Jamaica Development
Corporation. I even met the
woman who is the director of
Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame.
Knowing I had to get back
to Queens, I reluctantly left the
crowded room fi lled with enormously
successful women gathered
from around the country.
Getting back to my Bayside
offi ce, I reviewed with my
Queens Courier reporter
Angélica Acevedo the format of
the debate she would be moderating
later that evening.
Before heading to debate, I
stopped for dinner at the Towers
Restaurant in the North Shore
Towers, where the debate was
held. I was joined by former
Borough President Claire
Shulman, who on Feb. 23 will
celebrate her 94th birthday. She
still works every day leading the
Willets Point Redevelopment
Corporation. Remarkable!
Debby Markell, chair of
the political committee of the
North Shore Towers board,
was co-hosting the debate with
the Queens Courier. Chair of
the Queens Republican Party
Joann Ariola joined us for dinner,
too.
Matt Goldstein, district leader
from Bay Terrace, came late but
arrived for dinner just before we
walked down to the movie theatre
where the debate was held.
I was happy to see Jill Davis,
our talented editor of the North
Shore Towers Courier, the Le
Havre Courier and the Cryder
Point Courier, the monthly
news magazines for these
unique co-op buildings, covering
the debate with our other
reporters.
North Shore Towers’ three
buildings have their own cable
channel, where the debate would
be broadcast for those who
missed it in person.
I was happy to introduce
all of the candidates as they
took the stage: Councilman
Costa Constantinides, former
Councilwoman Elizabeth
Crowley, Councilman Donovan
Richards, retired NYPD Sgt.
Anthony Miranda, and longtime
prosecutor James Quinn.
Each convincingly made their
case to be selected as the next
Queens Borough President.
Th e special election that is
scheduled for March 24 comes
aft er former Borough President
Melinda Katz was elected to be
the borough’s District Attorney.
Claire, who was Borough
President for 16 years, spoke
about the power and infl uence
of the offi ce that can eff ect everyone
living in the county.
So, make sure your voice is
heard and come out to vote on
March 24.
Victoria’s
DIARY
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
What a day it was
Hope Knight and Barbara Askins, President and CEO
of the 125th Street BID.
With Joan Hamburg holding up one of our
amNewYork Metro editions.
Barbara has been fifi ghting city-owned property
managers to stop the blight of this vacant
storefront on 125th Street.
Powerful women at the luncheon.
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