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Reporter recalls the mood, music and mud of Woodstock

"The Lessons of Woodstock"
/
Associated Press

When Jimi Hendrix was taking the Woodstock stage for his legendary performance, Mike Desmond was driving back to Utica for work on Monday morning. That performance aside, Desmond was on-site covering most of the festival for The Daily Press.

"It was muddy. The food ran out. The booze ran out," recalled Desmond, who has spent most of his reporting career in Buffalo, including his current post with WBFO.

Mike's press credentials provided exceptional access to the event. While thousands of vehicles waited at road blocks miles from the concert stage, Desmond's media accreditation allowed him to drive inside the festival grounds. The hood of his car provided a boost for a half-dozen exhausted walkers.

The performances of Richie Havens and The Who stood out for the veteran reporter. Desmond also recalled chatting with Joan Baez when he noticed "a guy shooting up in this tent right backstage."

"It was unique situation in one place, in one time," said Desmond, who doubts a similar event will ever take place again.

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.
Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Jay joined Buffalo Toronto Public Media in 2008 and has been local host for NPR's "Morning Edition" ever since. In June, 2022, he was named one of the co-hosts of WBFO's "Buffalo, What's Next."

A graduate of St. Mary's of the Lake School, St. Francis High School and Buffalo State College, Jay has worked most of his professional career in Buffalo. Outside of public media, he continues in longstanding roles as the public address announcer for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League and as play-by-play voice of Canisius College basketball.