Zolz Entertainment

ZOLZ "IN THE NEWS"

From the Times Herald Record:

Zolzer hangs up radio mike - By Ken McMillan

Family time is more important than air time, and that's why Rick Zolzer is opting out of his namesake sports talk show on ESPN Radio. Zolzer bid farewell to his audience on WALL/WEOK shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday in a surprise announcement. The 45-year-old announcer has been host of the afternoon "Zolz and the Athletic Supporters Show'' since its inception on April 28, 2001. "There is so much stuff on my plate,'' said Zolzer, the director of marketing and special events for the Poughkeepsie YMCA. He is also the public address announcer for the Hudson Valley Renegades and New Jersey Nets. "I would rather have the time when there is not a 'Gades or Nets game to hang out at home, go on the deck and have a cookout or go in the pool with the kids. I've done it for a year-and-a-half and lived out a dream. ... I had a golden opportunity and I took advantage of it.''

Zolzer says in two weeks he will reprise his morning sports reports on WPDH-FM, something he has done on-and-off for five years. He has also done the same thing for stations in Albany and Cleveland. "It's just an opportunity for me to spend more time with my family, and I still have 806 jobs,'' said Zolzer, who runs a dee-jay business as well. Program coordinator Jason Barrett and recent addition Rick Schultz will continue to host the 4 p.m. show. "He did a solid job on the air,'' Barrett said of Zolzer. "He's a local figure that a lot of people know. He brought a lot of opinion and passion to the airwaves.''

Zolzer and his wife, Mary, have two young girls: 2-year-old Taylor Anne and 12-week-old Jordan Alexis. "I will miss having the opportunity to talk to guys like (Yankees general manager) Brian Cashman and (NBC announcer) Bob Costas,'' Zolzer said. "At the end, when I put this beautiful little girl on my lap, that's far better anyway.''