Connie Szerszen

Connie Szerszen is an American female radio personality, currently heard on www.ChicagoRadioOnLine.com, hosting the Classic Hits Channel with legendary DJ Fred Winston. Szerszen is a native Chicagoan of Polish ancestry. While she was Talent Coordinator at WCFL, Szerszen was discovered by air personality Penny Lane.^[1] Having never met, "Den Pal Penny Lane" called WCFL one day, and soon talked Szerszen into trying out for a show at WSDM-FM. In the fall of 1969,^[when?] Szerszen started her broadcasting career at WSDM-FM. Her radio name was Den Pal Dawn; she eventually did the morning show before leaving for WIND (AM).

In March 1974, Szerszen became one of the few female announcers to have her own prime time program on AM radio in a major market. That was 6-10 PM as a deejay on WIND (AM) in Chicago, a popular AM station then owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting, a/k/a Group W. Szerszen was entered into the U.S. Congressional Record for that achievement. The Chicago Sun-Times Midwest Magazine made her their cover story, crediting her as "The Woman Who Invented Strip Radio." CBS-2 in Chicago, did a feature story on her show for their 5 PM Newscast with Bill Kurtis on May 7, 1976.^{[citation needed]}

Szerszen was also an on-air personality for several other Chicago stations, including WJMK, WJEZ, WJJD, and WUSN "US-99." She appeared on local TV shows and guest-hosted WCIU-TV's Kiddie-A-Go-Go in 1970.^[specify]

On 12 August 2005, WJMK HD2 became the first station in America to broadcast live on an all-digital radio station; the next night, Szerszen's 70's Saturday Night began on the station, and she became the 1st female in America to broadcast "live" on an all-digital radio station. (www.AllAccess.com,August 2010)

She is known to her listeners as the Top Rock Girly Jock and Polish Princess and ends her shows with "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła", the first line of the Polish national anthem.

In addition, Szerszen is a portrait artist.^[2] Szerszen's portraits of donors hang in the main entrance at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and in the Karen Yontz Women's Cardiac Awareness Centers in Milwaukee and West Allis, Wisconsin.^[3] Her works also hang at The Oconomowoc Hospital's Cancer Center; St. Mary of Nazareth in Chicago; Inverness Golf Club; Holy Family Parish, Inverness, Illinois; and the Village Hall in Roselle, Illinois. She has also done works for private and corporate clients, such as USG Corporation. In February 2006, Crain's Chicago Business did a feature story on her portraiture.

Szerszen has attended School of the Art Institute of Chicago, American Academy of Art, Northwestern University and The Palette & Chisel in Chicago.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Photo of Connie at WCFL in 1967 with The Buckinghams
2. ^ Portrait Art Chicago-information about Connie's art work and news clipping copies regarding it
3. ^ Adoration, inspiration, Daily Herald, October 19, 2003, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-109230248.html 

External links

• June 14, 2011 - ABC7 4 PM NEWS - Chicago Close-Up - Interview with Janet Davies

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=8190345

• Connie Szerszen press clippings on her website
• Chicago Radio Spotlight October 2009-Connie Szerszen interview
• WGN-TV Midday News- Connie Szerszen interview-December 21, 2009
• You Tube WSDM Video with audio of Connie as "Dawn" reading a MusicCraft commercial-circa early 1970's
• YouTube video of Connie on air at WJMK HD 2 circa 2005

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Name	Szerszen, Connie
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