Terry James Lubinsky is an American radio host. He is also executive producer/director of many
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...
(PBS) pledge-drive programs. He presents oldies-format music programs airing on PBS.
Early life and career
Lubinsky was born in
Bradley Beach, New Jersey
Bradley Beach is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 4,298,Herman Lubinsky, Sr., founded
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music.
In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music.
...
in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
, and introduced acts that would be influential in modern popular music (Doo-Wop, Motown, disco and Top 40). Lubinsky, Sr., also founded and operated
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
's first radio station WNJ. His uncle, "Buzzy", was also a well-known club disc jockey in New Jersey. At 16, TJ Lubinsky obtained his
General Equivalency Diploma
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
and accepted his first television job at Monmouth Cable TV-34 in New Jersey, where he learned his craft for television production. He worked on different news, studio, and sport remotes that served 31 towns, boroughs and municipalities along the Jersey Shore.
When he turned 22, Lubinsky was offered a job to work for PBS in
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
, eventually he was promoted and relocated to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, often considered the mecca of oldies music. Taking advantage of that fact, he blended his passion for Doo-Wop, Motown, classic Philly Soul and '60s Rock and Roll oldies into PBS's most successful fundraisers as the creator and executive producer of "Doo-Wop '50", and over 30 national television specials from PBS which archive America's soundtrack from the '50s, '60s and '70s through his "My Music" series. Lubinsky produced the 2005 ''Stereo Motown Box Set''.
Lubinsky is also one of the executive producers of '' The Very Best Of The Ed Sullivan Show'' seen on public television.
He helped bring several episodes of ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' to the US which had not been shown in the country before. In 2003-2005, he also archived and restored several introductions made for the American broadcast of ''Doctor Who'' episodes from the
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the Fourth Doctor, fourth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Wh ...
era, with voice-overs by
Howard Da Silva
Howard Da Silva (born Howard Silverblatt, May 4, 1909 – February 16, 1986) was an American actor, director and musical performer on stage, film, television and radio. He was cast in dozens of productions on the New York stage, appeared in mo ...
. These were included on the BBC DVD releases.
Lubinsky spent four years as host and DJ on the
WJRZ-FM
WJRZ-FM (100.1 FM, "100.1 WJRZ") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Manahawkin, New Jersey. The station is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group through licensee Beasley Media Group, LLC, and broadcasts a classic hits format. The ...
Sunday Night Request Show, where he hosted five live hours by request through 2009, when the station flipped formats to Adult Contemporary. In July, 2013, Lubinsky returned to a weekly Sunday night program on WJRZ. Lubinsky decided to end his WJRZ radio program in 2014 to help care for his father, Herman Lubinsky, Jr. prior to his passing, and to concentrate on new TV projects (including editing new digitally remastered TV feature-length movies of classic "Doctor Who" episodes featuring Tom Baker for the BBC in America". In April 2016, Lubinsky returned to the radio, this time on Friday nights live from 8pm to midnight, up the New Jersey dial to Oldies 1079, WOLD-LP and online and around the world at woldradio.com, where he plays music and interviews with artists from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s and live requests and dedications from his listeners. Lubinsky is still making television projects for public broadcasting. Since 2018, Lubinsky does his radio shows on twitch and mixcloud.
TJ Lubinsky PBS television productions
*1999 -
Doo Wop 50 Doo Wop 50 was a PBS pledge drive special created and produced for PBS member station WQED-TV by TJ Lubinsky, grandson of Herman Lubinsky (founder of Savoy Records). The special was inspired by a 1994 CD box-set of doo wop music produced and sold b ...
(creator/producer)
*2000 - More Doo Wop 50 (creator/producer)
*2000 - Doo Wop 51 (creator/producer)
*2001 - More Doo Wop 51 (creator/producer)
*2000 - Rock, Rhythm, and Doo Wop (creator/producer)
*2000 - More Rock, Rhythm and Doo Wop (creator/producer)
*2001 - This Land Is Your Land (creator/executive producer)
*2001 - The Ed Sullivan Show (executive producer, 120 PBS Episodes)
*2001 - The Sound Of Pittsburgh (creator/executive producer)
*2001 - Soul and Inspiration (creator/producer)
*2002 - R&B 40 (creator/executive producer)
*2002 - Timeless Music (creator/executive producer)
*2002 - Red, White and Rock (creator/executive producer)
*2003 - This Land Is Our Land (creator/producer)
*2003 - Rock and Roll 50 (creator/producer)
*2003 - Rhythm, Love and Soul (creator/executive producer)
*2003 - 70s Soul Superstars (creator/executive producer)
*2004 - Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop (creator/executive producer)
*2004 - Get Down Tonight - Disco (creator/executive producer/director)
*2005 - Motown - Early Years (creator/executive producer/director)
*2005 - Funky Soul Superstars (creator/executive producer/director)
*2005 - 60s Experience (creator/executive producer/director)
*2005 - Doo Wop Anthology (creator/executive producer/director)
*2005 - Moments To Remember (creator/executive producer/director)
*2006 - Movie Songs (creator/executive producer/director)
*2006 - Country Pop Legends (creator/executive producer/director)
*2006 - The British Beat (creator/executive producer/director)
*2006 - The 70s (creator/executive producer/director)
*2006 - Doo Wop's Best on PBS (creator/executive producer)
*2006 - 50s Pop Parade (creator/executive producer/director)
*2006 - The 60s Experience II (creator/executive producer/director)
*2007 - Doo Wop Love Songs (Creator/Executive Producer/Director)
*2008 - My Music: My Generation - The 60s (TV documentary) (executive producer)
*2008 - That's Amore!: Italian-American Favorites (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2008 - My Music: Love Songs of the '50s and '60s (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2009 - Ed Sullivan's Rock and Roll Classics: The 60s (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2009 - My Music: Motown Memories (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2009 - My Music: The Big Band Years (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2010 - My Music: John Sebastian Presents Folk Rewind (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2010 - My Music: Aretha Franklin Presents Soul Rewind (TV movie (executive producer)
*2010 - My Music: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2011 - My Music: '60s Pop, Rock & Soul (TV movie (executive producer)
*2011 - My Music: Rock, Pop & Doo Wop (TV movie (executive producer)
*2012 - My Music: Burt Bacharach's Best (TV movie) (co-executive producer)
*2012 - My Music: Big Band Vocalists (TV movie) (executive producer)
*2018 - My Music: Doo Wop Generations (TV movie) (creator/producer)
Personal life
Lubinsky is married to Wendy Lawton, and has three children, Kaitlyn, Ryan, and Noah.