Steve Noxon Discusses his '2ND ACT' at Waterbury's Palace Theater

Steve Noxon, formerly the host of “Talk on the Town” on WATR 1320 AM and 97.7 FM, was the latest person to give a 2ND ACT presentation last evening in the Poli Club at Waterbury’s Palace Theater. In essence, Noxon is now working on his 3rd Act, but this event had been booked months before his leaving the Waterbury radio station.

WATR News Director Chris Fortier was the person who pushed Noxon to apply to become a “2ND Acter.” Fortier posted this witty (if a bit snarky) invite on his Facebook page:

My pal and former colleague Steven Noxon, who in January was paroled from WATR, has some great stories to tell in the Palace Theater's next 2ND ACT program. If he shares just three or four of the good ones, it'll be worth the price of a ticket. And Sarah Elizabeth Carabetta, a Waterbury class act, will introduce him. He's been off the air for a few months, so once he sees that microphone, you might want to be ready with snacks and a sleeping bag.

Fortier attended the 2ND ACT presentation to support his former colleague. During the questions that Noxon took after his talk, Fortier requested that he tell one additional story and demonstrate his "Tom Hill III Walk" one more time.

“It’s never too late to achieve your dream” was the tagline for Noxon’s talk and it was clear that Noxon’s career trajectory was a fine example of this exhortation.

Noxon explained that he spent most of his life doing what he thought he was supposed to do. This included getting a job, making money to support his family, and “buy cool stuff.” However, he always had a dream in the back of his mind, and that was to be on the radio. He proudly displayed the FCC license that he earned in 1980.

While that dream often seemed to be just out of reach, dramatic changes in his life finally allowed him to pursue and eventually achieve his long-held dream. He learned that he only needed to learn how to say “Yes.” It was his hope to present an entertaining and inspirational night of stories and lessons learned, and he accomplished both with a healthy dose of humor.

Noxon does not think of his life as divided into acts, but rather as an evolution. His search for a “job in the real world” began with a pharmacy courier service, where he worked for ten years. He went on to become a software trainer, then moving on to work in sales. When the pharmacy company was bought out, he was laid off.

He attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and went on to earn an IT degree from the University of Phoenix. He became proficient in online research when the internet was still young and recommended that others should always continue preparing for what might be next.

His wife dragged him to a Christmas party in 2009, and that is where Noxon met CPTV’s Larry Rifkin. Rifkin, who was working at WATR at the time, hooked him up with Tom Hill, who needed a producer for his weekend radio show. Noxon got the job, often appearing on the air with “TH3.” When Hill left as the host of the program, Noxon stepped into the position.

When Rifkin retired from hosting the “Talk of the Town” program, Noxon was offered the position and he jumped at the chance, although the pay was low. Bob Sagendorf served as his producer in the beginning and then Fortier took over the post, although Noxon admitted that he still isn’t sure exactly what a producer does.

The most heartfelt section of this presentation was when Noxon discussed how seriously he took the responsibility of his daily talk show. He felt this heavy responsibility especially at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. During his time on the air, he made connections, always read any book that he discussed with an author on the air, and realized that he lived for his time on the air. He hopes that radio can survive the economic downturn.

Noxon addressed the reason why he recently left WATR. He said that the new owners of the station made him an offer that he had no choice but to refuse. He was asked to steer clear of politics and anything controversial and to moderate his political views, as well as reduce the hours of “Talk of the Town” and take a 50% cut in pay.

The broadcaster noted that he sincerely appreciated the letters and support that he has received from his listeners, online and in the Rep-Am newspaper. He truthfully shared that he had hoped to be able to share what he would be doing in the next act of his career, but things are “not yet in place” enough to share with the public.

Noxon shared that if he had the chance, he would not change anything in his life, not all of the hits to his head he suffered as a child, nor the mishap he had with his brand new Jeep. He shared the touching story of how he met his devoted wife.

Noxon, who described himself as an introvert who found it difficult to speak to a live audience, was honored to have Sarah Elizabeth Carabetta from Acts 4 Ministry, Inc , a former intern at the Palace Theater, introduce him after Sheree Marcucci welcomed everyone to this episode of her 2ND ACT series.