Longtime engineer John Diamantis, who worked most recently in the Fredericksburg, Va., market and had deep ties to the Washington D.C. radio community, has died after an eight-year battle with cancer. He was 73.
Connoisseur VP and Market Manager Debbie Patten called Diamantis “the backbone of a radio station,” praising his consistency, skill and calm presence in a fast-moving business, according to DCRTV’s Dan Lane.
An author of “Tube Talk” Radio World columns in the 1990s, he also is remembered by many for building out many radio facilities, his knowledge of audio processing and his deft troubleshooting abilities.
Diamantis began his career on air but found his true calling in engineering, getting a taste at George Washington University’s carrier-current WRGW while studying there in the 1970s.
He most recently worked for the Connoisseur Media cluster of stations in Fredericksburg that were formerly owned by Alpha Media, which includes 93.3 WFLS(FM), 96.9 WWUZ(FM), 99.3 WVBX(FM) and 1350 WNTX(AM).
Before that, he had a 20-year run as chief engineer for Centennial Broadcasting’s 101.5 WBQB(FM) and 1230 WFVA(AM).
Prior to his time in Fredericksburg, he held engineering roles in the nation’s capital, including at the former Group W’s WCXR(FM) and WCPT(AM), and later at Colfax Broadcasting’s WBIG(FM), WGMS(FM) and WTEM(AM).
Before the sale of WCXR to Viacom, Diamantis oversaw a complete rebuild of the station’s studios, according to Lane.
Diamantis was a caring father and grandfather and he is survived by his partner, two daughters and grandchildren. He was also known for his love of poker.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support his family.
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