EAST LONGMEADOW –  Rocco Mesiti believes that everything in life comes full circle, and his life exemplifies that. As a 30-year resident of East Longmeadow, Mesiti shared his background with Reminder Publishing: how when he was in college he started a deejay business and studied abroad in Italy, and how years later he found himself at the helm of Springfield Technical Community College’s (STCC) Dolce Vita Italian Radio Program on WTCC 90.7 FM, the only Italian American Program in Western Mass, celebrating Italian Heritage Month this October.

With both of his parents being immigrants from Italy, Mesiti felt a strong connection to the country his family hailed from. He grew up listening to Italian music, and stated it was the primary music genre that was listened to at his home.  

“We spoke Italian at home, listened to Italian music at home, my parents made me study the accordion,” he chuckled. “I know more about Italian music than my cousins who live in Italy do. I became really passionate about Italian music.”

As Mesiti grew older and attended college, he had the opportunity to be a deejay for WMUA 91.1 FM; UMass Amherst’s student–run college radio station. Over the course of his time at UMass, Mesiti studied abroad in Italy, bringing him even closer to his roots. As he studied abroad in the country, Mesiti was hired by a weekly Italian radio show. Without knowing it, he was gaining critical experience that would help him in the future.

Around 1992, STCC’s WTCC contacted Mesiti because the Italian Community program, which was started by Sylvia Pelligrini and Pat Romano needed a new show runner.

“I was their [Pelligrini and Romano’s] college intern back in like ’82. I used to go to STCC and record their radio show and splice it on a reel to be rebroadcast on Sundays, so I worked as their production assistant,” Mesiti said. “I’m one of those real strong believers that life is a journey and things come full circle and we cross paths constantly with people throughout our lives.”

Mesiti related that 11 years after his internship with the STCC radio show, Romano had passed away and Pelligrini was aging and couldn’t do the program any longer. Pelligrini remembered Mesiti, that he spoke Italian, that he was a local deejay and that he had radio experience. Mesiti was offered the volunteer position,  which he accepted.

For his first radio show, Mesiti recruited his mother, who has since passed.

“We sat in her kitchen and we started looking, and we put together my first playlist. She coached me on what I needed to do,” he shared. “She used to be my critic. She was really influential in that, and for me, I started to understand that this Italian Community program is very important to a lot of people because each and every Sunday I enter their homes and they feel connected to something in their past.”

Mesiti noted that often, people inquire why he does so much work for the radio show for no pay.

“People ask me, ‘You do that for free?’ Some guys go golfing…this is my hobby. I enjoy it, I’ve made some wonderful friends from doing the program,” Mesiti related.

“It allows me to make dedications and announcements and have people feel close to their heritage, to remember their mother, father, grandparent. I have people that call me and ask me to dedicate a song to my mom in heaven.” Mesiti questioned, “How do you walk away from a program that means so much to so many people?”

While commonly Italian heritage is associated with delicious carbohydrate–loaded foods and fine wines, Mesiti commented that there’s much more to being Italian and feeling Italian, and music is another enormous part of Italian culture.

WTCC has the ability now to do live–remote shows. Mesiti explained that they’ve done remote broadcasts from New York City and done live on–the–street interviews.

The Dolce Vita Italian Radio Program runs every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mesiti shared that he tries to keep the program grassroots, combining Italian music with special guest interviews. Mesiti has interviewed Italian singer Jerry Vale, comedian Pat Cooper and singer Jimmy Roselli, as well as local Italian American community members Mayor Domenic Sarno, state Rep. Angelo Puppolo and District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

Mesiti was honored with a Serviam Award from the Italian Cultural Center in 2013, and has been actively involved with many Italian American clubs and societies in Western Mass. In 2015, he was elected by Italians living abroad in New England as a Comitato Italiani Estero or Committee for Italians Abroad (COMITES) Consigliere, which means councilor. COMITES is a democratically elected committee of 12 representatives who work to identify and support the needs of the Italian Communities.

“Since in office, I have been involved in voting for funds from the Italian government to support Italian language education, advocating for the reopening of a Vice Consulate office for Western Massachusetts, and volunteered for Boston’s North End relief funds for Italy’s 2016, 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy, leveling entire towns and resulting in devastating loss and the deaths of 298 people,” Mesiti explained.

“Building a bridge to connect Western Massachusetts Italian communities with Italians with Boston and Providence isn’t always easy, but never impossible,” he said.

In addition to his position at WTCC, for well over 30 years, Mesiti has owned and operated DJ Rocco Productions, his mobile deejay business. While running his business, Mesiti went back to school to earn a Master’s degree in teaching from UMass Amherst, and then went on to earn a Doctorate from the University of Hartford in Educational Leadership.

“In 2001 I was given the opportunity to direct a program for UMass on Italy and I was there [in Italy] for an entire semester with 29 undergrad students in the same place that I did the internship 15 years earlier,” he shared. “Here I was with UMass students, and I learned anything and everything about studying abroad, which leads me to where I am now.”

Currently, Mesiti is an Adjunct Professor at Western New England University (WNE) and co–directs the summer study abroad programs the University offers in Italy.

The Dolce Vita Italian Radio Program on 90.7 has a 4,000 watt transmitter that can reach as far as Greenfield and goes past Hartford, CT. Mesiti stated that thousands of people listen to their commercial–free radio each day. Every year the show participates in a radiothon to raise money for the show. Mesiti explained that they have a history of being one of the top five radio programs that raise money.

On Oct. 21, Mesiti will be hosting this years “big production” with local guests in honor of Italian Heritage month. For those who would like to tune into 90.7 but may not speak Italian, Mesiti ensures listeners that the show is bilingual. For more information about STCC’s radio programming, go to https://www.wtccfm.org/#content