Music
“It’s time to say goodbye and to do some things that maybe I haven’t had the chance to do,” Carter Alan said.
Legendary local DJ Carter Alan will retire after nearly 50 years on the Boston airwaves, 100.7 WZLX announced Monday.
Alan spent nearly two decades at WCBN, where he became music director, before moving to 100.7 WZLX in 1998.
“It’s been a long time in radio and the biggest chunk of my life, and I think it’s time to say goodbye,” Alan said in a video posted online. “It’s been incredible and I have so many great memories.”
Alan hosts the midday show at the station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He also hosts “Sunday Morning Blues” on Sundays, according to the 100.7 WZLX website.
In the video, Alan stood in front of the shelves upon shelves of his records. He listed off bands and artists like AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, and The Who.
“In my long radio career, I’ve been involved with most of these stories and most of these bands,” he said.
According to the Music Museum of New England, Alan is credited with introducing U2 to America. He played “I Will Follow” from the band’s debut album, which became a “hit” in the area.
Alan wrote five books throughout his career: two about U2, one about sound engineer Dinky Dawson, one about the rise and fall of WBCN, and one about rock and roll tours.
Alan told WBUR in 2017 that he has been to more than 3,300 concerts in his career — a fact he joked about in his retirement announcement video.
“I can’t hear as well as I used to and I’ve been to a lot of concerts,” he said, while raising his voice to a shout.
Alan spent his entire career in Boston, dating back to his start at MIT’s all-volunteer radio station WMBR, according to the Music Museum of New England.
“I just want to thank everybody who’s been listening to me for 47 years in Boston radio, because I’m one of the few people in radio — DJ, music director — who have actually been in one market,” he said in the video.
Alan said he plans to spend a good portion of his retirement traveling.
“It’s time to say goodbye and do some things that maybe I haven’t had the chance to do,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll see you out at a club or a concert sometime soon.”
Boston 25 News reported Alan will host his midday show until Dec. 18, when Chris Tyler will replace him.
100.7 WZLX will relive moments throughout Alan’s career at 1 p.m. in “Carter’s Rockstar Vault” over the coming weeks, according to the Facebook post.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
