40 Years of Phil Nee’s “Those Were The Days” celebrated at The City Auditorium
Oct 5, 2026, 2:08 PM CT
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WRCO celebrated 40 Years of Phil Nee’s “Those Were The Days” show at the Richland Center City Auditorium Saturday night. A raucous, happy crowd was treated to skits, standup comedy, expert musical direction by Chris Simonson, featuring the musical stylings of Phil Nee himself, a drop-in by “Miss Pea Ridge”, cold case files from Ithaca High School, and doo-wop crooning by the founding members of “Marty and the Corn Dogs.”
The star of the show was Phil Nee, as it should have been.
With visits from several former colleagues at WRCO, and some witty banter with his wife, June, Phil conducted a live broadcast of the show, with the help of Adam Ness and Tim Thiede.
Ownership and management from Civic Media were in attendance as well, laughing along with the crowd, and showing reverence for Phil’s massive contributions to local radio. The event also served as a fundraiser for the continued restoration of the auditorium; concession sales were definitely strong, raising $2000 for the cause.
Everyone on the staff at WRCO had a great time putting the show together, and the crowd definitely went home happy - so much so, that several requests have been made to make it an annual event.
There has been no decision on that idea as of yet, to be honest, Phil was caught by surprise by the suggestion.
Thank you to all who attended live, or listened to the broadcast as it happened - Phil’s no Rodney Dangerfield …. he’s gettin’ some respect!
The current WRCO Staff at the end of a VERY successful celebration.
In the event you missed the live show, the audio can be heard in its entirety by clicking the links below.
Todd Coppernoll oversees local news for WRCO and WRCE radio in Richland Center. Having served Richland Center as Mayor for three terms, Todd brings a unique perspective, and a familiar voice to the news. The focus is local, and so is the reporter.
Adam Hess has been involved in radio broadcasting since 1990, with many of those years spent on the air at WRCO FM in Richland Center. Currently, Adam hosts the Weekend Wake-up and Prime Mover Saturdays on WRCO FM, jumps in and helps out with news duties, handles Social Media duties for WRCO and WRCE, and is the Director of Technology at a Southwest Wisconsin School District. Reach him at adam.hess@civicmedia.us.
