‘It’s the end’: RI radio legend Giovanni calling it a career after 50 years

JOHNSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island’s radio waves will sound drastically different next week.

That’s because longtime 92 PRO-FM host Giovanni will sign off for the last time.

Giovanni, who’s hosted the radio station’s morning show since 1999, announced his retirement on air earlier this year.

“I’m leaving PRO-FM forever and I’m having a hard time wrapping that around my head,” he said. “But it’s happening.”

Giovanni’s retirement coincides with another major milestone: his 50th anniversary on air.

Though he’s known primarily by his on-air persona, Giovanni isn’t his real name.

It’s actually Daniel Centofanti.

So, why does he go by Giovanni instead?

“I wasn’t thrilled with it back then,” he explained, referring to his name. “I didn’t roll off the tongue like ‘Mike Montecalvo.’”

Giovanni is actually his grandfather’s name, and while his close friends and family refer to him as “Danny,” most know him solely as “Gio.”

He said he never thought he’d have something in common with his idol Salty Brine, who hosted his own radio show on WPRO-AM for 50 years.

“I think about it all the time,” he said. “I think to myself, ‘How did I end up in the same club as Salty?’ How did I end up in the same league?”

Narragansett’s Salty Brine State Beach is actually named after the late radio legend.

But Giovanni doesn’t expect, nor want, to receive that same honor.

“The Giovanni beach?” he asked with a chuckle. “Who’s going to want to put their bathing suit on and go to that beach?”

When asked what he is going to miss the most about PRO-FM, Giovanni replied, “the moments where things go crazy on the air.”

Giovanni said he’s always gone into each show with a plan, but has learned over the years to expect the unexpected.

“We just have a good time and we laugh,” Giovanni said. “That’s all I ever wanted that show to be, just a bunch of people sitting around having a conversation.”

Despite being “Rhode Island famous,” Giovanni has never considered himself a legend. He said it actually wasn’t until he announced his retirement that he realized how much of an impact he’s had on his listeners.

“I couldn’t believe how many people told me, ‘I grew up listening to you,’” Giovanni said. “It just never registered to me … I didn’t realize how big of a deal I am to them.”

Even though he’s looking forward to retirement, Giovanni knows his last show is going to be an emotional one.

“I’ll never be able to say, ’92 PRO-FM it’s Gio in The Morning!’ again because it won’t be,” he said. “It will be a new team, and they’re going to be great, but it’s the end for me.”