Catch ‘It Came From the Radio’ in-person at the East Meadow Public Library

Mark Torres has brought his love for comics to the radio — and to the East Meadow Public Library.

Now 20 years into his career as a radio host and producer, Torres is succeeding on the air and in other walks of life. His show “It Came From The Radio” is a syndicated weekly broadcast, live on tape, featuring the voices of Torres and his co-host, Jen Feldy, among other guests and segment hosts.

The hour of entertainment comes out of WGBB-AM (1240) in Merrick, and is simulcast on WGBB-FM (95.9) in New York every Sunday at 6 p.m. It can also be heard on WARY-FM (88.1) in Westchester, weekday nights after 10 p.m.

The show first aired in 2003, and today listeners can also tune in online on Wednesdays, on SCIFI.radio; Thursdays, on BTDRadio.com; Fridays, on IndieVolt.com; and weekends, on CrookeDriverRanchRadio.com, along with 45 other podcast streaming locations.

Torres became interested in broadcasting and radio because he saw it as an opportunity to connect with people in the comic book industry. He has a longtime interest in the genre, and took a chance on creating a radio show after hearing an announcement for openings on WGBB, Long Island’s oldest radio station.

“The View,” a television talk show on ABC which had started in 1997, inspired the new host. He planned to speak with people about comic books, with the goal of eventually getting his own work published.

A few years into his on-air career, Torres attended an art show hosted by Kelly Gordon, the art director at the East Meadow Library, and the two connected over their love of comics. Torres brought Gordon on to “It Came From The Radio” to promote EMCon, a comic convention created by the library, and afterward they decided to bring the radio show into the library.

“Mark is very professional,” Gordon said. “He knows how to talk to the audience and offer interesting subjects.”

Now, once a month, on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Torres hosts “It Came From The Radio” live at the library. Library patrons who are interested in attending can register online at EastMeadow.info, or call (516) 794-2570 ext. 3.

Since the live shows began, Torres has completed 71 of them at the library. He brings on guests and does giveaways, promoting a sense of togetherness in the comics-loving community. During the pandemic, when in-person performances weren’t possible, he continued hosting live shows on Facebook and Zoom.

“I love doing it live,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

As he has perfected his radio hosting skills, he has come to appreciate the craft, he said. “It was surprising to me that I enjoyed it so much, because the original goal was to get my book published,” Torres said.

That, too, has happened: “Designated: Issue 1,” a comic book about fighting alien species, was published earlier this year.

In the future, Torres hopes to continue expanding “It Came From The Radio,” perhaps adding more segments to the show and airing it more frequently. His next live show at the library will take place on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., and feature Aidan Finnegan, the co-owner and marketing director of Dark Night Halloween World in Farmingville. Audience members will have the chance to win a ticket to the haunted house experience.

For more information on the show, go to ItCameFromTheRadio.com.