The People’s Choice of the Bronx lives in Kingsbridge

Bronx Week, taking place May 5 – 18, is in full swing with special events happening all over the borough, but the highlight of the two-week celebration is the announcement of the names for the Bronx Walk of Fame -- with one individual receiving the honor of the People’s Choice Award.

Gary Axelbank was in the middle of recording an episode of BronxTalk -- a show he started with BronxNet in 1994 where he interviews Bronxites making strides in education, politics, health care and policing --  when the Bronx Borough President herself came to the set to inform him of his win.

“My first thought was, ‘Oh my god, she’s here. I’m going to have to move everybody over. I got to get another microphone. It’s going to take us forever to get started,’” he recalled as he saw Vanesa Gibson approach him.  

“There’s one photograph where my jaw was dropped,” Axelbank said of his win. “I knew there were some people who had nominated me, but you know, I left it out of my mind. I was absolutely shocked.”

The BP came prepared with a letter she read out loud at the BronxNet studios.

“Through your tireless efforts, innovative approaches and profound empathy, you have not only elevated the standard of the media and arts industry but have also touched the hearts and minds of countless individuals, families and communities,” she read. “Gary, your impact resonates deeply within the Bronx where your name has become synonymous with hope, empowerment and journalistic integrity.”

The T.V. show-host is almost in his 1500^th episode of BronxTalk and can recall nearly every one with anecdotes and fun facts. He also hosts BronxBuzz, an interview show focusing on journalists and the arts and culture of the borough.

“He’s what they call a mensch,” Stephanie Coggins said, friend and fellow community advocate who has known Axelbank since 2018. “He’s just a really nice guy and when things in the community happen, he tries to get involved and help out.”

With the exception of being born in Manhattan and bouncing around in his 20s, Axelbank has lived in a subsect of Kingsbridge called Van Cortlandt Village almost his whole life and did his entire educational career within walking distance of his home.  He attended school at nearby P.S. 95, went on to junior high school at 143, graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and received his bachelor’s in English from Lehman College, where he worked for the radio station and eventually became program director.

Other than being a newspaper boy as a teenager, Axelbank has always worked in media. His parents were both educators – his mother was director at the Marble Hill nursery for several years and his father worked his way up to principal at James Monroe High School in the east Bronx.

“This idea of  ‘he wants to be a radio DJ,’ they were like, ‘maybe you ought to take a civil services exam in case that doesn’t work out,” Axelbank said of his parents’ apprehension to his career path. 

He’s the middle of three boys and jokes about his brothers being successful doctors.

But he held strong to his passion, working at several radio stations over the decades with his first job at WETT in Ocean City, Maryland. The station went out of business and he moved on progressive station in Georgetown, Delaware when he got a call from infamous shock-jock, Howard Stern before he gained his controversial fame.

“A guy named Howard Stern called me up and he was program director of WRNW in Westchester,” Axelbank told The Press. “He went off to be Howard Stern and I can’t believe it, but I became the program director of the progressive rock station at the age of 25.”

Axelbanks’s career would continue that way  -- program director here, DJ there.

One of his favorite memories was when Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were driving around to different radio stations to promote their new album.

“I remember her giving me a copy of her first album out of the back of a Cadillac,” he said. He keeps the record with his other 5,400.

He also recalled a moment with singer/songwriter, Richie Havens when the two were driving to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of Woodstock when Havens began to tear up.

“I’m just sitting there in the car going, ‘this is like an amazing moment.’”

He also taught at the Center for Media Arts in Manhattan where he taught aspiring individuals how to appear and sound on T.V. and radio. Actor Christpher Meloni of Law & Order fame was one of his students. Axelbank eventually became dean of the program.

A man by the name of David Medina came to the school looking for interns because they were starting a cable network in the Bronx.

“That’s when the lightbulb went off,” Axelbank said. He began a career with BronxNet in 1993 and never looked back.

While he looks dapper on T.V. with his suits and ties, Axelbank can be seen wearing a backwards cap and matching running suits when he’s out and about, making him a man of the people.

He is the third to receive the People’s Choice Award and will be officially inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame which has 29 years of history. Other honorees include artist, Devon Rodriguez; wrestler, Damian Priest; NBA star and coach, Kemba Walker and freestyle music sensation, Judy Torres.  

The official induction will be held at the Bronx County Courthouse on Saturday, May 18 followed by the Bronx Ball. Honorees also have their name emblazoned on a street sign in the Bronx.  

Axelbank will also be honored at the Kingsbridge/Riverdale/Van Cortlandt Development Corp. center on 236^th Street in Riverdale on May 28.

“His work has reached so many across this amazing borough,” Laura Levine-Pinedo said, executive director of KRVC. “How lucky are we to have him as part of the community? I am proud to call him a friend.”

Axelbank and his wife Suzanne have two adult children and will celebrate 45 years of marriage this year.