It's 10 a.m. on a weekday morning and, without any preamble or the hyper-polished show openings associated with contemporary radio, WICH-1310 midday host Stu Bryer simply punches up the first listener call of the day with a simple, "You're on the program ..."

After 50 years — Bryer celebrated a half-century at WICH last week — he has built a devoted audience that doesn't require a lot of Captain Big Voice histrionics, hype, or loud, brazen opinion. They just want to talk to Stu about, well, pretty much anything.

"Good morning, you're on the program ..."

Behind a desk supporting the studio board, in a dark sweater over a button-down shirt, wearing headphones and adeptly punching buttons and adjusting dials, Bryer seems the archetypical radio talk show host. He speaks in a voice that reminds some folks of a low-blood-pressure Don Imus who somehow has the gently encouraging reassurance of an accomplished psychologist. One call after another, Bryer listens to and chats with his people.

Over the course of a shift, pretty much anything goes, and that's by design. Random check-ins of recent Bryer programs found callers broaching the perceived smugness of Gov. Lamont; bogus hand sanitizer; the situation in Portland, Oregon, and whether the federal government intervention is out of line or the only recourse; grocery store bargain tips for other listeners; a Preston native standing up for her community...

"I don't screen calls so the show can be wide open," Bryer says in a phone interview last week. "I try to stay on top of things so I can offer an intelligent opinion if required. But everyone can say their opinion, and callers know that. If people are angry — and in these times, a lot of people are — I let them vent. I might disagree sometimes, but I don't lose it. As long as there's no profanity, I can deal with it. And it's not all politics. Hey, we can and have talked about Hostess Twinkies."

From a different angle, though, literally and stylistically, if a visitor looks behind Bryer at the rear half of the studio, it's almost like a museum display — a testament to the "old school" Johnny Fever/Wolfman Jack era of tune-spinners. There are floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed with ancient vinyl albums and 45 rpm singles, and another storage unit that contains CDs and audio cartridges. There are two turntables (one actually works), and mounted higher up is a reel-to-reel tape player. Also, though they're not visible, Breyer confirms the studio contains ancient audio cassettes.

These items, accumulated by Bryer over five decades, are more than just anachronistic career mementos; he actually uses them. Though the first two hours of his show fall into the talk format, the lunch hour is devoted to Breyer playing hit songs that date from the '50s to the mid-'70s and might meander from Dionne Warwick to Eric Burden & the Animals; the Four Tops to the  Beatles; the Lovin' Spoonful to Neil Diamond; Johnny Horton to Sly and the Family Stone.

"That's my favorite period of music," Bryer says, "and the variety and quality speak for themselves, I think. I'm a tremendous Beatles fan. I think that they happened is the most amazing musical phenomenon ever. I like a lot of music. Soul, country, a little bubble gum."

He pauses, presumably flipping through the stacks of records in his mind. Then he adds, "I gotta say, the disco period was a little rough, but if you truly have an open mind, you can find something to like in all styles of music. Now, I might play an old disco song, and it's a sweet memory for me."

As for the final hour of his Monday-through-Friday shift, it's reserved for "anything goes" possibilities that can thematically change from minute to minute — maybe more callers commenting on a thematic topic — or perhaps Bryer might be moved to play more songs.

Or, for example, a listener wonders "Whatever happened to Bobby Darin?" As Bryer explains the singer died young, way back in the early '70s, he has also smoothly found an old Darin record, slaps it on the turntable, then brings the volume up as a perfect punctuation point to end their conversation. It's a trick most DJs can do, but that Bryer does so with the actual vinyl and a turntable is a refreshing and fond nod to craft.

This is not the sort of on-the-fly programming that would be encouraged or even allowed in most of the tightly restricted, consultant-dictated music formats that rule commercial radio today — much less the idea of an on-air personality bouncing back and forth between the talk and music format.

"I pretty much call my own shots," Bryer says. "My bosses trust me, and I appreciate that and try to do a good job with that responsibility. I don't have anyone screen my callers; I don't have any programmers telling me what song to play; I don't even have a producer." He laughs. "By now, I'd BETTER be able to do all that."

Andy Russell, vice president/general manager at Hall Communications, the media conglomerate that owns WICH along with local stations WCTY, WKNL, WNLC and WIL, speaks of Bryer with respect and admiration.

"Stu is a professional communicator that cares about people in his communition," Russell says. "He happens to play music between his talk segments. It's music he knows and has played for years, and many times it has meaning to him and he relates that to his listeners. Further, his listeners are part of his work family and Stu is part of their family."

Bryer, a Boston native, says he knew even as a kid he wanted to be on the radio. After graduating high school, he attended a six-month course at the New England School of Broadcasting. The technical aspects came pretty easily, but he says he had to develop his own voice and style.

"I listened to a lot of Boston radio stations growing up, particularly (iconic member of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame DJ) Woo Woo Ginsberg," Bryer says. "And, at night, we could get the New York stations. I tried to talk like all of them and, of course, that didn't work."

He also says he had to overcome a thick Boston accent and a popular stereotype came into play. "I'd walk down the street after class, just saying over and over to myself, saying 'park the car' rather than 'pahk the cah.'" He laughs. "The thing is, I still love that Boston accent. Every once in a while, I'll have a flashback or something, and it'll pop out on the air. I don't know why."

After broadcasting school, Bryer got a DJ job at (then) WERI in Westerly, where he learned the ropes from 1965-70, then moved to WICH in the summer of that year. Over time, he's done every possible shift and station-associated chore. He's hosted countless Top 100 countdowns and developed his own popular bits, including "Stump Stu" record trivia; "Stusamie Street"; children's sing-along Christmas shows; high school in-studio talent days; on-the-air dating shows; and even notes that three separate couples have been married on his show.

Bryer can't remember the exact first song he played at WICH but says, "I wouldn't be surprised if it was (the Carpenters') 'Close to You.'" And, though he has no plans to retire any time soon, he thinks his final sign-off tune would be "Last Song," the 1971 by Canadian pop trio Edward Bear.

Of the thousands of tunes Bryer has played (and mostly enjoyed), he has also solidified his position as what the younger folks would call an Influencer; he's been awarded five gold records for his help in turning specific songs into nationwide hits. They include "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton, "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce, "Only 16" by Dr. Hook, "Playground in My Mind" by Clint Holmes and "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers.

Of course, over half a century, Bryer has interviewed a ton of celebrities, many of them on-site in WICH's Hall Communcations headquarters in Norwich. Some were touring musicians headed to or from gigs in Boston or New York City. And, after Foxwoods and then Mohegan Sun opened, plenty of A-list and legacy stars have also stopped by WICH to chat with Bryer.

Among his favorite guests were Petula Clark, Tony Orlando, Bowser, Don Rickles ("Sweetest guy in the world"), Paul Williams ("He was a stitch"), Tim Conway ("Just tremendous and funny"), and Debbie Reynolds ("A wonderful, kind person").

"I've found almost every celebrity I've interviewed to be very nice," Bryer says. "Let's be honest, sometimes they're on the downward arc of their careers or maybe their stars have dimmed a bit. But I saw very little bitterness or cynicism. They seemed grateful for the opportunity, and I could really see the humanity. I won't forget that."

Bryer has also been on-air during hugely important moments ranging from hurricanes and assassinations to 9/11. "There are some tough times to be on the air, but you have to do your job," Bryer says. "You say, 'We're all in this situation together, and let's talk through it together. Nine-eleven was a really, really tough day. But I think most people in my business WANT to be on the air during these tragedies. We're not just a source of information, but a familiar voice."

The actual 50th anniversary of Bryer's first WICH shift fell last Saturday. But when he arrived for work Monday morning, a huge, virus-masked gathering of friends, family and employees was waiting on the front steps of the Hall Communications building to provide cheers and cake. There's something timeless about a veteran radio personality, and Bryer says he was overwhelmed by the birthday greetings and the sense of community.

Russell says, "In real life and within the walls of Hall Communications, Stu is that man of few words, but when he speaks, it is thoughtful and comes from the heart. He's a good, genuine person who listens and thinks before he speaks. He does this in the building and on the air because that's who he is."

Bryer isn't afraid to look backwards or forward. He says, "There have been a lot of changes in this business; it's a different culture now. We always say to ourselves that OUR generation had the best music. And that's how it's supposed to be. Each generation moves forward.

"I play the music that resonates with me and my listeners. And we talk, like old friends. And you know what? Even this morning, jeez, I was driving to the studio and I thought, 'I'm about to be on the radio! I can't believe people will listen to me and I'll be part of their day.' I never get tired of that."