BETHPAGE, NY - Has radio gone to hell in a handbasket?

Find out on Oct. 28 at the Long Island Coalition for Fair Broadcasting's Connection Day, where popularNew York radio personality Bob Buchmann will deliver a no-holds-barred luncheon address.

"Bob Buchmann's been encouraged to take full advantage of his freedom of speech rights," said Coalition forFair Broadcasting Executive Director Jaci Clement, who added that Connection Day's audience of 100-plus journalists and 600-plus media savvy participants provides the perfect venue for such a keynote.

Today, Buchmann is program director and on-air personality at Q104.3, WAXQ, New York's only classic rock station. Working in America 's largest market is a far cry from running an AM station in his basement, which Buchmann did in the early 1970s, at least, until the FCC found out about it. In 1979, Buchmann made his presence known on Long Island, when he joined WBAB and turned it into the No. 1 rock station in New York.

Buchmann's address is the highlight of the region's largest media symposium, Connection Day. "As the only event in the tri-state area that offers opportunities to network one-on-one with the metropolitan media and to actually pitch stories directly to reporters, editors and news directors, the annual event now draws a crowd of 700 from the northeast," said Jaci Clement.

Workshop panelists include reporters from ABC 7, CBS 2, NBC 4, FOX 5, UPN 9, WB11, News 12, Telemundo, Newsday, Hoy, The New York Times, 1010 WINS, Infinity Broadcasting, Associated Press and many more. Connection Day takes place on Thursday, Oct. 28 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Long Island Marriott. Tickets are $175 for Coalition members and $250 for non-members. Connection Day's signature sponsors are Citibank and the Long Island Power Authority. For more information, call (516) 224-1860, Ext. 102 or log on to www.li-mediawatch.org.