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Dennis Elsas is an American disc jockey and voiceover artist whose career has spanned more than 50 years, described as a cornerstone of New York rock and roll radio. Elsas is known for his extensive interviews with legendary figures in the rock and roll industry, and Peter Asher said of him: “Sitting down for an interview with Dennis Elsas, one can look forward with confidence to intelligent and perceptive questions and an original perspective.”
Elsas is best known for his more than 25 years at WNEW-FM in New York City, where he debuted on July 11, 1971, and served as music director. In August 2025, he marked 25 years at WFUV (90.7 FM) in New York, where he hosts an afternoon show. Elsas also hosts programs on SiriusXM Classic Vinyl and The Beatles Channel, where he can be heard on the live weekly call-in roundtable The Fab Fourum and on Across the Universe, a show celebrating the life and music of John Lennon.
At the same time, the rock radio landscape was changing and some FM radio stations experimented with a more alternative approach to presenting the music in sharp contast to the tightly formatted AM radio Top 40 stations of the time. Progressive album-oriented rock emerged as a format that gave album rock a larger platform and the DJs more freedom and influence over what music listeners heard. In 1969, Elsas joined WVOX, a suburban FM radio station in New Rochelle, New York, creating "Something Else Again," a weekly program that showcased his unique approach to presenting music within the progressive rock format.
From 1979 to 1981 Elsas was the announcer for the Robert Klein Radio Show.
In 1984-85 he was the rock correspondent for the nationally syndicated TV show PM Magazine interviewing Little Richard, Jerry Garcia, Roger Daltrey, and more.
Additional syndicated radio shows in the 1980s included Rock Today, Rock ‘n Roll Never Forgets, Billboard Entertainment News and assorted Westwood One specials.
What began as an opportunity to promote his new album Walls and Bridges turned into two hours of rare Beatle stories, speculation on the possibility that they all might work together again, insights into his immigration struggles, his love for NYC and John as the DJ, introducing and commenting on all the music, commercials and weather.
Considered by many to be the ultimate Lennon broadcast interview, Elsas got the story of the infamous Beatles "butcher cover." Elsas recalled, "I was asking the right questions, about the album art. While we were off mic, I mentioned something about the Beatles, and he lights up. He turns around, and there's a huge wall of albums, I picked out an album and he said, 'Oh yeah, the one with the dead babies,' and begins telling me the story.... I said, 'John, do you mind telling me that on the air?' It was all live. We only had two turntables so I had to cue something up. It's that sort of on-the-fly-stuff. If they're comfortable, then you can ask the question."
In May 2004, Elsas joined SiriusXM's Classic Vinyl (26). Focused on classic rock music, history and memories, his show airs Saturday and Sunday from 6pm-12am ET.
On May 18, 2017, SiriusXM launched The Beatles Channel and announced Elsas as host of the call-in show The Fab Fourum In October 2022, Elsas launched another regular weekly show on Sirius Beatles Channel, "Across the Universe-The Life and Music of John Lennon."
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