Still revered by many despite his criminal record, Cianci fielded calls from supporters who implored him to seek office again, credited him for engineering the city's renaissance, and nostalgically recalled campaigning for him, working for him, or simply meeting him.
"You're the only guy with the largest living memorial in the country," one male caller said, "and that's the city of Providence. You are there in our hearts."
Cianci opined freely on current political issues, referring to Governor Don Carcieri's plummeting approval ratings and disparaging new architecture dotting the city's skyline, but appeared at one point to rule out another run for office.
"If I ever decide I want to go back into politics, please slap me," Cianci told cohost and longtime friend Ron St. Pierre.
Cianci, who is bald and considerably leaner than he was as mayor, also admitted relief at having given up the hairpieces he donned while in office.
"The squirrel never should have been there in the first place," he said.
Cianci, convicted after a wide-ranging federal investigation into City Hall corruption, was released in May from a federal prison in Fort Dix, N.J., after serving more than four years. He then moved to a halfway house in Boston and then to home confinement at his nephew's home in East Greenwich. Cianci now rents a condominium in downtown Providence.
During his three hours on the air, Cianci flashed glimpses of the quick-witted humor for which he was known. He jokingly referred to his time in prison as a vacation. He said he read 500 books in prison to pass the time.
"There were no bars and there wasn't a cocktail hour and there certainly wasn't bands at night," he said.
When a caller from neighboring North Providence lamented she was never able to vote for Cianci, he cheerfully shot back: "We could have arranged for you to vote in Providence."
Though Thursday was Cianci's first day on the job, it wasn't his first on the airwaves: He was a show's host for several years in the 1980s, between his two stints in office, and again in 2002, before leaving for prison.
"As anyone can attest, when you've done it before, you can do it easier again," Cianci said in an interview after his show.
Cianci was first elected mayor in 1974, then resigned 10 years later after pleading no contest to a felony assault charge. He was reelected in 1990.
He did not discuss the criminal case that landed him in prison. But he referred in almost philosophical terms to his past troubles.
"Every life is a journey," Cianci said. "It's filled with ups; it's filled with downs. Your life is really measured by challenges in many ways, and how you handle those challenges - and I've certainly had mine."
