Robert Perkins (December 6, 1933 – January 19, 2025) was an American

radio personality A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

who worked as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

program host and DJ in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Perkins was known for his laid-back and mellow style. He was also a radio news journalist, and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events.

Radio career

Perkins got his first job in radio during a trip to visit his two brothers in

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in 1964. After breaking in as a DJ and announcer at WGPR-FM, he expanded to news at WCHB-AM. He worked as a newsman and assistant director at

WJLB WJLB (97.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format. Its studios are on Halsted Road in Farmington Hills. In morning drive time, WJLB carries ...

-AM in Detroit before returning to Philadelphia in 1969, where he joined WDAS-AM/ FM. His distinctive deep voice and progressive points of view became an on-air signature for the FM and AM operations at WDAS over 19 years during the 1970's and '80's. From 1988 to 1997, he hosted a jazz program on Saturday nights on

WHYY-FM WHYY-FM (90.9 MHz, "91 FM") is a public radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its broadcast tower is located in the city's Roxborough section of the city at () while its studios and offices are located on Independence Ma ...

. During this time, he was also elected president of the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association and earned the distinction of being one of a select group of news directors and editors nationwide invited to interview

President Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served from 1971 to 1975 ...

. In 1997, Perkins became the PM drive-time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

Radio. He stepped down from full-time broadcasting in 2022 and retired from the station in April 2023.

Print media and other projects

Perkins briefly served as editorial director for ''

The Philadelphia Tribune ''The Philadelphia Tribune'' is the oldest continuously published African-American newspaper in the United States. The paper began in 1884 when Christopher J. Perry published its first copy. Throughout its history, ''The Philadelphia Tribune ...

'', where he wrote a commentary on government, society, and public affairs. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former ''Philadelphia New Observer'' and ''

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''. Perkins also independently produced a radio documentary on the life of

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

history icon

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

, who was born in the region and spent his last years living in

Personal life and death

Perkins was born on December 6, 1933 in South Philadelphia, where he was also raised. He credited his love for radio to his father, who repaired radios as a hobby when he was young. Perkins later lived in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Sheila. Perkins died at Jefferson Abington Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania, on January 19, 2025, at the age of 91.

Honors and awards

Some of Perkins' major honors and awards for career accomplishments include: *Mellon Jazz Community Service Award (2002) *Inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Hall of Fame (2003) *Inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame (2003) *City of Philadelphia Proclamation by Mayor John Street for Outstanding Contribution to Philadelphia Jazz (2007) *U.S. House of Representatives Proclamation by Congressman

Chaka Fattah Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Wesley Davenport; November 21, 1956) is an American politician who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House for from 1995 to 2016. The d ...

for Outstanding Contribution by a Pennsylvania Resident to Jazz (2007) *Inducted into the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame (2017)

References

External links