Peter B. Collins
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Peter B. Collins (born 1953) is an American
talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
host and
media consultant A media consultant is a marketing agent or public relations executive that is hired by businesses or political candidates to obtain positive press coverage. Media consultants usually draft press releases to highlight positive achievements of a ...
based near
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California. Collins was a talk show host for several
radio stations Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...
, known for his liberal perspectives. From 2005 to 2009, he hosted The Peter B. Collins Show, a syndicated radio talk show based at KRXA in
Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...
. Collins retired at the end of 2020.


Early life and education

Collins grew up in
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, where he attended St. Xavier High School. He attended
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, where he began his career in
radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...
. He moved to the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
in 1976.


Career

Collins' first radio broadcasting job was on a nightly talk show at
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
-owned
WLS-FM WLS-FM (94.7 MHz) is a commercial classic hits radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area, and is the radio home of Dave Fogel. The WLS-FM studios are located a ...
in Chicago. This was during the era of the
Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the Presidency of Richard Nixon, administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Resignation of Richard Nixon, Nix ...
. In 1979, he moved to co-owned KGO in San Francisco, California.
KCBS-FM KCBS-FM (93.1  FM) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and broadcasts an adult hits music format branded "93.1 Jack FM". Unlike most radio stations airing t ...
hired him in 1980, and he worked part-time for both stations for a while. When KCBS-FM switched its call letters to KRQR and began playing
album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...
instead of classic hits, he was promoted to morning host. He gave fellow host Steven Seaweed the nickname "The Weed Man," which became Seaweed's best-known moniker for more than 30 years. In 1989, Collins returned to talk radio with an afternoon program on
KNBR KNBR may refer to: * KNBR (AM), a radio station (680 AM) licensed to serve San Francisco, California, United States * KNBR-FM, a radio station (104.5 FM) licensed to serve San Francisco, California {{Call sign disambiguation ...
. He also co-hosted a daily one-hour food and wine show on KNBR, featuring many acclaimed
winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...
s and chefs. When rival station
KSFO KSFO (810 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, featuring a conservative talk radio format. Owned by Cumulus Media, KSFO's studios are on Battery Street in the SoMa portion of San Francisco's Financial Di ...
adopted a talk format in 1993, it hired Collins for the "afternoon drive" time slot. Their billboard campaign endorsed his show as "a little to the left," playing on his politics and the station's dial position (
560 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 560 kHz: The Federal Communications Commission categorizes 560 AM as a regional frequency; the maximum power for any station on this frequency (in the United States) is 5,000 watts. Ar ...
). When ABC Radio, Disney, purchased KSFO in 1994, it converted the station to the first all-conservative talk format and dropped Collins' show. Since leaving KSFO, Collins has produced other radio shows, such as Childhood Matters on
KISQ KISQ (98.1  FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco. It broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format, known as "The Breeze", and is owned by iHeartMedia. The radio studios and offices are in the SoMa district o ...
, Street Soldiers on
KMEL KMEL (106.1 FM) is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. KMEL has studios located in the SoMa district, and broadcasts ...
, Conversations on the Coast with Jim Foster on KFRC, and Nurse Talk on AM 960. He also began working as a political
media consultant A media consultant is a marketing agent or public relations executive that is hired by businesses or political candidates to obtain positive press coverage. Media consultants usually draft press releases to highlight positive achievements of a ...
, working on political campaigns for clients including
Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
, Tom Campbell and
Pete McCloskey Paul Norton "Pete" McCloskey Jr. (September 29, 1927 – May 8, 2024) was an American politician who represented San Mateo County, California, as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983. Born in Loma Linda, Californi ...
. Collins has performed as a
voice-over artist Voice acting is the art of performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated, off-stage, off-sc ...
for radio and TV commercials, as well as station promos for television and radio, non-broadcast sales and training programs. He hosted Behind the Wheel, a car review show that aired from 1998 to 2008. In May 2003, Collins returned to talk radio as host of All-American Talk Radio on I.E. America Radio Network, SIRIUS Left and via
webcast A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webca ...
. In 2005, Collins and other investors purchased KRXA, based in
Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...
. He started to broadcast the nationally syndicated Peter B. Collins Show that year, which also focused on politically progressive content.


Other activities

Since 1986, Collins has served as board president of the Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit based at
San Quentin Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in ...
. The foundation provides legal and investigative assistance to inmates in California who claim to have been wrongfully convicted and seek reviews of their cases. Collins was officer of the San Francisco Local of the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), from 1983 to 2005. He served on AFTRA's national board from 1993 to 2005. Collins is also a member of Sacramento Seminar, a group of Bay Area political veterans—former officeholders, candidates, staffers and campaign operatives. Collins was named to the
Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame The 'California Historical Radio Society'' (CHRS) is a non-profit organization centered on the history of radio and radio broadcasting, including related technologies such as vintage TV, amateur radio and HiFi. The focus is on the history of earl ...
in 2021.


Personal life

He is an avid
skier Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...
and
sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...
, and is a partner in a sailboat on San Francisco Bay.


References


External links


Official Website
''The Peter Collins Show'', includes archives of podcasts, available for free from 2009 to June 2021
KRXA 540 website


White Rose Society {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Peter B. 1954 births Living people 21st-century American businesspeople American talk radio hosts Northwestern University alumni Radio personalities from Cincinnati People from Marin County, California St. Xavier High School (Ohio) alumni