The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Broadcast Pioneers member Bob Backman
President of WRDE-TV
Broadcast Pioneers Luncheon
Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Broadcast Pioneers member Bob Backman got hooked on broadcasting as a dancer on Ed Hurst's “Summertime On the Pier” TV Show for two seasons on KYW-TV while in high school.

His first professional job was as a weekend air personality at WHAT-FM, 96.5 in Philadelphia while he was a freshman at Temple University. He later moved up to evenings and worked there for 4 years while attending classes during the day. At the same time he served at WRTI-FM as a weekly air personality and Traffic Director for WRTI-AM.

Bob then served as an air personality and later Assistant Program Director at WRCP (the country station) in Philadelphia for two years. He also served as an air personality at WSGA, Savannah, GA, KTTS, Springfield, MO, KBUL, Wichita, KS, KELI, Tulsa, OK, and KTFX, Tulsa, Ok before moving into sales and management.

Bob was the first Group Vice-President for Katz Broadcasting and was responsible for three of the NAB's "Top 10 radio start ups": K95, Tulsa, K92, Orlando, and Y 106, Atlanta, GA.

Bob founded EMI Event Marketing and created and produced over 50 large scale outdoor events for radio and TV Broadcasters including Taft, Gannett, Disney, New City, Apollo, Adams, American Media and others. Bob moved to TV in 1995 and did two start ups for PAX TV: Hartford, CT, and Akron, OH, before moving back to Philadelphia as Regional VP and General Manager for WPPX-TV (Philadelphia’s Channel 61) for 5 years.

Bob was also Vice President for Television for Telemerica Media, and VP/GM for Metro Traffic in Cincinnati and Dayton, OH. Bob is currently the president of WRDE-TV, NBC COAST TV in Rehoboth Beach, DE, the NBC affiliate for Salisbury, MD.

WRDE carries MyNetwork and Cozi programming on their sub-channel (31.2). Bob is multi-talented. He's the host (Cool Bobby B) of the syndicated radio show “The Doo Wop Stop” heard on various local radio stations as well as nationally on SiriusXM Radio.

Bob is the winner of Billboard Magazine’s Country Radio Personality Award, The Country Music Association’s Large Market Radio Station of the Year, and The NAB’s “Best Of The Best Award.”

He is also the author of numerous articles for Radio and Records, Radio Only, and other major trade publications, as well as co -author of the book "Think Big! Event Marketing!" published by the NAB.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com