Bob Collins (February 28, 1942 – February 8, 2000) was a morning DJ on WGN-720AM radio in Chicago. His show was the top-rated morning show for WGN and kept the station at the top of the ratings.[1] His show featured various conversation as well as some music. He also made occasional appearances on WGN-TV, hosting specials such as the Auto Show.
Early life and education
Born Harold Wallace Lee and a native of Lakeland, Florida, Collins got his first job in radio at age 14.[1] Known in his youth as "Buddy" Lee, he legally changed his name when his radio career began in the 1960s.[2][3][4]
Collins worked early in his career for a radio station in Tampa, Florida, at WKGN Knoxville, Tennessee and then took a job as a disk jockey in Milwaukee at WOKY and WRIT. In 1974, he joined WGN-AM. In July 1986, he succeeded the station's legendary and top-rated morning-drive host Wally Phillips. Collins would become Chicago's top-rated morning radio host until his death in 2000.[1]
His folksy style appealed to a great many people, as his ratings numbers indicated. He was affectionately known as "Uncle Bobby".[1]
Collins died in the afternoon of February 8, 2000, after his and a student pilot's plane collided upon approach to the runway at the Waukegan Regional Airport in Waukegan, Illinois. The student pilot, Sharon Hock, was directly below him, and they were unaware of each other's presence until the collision. Collins attempted to steer his plane to a safe landing, but it crashed and burned atop a nearby hospital, killing him and a passenger and injuring five people on the ground.[1][6] The student pilot also crashed three blocks away and died. The official report indicated that the control tower personnel were unable to observe or communicate the situation until it was too late.
Many of Collins' friends and co-workers worked in his memory to have radar and other safety tools installed at the Waukegan Regional Airport to prevent further tragedies.[citation needed]
"The WGN Radio Bob Collins audio". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2014-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Selected audio clips from Bob's show on WGN Radio in Chicago.
"WGN Radio reference". Archived from the original on 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2014-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
