Remembering Charleston’s TJ Phillips
• We’ve lost yet another longtime radio pro — TJ Phillips, co-host of the highly rated TJ & Jessica Morning Show on Saga’s WCKN (92.5 Kickin Country)/Charleston, SC — a market morning legend for nearly four decades, died Sunday, June 8 at the age of 66.
Phillips was already a 30-year Charleston radio fixture in Nov. 2016 when he joined WCKN under former owner Apex Media as morning co-host alongside Jessica Chandler. Before that he did two tours of duty across the street with iHeartMedia rival WEZL, serving as OM, PD and mornings.
A statement issued by the company notes, “While the word ‘legend’ may be overused today, it does describe TJ Phillips. In addition to being inducted into the Lowcountry Music Hall of Fame for his support of the local music community, Phillips was voted Best Radio Personality by The Charleston City Paper and Mount Pleasant Magazine, Best Local Radio Show, and South Carolina Broadcasters Radio Show of the Year. Plus, he was a 16-time Addy Award winner in the area of Audio/Feature/Commercial production & Copywriting.
More than all of that, TJ Phillips was a friend to our community, supporting countless charities like the Charleston Animal Society and the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. His greatest personal achievements were the thousands of people he connected with over his many years on the radio.”
Paul O’Malley, President of Saga’s Charleston Media Solutions said, “TJ Phillips was more than a morning DJ. He was an immensely talented broadcaster, but also a veteran who proudly served his country, a man who constantly tried to make the lives of others better, and a friend who will be greatly missed.” [Photo Credit: Kerry Brown, Charleston Media Solutions]
• Phillips’ passing marks the second death inside the closeknit Saga Charleston ranks within the past year — Mike Edwards, longtime PD and morning co-host on Hot AC sister WMXZ (Mix 95.9) died last December.
