Remembering Rich Stevens
• We were saddened today to learn that veteran major market personality Rich Stevens has died. Stevens, whose radio resume includes the late, great WPLJ/New York, WJHM (102 Jamz)/Orlando and WFTL-AM/West Palm Beach, apparently died August 1 at the age of 68. Details are still sparse, but we know Rich had been recently hospitalized to deal with some recurrent health issues.
The New York City-born Stevens originally caught the radio bug while still in high school. He began his broadcasting career at WTHZ (Z103.3)/Tallahassee, FL, where he inaugurated the tradition of generating immense amounts of publicity for himself and his show when he played Bruce Springsteen‘s “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” 62 times in a row – a stunt that earned him a spot on the main page of USA Today! And away he went….
Stevens later performed the impossible by leaping upward from Tallahassee to New York, where, as the story goes, he worked for Z100 for one shift and was promptly recruited crosstown to work for WPLJ (left). He also worked as an entertainment reporter for WABC-TV/New York. Stevens later relocated to Orlando to do afternoons at 102 Jamz. After subsequent stops in Tampa, St. Louis and Denver, Stevens returned to South Florida, where he most recently hosted The Rich Stevens Show weekdays from 9-11am on Hubbard’s 850 WFTL-AM. He’s pictured here with former Charlie’s Angels‘ star Cheryl Ladd.
As you read this, Stevens’ Facebook page is filling up with fond remembrances from his many friends and colleagues, past and present.
