A radio personality, also known as a radio broadcaster, newscaster, presenter, and commentator, is a person who performs on air live or using voice tracking techniques. In this case, the announcer, contrary to the standard definition, poses as if sitting in a radio studio. A radio personality is also an interviewer and communicates with the audience through talk radio. Although television is an unquestionable advancement, the importance of radio remains unchanged in certain segments of society, like in rural populations, travelers, tourists, and sports followers. Radio broadcasting, like a weather report, is a great necessity of practical importance for farmers, fishermen, and adventurers. A commentator is a radio personality of crucial importance particularly when it comes to covering a sports event involving matches between staunch rivals like Australia versus England or India versus Pakistan in cricket matches. The impartiality of the commentator’s broadcast is as important as that of an umpire with an additional requirement to focus on the sentiments of the listeners. Just as there are TV cameras at different locations to cover different aspects of a match, the main commentator in the studio, usually called the color commentator, is supported by side commentators present in different locations to broaden the scope of the coverage.

1. Mary Margaret McBride

Mary Margaret McBride was born in Paris, Missouri on November 16, 1899. She graduated from the University of Missouri receiving her degree in journalism. She worked as a reporter for the Cleveland Press and the New York Evening Mail for sometime and then started writing as a freelancer. Her first work on radio was with WOR in New York City where she hosted a show from 1934 to 1940. In 1937, she joined the CBS radio network and continued until 1941. She also worked with NBC, ABC, and New York Herald Tribune’s radio broadcasts. Having worked successfully at radio for over 40 years, she is sometimes known as the First Lady of radio. She never accepted commercials for tobacco or alcohol. During her career, she interviewed a wide range of people of high renown. She was very popular, and a hybrid rose variety is named the  McBride Tea Rose in her honor.

2. Freeman Gosden

Freeman Fisher Gosden was born in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. on May 5, 1899 and died in Los Angeles, California on December 10, 1982 at the age of 83 years. Being a wireless operator during the First World War, he was greatly attracted towards the newly introduced medium of radio broadcasting. Along with Charles Correl, he started working as a radio artist. In 1926 they had a hit program called Sam & Henry on Chicago radio. Both Gosden and Corell broadcast their hit Amos ‘n’ Andy Show from 1928 to 1960, and in the 1930s it was one of the most popular shows. Gosden was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and both Gosden and Correl were inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1977.

3. Evan Roberts 

Evan Roberts was born in New York on July 11, 1983. He was raised in Cadehurst, New York. He attended Lawrence High School. After graduating in 2001, he joined XM Satellite Radio and worked with them for two years. He had also hosted his own radio show known as Kidsports. Expanding his program for a broader range of audience, he started Going Bzircus. He was best known for his What’s Up With Evan Roberts on a children’s radio network. He worked in Baltimore and Maryland in the years 2003 and 2004. Currently he is attached with WFAN in New York City and hosts a midday show with Joe Benigno.

4.  Gary Braun

Gary Braun is a talk radio personality, and his shows involve discussions on different topics, interviews with different personalities, and sport reviews. He belongs to Washington, D.C. and owns Braun Film and Audio, Inc. He started his career as a producer at Sport Radio 750 and started contributing regularly to The Tony Kornheiser Show after Greg Garcia left and continued until 1997. He rejoined the show in 2004 and continued until 2006. After working with Triple X ESPN Radio for some time, he reappeared in 2008 in The Tony Kornheiser Show at the former WTEM, now known as ESPN980.

5. Gil Gross 

Gil Gross is a well-known American radio personality. He started working with WDZ while he was a student at Milliken University in Decatur, Illinois. He was the youngest anchor of ABC radio. During his career at CBS, he interviewed many  guests  of high renown including: former U.S. President Bill Clinton;  the longest-serving U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; Brian Wilson, the chief songwriter of the Beach Boys, and Marilyn Wilson, the famous American rock musician. He had been a news correspondent for the ABC Radio Network from 2007 to 2011. Gross covered some very important events including the ABC coverage of 9/11, coverage of the Iraq war, and the execution of Timothy McVeigh. He was awarded for investigative reporting about children and on the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.

6. Mark William Collins

Mark William Collins was born on February 25, 1965. He is a famous American radio personality and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He started his radio career in 1984 as a DJ on KCR radio station at San Diego State University. He came into prominence for the first time when working as a disc jockey on an Alternative Rock station in Seattle, Washington. He has worked with many rock music stations including: KYSR 98.7 in Los Angeles, KITS in San Francisco, KWOD in Sacramento, California, and KNDD in Seattle. He also owned Stampede Records and released from it Silkworm’s 1993 His Absence is a Blessing, and Muzzle’s Free Trampoline.

7.  Kenneth Robertson Bruce

Kenneth Robertson Bruce was born in Glasgow, Scotland on February 2, 1951. Having attended Hutchesons’ Grammar School, he started his radio career with the Hospital Broadcasting Service in Glasgow. Later he joined BBC Radio4 as an announcer and hosted the Ken Bruce Show on the BBC World Service in 1980. His show includes live musical performances, and his play list is comprised of rock, pop, and soul from the 1970s. As of 2012, the Ken Bruce Show with 7.4 million listeners, stands as the second most listened to program in the U.K.

8. Colin Lamont

Colin Lamont was born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland on June 20, 1956. He is best known by his on-air persona Scottie McClue. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, Jordanhill College of Education and The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. After working in different fields, he founded the radio station Center Sound 96.7 in Sterling and started his career in radio broadcasting as its managing director. Due to the restructuring of the senior management of Center Sound, he left it after 3 months, and in August, 2008 he partnered with Alan Shields and invested $62,000 in an independent Scottish local radio L107, but the partnership was not a success. Lamont joined Red Rose Gold in Preston in 1992 where, working as a senior producer and presenter, he created the famous on-air persona Scottie McClue.

9. Christopher Moyles

Christopher Moyles was born in Leeds on February 22, 1974. He was educated at Mount Saint Mary’s Catholic High School. He is an English radio and television presenter best known for The Chris Moyle’s Show on BBC radio from 2004 to 2012. He also presented Chris Moyle’s Quiz Night on Channel 4. On September 7th, 2009, he was introduced as the longest-serving breakfast presenter at the BBC. Along with Dave Vitty, he broke Simon Mayo’s record of 37 hours for the longest, continuous Radio 1 Show and the Guinness World Records by broadcasting for 52 hours for Comic Relief.

10. Jeremy Guy Vine 

Jeremy Guy Vine was born to Guy Vine and Diana Tillet in Epsom, Surrey, England on May 17, 1965. He was educated at Lynton Primary School in Ewell, Epsom College and Durham University. He is host of the BBC Radio 2 program, Jeremy Vine which includes newscasting, presenting views, conducting live interviews with guests from an array of different fields. Vine won the 2005 and 2010 Speech Broadcaster of the Year Sony Awards. His interview with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown won him a Sony Award for the interview of the year.

Conclusion:

With the advent of computers, some people fancied a paperless work environment  to the extent that it seemed as if the world would be a ‘bookless’ planet within a few years, which, however, is not the case. The invention of television, too, similarly suggested that radio was going to be simply wiped out. But, in fact, the place of radio and the radio personalities are intact.  In spite of many plus points, TV has not replaced radio.