WRTI was recently recognized for excellence in classical music and jazz broadcasting and for providing superior training to up-and-coming broadcasters for the past 60 years.
WRTI received an award from the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia on January 14, 2008, saluting the radio station for excellence in music programming, and for its accomplishments as a home for broadcasters wishing to learn the craft for the past 60 years.
"Since its opening day in January 1948, WRTI has grown to become a major force in classical and jazz programming, and has nurtured the careers of thousands of radio and television broadcasters not just locally, but nationally," explains Jerry Klein, vice president of the Broadcast Pioneers and a former station manager of WRTI. "There have been many distinguished broadcasters who have walked through the halls of this radio station, including Merrill Reese, Norman Fell, and Bill Cosby."
During the January ceremony, attendees watched a tape of the 1948 dedication of WRTI's studios, and also viewed footage of a Dave Brubeck concert from the early 1960s that was staged on the Temple University campus and broadcast over WRTI's airwaves.
The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is an organization whose members have been involved in all phases of radio and television broadcasting from management to talent.
"It is with great pride and humility that we accept the recognition of the Philadelphia chapter of Broadcast Pioneers for 60 years of excellence in radio," says David S. Conant, WRTI's executive director. "Few stations can trace their lineage back so far and also claim to have followed a mission to serve their communities so faithfully. We look forward to many more years of service over the airwaves and wherever new technologies take us."
Tobias Poole, operating director of WRTI, accepted the honor on behalf of the station.
Reources: