Bob Levy: Remembering a Friend

Anniversaries often come and go unless they have special significance and while today’s 53^rd anniversary might not seem that special it is for us at 92.7 WOBM.

It was 53 years ago on March 1, 1968 that Ocean County’s first commercial radio station took to the airwaves and while much has changed, and I do mean much, I would like to believe we are still a trusted friend to many and provide entertainment and information.

Of course when you have been here for all but 12 of those 53 anniversaries the number carries a bit more weight so you’ll excuse me for March 1^st holding special meaning to me.

We made a big deal of the 50^th or golden anniversary with much of that planning centered around Bob Levy who was best known for his long running “Topic A” on Sunday mornings but was the radio station’s original sales manager and quasi sports director.  Bob provided all the background on the origin of WOBM including the first day the radio station began broadcasting from its then small studio on Route 9 in Berkeley Township during a snowstorm.

Bob and I did an interview shortly before the 50^th anniversary in which we basically just strolled down memory lane often forgetting we were recording a conversation between friends who had spent basically all their adult years in the same place.

There was a bit of a black cloud on the morning of March 1, 2018 which certainly curtailed the celebration.  When the day started Bob was still hospitalized dealing with health issues and while we were all concerned we truly expected that he would recover soon.  Of course that was not the case and before the day was over we lost an icon and I lost my friend, mentor and confident.

I’m still confused as to whether his death on the 50^th anniversary was either a strange coincidence or a message of some kind.  I choose to believe the later for the simple reason that Bob was infatuated with death and believe that when he passed he would be forgotten very quickly.

Not so fast my friend because March 1^st will always be remembered as not only the anniversary of WOBM but the day Ocean County lost a legend.