Frankie Crocker on AllMovie

An influential figure in urban/contemporary radio of the late '70s and early '80s, Frankie Crocker's career as program director and on-air personality stretched across almost three decades and cross-country from Los Angeles to New York. Named "Program Director of the Year," and "Air Personality of the Year" by Billboard magazine, Crocker's Harlem-based WBLS-FM general-market afternoon radio show was No. 1 with New York City audiences 12-and-over for years. Crocker was also simultaneously No. 1 as a DJ and program director in the Arbitron Radio Ratings, and was recently named a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree. In addition to radio, Crocker was one of VH1's original VJs and hosted both NBC's Friday Night Videos and Solid Gold. On October 21, 2000, Crocker died of pancreatic cancer in Miami. He was 62.