ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Bob Holder, a longtime sports radio voice in the Lehigh Valley, has died at the age of 62.
Holder, a 1980 graduate of Whitehall High School and a member of the Zephyrs’ District 11 championship baseball team that year, spent about 25 years in local radio. He most recently hosted a Saturday morning program on News Radio 790 WAEB-AM.
“It’s been one of those days where words just don’t seem to do justice,” Craig Stevens, vice president of programming for iHeartMedia’s Allentown/Reading/Wilmington/Atlantic City region, said in a social media post. “He loved radio. Not just on air, and sales, but the soul of it. The radio of yesterday, the radio of today. He bled WZZO.”
Known for his sharp opinions and lively banter, Holder built a reputation as a talk host who relished debate. Colleagues recalled he often played the contrarian, challenging prevailing sports narratives in a way that was both entertaining and good-natured.
Holder recounted how he got into radio in an Aug. 20 online post.
“April of 1998, I was driving the Frito Lay truck one morning, headed down 22 listening to the Bearman and Keith on Z95, and I heard a commercial that said, ‘Do you want to work in the world of music, sports, and entertainment? And have fun doing it?’ I said that’s me. I parked the truck, made the call, had an interview, and never looked back,” Holder wrote. “Listening to the radio changed my life. I’m so glad I was tuned in.”
During his years on the air, Holder’s shows became known for unpredictability and spontaneity.
Holder’s colleagues and friends emphasized his deep commitment to the craft of radio, his willingness to stir discussion and his ability to bring humor and authenticity to the microphone.
“Bob, you’ll be missed,” Stevens said. “Admired. Remembered. The iHeartRadio sales floor won’t be the same without you.”
A viewing will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday at the O’Donnell Funeral Home on Hanover Avenue in Allentown. A celebration of life is planned at Woodstone Country Club at a later date.