RobertC. Christensen, veteranbroadcaster

Christensen

Robert Charles Christensen, 64, a broadcast veteran in the Western New York market, died Friday, Feb. 16, 2007.

Mr. Christensen grew up in Amherst, attended School 13 and graduated from Amherst High School in 1960.

He worked in broadcasting since he was 17 and used his grandfather's first name, "Christian" in his professional radio career.

Mr. Christensen was WJYE's morning anchor for 11 years and a "jock" and newsman for WKBW, WGR-AM, WEBR, WNIA, WRLT, WNED, and WBEN. He also worked in Ithaca, Rochester (WHAM and WROC), Roanoke, Va. and Miami, Fla. Most recently, he ran his own business producing "on hold" messages and doing agency voice-overs.

Steve Mitchell a friend of Christensen since the late 1950's, said when they were younger, several guys were interested in radio plus all had basement radio stations.

"On different weekends, one of us would 'travel' to another guy's house and do a 'show' for a few hours. This went on long enough that we met other 'jocks' from other schools and a friendship formed that remains to this day. I would say a good 99 percent of us continued in the business. Some of us went into sales, others into management, while the rest stayed on the air in one fashion or another," Mitchell said. "Bob could be a jock at one station, then get a job as a newsman for another. He excelled at either."

Mr. Christensen is survived by his mother, the former Elizabeth Betty; two sons, Robert J. and Erin M.; and a brother, James L.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Dietrich Funeral Home, 2840 Kensington Ave., Amherst.