Z1079 welcomes our newest member to the family, Colby Colb! Colby will be on Z1079 from 3p – 6p Monday – Friday!
Colby Colb:
Whether pounding the streets, lecturing the importance of safe sex in high schools or writing about his life experiences. Colby “Colb” Tyner has demonstrated that with passion, hard work and a commitment to the community, one can make a difference in the lives of many.
Born in New York City, Colby’s adoration for radio began at the early age of seven. Traveling between his mother’s home in Philadelphia and his father’s in New York, he became fascinated with various musical genres as well as the different presentational styles of air personalities. By the age of ten Colby would call popular radio DJ’s to familiarize him with the stations and to learn more about the broadcasting industry. During that time, he also created his own ‘mix tapes’ of early rap and R&B hits. He attributes his early influences in the entertainment industry to his uncle, international renowned pianist McCoy Tyner. In high school, Colby enjoyed performing as a DJ for numerous parties and by the age of 17, acquired an internship at WUSL-FM in Philadelphia. Within six months, he landed a coveted position as a producer for the 6-10pm show and was instrumental in making it the #1 Arbitron-rated program (12+,18-34 adults) in its time slot for 36 straight ratings periods with 3 different hosts over a nine year period.
Colby soon stepped into the spotlight in 1991 as the creator and host of Radioactive, a groundbreaking hip-hop show. For seven years Colby kept hip-hop afloat in Philly, he featured many of the biggest names in hip-hop. He received critical acclaim from many industry organizations including 2 Gavin nominations for ‘Best Mix Show. In 1996 Impact Magazine awarded him ‘best Mix Show Personality’ and his immediate popularity with Radioactive gave him the opportunity to expand beyond the show. In 1998 Colby was moved to the 6-10pm slots and became Assistant Music Director. With interviews from some of the biggest artist such as Janet Jackson, Will Smith, R. Kelly, Jay-z, it’s no surprise that Colby was the Arbitron rated #1 evening personality gaining the highest ratings in the stations history at night. He was nominated in 1999 as Billboard Airplay Monitor’s Air Personality of the Year.
Colby also hosted and produced several specialty programs including Artist of our Time and Jay-z radio. He has received 5 Philadelphia Air Awards for his work including the Milestone award for over 20 years of service in the Philadelphia radio market.
Colby is known best for his compelling interviews with President Clinton and Minister Louis Farrakhan, Al Gore and Quincy Jones. His career took yet another leap in 2000 when he was promoted to the morning show and then Assistant PD at WUSL-FM.
In 2002 Colby felt it was time for him to move on so he left WUSL-FM and headed to New York City to help launch Clear Channel’s new station WWPR-FM Power 105. Colby did afternoons and was named music director at the station. After several months in New York City Colby was offered an opportunity of a lifetime. He had the chance to go back to Philadelphia and become the Program Director and afternoon drive host at WPHI- FM, a long time competitor of WUSL. During his 6 years at the helm of WPHI-FM the stations ratings went from 8th 18-34 to 3rd. In 2007 WPHI surpassed WUSL in ratings for the first time in its history.
Throughout his career Colby has maintained a commitment to the community. Through his position as Program Director, he has always made sure the station was heavily involved with community issues and as a result in 2005 WPHI-FM was nominated for a Marconi award by the National Association of Broadcasters and in 2006 WPHI-FM was nominated for a prestigious Crystal award.
Colby also created “Behind the Beats” a groundbreaking series that brings listeners and the artists together at a recording studio for an intimate Q&A session and performance. “Behind the Beats” became an instant success for the station. P. Diddy, Nas, Busta Ryhmes, Bow Wow, Ludacris, LL Cool J and Kanye West are just a few of the many stellar artists that have participated in this groundbreaking series.
Colby attended Temple University and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Radio/Television/Film. After graduating from College he knew that the radio business was very competitive and that he should have something to fall back on so for six years Colby worked by day as a Job Development Supervisor, AIDS Awareness counselor and even a short stint as a juvenile probation officer. Those different jobs taught him about patience, dedication and humbleness, which he brought to the airwaves and earned him the respect of his listeners and peers.
In addition to his accomplishments in broadcasting Colby was featured in the award winning PBS documentary, “Are you Black White or Other” in which he talks about his bi-racial background. He has also dedicated much of his time to educating others about the impact of AIDS. He volunteers as an AIDS awareness counselor for the Youth Outreach/Adolescent Community Awareness Program and lectures at high schools, prisons and community organizations. In 1997, YOACAP hired Colby to create an awareness program in North Philadelphia, which was the hardest hit with AIDS cases.
Colby is one of the most recognizable radio personalities in the Philadelphia area for listeners of all ages. In 2004 he was named one of top 15 successful African Americans under 45. This feature in the December 2004 issue Philadelphia Magazine highlighted Colby’s commitment to his community and his long-term success on the radio. Among his interests, Colby enjoys sports, politics and screenwriting. In the future, Colby would like to make movies and continue programming because he says “radio will always be in my blood”.
