Norman Pellegrini, program director at Chicago’s iconic WFMT (98.7 FM) for 45 years, died early today after a brief illness. He was 79.
Mr. Pellegrini started at WFMT at the station’s beginnings in 1951, and became program director two years later. His was a distinctive voice - literally as well as figuratively - shaping the way generations of Chicagoans approached classical music and the arts. He took artistic risks, risks that usually paid off for the station’s listeners.
He was heard on KFUO (99.1 FM) in St. Louis and on stations around the country on Lyric Opera of Chicago’s radio broadcasts.
A native Chicagoan, Mr. Pellegrini is survived by his long-time partner, Donald Knight. A memorial service is planned for July 18, which would have been his 80th birthday. The station will remember him and his contributions through the weekend.