Bob Rivers facts for kids

Robert Rivers (July 7, 1956 – March 11, 2025) was an American rock and roll radio host. He was known as an on-air personality in the Pacific Northwest. He also created and wrote many parody songs. He was especially famous for his funny Christmas song parodies. His album Twisted Christmas sold very well. It was certified gold, meaning it sold over 500,000 copies.

Rivers' last regular radio show was The Bob Rivers Show with Bob, Spike and Joe. It was broadcast on Seattle oldies radio KJR-FM. The show ended on August 8, 2014. It had been on the air in Seattle for 25 years.

Rivers also played keyboards for a cover band called Spike and the Impalers. He played with them until 2015.

Early Life and Radio Dreams

Robert Rivers was born in Branford, Connecticut, on July 7, 1956. He grew up in a large family as the oldest of eight children. His parents taught him to work hard and be competitive.

From a young age, he knew he wanted to be on the radio. When he was 15, he even tried broadcasting from his family's basement. His mom quickly stopped that prank! He also started a radio show at his high school. He got his first paid radio job at 16. But he was reportedly fired for playing too much Led Zeppelin.

Starting Out in Connecticut

Rivers began his career as a disc jockey in Connecticut. He worked at several radio stations there. These included WAVZ, WNHC, WCDQ, WELI, WFIF, WCCC-FM, WWCO, and WLIS.

Bob and Zip Show in Massachusetts

Bob Rivers spent almost six years at WAAF radio in Worcester, Massachusetts. This station was part of the Boston area market. He was part of a popular morning show called Bob and Zip with Peter "Zip" Zipfel.

During this time, Rivers started making funny parody songs. He made them for the station and for a service called "American Comedy Network." This service sent comedy material to radio stations across the U.S. and Canada. One of his first parodies was "Breakin' Up Is Hard On You." It was about the breakup of the big phone company AT&T. The song used the tune of Neil Sedaka's hit "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do." It even reached #70 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart.

In 1987, Rivers released Twisted Christmas. This album included the popular Christmas song "Twelve Pains of Christmas." It was a funny version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Twisted Christmas became a gold record.

On Air in Baltimore

In 1988, Bob Rivers moved to Baltimore, Maryland. He became the main morning show host at "98 Rock" WIYY-FM. He became famous for staying on the air for 11 days straight. He vowed to stay on until the Baltimore Orioles baseball team won a game. He kept his promise and became a local hero to Orioles fans. He only took naps during songs and started to get tired from lack of sleep.

Rivers helped increase the station's morning show ratings by about 65 percent.

Before he left WIYY, Rivers met James O'Neill, who later became known as "Spike." Spike joined Rivers as an intern. When Rivers left, he asked Spike to join him on his next adventure.

Twisted Radio in Seattle

In 1989, Rivers moved to Seattle and joined Active Rock radio station KISW-FM. He started a morning show called Twisted Radio with Sean Donahue. Rivers brought Spike O'Neill with him. Spike was the sportscaster, writer, and did funny voices. They worked hard for six weeks before their first show.

Rivers released more funny holiday music albums. These included I Am Santa Claus (1993), More Twisted Christmas (1997), Chipmunks Roasting On an Open Fire (2000), and White ... Christmas (2002).

Bob Rivers and his Twisted Radio show also made many non-holiday parodies. These songs made fun of pop culture, politicians, and Seattle sports teams. These "Twisted Tunes" were available on his website. You could also buy them on CD compilation albums.

Rivers said that more "Twisted Tunes" were made about the 1994 O. J. Simpson case than any other topic. One example was "White Ford Bronco." He also said many songs were about the Seattle Seahawks and Super Bowl XL. One of his most famous parodies was "What if God Smoked...?" (based on Joan Osborne's "One of Us"). People sometimes mistakenly thought "Weird Al" Yankovic made this song.

In 1999, Rivers wrote a "twisted tune" called "Kosovo." It was a parody of the Beach Boys song "Kokomo." It was about the Kosovo War. This song became very popular and even gained international attention. In 2005, some Norwegian peacekeepers in Kosovo used it to make a music video.

By late 1999, Rivers had been at KISW for 10 years. This was the longest time any radio personality had stayed at a station in Seattle.

Rivers and his team took a year off when their contract with KISW ended. This was due to a non-compete clause.

The Bob Rivers Show at KZOK

In September 2001, the show moved to KZOK radio. It stayed there until September 30, 2010. Spike O'Neill was a big part of the show. He did many voice impressions, like Rush Limbaugh and William Shatner. Mike Jones was the producer. Arik Korman joined as director in 2002. Maura Gallucci and Kaci Aitchison provided news and comedy.

The Bob Rivers Show was also broadcast in Portland, Oregon, on KVMX (now KXJM) "Mix 107.5" for a short time in 2006.

The show often performed funny skits. One famous skit was a parody of The Wizard of Oz. In it, Dorothy and the Wizard tried to bring former Seattle Seahawk Brian Bosworth back to Seattle.

Another popular segment was a contest where callers acted out lines from Gone with the Wind. Listeners voted for the best performance.

In 2007, Spike O'Neill interviewed former Seattle Seahawk Norm Johnson. Johnson had saved a woman trapped in an overturned car. This local story became national news because of the funny and admiring interview.

KZOK also became famous for its partnership with World Vision International. They held a "radiothon" to help sponsor children in poor nations. They hoped to sponsor 400 children. But listeners called and wrote in, and they ended up sponsoring over 3,000 children! These children were in countries like Senegal, Ethiopia, and the Dominican Republic.

Later, the studio added television cameras. People could watch videos of interviews and music performances on the station's website.

Rivers' show left KZOK because he could not agree on a new contract with CBS, the station's owner.

In December 2010, while they were off the air, Bob and his wife Lisa traveled to Bangladesh. They spent the holidays helping to build schools for people in Dhaka.

The Bob Rivers Show at KJR-FM

The Bob Rivers Show ran on KJR-FM from April 1, 2011, to August 8, 2014. This date marked 25 years since Bob first started on the air in Seattle.

The KJR-FM show cast included Spike O'Neill, Joel "Downtown Joe" Bryant, newswoman Jodi Brothers, director Arik Korman, and producers Luciana Bosio and Pedro Bartes. Luciana and Pedro were a married couple who also shared news and jokes.

Show Content

The show played classic rock music and featured comedy. They discussed current movies, sports news, and local news. They also talked about celebrity news and national news. Rivers, O'Neill, and Bryant interviewed musicians, actors, comedians, and authors. A friend of the show, attorney Shawn Alexander, often called in to talk about legal issues. O'Neill, Rivers, and Brothers added funny comments to the news stories.

Over the years, the show members often talked about their families. They shared stories about being parents. Rivers and his wife, Lisa, have two sons: Keith, a filmmaker, and Andrew, a stand-up comedian. Andrew sometimes appeared on the show to talk about his career and growing up. Spike talked about his daughters, Riann and Darby. Joe Bryant often made listeners laugh by talking about his daughter, Emily-Jo, and her eating habits.

In 2014, Joe, Bob, and Spike often shared updates about a diet they were all on. They all lost weight.

Downtown Joe was a listener favorite. In 2014, he hosted "The Warm-Up Show." This was a half-hour chat before Bob Rivers arrived. Joe is known as an expert in fishing and outdoor activities.

Arik Korman and his wife Monique adopted a Korean boy named A.J. Arik often shared facts and science explanations. Luciana Bosio and Pedro Bartes talked about their journey to become legal citizens. In early 2014, they both received their green cards.

The cast also talked about the children they sponsored through World Vision International. They held an annual drive to encourage listeners to sponsor children.

The show invited listeners to call or text in. They could guess answers to questions or share personal stories related to a news topic. Prizes like tickets to events or Spike and the Impalers CDs were given to winners.

Show members also read advertisements for local businesses in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

On July 28, 2014, Bob Rivers announced he was leaving morning radio. He had been on radio for 42 years, with 25 years in Seattle. He wanted to work on other projects. The final show was on Friday, August 8. Many family members attended, and local musicians played music. With the end of the show, KJR changed its format from "Oldies" to "95.7 The Jet, Seattle's Variety From the 70's, 80's and More."

Personal Life

Rivers lived for many years in North Bend, Washington, with his wife, Lisa. He enjoyed gardening, taking care of his bees and chickens, and hiking. He also recorded music in his home studio. To overcome his fear of flying, Rivers learned to fly a plane. He eventually bought his own and became a private pilot.

Rivers was featured in a 2014 issue of Washington Trails Magazine. The article was about his love for hiking. It included five photos of Rivers in nature.

In November 2015, Seattle's KING-TV reported that Rivers decided to sell his large home. He called it "like something out of a fairy tale." He told the interviewer that he and Lisa planned to travel and hike more.

Robert Rivers died in New Hampshire on March 11, 2025. He was 68 years old.

Children

Rivers had two sons with his wife Lisa. His older son, Keith Rivers (born February 2, 1983), is a filmmaker. His younger son, Andrew J. Rivers, is a stand-up comedian. Rivers' sons were featured on the I Am Santa Claus album in a song called "The Kids."

Rivers' granddaughter, Keith's daughter, was born on August 8, 2014. This was the same day Rivers ended his radio show.

Plane Incident

In 2009, Bob Rivers' Cessna 182 airplane was taken from the airport. It was flown to Yakima, Washington, where it landed very hard. The plane was damaged beyond repair by Rivers' insurance company. Rivers spoke publicly about the incident. He said he was angry and wanted the person responsible to be caught.

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Compilations

Film and Documentary Work

• Rivers was a fan of science fiction. He appeared as an extra in two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. He was an engineer in "Zero Hour" (2004). He was also a lieutenant in the series finale "These Are the Voyages... " (2005).
• Rivers was an executive producer for a 7-minute documentary. It was called Senegal, Africa: Through My Eyes (2009). His son, Keith Rivers, directed it. It was made with World Vision International. Rivers supported their work by traveling to countries like Senegal, Malawi, and Bangladesh.

Awards and Recognition

Rivers won several awards for his radio work. He was twice named Radio & Records' major market Rock Personality of the Year. Billboard also named him Radio Personality of the Week. At the Puget Sound Radio Broadcasters Association's awards, he won three People's Choice Awards. These were for the Best Minute of the Year in Seattle Radio.

To honor his retirement, the Seattle Mariners invited Rivers to throw the opening pitch at a game. Rivers asked that Spike O'Neill and Joe Bryant join him. They had worked together for a long time.

Praise for The Bob Rivers Show

Many people praised The Bob Rivers Show. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote in 2005 that the show was "consistently one of the top-rated morning shows in the Seattle market." A Kitsap Sun columnist agreed. They said the show had a great mix of pop culture, news, humor, and interviews. KING-TV called Rivers "one of the Northwest's most popular personalities." Cynde Slater, who hired Rivers in 1985, said he was great at making comedy from current topics.

A long article in The Seattle Times in 2012 praised Rivers for his humor and determination. It noted that the show had been on for nearly 23 years. It was one of the top three morning shows in its time slot. It was also the last local talk/entertainment program on Seattle morning radio. The article highlighted the show's "easy chemistry" and "incredible longevity." It also mentioned the strong sense of "family" among the cast members.