William Pierre Robert (; August 1, 1955 â October 29, 2025) was an American radio disc jockey and on-air personality for WMMR in Philadelphia. He worked at the station for 44 years, from 1981 until his death in 2025.
Robert was a prominent on-air personality at WMMR. Local audiences sometimes characterized his appearance and demeanor as countercultural. During broadcasts, he commonly addressed listeners as "citizens" and frequently used the phrase "great day in the morning!" as a recurring expression.
Over the course of his career, Robert interviewed numerous figures in the American rock music industry. He was widely respected by rock musicians and bands, including Jon Bon Jovi, Dave Grohl, and Eddie Vedder. Several artists granted him infrequent interviews or made in-studio appearances on his program, reflecting his standing within the music community.
Pierre Robert was born August 1, 1955, in Truckee, California. He grew up in a family that owned and operated motels. During his childhood and adolescence, he was exposed to West Coast rock music of the 1960s, which contributed to his interest in radio broadcasting.
Robert began his radio career as an intern and later an on-air host at 94.9 KSAN in San Francisco, one of the first progressive rock stations in the United States. In the early 1980s, KSAN changed its format to Urban Country and Western. During this period, Robert briefly used the on-air name "Will Robertson", reflecting his dissatisfaction with the new format.
Shortly thereafter, Robert traveled to Philadelphia, driving a 1970 Volkswagen van nicknamed Minerva. He submitted a demo tape to WMMR, but was initially not offered a position and instead worked at Essene, a health food store and vegetarian restaurant. According to later accounts, a palm reader on South Street predicted he would soon receive a letter. Upon returning home, Robert received a letter from Joe Bonadonna, then the station manager at WMMR, informing him of an opening. Robert joined WMMR in 1981.
Robert held several positions at WMMR, including broadcasting during morning, overnight, and midday shifts. His latest time slot was from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., though his program occasionally started late or ran longer, an anomaly he referred to as "Pierre Standard Time."
Features of his show included the "Coffee Break Music Marathon", "Pierre's Planner", and the âÂÂWork Force BlocksâÂÂ, during which he played three or four songs by a single artist based on listener requests. Robert also presented the "Vinyl Cut", a segment in which he played a track from one of the vinyl records in the WMMR archive.
Robert regularly aired the full 18-minute version of Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" during his annual Thanksgiving broadcast.
He stated that he did not closely follow Philadelphia sports teams, despite the cityâÂÂs strong sports culture. As part of an on-air running joke, he referred to all Philadelphia teams as "The Boys in Blue", regardless of their actual team colors, and frequently used the phrase "Sports Up!", most often during his overlap with the Preston and Steve show in the morning.
In January 2024, Robert signed a multi-year contract extension with WMMR.
Robert was found dead at his home in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, on October 29, 2025, at the age of 70.