Cephas Bowles (April 20, 1952 ~ February 21, 2015) is the former CEO and President of WBGO-Jazz 88 in Newark, N.J. Mr. Bowles was senior executive of WBGO-FM from 1993 to 2014. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013 and took a leave of absence from his position. He later retired from the station. At WBGO, Bowles helped increase financial support of the station through innovative programming, special events, live broadcasts and social media. WBGO was the first jazz station to stream via the Internet in 1998. In 2012, Bowles led a capital campaign to build a broadcast tower for WBGO in midtown Manhattan, increasing the station’s reach into the city. “I met Cephas the day he was interviewed at my office for the general manager job at WBGO,” said Philip Elberg, former WBGO board chair. At the time, the station was increasingly popular, but it was broke. It needed strong leadership — someone who would pay attention to the details and provide the professionalism that would help WBGO become the lasting institution with diverse leadership that we envisioned.” Bowles “was a wonder to behold,” Elberg said. . . He was driven in his commitment to the station.” Mr. Bowles also served on NPR’s board of directors from 2001-07. In 2007, the NPR board adopted a resolution honoring Bowles for his service to public radio, the NPR board and NPR member stations. Cephas Bowles graduated from Syracuse University in 1974 with a broadcasting degree. In 1979, Bowles became program assistant at KUAT in Tucson, AZ then program director in 1981 and assistant general manager and station manager in 1983.
Cephas Bowles (April 20, 1952 ~ February 21, 2015) is the former CEO and President of WBGO-Jazz 88 in Newark, N.J. Mr. Bowles was senior executive of WBGO-FM from 1993 to 2014. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013 and took a leave of absence from his position. He later retired from the station. At WBGO, Bowles helped increase financial support of the station through innovative programming, special events, live broadcasts and social media. WBGO was the first jazz station to stream via the Internet in 1998. In 2012, Bowles led a capital campaign to build a broadcast tower for WBGO in midtown Manhattan, increasing the station’s reach into the city. “I met Cephas the day he was interviewed at my office for the general manager job at WBGO,” said Philip Elberg, former WBGO board chair. At the time, the station was increasingly popular, but it was broke. It needed strong leadership — someone who would pay attention to the details and provide the professionalism that would help WBGO become the lasting institution with diverse leadership that we envisioned.” Bowles “was a wonder to behold,” Elberg said. . . He was driven in his commitment to the station.” Mr. Bowles also served on NPR’s board of directors from 2001-07. In 2007, the NPR board adopted a resolution honoring Bowles for his service to public radio, the NPR board and NPR member stations. Cephas Bowles graduated from Syracuse University in 1974 with a broadcasting degree. In 1979, Bowles became program assistant at KUAT in Tucson, AZ then program director in 1981 and assistant general manager and station manager in 1983.