R.I.P.: Iconic A-C Broadcaster Pinky Kravitz

Pinky Kravitz, the man often called “Mr. Atlantic City” and a local radio host believed to have set national records for his longevity on the air, died Saturday.

He was  88, according to The Press of Atlantic City.

Kravitz, who usually referred to himself by his lifelong nickname — and reportedly wouldn’t even answer to his given name, Seymour — spent 57 consecutive years as the host of “Pinky’s Corner,” most of them on WOND 1400 AM.

Pinky’s son, Greg Kravitz, knew the influence his dad had on area, more than just in Atlantic City.
“It’s always funny to me when people call him Mr. Atlantic City. He was all about southern New Jersey. That was his love.”

Kravitz did most of his broadcasting from locations around his beloved Atlantic City, the town where his family moved when Pinky was just 6. He spent his last several years hosting his local talk show from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, but had previously found homes for his microphone and guests at venues ranging from restaurants to a bowling alley to other casinos.

Kravitz also wrote a “Pinky’s Corner” column for The Press of Atlantic City from 2010 to earlier this year and for years hosted a talk show on the former Channel 40, the NBC-TV affiliate that closed at the end of 2014. Plus he had a popular minute of local commentary and gossip on Wednesday nights on Channel 40’s newscast. He called it “Insider Notes” and always ended it with a tagline that he delivered emphatically — “Insider notes for you ... from Pinky!”

He began his radio career with summer teen dance hops on the former Million Dollar Pier in 1958 in Atlantic City. Philadelphia radio station WLDB broadcast him from poolside at the former Chelsea Hotel, and the host named Pinky was on his way.

While still teaching school during the day, he hosted Pinky’s Corner on WOND and WMGM at night.

He was recognized for decades as Atlantic City’s biggest promoter — which earned him the other nickname he was often called, Mr. Atlantic City.