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Saturday, July 27, 2024

R.I.P.: Mary Mason, Iconic Philly Radio Talk Host

Mary Mason (corrected photo) (1930-2024)

Philadelphia talk radio veteran Mary Mason has died.

Mason, whose real name was Beatrice Turner, started her career in 1958 as a gospel music radio host on the radio station WHAT.

Then in 1970, she began her talk program "Mornings with Mary." 

Mason became a Philadelphia radio star at a pivotal time, paving the way for women and minorities to do the same.

"Reverend Louise Williams Bishop and Mary Mason are the two African American women who really broke the barrier in Philadelphia radio for us to come behind them," Thera Martin, Mason's former program director, told Channel 6 Action News.


The show catapulted Mason's career, leading her to interviews with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Oprah. Martin said, "She was strongly focused on politics. She understood that politics makes the city, helps makes the state and the nation go round."

Mason died on Thursday at the age of 94 after living with Alzheimer's for years.



1 comment:

  1. That's not Mary Mason in the photo. That's journalist Bobbi Booker. She is very much alive. Check out our article at https://urbanradionation.com/f/mary-mason-talk-radio-icon-and-political-influencer-has-died. We give a little more insight.

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