Bob Pantano, a South Philadelphia native, started spinning at the record hops in the late 1960s and then the nightclubs in the 70s. His professional radio career began on WCAM in Camden, New Jersey in 1971. Bob pioneered the live-radio broadcast, The Saturday Night Dance Party, in 1977, which airs every Saturday night live from 7:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and has enthralled and entertained Philadelphia audiences with its upbeat dance music.
Bob's entertaining and engaging banter have kept the crowds returning year after year, building a captive and loyal audience. During the past thirty years his Live Radio Dance Party has been broadcast from various hotels, nightclubs, and casinos. Hundreds of thousands of Delaware Valley residents have met, danced and even fallen in love to that special mix of music that Bob Pantano's Saturday Night Dance Party is so well known for. Bob's knack for playing the best record hop tunes of the 60s along with the dance club classics of the 70s & 80s has made him a celebrity in the Delaware Valley.
Bob is the host of the Ninth Street Italian Market Festival and The Vendemmia Festival in South Philadelphia. Bob keeps the concert circuit hopping with his well known "Sounds of Philly Show" which features some of the best local and national recording artists. Bob has hosted shows at the Wachovia Center, Trump Plaza, Wildwood Convention Center, Penn's Landing, summer concerts in the Philadelphia and South Jersey parks, Resorts Casino Hotel, and corporate functions and charitable events.
He is on the board of directors of VARIETY-The Children Charity, helping children with disabilities. Bob who is an honorary Deputy Police Commissioner is the MC of the Hero Plaque Program in Philadelphia, which commemorates the heroism of Philadelphia Police officers who gave their lives serving in the line of duty. He is also the MC for the annual Hero Thrill Show benefiting the families of our fallen heroes ( Police and Fireman families). Bob is involved with Church of the Holy Family, Washington Twp. NJ ( where he hosts the annual Primavera Festival), The Taste of South Philly (@ Philadelphia Cruise Terminal @ Pier 1) for Saints John Neumann & Maria Goretti Catholic High Schools plus numerous other charitable events. Bob's other endeavors include playing a crucial role in the promotion and success of the Frank Sinatra mural on the Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia.
In 2007 Bob was inducted into the Temple University School of Communications and Theater Hall of Fame and received a sidewalk plaque on the Wildwood Avenue of the Stars
In 2008 Bob was inducted into The Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.
From Bob's days of spinning records at the hops in the late 1960s, to his move into the nightclubs in the 70s, to bringing those nostalgic moments back to packed audiences today, his highly acclaimed reputation in radio, television, and area concerts is unsurpassed in the region, making him a celebrated Philly success!