Longtime KDKA Radio host, contributor and author Charles Reichblum has died at 95.
You knew him better as “Dr. Knowledge”.
A lifelong native of Pittsburgh, Reichblum grew up listening to the Pirates on KDKA Radio and was a fan of play-by-play announcer Bob Prince.
He lived closed to Prince and introduced himself. That would lead Reichblum into a long career in radio.
Prince gave the then 14-year-old an internship. He was in charge of monitoring the teletype news that would come over the wire.
One day he came across a story that would begin another journey for him.
It mentioned at that three of the first five Presidents of the United States all died on the same day, July 4th. They were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson (both died on the same day) and James Monroe.
He went on to Syracuse University, where he became the school’s first play-by-play announcer for football and basketball games.
After school, he was a sports director at a Pittsburgh radio station and started a company that offered weekly syndicated content across the country.
Continuing to amass a large collection of facts, trivia and oddities, Reichblum wrote 12 books with the title “Knowledge in a Nutshell” or “Dr. Knowledge Presents”.
But his magnum opus is “The All-Time Book of Fascinating Facts” which came out a few years ago.
Reichblum said that the book has his “best of the best” in it.
Reichblum was married to his wife Audrey for over 65 years. She became known to KDKA Radio listeners as “Ms. Information”.
He began to appear on KDKA Radio shows frequently in the early 2000s with shows like the late Mike Pintek.
He eventually got his own show, “The Dr. Knowledge Show” that would air on Friday and Saturday overnights on KDKA with his wife.
Callers from all around the Pittsburgh area and country would keep the phonelines busy during the entire show with people trying to answer trivia questions, solve brain teasers and share their strange and interesting factoids.
His daily “Dr. Knowledge Minute” has aired for years on CBS Radio stations across the country.
"Dr. Knowledge, as he was so affectionately known, entertained thousands on KDKA for over a decade, He kept his listeners company and curious during his overnight show. We at Audacy Pittsburgh are saddened to hear of his passing and offer our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and many fans," said Michael Spacciapolli, Senior Vice President and Market Manager of Audacy Pittsburgh
The funeral will be Friday, Nov. 3 at 11:00 am at Rodef Shalom Congregation located at 4905 Fifth Avenue. The family will receive visitors from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Rodef Shalom. Donations can be made to your favorite charity in Charles Reichblum’s memory.