Bob Grant — the veteran radio host who is considered a pioneer of conservative radio-talk format — has died. He was 84.

A Toms River resident, Grant, born Robert Ciro Gigante, passed away Tuesday, according to various media reports.

He began his career in 1970 as a host on WMCA in New York. He was known for his in-your-face approach and for telling off callers. He moved to WWDB in Philadelphia before returning to New York at WABC in 1984.

At the time, Grant opened his shows with: “Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to another hour of the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions in the belief that as American citizens you have the right to hear, and to be heard.”

He would routinely sign off by saying: “Get Gaddafi,” in a jab to Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi.
Grant thrived at WABC for many years until a 1996 crack about Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, whose plane had crashed in Croatia.

“My hunch is that [Brown] is the one survivor. I just have that hunch. Maybe it’s because, at heart, I’m a pessimist,” Grant said at the time. Brown and 34 others died on board the flight.

That same year, he was honored by the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts (NARTSH) with the Freedom of Speech Award.

Grant moved to WOR, where he stayed until 2006. A year later, he returned to WABC before leaving to host an Internet radio show titled “Straight Ahead!” In September 2009, he returned to WABC again, to host a Sunday talk show. He retired from this gig last summer because of declining health.

Grant wrote the best-selling book, “Lets Be Heard.”

(Source: NJ Star Ledger)