In the heart of Central New York, there’s no station bigger than “B104.7,” iHeartMedia‘s top-rated Country WBBS-FM in Syracuse. A big part of those strong ratings is thanks to longtime personality Becky Palmer, who spent 22 years on the air before retiring in December 2019.
Now, listeners and peers from across the U.S. are paying tribute to Palmer, who has died.
Palmer was 68 years old,
Longtime Central New York radio host Becky Palmer has died after a battle with cancer. She was 68. According to the Post-Standard newspaper, Palmer passed away on May 14 and suffered from a form of cancer. Palmer had previously battled breast cancer. Daughter Alana Hirt confirmed her mother’s death to the Newhouse-owned newspaper.
Palmer, who was paired with Tom Owens at B104.7, is known to Syracuse and “CNY” radio listeners for her time at WSEN-FM, circa 40 years ago. But, she became nationally known as one-third of a morning show at B104.7 that included Owens and the late Ron Bee. For two decades, the triumvirate of hosts helped topple Top 40 giant 93Q, then-owned by Pilot Communications, as CNY’s top-rated radio station.
Their success led to a big honor: Ron and Becky were named CMA Personalities of the Year in 2004. WBBS-FM was named ACM Radio Station of the Year one decade later, in 2014.
Services are forthcoming.
In a Facebook post, the station said, “Thank you for all your years of entertainment and dedication to our community. You’ll forever be missed!”
