Veteran Radio Executive Patrick Crocker Dead at 65

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Patrick Crocker

Patrick (Pat) Crocker, a prominent figure in the radio industry with a career spanning nearly four decades, passed away unexpectedly due to a heart attack last night while playing ice hockey, his second favorite passion after radio. He was 65.

Crocker, who served as Executive Vice President of Local Radio Networks (LRN) since 2019, was remembered by colleagues both for his professional achievements and his personal friendships. Prior to joining LRN, he held significant positions at Cumulus/Westwood One, where he was instrumental in advancing the company's 24/7 music formats.

"Pat's first passion was radio," said Chad Seng, CFO of LRN. "He helped countless radio stations find the right 24/7 music format solution to yield success in their market. To me, Pat was a personal friend and a colleague. Everyone at LRN and its affiliates will miss him. Our sincere heartfelt loss and prayers go out to his wife Teri and the entire Crocker family."

Throughout his career, Crocker was pivotal in the growth of 24/7 music format affiliations not only at LRN but also at Jones Radio Networks, Dial Global, and Westwood One. He played a key role in the consolidation of affiliate sales departments during several network mergers. Crocker's radio journey began in St. Louis as a national ad sales representative, eventually moving into local and national sales management at iconic stations such as WIL-FM and KSHE-FM in St. Louis, as well as KALC-FM and KIMN-FM in Denver.

Steve Swick, CEO of Local Radio Networks, expressed his deep sadness at the loss of Crocker, highlighting the significant impact he had on the industry and the people he worked with.