24 Jul Radio Veteran and 2025 Free Speech Award Judge Bob Craig Knows the Power of Expressing Yourself Through the Arts

With a more than 60 year career as a radio studio engineer, producer, announcer and program host, Bob  Craig understands how musicians have used their art to have serious discussions about important global issues.

The fact that artists can use a variety of broadcast mediums – including music, television and film – to express their thoughts and beliefs is what helped inspire Bob to serve as a 2025 Free Speech Award judge.

“I’ve encountered many individuals personally and socially who have shared their points of view on numerous subjects. It’s often been mentioned how thankful they are to live in an environment that offers freedom of expression,” he said.

Since the invention of film, global directors have been using the medium to express their views on important topics. Bob said he commends organizations like American INSIGHT, which now has access to an archive of more than 60 award-winning films, who are working to find this archival material and make it available for public viewing and listening.

“American INSIGHT’s mission is providing open dialogue through film and discussion on an international platform,” he said.

During his well-rounded radio career, Bob helped format one of the first soft rock stations in the U.S. at WWYZ in Hartford, Connecticut. He’s also worked in the adult contemporary, smooth jazz, and adult standards genres at WMGK and WPEN in Philadelphia before joining WRTI’s on-air staff in 2005.

In a way, being connected to the history of musical genres has helped him develop an appreciation for historical documents like the Magna Carta of 1215 – which was the first written document to state that the government is not above the law. He said its important for students to understand these documents and the values of free speech, human rights and the rule of law that go along with them.

“In this day, there’s conflicting voices through unlimited outlets that at times tend to blur facts and documentation. Familiarizing oneself with the origins of historical documents is a great source of reference,” he said.

In addition to his work in radio, Bob has recorded numerous audio books for the nationally renowned Hachette Publishing Group in New York, and also teaches at Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. All of this work further impacts his views on the power and importance of free speech.

“Free speech to me is the privilege and right to present a point of view without fear of retribution,” he said.

Free Speech Film Festival Award

Tickets for the 2025 Free Speech Award Ceremony are now available for purchase. Join us to celebrate filmmakers championing freedom of expression and human rights through cinema.