Bill Cummins

William “Bill” Boyd Cummins worked for almost all of the radio stations in Brevard County and broadcast space news to stations across the country during the 25 years he lived in the area. He served as news director for several including WRMF and WEZY.

At the time of his death at 49 in 1987, Nick White, editorial page editor for the Florida Today said, “There is no question he was the best radio news reporter in Brevard for many years.” White shared the microphone with Cummins on many occasions particularly on his talk show “Back Talk” and for election coverage. While space reporting was his first love, Cummins was particularly interested in the politics of the area.

Beginning with the Gemini program and going through the Apollo program into the beginning of the space shuttle era, Cummins broadcast locally and through radio stations in Mississippi, New York, Georgia, Louisiana, California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.

While news director of WRMF he was awarded an “Outstanding Commendation” for news reporting by the Associated Press Broadcasters Association. WRMF also won a special reporting award for Cummins’ coverage of the Titan-Centaur launch of the West German Helios (solar exploration) satellite.

During his tenure in Brevard County he served as President of the Canaveral Press Club and on the Board of Directors of the Cape Kennedy Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi (professional journalism society), Florida Radio-TV News Directors Association and the International Moonwalk Association.

Although he worked at various times as a detective, salesman, policeman and actor, he was not always lucky in business. In 1976 he was just starting a charter fishing boat operation when his boat sank 25 miles off Cape Canaveral. He was rescued after 15 hours of clinging to a tackle box and decided to give up that profession.

At the time of his death in Savannah, Ga., he was working as a sales representative for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.