The odds are pretty high that you have heard Greg Hill’s voice.
Hill, a longtime staple at WAAF, recently has ventured into sports radio as the morning host on WEEI (93.7 FM). You can listen to him on the airwaves from 6-10 a.m. Monday-Friday.
His first paid job in radio came when he was in high school, when WVBF (1530 AM) hired him to listen to the traffic report on WBZ and relay it to the person on air in an attempt to be the first station that had the news.
Hill continued to rise through the ranks and received a weekend overnight shift on WAAF, which eventually turned into him hosting his own morning show in 1991. He became a fixture on the show for 29 years as a welcoming voice to many Bostonians during their morning commutes.
It caught the attention of WEEI, who brought Hill on board in July. He co-hosts with Danielle Murr and has a weekly interview with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Hill talked about the transition from WAAF to WEEI, which was not easy at first.
“When they first started talking to me about moving to EEI, it was a weird thing to think about because I had basically worked at only one place, WAAF, since I was 18,” Hill told BostonMan Magazine. “When you do a show like ours, every day on the same station, it’s strange to think about doing it somewhere else.
“The transition was really bizarre at first,” Hill added. “It’s a whole new studio, new format, new producers and new audience. But you also want to try to make the show true to the old show for the listeners who came over to EEI with me. So it took a while to figure out how to make it all work.”
Whether it’s the latest drama surrounding the Patriots, or a controversial decision put in place by Charlie Baker, Hill knows what his listeners want to hear in the morning when getting ready for the work day.
“I approach it the same way I did on the old show,” Hill said. “Talk about what is going to be on the mind of that person, that day, in Boston. If it’s Antonio Brown and the Patriots, or if it’s Charlie Baker declaring war on vapes.”
While he is known for his work in radio, Hill has made an even bigger impact in the Boston community with the Greg Hill Foundation.
“I started the foundation nine years ago when Go Fund Me wasn’t around and there was no central way of giving to someone who was in immediate need,” Hill explained. “I’d walk in to do the show in the morning and something horrible had happened the day before, and people would call and ask how they could give. It would always take weeks for someone to set a fund up at a local credit union, so I wanted to find a way to harness the need people have to help others and to do it right away.”
One of the people that has benefitted from the foundation is none other than Jacqui Webb. Webb was injured during the Boston Marathon bombings in April of 2013 and became the first living victim that the foundation had donated to at the time. The Greg Hill Foundation went on to donate close to $500,000 to victims and survivors of the tragedy.
Webb and Hill came to bond over the circumstances and developed a friendship.
“Greg and the foundation became friends after that — including me in their events to be around other trauma survivors and forging lifelong friendships that meant the world at that time,” Webb said. “This stood out to me. I was completely taken aback by all of the support and generosity the city of Boston, its residents, and so many local foundations had shown to the victims back then. It left an impact on me and I felt compelled to pay it forward.”
“Jacqui and I met shortly after the marathon at a foundation event and I was immediately struck by her courage and her desire to give back, because of the care she had received after the bombing,” Hill said. “She has become one of my really good friends and I admire the way she has been able to turn one of the most horrible days of her life into a positive experience, along with using it to motivate others.”
Webb’s involvement became full circle, as she has been on the Board of Directors of the Greg Hill Foundations since 2015.
“My respect and admiration for Greg has continued to grow over the years,” Webb said. “He has awarded me many opportunities to pay it forward, which is a huge part of me nowadays.”
Families who have undergone a recent tragedy are nominated to receive funds form the foundation. If accepted, the foundation holds a fundraiser during the Greg Hill Show on WEEI and matches all of the donations up to $5,000. To date, the foundation has nearly donated an astounding $3 million to families that qualify.
Make sure to stop by The Grand in Boston on December 3, on Giving Tuesday, when Hill will debut the inaugural “Philanthro-Phest.” This event will bring together influential charities in the Boston area to showcase their work to guests so that others can get involved and help those in need. The Greg Hill Foundation has joined forces with Team Impact and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, along with the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network to name just a few!
If you would like to make a donation or receive more information, please log on to https://www.thegreghillfoundation.org.
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