| Jefferson Kaye | |
| Birth Name: | Martin Jeff Krimski |
| Alias: | Jeff Kaye |
| Birth Date: | 12 December 1936 |
| Birth Place: | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Binghamton, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Radio, television and film announcer / Program director |
| Years Active: | 1950s - 2012 |
| Children: | 4 |
| Known For: | Narration work for numerous NFL Films programs |
Martin Jeff Krimski, known by the stage names Jefferson Kaye and Jeff Kaye (December 12, 1936 – November 16, 2012) was an American radio, television and film announcer. Among his credits were announcing gigs at WHIM and WRIB in Providence, Rhode Island; WBZ in Boston, Massachusetts; WKBW and WBEN in Buffalo, New York; WPVI in Philadelphia; and NFL Films.
Kaye was born in Baltimore, Maryland.[1] He served in the US Air Force during the Korean War and was stationed in Morocco where he met his wife Suzanne in 1958.[2]
Kaye began his radio career in Providence in the late 1950s, where Krimski became "Jeff Krimm," then "JK the DJ" on WHIM (1110) and WRIB (1220-AM). By 1961, he had caught the attention of WBZ (AM-1030) station executives, who brought him on as part of the Westinghouse Broadcasting-owned station's transition from the middle-of-the-road "Live Five" to a more aggressive top-40 music programming format.[3]
As program director of WKBW, he produced the station's adaptation of The War of the Worlds.[4] For his work on NFL Films, Kaye won several Sports Emmy Awards. He also narrated the Chicago Bulls' first championship documentary, "Learning To Fly", as well as a history of DePauw University football, "A Tradition of Excellence."
Kaye died on November 16, 2012, of throat cancer at age 75 in Binghamton, New York.[1] [2]