Collins' first radio broadcasting job was on a nightly talk show at
ABC-owned
WLS-FM in Chicago. This was during the era of the
Watergate scandal. He gave fellow host Steven Seaweed the nickname "The Weed Man," which became Seaweed's best-known moniker for more than 30 years. In 1989, Collins returned to talk radio with an afternoon program on
KNBR. He also co-hosted a daily one-hour food and wine show on KNBR, featuring many acclaimed
winemakers and chefs. When rival station
KSFO adopted a talk format in 1993, it hired Collins for the "afternoon drive" time slot. Their billboard campaign endorsed his show as "a little to the left," playing on his politics and the station's dial position (
560 AM). When ABC Radio, Disney, purchased KSFO in 1994, it converted the station to the first all-conservative talk format and dropped Collins' show. Since leaving KSFO, Collins has produced other radio shows, such as Childhood Matters on
KISQ, Street Soldiers on
KMEL, Conversations on the Coast with Jim Foster on
KFRC, and Nurse Talk on AM 960. He also began working as a political
media consultant, working on political campaigns for clients including
Nancy Pelosi,
Tom Campbell and
Pete McCloskey. Collins has performed as a
voice-over artist for radio and TV commercials, as well as station promos for television and radio, non-broadcast sales and training programs. He hosted Behind the Wheel, a car review show that aired from 1998 to 2008. In May 2003, Collins returned to talk radio as host of All-American Talk Radio on
I.E. America Radio Network,
SIRIUS Left and via
webcast. In 2005, Collins and other investors purchased
KRXA, based in
Monterey, California. He started to broadcast the nationally syndicated Peter B. Collins Show that year, which also focused on politically progressive content.
Other activities Since 1986, Collins has served as board president of the Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit based at
San Quentin Prison. The foundation provides legal and investigative assistance to inmates in California who claim to have been wrongfully convicted and seek reviews of their cases. Collins was officer of the San Francisco Local of the
American Federation of TV and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), from 1983 to 2005. He served on AFTRA's national board from 1993 to 2005. Collins is also a member of Sacramento Seminar, a group of Bay Area political veterans—former officeholders, candidates, staffers and campaign operatives. Collins was named to the
Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2021. == Personal life ==