Billy Costa (born December 24, 1951) is an American radio and television host in the Boston area.
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Billy Costa | |
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Born | William Costa (1952-12-24) December 24, 1952 (age 69) |
Alma mater | Emerson College |
Known for | Radio and television host |
Costa grew up in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.[1][2] He attended Merrimack College in Massachusetts on a hockey scholarship, majoring in English.
His parents are of Portuguese ancestry.
After transferring to Emerson College in Boston, he found a job as a disc jockey at a local nightclub. He later joined the Emerson radio station, WERS, as a DJ.
After graduating from Emerson with a degree in English,[2] Costa worked at a few other radio stations, including WBOS, before contacting WXKS-FM "Kiss 108" in 1980 for a lifestyle/entertainment news show he proposed.[3]
Costa pays his ex-wife $26,000 monthly in alimony.[4]
Costa told Kiss 108 about a lifestyle/entertainment segment he could host. This evolved into his Top 30 Countdown which is broadcast every Saturday morning and Sunday evening. Costa hosts Matty in the Morning on weekday mornings.[5]
Costa was the host of The Phantom Gourmet, a restaurant review show, which broadcast its first episode on June 26, 1993. In 2003, Costa moved to a new show, TV Diner on New England Cable News (NECN),[6][7] which was cancelled in September 2013.[8] Costa now hosts Dining Playbook with Jenny Johnson on New England Sports Network (NESN).[9]
In 2011, Costa started hosting a WGBH-TV show, High School Quiz Show.[10]
On May 3, 2022, Costa was named the new permanent host of KISS 108's morning radio show Matty in the Morning after former host Matt Siegel announced his retirement.
Costa has received an Emmy Award nomination for his work on Evening Magazine and has received a Children's Television Award for Rap Around, his kids' talk show.[3][7]