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Another giant voice is silenced

R

Rollo-Smokes

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this here yet.

Howard Reig, the longtime NBC staff announcer best known for introducing the NBC Nightly News, among other assignments, died this past week at age 87. He was diminutive in size, but was a big-time heavyweight among TV voices.

He began his career at NBC Radio affiliate WGY in Schenectady, N.Y. in 1943, when that station was owned by future NBC corporate parent General Electric. Reig also did work at WGY's television extension, WRGB, before joining the NBC staff in New York City. He spent 62 years with the Peacock before retiring in March 2005, but his taped intros to Nightly News continued to be used until last year's December when they were replaced by actor Michael Douglas.

Here are two stories:

And, here's some clips of Reig in action:
 
With Mr. Reig's death, very few of the NBC staff announcers of old survive today. Only Don Pardo is still working, on Saturday Night Live, but he retired from NBC a year before Mr. Reig did. At least two others are still among the living - Roger Tuttle and Vic Roby, possibly also Mel "Living Color" Brandt - but they retired years ago.

Howard joins a long, illustrious list of golden-voiced staffers heard over NBC's airwaves on both radio and television over the decades (partial, I'll admit) in the afterlife: Ben Grauer, Bill Wendell, Fred Collins, Bob Waldrop, Matt Thomas, Bill Hanrahan, Radcliffe Hall, Jerry Damon, Arthur Gary, Bill McCord, Gene Hamilton, Dick Dudley, Harry Fleetwood, Jack Costello, Wayne Howell, and Fred Facey. Not to mention the West Coast announcing staff, which over the years included such names as Don Stanley, Donald Rickles, Arch Presby, Frank Barton, Wendell Niles, Peggy Taylor, and Victor Bozeman. To say nothing of Danny Dark. (If there are any names of now-deceased NBC announcers I've missed, feel free to mention them.)

Mr. Reig had been chief NBC Nightly News announcer since 1983, the year Mr. Hanrahan retired. Prior to that, he and Mr. Facey were backup/fill-in/sub-announcers for the newscasts and special reports, following the retirement of Mr. McCord in 1980.

Interestingly, this was the second time Brian Williams did an obituary for a Nightly News announcer two days after that announcer's death. On the Aug. 9, 1996 edition, he reported on the death of Mr. Hanrahan, who passed away on Aug. 7, 1996.
 
Would NBC consider future announcers to join the ranks of those who have such powerful voices?

The peacock network folks need to keep the tradition going.
 
The peacock network folks need to keep the tradition going.
Yes, but how? The position of "Staff Announcer", "Booth Announcer", etc, doesn't exist in the same way it did in the old days. One guy who I think is ready is on radio stations all over the country...Eric Chase. He doesn't have the classic pipes of a lot of the guys who have been mentioned, but he does have a pretty distinctive voice, IMO. He sounds more "smart-alecky" than the old school guys, but that's a better fit with today's programming.
 
wbhist said:
With Mr. Reig's death, very few of the NBC staff announcers of old survive today. Only Don Pardo is still working, on Saturday Night Live, but he retired from NBC a year before Mr. Reig did. At least two others are still among the living - Roger Tuttle and Vic Roby, possibly also Mel "Living Color" Brandt - but they retired years ago.

Howard joins a long, illustrious list of golden-voiced staffers heard over NBC's airwaves on both radio and television over the decades (partial, I'll admit) in the afterlife: Ben Grauer, Bill Wendell, Fred Collins, Bob Waldrop, Matt Thomas, Bill Hanrahan, Radcliffe Hall, Jerry Damon, Arthur Gary, Bill McCord, Gene Hamilton, Dick Dudley, Harry Fleetwood, Jack Costello, Wayne Howell, and Fred Facey. Not to mention the West Coast announcing staff, which over the years included such names as Don Stanley, Donald Rickles, Arch Presby, Frank Barton, Wendell Niles, Peggy Taylor, and Victor Bozeman. To say nothing of Danny Dark.
Click to expand...

I *think* (and hope) Bill Wolff (Another World, NBC v-o promos, WNBC v-o bumpers/late v-o newsbits) is still with us.

Too bad about Mr. Reig -- another great voice has left the booth.....
 
But just think (and apologies to anyone whose
religious beliefs differ from mine): if they have
networks in Heaven, won't it be great to hear
those voices again and again for all eternity?
 
Kurt Toy said:
I'd like to see a list of ABC and CBS retired announcers who still living and/or deceased.
Click to expand...

Let's see . . .

CBS: I know that the likes of George Bryan, Art Hannes, Stuart Metz, Dwight Weist, Warren Sweeney, Harry Kramer, Bob Hite, Hal Simms, Gaylord Avery, Roger Forster, and (more recently) Bill Gilliand are now deceased. Last I heard, Don Robertson ("The Voice of CBS Sports") was still among the living, as was Bern Bennett. Don't know about Pat Connell (the first African-American staff announcer on any network, beginning in 1960), Allan Berns, Lee Jordan, Bill Martin, John Schaeffer (or Shafer?), Wally King, Norm Stevens, or Dave Campbell.

ABC: Among the now-deceased announcers include Don Dowd, Scott Vincent, John Causier, Ed Jordan and Wally Parker. (And, of course, the "Voice of the Metropolitan Opera," Milton Cross.) Bill Rice, of course, is still working, as is Barbara Korsen. In terms of retirees, I know that Fred Foy, Joel Crager, Bill Owen and Allan Jefferys are still with us. Not too sure about Bob Lloyd, Tedd Lawrence, George Ansbro, George Hayes or Gilbert (Gil) Hodges. Ditto for their West Coast announcing staff, which included Ed Chandler, Len Beardsley, Mike Laurence, Dean Webber, and possibly Bill Woodson.
 
Bill "Rosko" Mercer, who replaced Don Robertson at CBS, passed away some years ago...As far as ABC announcers, Garish Owens is still doing some work, isn't he?
 
I saw the news of Reig's death early on that day. I kept hoping when I watched the NBC Nightly News that night that they would pull his old tracks out of moth balls in honor of his death. Didn't happen, but it should have.

I am a long time fan of NBC News. BUT, I was disappointed in the throw away obit they gave to Howard that night. It should have been a longer story. People enjoy stories about people who work behind the scenes in the TV and radio industries.

I now step-off my soap box.
 
LasVegasRadioJunky said:
I saw the news of Reig's death early on that day. I kept hoping when I watched the NBC Nightly News that night that they would pull his old tracks out of moth balls in honor of his death. Didn't happen, but it should have.

I am a long time fan of NBC News. BUT, I was disappointed in the throw away obit they gave to Howard that night. It should have been a longer story. People enjoy stories about people who work behind the scenes in the TV and radio industries.
Click to expand...

I don't know, but wasn't Bill Hanrahan's '96 obituary also a "throw-away" job as well?
 
wbhist said:
CBS: I know that the likes of George Bryan, Art Hannes, Stuart Metz, Dwight Weist, Warren Sweeney, Harry Kramer, Bob Hite, Hal Simms, Gaylord Avery, Roger Forster, and (more recently) Bill Gilliand are now deceased. Last I heard, Don Robertson ("The Voice of CBS Sports") was still among the living, as was Bern Bennett. Don't know about Pat Connell (the first African-American staff announcer on any network, beginning in 1960), Allan Berns, Lee Jordan, Bill Martin, John Schaeffer (or Shafer?), Wally King, Norm Stevens, or Dave Campbell.

ABC: Among the now-deceased announcers include Don Dowd, Scott Vincent, John Causier, Ed Jordan and Wally Parker. (And, of course, the "Voice of the Metropolitan Opera," Milton Cross.) Bill Rice, of course, is still working, as is Barbara Korsen. In terms of retirees, I know that Fred Foy, Joel Crager, Bill Owen and Allan Jefferys are still with us. Not too sure about Bob Lloyd, Tedd Lawrence, George Ansbro, George Hayes or Gilbert (Gil) Hodges. Ditto for their West Coast announcing staff, which included Ed Chandler, Len Beardsley, Mike Laurence, Dean Webber, and possibly Bill Woodson.
Click to expand...

I've found out that Lee Jordan passed away in 2005, and that George Ansbro would still be among the living. (B.T.W., Mr. Ansbro worked at both NBC and ABC over the nearly 60 years he was a staff announcer.)
 
Since you mentioned Lee Jordan, I have a book
entitled "Welcome South, Brother," a history of
WSB-TV and radio published on the TV station's
25th anniversary in 1973. In there is a picture
of Jordan (who was a Georgia native) doing a
Saturday football scoreboard show on WSB radio
in the 1940s; in the studio preparing a newscast
is a guy who made it even bigger at CBS: Douglas
Edwards.

I remember Jordan best as the announcer on the
soap "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing." I hadn't
heard about him since that show was canceled in
1973.

I'd like to know myself what happened to Allan Berns.
 
wbhist said:
With Mr. Reig's death, very few of the NBC staff announcers of old survive today. Only Don Pardo is still working, on Saturday Night Live, but he retired from NBC a year before Mr. Reig did. At least two others are still among the living - Roger Tuttle and Vic Roby, possibly also Mel "Living Color" Brandt - but they retired years ago.

Howard joins a long, illustrious list of golden-voiced staffers heard over NBC's airwaves on both radio and television over the decades (partial, I'll admit) in the afterlife: Ben Grauer, Bill Wendell, Fred Collins, Bob Waldrop, Matt Thomas, Bill Hanrahan, Radcliffe Hall, Jerry Damon, Arthur Gary, Bill McCord, Gene Hamilton, Dick Dudley, Harry Fleetwood, Jack Costello, Wayne Howell, and Fred Facey. Not to mention the West Coast announcing staff, which over the years included such names as Don Stanley, Donald Rickles, Arch Presby, Frank Barton, Wendell Niles, Peggy Taylor, and Victor Bozeman. To say nothing of Danny Dark. (If there are any names of now-deceased NBC announcers I've missed, feel free to mention them.)

Mr. Reig had been chief NBC Nightly News announcer since 1983, the year Mr. Hanrahan retired. Prior to that, he and Mr. Facey were backup/fill-in/sub-announcers for the newscasts and special reports, following the retirement of Mr. McCord in 1980.

Interestingly, this was the second time Brian Williams did an obituary for a Nightly News announcer two days after that announcer's death. On the Aug. 9, 1996 edition, he reported on the death of Mr. Hanrahan, who passed away on Aug. 7, 1996.
Click to expand...
Bill Wolff was a career NBC Announcer with all the above Broadcasters. I just updated the Bill Wolff Announcer Wikipedia page with early career bio info, plus an excellent audio recording under his infobox. Unfortunately, wiki limits the recording length to 30 seconds. Please have a listen and let me know if you have any info that can be added to his page. Bill Wolff Announcer link: Bill Wolff (announcer) - Wikipedia
 
I think that Bill Wolff was based in Brooklyn where AW was taped then whereas Wayne Howell who did Concentration, Don Pardo who did Jeopardy and Mel Brandt who did The Doctors and GE College Bowl were based in 30 Rock then.
 
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