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Dan Osborne

B

Bat Fastard

Memphis radio folks will remember the name Dan Osborne, who passed away suddenly yesterday (7/1/08) at his home in Murfreesboro.

Dan was a native of Dyer County and lived (and worked) for several years in Dyersburg and Jackson. He hit his peak as a professional broadcaster during his time in Memphis where he was part of the best news staff in the city's history at WREC. Staffers at that time included Claudia Barr, Andrea Nelson, Jay Boland and Rick Kaucher. Dan Sears came on-board later from WMPS. Bob Brame did sports. Others on staff at that time included Steve Butler, Alan Tynes, Larry Anthony, Leonard Blakely, Joe Hargraves and Leif Anders (Brian Davis). Dan was the first to file a national news report on the death of Elvis Presley. During the year August-to-August 1977 - 1978 was the busiest news room I ever saw.

I came to work at WREC in October, 1977 and just missed the massive news load that surrounded Elvis' death. I WAS there, however, during the summer of '78 during the first anniversary of Elvis' passing. It was typically summertime HOT in town, which was overrun with Elvis fans. On top of all that, the police & fire departments were on strike, there was a dusk-to-dawn curfew and the Tennessee National Guard was patrolling the streets. Dan Osborne took this then-young reporter and showed me how it was done. He seamlessly handled request after request for reports to places as far away as Australia. Later, he became the Assistant Program Director at then WSIX-AM in Nashville, where he was central to the operations of the station.

I was (and am) proud to call him my friend. Dan was 62. He leaves his wife Hariette, daughter Christy and son Will.
 
Wow, that is a shocker! To have lost Jay several years ago and now Dan is hard to believe. Yes, WREC had the city's all-time best news staff in those years and I'm proud to have been associated with them. Jay and I worked alongside each other - he as News Director and me as PD and I've never worked with a finer man. Dan had his eccentricities, but always delivered solid product, well written and delivered in an authoritative, kinda flat delivery that immediately caught your attention.
One quick anecdote - Dan was always testing his mic in an unusual manner..."Testicles, right, left!" Dan, Harry, Claudia, Dan Sears, the torn CBS check envelopes taped to the wireroom door by Jay in an ongoing joke - those were great days and times. I miss'em and I'll miss Dan.
 
I, too, am sorry to hear about Dan's death. I worked with him in the early 80's in Dyersburg and he was very proud of his work in Memphis. While visiting his home once, he played for me the report he had done for CBS Radio Network about Elvis's death. Although it was small market, Dan took his job very seriously and ran a created a good news operation at WASL/WTRO. For a fellow who was not much bigger than a 12 year old, he really had a great set of pipes. Recently I had gotten occasional updates on Dan's whereabouts etc. from his brother Jere......the last time I heard anything about him was a couple of years ago and Dan was having some issues at that time. I am glad to also be able to call Dan a friend and my thoughts and prayers go out to Harriet, Christie and Will.
 
Like Allan I am shocked and saddened by my friends death. I regret not having kept in contact with him over these years. Dan was at WREC when I came over as asst. News Director from WMPS. Dan would work tirelessly and was always ready for a new assignment. One quirk was that if he was running late to work, he would call and say
" I just threw up my first cup of coffee, I will be in, in a bit" It was a standing joke around the newsroom. If I got the call, I would holler out to Jay, Dan O, just called..
Boland would always respond by questioning..."threw up his first cup of coffee?". Dan was always talking about his kids. I know he was very close to them. Anybody know if he had been ill? My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and children. RIP Dan.
Dan S.
 
Waaaaay back one day in July of 1981, I had just arrived in Dyesrburg, TN for the first day of my new career in radio at WASL-FM. I really didn't know anyone and needed to find an apartment quick. Seemingly out of nowhere, our News Director comes up to me, introduces himself, and volunteers to personally drive me around town to find a place to live. This was this former New Yawker's introduction to "real Southern hospitality".

As others have already noted, Dan was intellegent, hard working, quick witted and a genuinely good guy. He will be missed.

Earle "Daniels" Augustus
 
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