Actually I do know the story. I also know that this was a man who many wanted to love, but he often did not know how to accept it.
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There's a 99% chance you don't know a part of the story that's been hushed up.
Boss Radio said:
I know a few peploe who knew Doug and from what I've been told second hand the last year of his life was far worse than has been reported. I hate to say it and don't know for sure but it looks like he may have went back to the bottle.
I hope it's not true because even without that the way he died brings tears to my eyes.
Well Boss, you've never shied away from airing other's dirty laundry when you felt you had it, even if it wasn't true. So if you're not going to do it now, I applaud you for developing some character.
But let's talk a bit about the purpose of the obit. You say it's to offer news, and I agree, but it is a mini biography, usually written by someone who has no idea who the person he's writing about is and has a very short time to learn.
That seemed to be the case with the Trib.
But what bothered me about the PG piece, and for that matter the rememberances of Doug Hoerth by Lynn Cullen, is that so much detail was given to the "lonely old man" stuff and with that was what was sacrificed, and that is the celebration of the life of a lively, fantastic talk show host.
In the totality of Hoerth's life, true, there is much sadness. There is also much triumph, as in overcoming alcohol addiction and making a great career out of what he loved and wanted to do. His love of radio made the listener love radio. That's a very special quality to have.
Heck, I used to steal the guy's jokes! I used to call in his show! I used to make tape recordings of "Would You Like Some of My Tangerine?"
I've hesitated to say what I'm about to, but I did know Doug Hoerth. I used to work alongside him. I was also extremely excited to be working with someone that I thought was a legend. Still do, as a matter of fact.
And sadly, Hoerth was a lonely old man then. I remember trying to befriend him and I was brushed off and patronized. From there any relationship I could have had with the guy worsened into antimosity. I went from being a fan to not liking the guy. I once actually called him a "has been" to his face, and even today I don't feel any remorse for doing so. That's how bad the relationship was.
An entire city wanted to love Doug Hoerth. Somehow, he could not or would not love back, which is why he was so alone and why he got canned so much- something even Chilly Billy satirized on one of the Chiller Theatre reunion shows back in the '90s.
I happen to think that's a small part of the totality of the life of Doug Hoerth, however. I think a big part is the guy who was on the cutting edge of culture for the first 15 years of his career here. The guy WTAE built a talk lineup around and really changed their format to do so with. The Saturday trivia and roundtable shows. The hilarious grief he gave Dr. Eugene Ginchero, or whoever that doctor that did "one minute health updates" on KDKA was. The praise he had for Porky and Bob Prince, the outrage KDKA listeners had when they removed him for Michelle Madoff, the striptease on the radio one New Years (which I understand someone has preserved forever on You Tube now), "Idotic, wimp TV!" . . . The poor lady who once fell asleep while waiting for him to take her call, and the way he handled it "Ma'am- you're going to change your will! You're going to leave it all to Doug Hoerth, that's H-O-E-R-T-H. Every penny!" . . . An appriciation and passion for a genre of music that made everyone who listened, no matter what their age was, appriciate it right alongside him. . . soiling himself on a date at the Georgetown Inn, and then reciting the tale to give us the most entertaining 45 minutes we could possibly imagine.
Doug Hoerth did a kind of show that a lot of morning radio personalities want to do, only he did it without the draw or the filler of music. What's more, he often made us THINK while we laughed with him.
That's the way I'm going to remember Doug Hoerth. That's the way he should be remembered, and I don't think enough of the requiems for him the past few days have done so.
But let's talk a bit about the purpose of the obit. You say it's to offer news, and I agree, but it is a mini biography, usually written by someone who has no idea who the person he's writing about is and has a very short time to learn.
That seemed to be the case with the Trib.
But what bothered me about the PG piece, and for that matter the rememberances of Doug Hoerth by Lynn Cullen, is that so much detail was given to the "lonely old man" stuff and with that was what was sacrificed, and that is the celebration of the life of a lively, fantastic talk show host.
In the totality of Hoerth's life, true, there is much sadness. There is also much triumph, as in overcoming alcohol addiction and making a great career out of what he loved and wanted to do. His love of radio made the listener love radio. That's a very special quality to have.
Heck, I used to steal the guy's jokes! I used to call in his show! I used to make tape recordings of "Would You Like Some of My Tangerine?"
I've hesitated to say what I'm about to, but I did know Doug Hoerth. I used to work alongside him. I was also extremely excited to be working with someone that I thought was a legend. Still do, as a matter of fact.
And sadly, Hoerth was a lonely old man then. I remember trying to befriend him and I was brushed off and patronized. From there any relationship I could have had with the guy worsened into antimosity. I went from being a fan to not liking the guy. I once actually called him a "has been" to his face, and even today I don't feel any remorse for doing so. That's how bad the relationship was.
An entire city wanted to love Doug Hoerth. Somehow, he could not or would not love back, which is why he was so alone and why he got canned so much- something even Chilly Billy satirized on one of the Chiller Theatre reunion shows back in the '90s.
I happen to think that's a small part of the totality of the life of Doug Hoerth, however. I think a big part is the guy who was on the cutting edge of culture for the first 15 years of his career here. The guy WTAE built a talk lineup around and really changed their format to do so with. The Saturday trivia and roundtable shows. The hilarious grief he gave Dr. Eugene Ginchero, or whoever that doctor that did "one minute health updates" on KDKA was. The praise he had for Porky and Bob Prince, the outrage KDKA listeners had when they removed him for Michelle Madoff, the striptease on the radio one New Years (which I understand someone has preserved forever on You Tube now), "Idotic, wimp TV!" . . . The poor lady who once fell asleep while waiting for him to take her call, and the way he handled it "Ma'am- you're going to change your will! You're going to leave it all to Doug Hoerth, that's H-O-E-R-T-H. Every penny!" . . . An appriciation and passion for a genre of music that made everyone who listened, no matter what their age was, appriciate it right alongside him. . . soiling himself on a date at the Georgetown Inn, and then reciting the tale to give us the most entertaining 45 minutes we could possibly imagine.
Doug Hoerth did a kind of show that a lot of morning radio personalities want to do, only he did it without the draw or the filler of music. What's more, he often made us THINK while we laughed with him.
That's the way I'm going to remember Doug Hoerth. That's the way he should be remembered, and I don't think enough of the requiems for him the past few days have done so.
Pratte,
Let me first say I agree with you to a point, and I would argue a number of others do to, due in fact to the assortment of different airchecks and what not relating to Doug that have popped up on the web in the last week. But unlike those of us that have had the privilege to work in the medium or are avid followers of it, once a talent disappears from the airwaves that is where the story ends for the listener. In many cases I am sure those talents go on to other things, but sadly that wasn't the case in this instance and that too is part of the overall story.
My gripe with the comment from Alan Serena in the paper (and I do question the Trib's judgement in seeking out a former employer for a quote) is that I was there when much of this was happening and had a pretty good relationship with Doug. When he sat down with management regarding the idea of doing a oldies show on Sunday nights on WJAS, Alan and company left Doug with the impression that the oldies show was going to be independent of any decision regarding the future direction of WPTT. Doug wasn't blind to the numbers that WPTT was drawing (nor to the addition of a second talk station on FM) and had readily told me that he wouldn't be surprised if he got "blown out" as he put it, but he would at least still have the oldies show. When Doug was called into the conference room that fateful December day and told that his contract wasn't being renewed, they told him that not only were they taking the talk show, but the oldies show as well, so in essence Serena flat out lied to him. My outrage has nothing to do with political leanings, or what paper wrote what, but simply that a man that lied to Doug now has the audacity to go running his mouth in the paper.
Let me first say I agree with you to a point, and I would argue a number of others do to, due in fact to the assortment of different airchecks and what not relating to Doug that have popped up on the web in the last week. But unlike those of us that have had the privilege to work in the medium or are avid followers of it, once a talent disappears from the airwaves that is where the story ends for the listener. In many cases I am sure those talents go on to other things, but sadly that wasn't the case in this instance and that too is part of the overall story.
My gripe with the comment from Alan Serena in the paper (and I do question the Trib's judgement in seeking out a former employer for a quote) is that I was there when much of this was happening and had a pretty good relationship with Doug. When he sat down with management regarding the idea of doing a oldies show on Sunday nights on WJAS, Alan and company left Doug with the impression that the oldies show was going to be independent of any decision regarding the future direction of WPTT. Doug wasn't blind to the numbers that WPTT was drawing (nor to the addition of a second talk station on FM) and had readily told me that he wouldn't be surprised if he got "blown out" as he put it, but he would at least still have the oldies show. When Doug was called into the conference room that fateful December day and told that his contract wasn't being renewed, they told him that not only were they taking the talk show, but the oldies show as well, so in essence Serena flat out lied to him. My outrage has nothing to do with political leanings, or what paper wrote what, but simply that a man that lied to Doug now has the audacity to go running his mouth in the paper.
Pratte4Life said:
That explains why he only lasted 28 years in the market.
Please, Boss. If you don't know that to be true, then you have no idea who Doug Hoerth was.
Boss Radio said:
Purpose is not always equal to reality. (This comment not Hoerth-specific.)
Editorializing (for good or for bad) is even creeping into the regular garden-variety obits in some papers. It's insane some of the things people feel are appropriate to include these days. Don't get me started on the "Jim Dodo was lifted up to Jesus on February 1, 2011" business.
Stepping back out of thread.
fromtheinsideout said:
Again, wwas it an impression or a statement that said they were independent. Or is it a case of the company again owing someone something...by what they wanted to hear.
Really, I am not going to play semantical games. When Doug talked to me he told me that he was told the two shows would be separate. That obviously did not end up being the case. You can twist that anyway you choose, to me it makes Serena a liar.
corporateradiosucks said:
Agreed. What my point was is that, if I could make an analogy, if Hoerth was Abe Lincoln, Cullen and the PG seemed to spend as much time on the events of the Ford Theatre than freeing the slaves.
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
All I knew of him was his persona on WJAS. He was real fun and I never connected directly with a jock on the air before. Alan Freed never took E-Mails. I miss him and I am so sorry we never met.
Since Uncle Dougie passed away, a lot of people have put up clips of his show on YouTube from WPTT and WTAE. But even though we all remember hearing it, I can't seem to find his famous conversation with Mrs. Gertrude Wilson, who accidentally called WTAE radio while trying to get a pumpkin pie recipe from WTAE-TV. Does anyone know where there might be a copy of this famous conversation?
Pratte4Life said:
"My God, what have I done to my new suit."
This might be what you are looking forCaliRadioGuy said:
http://mattpritt.multiply.com/music..._Day_31_-_Gertrude_and_the_pumpkin_pie_1_song
Gertrudes Pumkin Pie Recipe: She thought she was calling WTAE Ch.4 but got into the Doug Hoerth Studio on WTAE Radio
Here It Is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LVOloFV9as
Here It Is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LVOloFV9as
Just heard that for the first time.
Gert-RUDE is appropriate.
Gert-RUDE is appropriate.
Thank you so much Fromtheinsideout and Filenz. Listening to this again made my day!
There are new Doug Hoerth clips posted on YouTube by Wackyraces68 http://www.youtube.com/user/wackyraces68
These are from March 1998. They are the best of Doug Hoerth with intros by Laurence Gaines. Part one is the first day of the 5AM to 10AM shift, Laurence's mom says a prayer for the show. There also clips with Jane and Darnell the conspiracy theorist. Really entertaining stuff!
These are from March 1998. They are the best of Doug Hoerth with intros by Laurence Gaines. Part one is the first day of the 5AM to 10AM shift, Laurence's mom says a prayer for the show. There also clips with Jane and Darnell the conspiracy theorist. Really entertaining stuff!
filenz said:
OK, I'll be the killjoy: What's the payoff in giving grief to an old lady who got the wrong number and probably had no idea she was on the air? If you're going to make a jackass of somebody, jump on one of the hateful gasbags who at least deserves it.
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