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Lou Palmer

R

radio_radio

Died last Friday... at a local hospital.

Short and to the point. I think he would have wanted it that way.

Explanation: Lou was a news anchor on WIBC for years 70's to early 90's. His trademark was talking in short, but meaningful phrases in his headlines and stories.

The one I remember was "Radio Indiana....Bong...WIBC Indianapolis (Lou) A death on the southside....a motorcyclist tries to pass a car....a tree in the way....good afternoon this is WIBC news for Merchants Bank"
 
radio_radio said:
The one I remember was "Radio Indiana....Bong...WIBC Indianapolis (Lou) A death on the southside....a motorcyclist tries to pass a car....a tree in the way....good afternoon this is WIBC news for Merchants Bank"
Click to expand...
My favorite was when a Tornado Watch was in effect..."Clear skies in Indianapolis at 5 O'Clock, but for how long....that remains the question..." I always had hoped the Emmis would have brought him back. Arguably my favorite local radio newcaster of all time...but Julian Mootant on WNDE in the mid 70's (sp?) was superb in a similar way.
 
Corky Marlowe said:
Didn't he replace Paul Page as the Voice Of The 500?
Click to expand...

Page replaced Sid, Lou replaced Page, Jenkins replaced Lou, King replaced Jenkins.

Page went to ABC TV. Jenkins was lured by TV also. Lou's tenure as "voice" was short lived due to internal politics at IMS productions/Telex. I think he went across the street to CART after the split to do radio for a short period of time.

He was entertaining to listen to.
 
Lou was bigger than life and once he decided he liked you, would talk for hours in his unique way, literally mesmerizing the people in the newsroom at the Two Story Brick On North Illinois, in the press room at the old Speedway control tower, or at 9292. His "Lou Palmer And Friends" show in the 70's was one of the most entertaining and inspiring shows this young broadcaster listened to. I feel fortunate to have shared time with him and to have learned at his feet.

His descriptive terms and news opens were legendary. Whether it was time to "hit the money button" or my favorite news open "Tenerife Island, two 747's, crunch", he had a way with words, a way with life, and a way of leaving a truly lasting impression.

Its odd, I was thinking of Lou on Saturday, the day he died. I guess I waited too long to look him up and let him know what I was up to.

RIP Lou. Give my best to Riley.
 
I grew up listening to Lou Palmer do the news on WIBC, and so his voice and delivery was the news anchor gold-standard for me. I never heard anyone else who sounded as authoritative as he did, but I've heard many try.

Rest in peace, Lou. Thank you for being on my radio every day.

Kevin Gossett
Program Director - KESZ/Phoenix
 
One of my favorite Lou Palmer intros (during the 1988 summer drought):

"The rain...it comes...we watch, and wait."
 
I never got to hear him do news, but his writing style seems awfully reminiscent of some of the old guys at CKLW like Byron MacGregor and Grant Hudson.
 
I was always hoping that once WITT 91.9 got on the air, there could be some input from
Lou Palmer. He was the very best in delivery and news presentation. Most unique.
He was a Communicator. One of the very best.
I remember once I was headed down to Bloomington. This was during the Vietnam
War and I was on my way to attend a peace rally down there. It was Saturday morning
and I was going through downtown Indy in my VW bug, listening to Gary Todd on WIBC.
At around 9:30am they interrupted for a EBS alert...a REAL alert...not a test!
Now back then WIBC had that significant reverb to their signal. So, now, all of a sudden
the prerecorded cart tape that featured Lou was aired, giving the listeners all the
info about the EBS...to stay tuned for further bulletins from the WHITE HOUSE, etc.
Can you imagine...Lou in reverb saying the end is near!!!
Needless to say, I pulled to the curb awaiting further bulletins...why head to a peace
rally when the end of the world seemed imminent?
Of course, as it turned out, some military officer in a bunker in New Mexico was supposed
to play the TEST tape and instead inserted the REAL tape...or something like that.
Having been in the biz for a few years before all that I realized UPI and AP always sent
the TEST alert on Saturdays at 9:30 and so in the back of my mind I was hoping that
is what it was....and indeed that is what it was...but, one also thinks that if an enemy
is going to attack, what better time than when a test is normally given.

Rest in Peace, Lou Palmer, rest in peace and keep all that wonderful ad-libbing alive
whereever you are now!!!
 
I was always hoping that once WITT 91.9 got on the air, there could be some input from
Lou Palmer. He was the very best in delivery and news presentation. Most unique.
He was a Communicator. One of the very best.
I remember once I was headed down to Bloomington. This was during the Vietnam
War and I was on my way to attend a peace rally down there. It was Saturday morning
and I was going through downtown Indy in my VW bug, listening to Gary Todd on WIBC.
At around 9:30am they interrupted for a EBS alert...a REAL alert...not a test!
Now back then WIBC had that significant reverb to their signal. So, now, all of a sudden
the prerecorded cart tape that featured Lou was aired, giving the listeners all the
info about the EBS...to stay tuned for further bulletins from the WHITE HOUSE, etc.
Can you imagine...Lou in reverb saying the end is near!!!
Needless to say, I pulled to the curb awaiting further bulletins...why head to a peace
rally when the end of the world seemed imminent?
Of course, as it turned out, some military officer in a bunker in New Mexico was supposed
to play the TEST tape and instead inserted the REAL tape...or something like that.
Having been in the biz for a few years before all that I realized UPI and AP always sent
the TEST alert on Saturdays at 9:30 and so in the back of my mind I was hoping that
is what it was....and indeed that is what it was...but, one also thinks that if an enemy
is going to attack, what better time than when a test is normally given.

Rest in Peace, Lou Palmer, rest in peace and keep all that wonderful ad-libbing alive
whereever you are now!!!
If that's the incident I'm thinking of, there is an aircheck on reelradio.com of Bob Sievers at WOWO as it happened. It's a subscription site now, but it would be worth the $12 a year to hear it.
 
I was fortunate enough to get to know Lou back in WIBC's heydays of the late 60's and early 70's. As has been noted, he was the absolute master of the ad lib. Inspiring. He would do an entire five minute newscast having only the headlines to work from - he was just that good. He would stand in the station's "beautiful two-story brick on North Illinois" lobby and regale me with a fascinating tale or observation, never blinking an eye as the his news intro would roll to the last note. Literally at the very last second, he would excuse himself, turn and go into the news booth and begin his cast. An absolute master of timing and nuance. He truly knew the news he was presenting. Rare. His seques were brilliant. His flawless phrasing and pacing were far superior to any newscaster I've ever encountered. He truly understood the value of the pause. And what a fine fellow! Lou had a brilliant mind. He was so well-read. His conversations were peppered with quotes from the classics. He had a warm and engaging personality - on and off the air. I've been around this racket for a long time and I've never met his equal. Though I had not seen him in years, I feel I've lost a true friend.
 
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