I occasionally scan this page to see what people are talking about in the radio business, and I must say it stuns me that no one has reacted to the death of Frank Ford this week.
Granted he's been off the air for several years, but his effect on Philadelphia radio, particularly talk radio, is downright profound. For all of you who obsess over the Dom Giordano and Michael Smerconish developments, consider this. If it weren't for the likes of Frank Ford, they wouldn't be working in radio today.
Forget the claim of being the first to put callers on air simultaneously. A few people in this market took credit for that over the years. But Frank was a pioneer in a number of ways. He was opinionated, to be sure, but he always treated callers with respect. On his show, there was genuine give and take, and the show was entertaining more often than not, even in it's later years when his health began to fail.
But beyond that, Frank was one of the few people in this business who was genuine. He said what he believed, and on and off air, his word was his bond. That is something that is rare these days in life generally, and in radio in particular. I only worked with him for a few years at WWDB, and given my youth at the time, I failed to appreciate the sage advice he often offered. But I do remember one conversation I had with him after I was fired from DB in 1982. He told me to just be myself and work hard. Don't compromise on the things that are important to you. Things will work out. He was right, and it's been one of the things I've lived by to this day.
Frank's in a better place now, and ready to take the next call. God bless.
