Remembering Doug White

[ScottBurns]

While Doug White never worked in Providence radio, his passing deserves more than the brief mention it will get on this board. Like Salty Brine, Doug defined not only the media in Providence, but he became a part of the fabric of the state. From the good times to the bad - from the Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004 to the Blizzard of 1978, from the Buddy Cianci trial to Hurricane Bob - our friend Doug was there with us every step of the way. The term "friend" is not one that journalists aspire to have ascribed to them. However, even the most casual viewer could not help but feel that Doug was their friend. And like Salty Brine, Doug White will be missed and will never be replaced.

 

[tomcollinsaa]

GREATEST DRINKING PARTNER A GUY EVER HAD! :'( :'( :'(
Drinks!, are on YOU!

 

[AKLes]

......And like Salty Brine, Doug White will be missed and will never be replaced.

I know there'll be flaming over this, so let me state right now that what I'm about to say is IN NO WAY meant to demean Doug White. I enjoyed his work when I lived in and near Rhode Island. I respect his memory and comprehend his family's loss.

This is commentary on human nature, not just Rhode Island human nature. It's pretty much universal, at least nationwide:

Salty is fondly remembered because his passing was relatively recent. In the memories of a generation that is quickly fading, he won't be forgotten and he won't be replaced. The earlier members of the generation...and of the new one "started" even an hour after Salty passed on hear his name and think: "Duhhhhhhhh.....'Salty'?????". Maybe some of them might become interested in radio and the history, thereof, and learn a little something of him. Most won't.

Test:

Who can even tell us all anything about the "irreplacables" below. What station(s) they might have worked for? What format did they work in? Even what specialty (type of music/news, etc.)....anything at all!


Ed Pearson
Mowry Lowe
Sherm Strickhauser
Jack Comely
Harry McKenna
Bob Bassett
"Colonel" Greene
Arnie Ginsberg
Mort Blender


All except one of those worked in radio in Rhode Island and, when they died, were genuinely mourned and regarded as not replacable. Your answers will indicate how long the memories last. Can spot the one name that does not belong in the list, never having worked in Rhode Island.

 

[DG02816]

Les,

Doug was pretty much the "face" of Ch. 10 while he was there. Earlier, Franz Laubert had that distinction.

For the others you mention:

Eddie Pearson was morning guy on the old WEAN-790. Remember "Bustrum Time"?

Mowry Lowe was WLKW-990's first GM. I remember him doing some airtime on WARV-1590 years later.

The Stricker had a long career on WJAR-920 and Ch. 10. He was PD of WICE-1290 when it did talk after 920

went Top 40. WICE was owned at this time by Stricker friend Bob Crohan. He ended his career on WPRO.

Harry V. Mc Kenna was WEAN's news director .

Bob Bassett was the "voice" of WTEV, Ch.6. I think he also did some airtime on WLKW as well.

Mort Blender did news for years on Channel 12. Later he did the news in the morning on WLKW opposite

Tony Rizzini.


Those are the folks I know of...


Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540

 

[AKLes]

Eddie Pearson was morning guy on the old WEAN-790. Remember "Bustrum Time"?

Yup..."Uncle Eddy's Open House". "Bustrum" was really Ray Sjoberg who was a sort of sidekick.

Mowry Lowe was WLKW-990's first GM. I remember him doing some airtime on WARV-1590 years later.

He started in radio in the late 1920's; I believe at WJAR, as "The Man On The Street". I may be wrong about the station; equally it might have been WPRO or WEAN in the days of department store ownership. To this day I don't know how he came to lose an eye. I worked at WLKW when he was GM. Had many quirky little rules. For example, you couldn't say "It's Ten O'Clock". He hated the term "O'Clock". I'd be surprised if he did airwork at WARV, it being a rather fundamentalist Christian station and Mowry having been Jewish.

The Stricker had a long career on WJAR-920 and Ch. 10. He was PD of WICE-1290 when it did talk after 920 went Top 40. WICE was owned at this time by Stricker friend Bob Crohan. He ended his career on WPRO.

I never worked with Sherm but did hang out, in my youth, at the #10 Dorrance Street studio of WICE where the notorious "singing clock" kept engineer Freddy Weiss (later of WJAR-TV) busy. In later years Sherm and I frequented the same restaurant and always found a few minutes to swap war stories.

Harry V. Mc Kenna was WEAN's news director .

Harry trained many news people who went on to other stations. Notably Joe Postar, first news director of WLKW, and Joe Connell (writer but never reader) who was Joe's assistant ND. When I was doing mid-days at WLKW Joe and I used to slip out and drink our lunch at the neighborhood bar on the side street by the back door of the Lowe's Theater Building ('LKW was on the 4th floor).

Bob Bassett was the "voice" of WTEV, Ch.6. I think he also did some airtime on WLKW as well.

Bob started at WPEP in Taunton and moved to WHIM, at which time he pretty much got me started in radio by arranging an audition which I failed miserably. I worked with him in later years when weekending at WLKW, and I think he was he who moved to WPRI-TV (he was there only briefly) and left the full-time opening that I filled for a year or so. I later worked with him for about 9 years at WTEV; he doing sports and my having shifted to engineering.

Mort Blender did news for years on Channel 12. Later he did the news in the morning on WLKW opposite Tony Rizzini.

I don't recall Mort doing news on WLKW but I had been away from there for many years when Mort retired from 12. Tony was best man at my wedding back in 1966. He had done radio for decades but never public speaking and froze for a fair bit when he looked up from the reading he was about to do and saw what looked to him like a sea of faces which, in reality, was only a small group compared with his normal audience. In fact, Tony was PD at WLKW at the time Mel Burns (now THERE was a voice) died and I moved to WXTR and took his place as PD for The Hysko radio empire (1 station).

But more about Mort....he used to do a taped classical program for WPFM (now WBRU). It was Mort's narrative on Verdi's "Requiem" that was running when engineer Chuck B. (name left off intentionally) defeated the interlocks to work on the transmitter "hot" and perished.

I gotta say that I'm impressed! I hadn't really expected any responses.

Also hasten to add that Doug deserves to be on the same "list" as some of these old-time radio greats and I hope his memory will linger as did the names above in your thoughts...and in the thoughts of many others. Doug was a good friend of Jack Kavanagh who worked with him at 10 for several years. IIRC, Doug flew out to Sacramento when Jack married back twenty some years ago. I've lost touch with Jack (started him in radio at 'XTR) and hope someone reading this board may still contact him from time to time and tell him about Doug.

 

[DG02816]

Les, Before I forget, Jack Comely was pretty much the franchise when WJAR went talk. He also hosted a movie show on Ch.10 as well. Mowry was on WARV before it went Christian . ISTR he did a Saturday show of EZL.


Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540

 

[Skynet74]

Television gets more respect than Radio. You tend to remember TV personalities more because you've got a face to match with the voice. That tends to lend a more lasting impression with the public. Salty Brine was on the Radio....however during all the tributes I've seen done about Salty, they talked a whole lot about his early career in television.

Doug will be remembered more than most of those people on your list simply because he was on television and had a greater degree of fame. Doug worked on the Number one newscast in town for more than 20 years.

I understand your theory of how people will soon forget. But the bottom line is that it will depend on exactly how memorable they were when they were here in the first place. Doug was very memorable and well known. The name Doug White is going to take a long long time to fade away into the sunset.

He was easily one of the Best! God Bless you Doug.

 

[AKLes]

Doug will be remembered more than most of those people on your list simply because he was on television and had a greater degree of fame. Doug worked on the Number one newscast in town for more than 20 years.

I understand your theory of how people will soon forget. But the bottom line is that it will depend on exactly how memorable they were when they were here in the first place. Doug was very memorable and well known. The name Doug White is going to take a long long time to fade away into the sunset.

Not to take anything away from Doug, but the best comparison would be to Mort Blender who did WPRO-TV/WPRI-TV news for about a hundred years. How many have any memory of him? Certainly some....but mass memory?

 

[Skynet74]

Mort Blender was 40 years ago. I'm sure that in 40 years from now many won't remember Doug White either. However he still has a long way to go before that happens. Come back here in the year 2046 and ask. You'll probably be right.

 

[salesdawg]

So, is "Woo Woo" the only one on that list who didn't work in R.I. radio?

 

[AKLes]

So, is "Woo Woo" the only one on that list who didn't work in R.I. radio?

The other oddity is "Colonel (Ned) Green", son of the notorious Hetty Green. He was a true radio pioneer who built one of the very first radio stations, WMAF in 1923. It was first to use a "moniker": "The Voice from Way Down East".

WMAF, being one of the very few stations on the air (it as always non-commercial) was clearly audible all over Rhode Island, notable for broadcasting live band concerts each sunday for several years. The station was located on Colonel Green's estate at Round Hill in Dartmouth, Mass. I have met people who actually heard the station (they are all deceased now) but none of them remembered whether the Colonel, himself, had anything to say on the air. They think of him as the money-man and innovator.

When not being used for the Sunday afternoon public broadcasts, WMAF experimented with directional antennas and was used to communicate with Richard E. Byrd's 1928-30 Antarctic expedition.

BTW: Arnie Ginsberg started out in radio as an engineer and was forced into doing the occasional air shift (WMEX) to save the station a few bucks. He became one of the biggest Boston radio personallities ever and claimed to be living proof that one shold never allow an engineer access to a microphone.