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The end of an era

A

antares

Moments ago Bob Conners, The Morning Monarch, announced on WTVN that he is retiring after serving this market for ages. Columbus radio will never be the same. His last day is November 30.

From one retiree to another, thanks, Bob, for your time well-spent here in Columbus.

He will be sorely missed.
 
An institution who replaced an institution. Bob was hired to replace Spook Beckman who was hosting the afternoon show in in late December of 64 or January of 1965.

Spook left to host the Coffee Club show on Channel 4

In March of 73, Bob first served as morning man on WBNS 1460. He returned to WTVN in March/April 1976, returning to the afternoon show and displacing Phil Whitelaw. Bob assumed mornings in the fall of 1979 when John Fraim's riff with management spilled over with him leaving the morning show.

I wonder if the Mail Man and Sammy of Sammy's Bar and Grill will make end of run appearances? :)

What I found sort of funny is the matter of fact emotionless way it was said.

Also, Joel Riley is named "interim" morning host.
 
As an addendum, the two people who brought Bob to Columbus are still with us.

Paul Murphy was program director at the time and Gene D'Angelo was general manager.

D'Angelo still has Columbus ties. Murphy resides in New Mexico.

Line up when Bob was at the station was Johnny Dollar (Jim Pidcock) mornings, Dave Logan middays, BD afternoons and Jim Lohse evenings. There was a late evening host, but I'm not sure who it was. Possibly Dave Hammond.

During that time, WTVN signed off at 2 am. They hadn't extended into grave yard shift hours until 1966.
 
I e-mailed BC to ask if a final visit from Sammy, Mail, and Minerva Parks would occur, and him going out to "Wooly Bully" as the final show ends.

Several years ago he did an "Old Home Week" with a bunch of former WTVN staffers; I would like something like that to happen as he leaves us.

When I was in high school I met him briefly at a function, and thought he was a bit stand-offish, but in listening to him over the years he seems to be a bit more mellow, so I am hoping that was just an off day for him, and I still wish him nothing but the best.
 
It would be fun if that could happen.

Actually old home week could happen. Logan is living in Florida. Fraim was news director at the time Bob was hired and became morning man about a year later. He's near the Hocking Hills region. Pidcock is in Florida. Sadly, Lohse took his life in the 70's. Gene Warman worked off and on with BC during that time doing weekends. He's still here in the Columbus area. Bill Patterson was a beat reporter.
 
When Bob announced for the last few days he had a special announcement at 6:45 AM this morning, I had a feeling he was going to announce
his retirement from WTVN.

Bob said he is going to start to learn a secound language and vacation in Florida over the Winter during his retirement. But wait, he has already
been doing that(Florida vacation) for at least a decade now. He has been doing his Winter show from his secound home in Florida. Apparently, He doesn't want his listeners to know that. It's still a closely guarded secret! ;D

Any idea who will be the new morning host? That person will have some very big shoes to fill indeed. BC is a REAL radio professional and will
be missed. He said he is NOT a radio professional on the air. I don't believe that.

http://www.610wtvn.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=268656&article=9292707

This is copyrighted so here is the rest:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN) --Bob Conners, a radio mainstay in Central Ohio for more than 40 years, announced to listeners Monday morning that he will leave the airwaves, effective November 30.
 
There is an aircheck of Bob from his days in Pittsburg. He worked FT for WEEP and did a weekend gig at KQV using the air name Don Howard. You can hear the aircheck here. http://user.pa.net/~ejjeff/carlson.html You'll have to scroll down to the link.

As for the "Florida Secret", I believe Business First ran an article several years ago about his Florida winters. I think it was an article featuring a renewed contract.

Here's a link to a 2000 article in the Dispatch revealing the Florida hook up. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.webprox...id=10DCF30CC8AFC528&p_docnum=6&p_queryname=10

Dec 23, 2000

Every year Bob Conners clusters his vacation days and takes a long winter hiatus in Florida ; and every year his faithful WTVN (610 AM) morning-show listeners go through withdrawal pangs over the morning monarch's absence.

This year Conners ' Florida trip will be as long as usual, but it may not seem like it to listeners.

That's because, for the first time, a digital hookup will allow Conners to broadcast from his vacation quarters in the sunny climes. After taking next week off, Conners will be back on the air Jan. 3.
 
Another note. Many people remember Bob doing color for OSU football when he returned from WBNS until TVN lost the contract to carry the games.

Bob also spent a season or two doing color for Columbus Jets baseball games. Would have been 66 or 67. WTVN took the Jets over from WMNI. Double headers were heard on WTVN-FM. WTVN carried the games I believe for 2 seasons. The final seasons were carried WSPO and then the Jets left for Charleston, WV.

Jim Martin was the PBP guy for TVN.
 
Another thought. As stupid as it may seem, you've got to wonder if Bob's fate wasn't part of a thumb drive distribution when market managers met in Atlanta a few weeks ago.
 
del_griffith said:
Another thought. As stupid as it may seem, you've got to wonder if Bob's fate wasn't part of a thumb drive distribution when market managers met in Atlanta a few weeks ago.
Click to expand...

Does this have something to do with cutbacks or is this just a coindiance? There have been rumored CC cutbacks this week or is it next week??
 
I wonder with Joel being interim instead of anointed replacement if longer term WTVN mornings will be a network type program. A return to Don McNeill's Breakfast Club type program? Just a modern version of it.
 
Sad But True!It was the right timing for BC to announce his retirement.I am waiting now for CC to announce the blood bath of local/regional shows and replace them with more syndicated programming.I will miss him dearly!
 
I think if CC/WTVN brings in anything other than Joel Riley on a permanent basis the ratings will tank in that slot. I believe WTVN's listeners who want news/info in the morning on the radio want someone they can identify with to a large extent.
 
OHIODEAL said:
Sad But True!It was the right timing for BC to announce his retirement.I am waiting now for CC to announce the blood bath of local/regional shows and replace them with more syndicated programming.I will miss him dearly!
Click to expand...

Should be within a few days / week ... Clear Channel’s major-market managers gather tomorrow in Chicago.... according to Taylor on Radio-Info newsletter... more flash drives are rumored to be handed out!
 
A hearty salute to BC and his vital radio career in Columbus. "The end of an era" may be an understatement talking about the departure of the "Morning Mayor".

I've learned that Bob actually spent time in Northeast Ohio in the 1950s working in the Youngstown market at WHOT/1330. I believe he went to WEEP directly after that.
 
You can search the Billboard Magazine archives and find him in Erie, Pa too. Under both Bob Conners and Bob Connors. He also did a short sting in San Diego.
 
Heard Bob Conners say on the air last Monday morning that one his managers called him a "radio professional" To which he responded, he
doesn't consider himself a "professional". He considers a professional someone who goes to school to learn how to make money in a certain
job field. Bob Conners has a BA from Ohio State. Now, I doubt he punches a time clock so why he doesn't consider himself a radio professional
is beyond me. Ohio State did have some sort of Broadcasting school a while back. Mindy Drayer of WCMH-TV said she received a Broadcasting
degree from OSU but OSU dosn't have that degree anymore. Maybe Bob didn't go for that Broadcasting degree at OSU?
One of my Neighbors tells me the definition of a professional is someone who at least has a four year degree and doesn't punch a time clock
at work. So, from his definition of a professional, that makes BC a real radio professional.
 
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