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"Uncle" Fred Horton former WTRY/WGNA PD passed away

R

RockinRichie

Guest
Former WTRY-AM/WGNA-FM PD "Uncle" Fred Horton passed away early this morning... Fred had also worked at WNDR Syracuse, WYYY(Y94)Syracuse, WRUN Utica, WDRC-FM Hartford, after leaving GNA in 1993, he went to program 103.5 WYNY (now WKTU) in New York City... Over the last few years he's worked at country stations in Rochester NY & Erie PA..
 
Very sad news. Never met Uncle Fred but I had a lot of respect for him for what he did at GNA & TRY.
 
OMG! I hadn't seen Uncle Fred for many years. Worked with him at The Bunker (WTRY/WPYX).

He was a decent guy. He sure knew radio. He could take a pile of crap and turn it into a number one player!

Quoted from R & R;

By Alexandra Cahill

Pioneering programmer "Uncle" Fred Horton died Tuesday morning (March 4) in Erie, Pa., after succumbing to lung cancer. He was 56 years old.

Horton was most recently PD and morning host at Citadel country WXTA (Country 98)/Erie, Pa. He was also well known as a PD and morning host, along with Richie Phillips, at Regent country WGNA-FM in Albany, N.Y. He took the low-rated station and transformed it into a market leader.

During his broadcasting career, Horton had stops at Clear Channel oldies WTRY/Rotterdam, N.Y.; Clear Channel classic rock WPYX/Albany, N.Y.; and Entercom country WBEE/Rochester, N.Y.

A memorial fund has been set up by the family to help pay Horton's expenses. Contributions can be mailed to Elaine Horton, 436 Park Avenue, 2W, Syracuse, NY 13204. Make checks payable to Elaine Horton for the benefit of Frederick C. Horton the third.
 
I worked with Fred from 1994-96 in Liberty Broadcasting which had clusters in Albany (GNA/PYX/TRY), Hartford, and Providence. Although Fred was PD of GNA and PYX at the time, he also functioned as a consultant to the chain, and he gave me some notable help in Hartford. The kind of guy who was in radio for all the right reasons.

He was one of those special people with what I call a "sixth sense" about radio programming--a master of the fine points that sometimes wind up making all the difference--particularly when it came to country radio--his first love. Built WGNA from an also-ran to a champ. Scored the highest ratings for New York's WYNY during its time in country.

Fred was a "people" guy in the truest sense--I remember being impressed that he went significantly out of his way, at a very busy time, to find a position in the Hartford cluster for a mid-level staffer who otherwise would have been laid off. Very good as well at diffusing tension and conflict, and to this day, I thank him for literally ordering me out of the sun during a company conference in Aruba, when I was burning up and didn't realize it.

I also remember him getting quite animated one day in the course of telling me that he just could not fathom why anyone would ever discriminate against someone else on the basis of race.

I'm sorry to say that because we ended up going in different directions in the business, I hadn't seen him in years, but I miss him anyway.
 
Echoing the comments above,Fred was a programmers programmer.He lived ,breathed and ate this business.His likes will not be seen again, which makes this business much poorer for it.
 
I worked for Fred at WRUN/WKGW -KG104) in Utica and later at WBBF/WBEE in Rochester. I am fortunate enough to have stayed in touch with him all these years. I talked to him a few months ago. He was great to work for and to hang out with. As a programer he was a Cadillac in a now Pinto radio world.
 
I hired Freddy as OM when I was MM at Entercom Rochester. He jumped right into doing the morning show (and moved it from second to first A25-54 against the legendary Brother Wease in two books) while also programming WBEE. Then I handed him music duties for the River, doing automated classic rock. Not only did he not complain, he took on every task with enthusiasm, aplomb and extraordinary competence. Fred was a class act in all ways; radio and, for that matter, all of society has lost a great man. May be rest in peace.
 
I wrote about Fred on my blog...here's the link.

www.carypall.blogspot.com

I've known Fred since we were introduced by Don Bombard some 30 years ago. We became good friends and got to work together in the mid 90s for Liberty Radio Group. A consummate pro and radio junkie. We have lost a great guy.
 
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