Steve Lohle's distinctive voice has been a familiar one to listeners of all-news KQV-AM (1410), where he spent most of his three-decade radio career.

Mr. Lohle, of New Brighton, died yesterday morning of an apparent heart attack. He was 58.

He grew up in Ross and was a graduate of North Hills High School and of Curry College in Massachusetts, where he majored in speech and communications.

Mr. Lohle was a fixture in local radio news, working as an anchor and reporter. His first broadcasting job was with WQRC-FM in Hyannis, Mass., where he was on hand for a historic news story of that era: the 1969 Chappaquiddick auto accident involving U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy. He went on to work as a program director at stations in Springfield, Mass.

He returned to the Pittsburgh market and joined KQV in 1974, the year before it switched to its current all-news format. In recent years, Mr. Lohle was the afternoon news anchor with Joe Fenn, and, before that, anchored the morning news with P.J. Maloney. He was the longest tenured staff member at the station.

He was "someone many identified as the voice of the station," said KQV news director Frank Gottlieb. "Steve is a one-of-kind, old-school newsman."

His voice -- deep, resonant and authoritative -- lent itself to the medium of radio. His was "the sort of voice that if he had been doing something else [for a living], people would say 'You should be in radio,'" Mr. Gottlieb said.

He said response to the news of Mr. Lohle's passing from listeners and public figures has been huge. "He's going to be missed by a lot of people."

Mr. Gottlieb also recalled Mr. Lohle's devotion to his 10-year-old son, Collin.

"In the newsroom just last week, we were talking about the untimely death of TV journalist Tim Russert and almost prophetically, Steve confided that it's the way he hoped to go, that he didn't want to linger at death's door," said KQV president Robert Dickey in an editorial airing on the station.

Mr. Maloney, who joined the station a year after Mr. Lohle started, said that he and his colleagues were "stunned" by the news.

"We have a variety of political points of view on staff," he said, noting that Mr. Lohle leaned to the conservative side and he to the liberal. "We were always tossing hand grenades at each other, in a friendly way."

Off the air, Mr. Lohle enjoyed playing golf and reading, and was a baseball umpire for the PIAA.

In addition to his son, Mr. Lohle is survived by his wife, Barbara; father, Edward, of the North Hills; a brother, Tim, of Allison Park; and a sister, Dolores Simon, of Chicago; and stepchildren Douglas V. Pletz, of Northeast, Pa.; and Jason F. Pletz and Jamie L. Pletz, both of Pittsburgh.

Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. tomorrow and 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at J&J Spratt Funeral Home, 1612 Third Ave., New Brighton. Visitation will be from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland, with a funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery.

After 34 years as anchorman and reporter at KQV Radio, Steve Lohle was regarded by his colleagues as the voice of the local station.

"Steve's deep, resonant presentation of the news almost demanded that the listener stay tuned .....or else," said Robert W. Dickey, president and general manager of KQV.

Stephen E. Lohle of New Brighton, Beaver County, died of an apparent heart attack on Friday, June 20, 2008, in the Medical Center, Beaver. He was 58.

KQV News director Frank Gottlieb recalled Mr. Lohle as a one-of-a-kind reporter, to whom you could hand a cold script seconds before he went on the air, and he could handle it like the professional he was.

"And it's rare when an applicant walks into your office with the credentials that Steve brought to the station," Gottlieb added.

Mr. Lohle, the son of Edward H. Lohle of Hampton and the late Catherine McCarron Lohle, was raised in Ross, graduated from North Hills High School, and graduated from Curry College in Boston, where he received his degree in speech communications.

He became interested in broadcasting at North Hills High School when he did the public address announcements.

Mr. Lohle's first job in broadcasting was with WQRC-FM in Hyannis, Mass., where he covered the fatal accident at Chappaquiddick involving Sen. Ted Kennedy and his landslide re-election after it. He was program director at WHVY-FM and WMAS-AM in Springfield, Mass.

Mr. Lohle enjoyed golf and was a motorcycle enthusiast. He was a baseball umpire for the PIAA and the legion league.

Mr. Lohle is survived by his wife, Barbara Smolar Lohle and 10-year-old son, Collin Matthew Lohle at home; stepsons, Douglas V. Pletz of Northeast, Erie County and Jason F. Pletz of Pittsburgh; a stepdaughter, Jamie L. Pletz of Pittsburgh; his brother, Timothy J. Lohle of Hampton and his sister, Dolores M. Simon of Chicago.

He was preceded in death by his mother, who died on May 9, 2009, and a brother, Matthew T. Lohle.

Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday and 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, at the J&J Spratt Funeral Home, 1612 Third Ave., New Brighton, Beaver County.

Visitation at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland, followed by a Mass at 10:30 a.m. at the cathedral.

Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Hazelwood. 

     How do you say goodbye to a friend and fellow worker who has just passed away?  Where are the words…the phrases that sufficiently define and embody the hurtful sorrow of the loss?

     Steve Lohle passed away Friday morning from an apparent heart attack at the too young age of 58.  He had been a member of our KQV family since 1974.  In many respects, Steve’s was the voice of KQV…his deep resonant presentation of the news almost demanded that the listener stay tuned…or else!

     He began his long career in our newsroom in 1974 and over the 34 years of his tenure here he worked as both anchor and reporter. 

     Somehow, we are never prepared for the inevitability of death.  In the newsroom just last week, we were talking about the untimely death of TV Journalist Tim Russert and almost prophetically, Steve confided that it’s the way he hoped to go;  That he didn’t want to linger at death’s door as had members of his family.

     Apparently the Almighty got the message!

     According to the Holy Bible…A good name is better than precious ointment and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

     Thus will we remember the good name of Stephen Lohel.  May he rest in peace!

Robert W. Dickey                          
President
1410 KQV Newsradio

Longtime radio newsman Keeve Berman was a fun-loving guy with a knack for playing golf. In fact, his friends argued that he could have turned pro if he had pursued the sport more.

"People knew him for his sense of humor, his news ability and his love of golf," said his long-term friend, Bob Gibson.

Mr. Berman, 71, died Sunday in his Hillcrest nursing home in Pembroke Pines, Fla., from inoperable lung cancer.

Mr. Berman grew up in Greensburg but considered Pittsburgh to be his "hometown." He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Berman began working in radio during his late teens and in 1961 was a fill-in air personality and news broadcaster at KQV, where he worked for about six years.

He was news director at New York's WOR-FM for two years before returning to Pittsburgh to work at WTAE Radio. In 1974, he left for New York again and became a correspondent on the American Contemporary Network for 10 years.

Mr. Berman retired five years ago to Pembroke Pines, where he enjoyed time with his companion, Elaine Kugelman. Mr Berman is survived by three children.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

Pittsburgh radio lost 2 more legends. Within a span of just 5 days, former KDKA radio presonalities Art Pallan and Bob Tracey passed away. Art Pallan died on Monday January 22, 2007 at the age of 83. On Friday January 26, 2007, Bob Tracey died at the age of 83. Both are remembered fondly by Pittsburghers who listened to KDKA in the 1950's, 60's and 70's.

Obituary: Arthur E. Pallan / 'Your pal, Pallan' at KDKA and WWSW
May 11, 1923 - Jan. 22, 2007

Art Pallan from 1985 - Pittsburgh Post Gazette
By John Hayes , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The radio celebrity who referred to himself on the air as "Your pal, Pallan" died Monday at St. John Specialty Care Center in Mars. He was 83.

Born in Braddock to the late Rudolph and Elizabeth Berger Pallan, Mr. Pallan landed his first radio job at WWSW a year after graduating from Brentwood High School.

During World War II, he was a radio operator aboard a B-25 bomber flying missions over the Aleutian Islands. Mr. Pallan was awarded the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon with three battle stars.

After the war, he returned to WWSW, where he worked for more than a decade. He moved to KDKA in 1956.

When Rege Cordic left his popular morning show in 1965, Mr. Pallan and co-host Bob Trow inherited the time slot. He stayed with KDKA in various roles until his retirement in 1985.

Singer Bobby Vinton, a Canonsburg native, still calls Mr. Pallan "the godfather of radio in Pittsburgh."

"I remember Art Pallan played a Bobby Vinton song on KDKA every day he was on the radio," he said.

Perhaps Mr. Pallan's dedication to musicians was kindled by his aborted music career. He cut two records, "Waiting" and "Sleepy Time Down South," and sang with The Lee Kelton Band.

"What you might not know," said Pittsburgh radio personality Jack Bogut, "is that Art Pallan was one of the best singers I ever heard. He sounded as much like Bing Crosby as Bing Crosby. I said one time, 'Art, why didn't you pursue it as a career?' He said he didn't want to travel and wanted to be with his family."

Mr. Bogut, now at WJAS, took over the KDKA morning show in 1968.

"Sometimes, it's not comfortable to be replaced by somebody," he said. "But Art never had a cross word or bad attitude, never showed any hostility or resentment to me at all. He couldn't have been more welcoming."

Off the air, Mr. Pallan is remembered by colleagues as a hard worker, good sport and practical joker.

John Cigna, who hosted the KDKA morning show from 1983 to 2001, said he was sometimes the victim of Mr. Pallan's humor, but he respected his upbeat attitude and professionalism.

"He was always up. I never saw him get angry with anybody," said Mr. Cigna.

Mr. Pallan helped raise money for Children's Hospital during holiday season broadcasts from department store windows, and on the 40th anniversary of his career in radio, the Myasthenia Gravis Association, one of his many charities, presented him with the Art Pallan Humanitarian Award for contributions to the community. In 2002, he was inducted to the Brentwood High School Hall of Fame.

Mr. Pallan attended St. Kilian Church in Mars, was active in the Knights of Columbus, Rotary Club, Masonic Lodge and American Diabetes Association, and was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He is survived by his brother, Rudolph Pallan of Pittsburgh; son Arthur Pallan Jr. of Butler; daughters Andrea "Pidge" Welsh of Butler, Anne Olescyski of Mars, and Artha Hockenberry of Shippensburg; his friend Irene Cherchiaro; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.

Distant listeners may have been attracted by the warm voice that called them each "tiger." Local listeners maybe have been taken by the man behind the voice, a vibrant personality who drove to work every day on his Vespa scooter.

Mr. Tracey, of Carnegie, died Friday from complications of pneumonia, said his wife, Marjorie Michel. He was 83.

"He had a gorgeous voice," Mrs. Michel said. "I haven't heard anything to compare it to."

Mr. Tracey, who was born Robert Charles Michel in Rutherford, N.J. to Edith and Lester Michel, used two names while at KDKA.

He started as Johnny Ryder, part of the Ryder Brothers team that broadcast late-evening programs. He came by Bob Tracey when he moved to a mid-afternoon slot. At the time, a well-known DJ at another local station had a surname similar to Michel. The station renamed him Bob Tracey to avoid confusion among listeners.

Mr. Tracey found out about his new identity when a Westinghouse executive presented new DJs with engraved lighters. When he saw his, bidding good luck and good ratings to "Bob Tracey," he handed it back, saying, "This isn't my name."

The executives responded, "It is now."

As a DJ, Mr. Tracey loved the music he played and spent many Sundays listening to the records he had been sent the previous week. Though he kept a certain fondness for the sounds of the big band era, Mr. Tracey had a gift for picking out the next hit song of the day. Among the songs he spotted before their rise to fame were Dionne Warwick's hit "Valley of the Dolls" and Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park."

Mrs. Michel said her basement is still filled with 20,000 records.

In addition to music, Mr. Tracey enjoyed Hawaii, and he led annual listener trips to the islands before moving there with his wife for a year.

Prior to joining KDKA in 1954, Mr. Tracey served in the Navy during World War II and later worked as a page at NBC in New York while studying acting.

He went on to work radio stints in North Carolina, Syracuse, N.Y., and Altoona, where he met his wife. The couple were married in 1947.

A few years later, Mr. Tracey almost aquired another name. Mr. Tracey was visiting his friend Bob Keeshan at the NBC studios when Mr. Keeshan offered him an acting role in a pilot television program. Mr. Tracey turned it down because, as a pilot, the role was unpaid, and he had to provide for his wife and small children.

The role was for Captain Kangaroo.

Though he missed his initial chance at acting, Mr. Tracey found himself performing long after he left KDKA in 1969.

He stayed in broadcasting by recording commercials, acting in local theater, and performing in several films, including "The Mothman Prophecies," "Houseguest," and "Black Dahlia."

"He was an actor. There was no two ways about that," Mrs. Michel said. "He was always on stage, always liked to be the center of attention."

Mr. Tracey also liked riding scooters. He was turned on to the alternative method of transportation when fellow KDKA DJ Clark Race brought his scooter into the station one Saturday. Mr. Tracey borrowed it over the weekend, and his love for the two-wheeled vehicle was born.

Nothing would stop Mr. Tracey from riding his scooter down the Parkway West to the KDKA station, Mrs. Michel said. Not even a stormy winter.

When snow covered his driveway, he simply had his four children pull him and his scooter up to the road.

This love led him to own and operate his own shop, Bob Tracey's World of Cycles, for more than 20 years before retiring several years ago.

"He did things his way," Mrs. Michel said.

In addition to becoming an entrepreneur, Mr. Tracey taught himself computer programming, learned how to fly a plane, and routinely worked in his garden, growing orchids.

Besides his wife, Mr. Tracey is survived by four children, Candice Michel of Brookings, Ore., Gregory Michel of Franklin Park, Dana Mandolini of Bolingbrook, Ill., and Marjorie Pintea of Bridgeville; a brother, Douglas of Hackensack, N.J.; and seven grandchildren.

Anderson Little was found dead in his home in Pittsburgh on Sunday June 4th, 2006. Anderson had been a long-time part of WDUQ-FM. He hosted many programs at WDUQ-FM over the years including "Window Into the Community," "Community Perspective" and "Pittsburgh Perspective" and "The Anderson Little Report". He was 66 years old.

Both became pioneers and household names, the former as a lawyer, judge and advocate for civil rights, the latter as a radio journalist who captured 33 years of African-American history in Pittsburgh.

This week, they died within hours of each other -- Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Walter R. Little, 62, on Monday evening of prostate cancer, and WDUQ radio host Anderson P. Little, 66, found dead Sunday night in his Uptown home, of undetermined causes. The family was awaiting an autopsy report yesterday.

Judge Little, the youngest of 12 siblings, had battled cancer for three years but kept working from home even after his retirement in January. He had moved to Forbes Hospice May 30, said his daughter, Karren Little, of Penn Hills.

While his brother was engaged in the law, Anderson Little was recording community events and stories highlighting black struggles and achievement, rarely inserting himself into the picture.

"Anderson probably had the most extensive tape collection of events in the black community that has ever existed," said Mr. Udin, "and he never tried to put himself in front. He was always behind the scenes, recording."

Anderson Little was most recently known for producing "The Anderson Little Report," which aired on WDUQ each Sunday. From the beginning of his career, he was at the forefront of the movement to get more minority viewpoints onto the public airwaves, especially in public radio.

He became interested in broadcasting while attending high school in the Pittsburgh public schools and eventually worked in all areas of the business -- as a disc jockey and in sales and promotions -- before settling into a career in news and public affairs. He worked in radio in Kansas City and, in Pittsburgh, at WAMO-FM, WAMO-AM, KQV-AM and WQED-TV.

In 1972, WDUQ-FM at Duquesne University hired him to work with students and develop a community affairs voice. It was a time when shows addressing minority issues were few.

He hosted several programs over the years: "Window Into the Community," "Community Perspective" and "Pittsburgh Perspective," which evolved into "The Anderson Little Report."

The weekly show focused on many subjects, from jobs and education to social and cultural topics. His annual Black History Month specials explored such things as the segregation of the military during World War II and the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords baseball teams.

Mr. Little spent hours on location, recording speeches, seminars and community meetings. He wanted to give audiences the full, unedited event.

"He always said, 'I want to do this for the people who aren't able to make it to these interesting community forums,' " said WDUQ news director Kevin Gavin, who was a student working at the station when he first met Mr. Little.

"He explored issues that, if they got mentioned [elsewhere], would be in passing. He gave a voice to people who had not been heard."

"For a broadcaster, Anderson was a relatively quiet person," said station manager Scott Hanley. "What he did best was listen and seek out the voices of others telling their stories."

His work in broadcasting made him a leader in the African-American community, Mr. Hanley said.

"So much of what he did was exposing African-American issues to a broader community," he said, like covering minority health before the mainstream media noticed it.

In 1998, the U.S. House of Representatives recognized his work as a radio journalist. He received the New People Justice Award from the Thomas Merton Center and the Community Services and Communications Award from the Alleghenians Ltd., and was named 2003 Professional Man of the Year by the Pittsburgh Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs.

Mr. Little never married and had no children. He is survived by two sisters, Patricia Bruce of Glen Hazel and Barbara West of East Liberty.

Judge Little's survivors, in addition to his sisters and daughter, are his wife, Elizabeth Little of Penn Hills, another daughter, Lisa Little of Wilkinsburg, and a grandson.

Mr. Dabecco started his broadcast career in Connellsville and became widely known to Pittsburghers as a disc jockey for KQV in the 1950s. Apart from spinning records, Mr. Dabecco announced upcoming songs and informed listeners what was going on in town.

"He was considered one of the 'fab five,' the fabulous five announcers for KQV," said Joanne Dabecco, one of his nieces.

In the '60s, Mr. Dabecco moved to WTAE radio, where he became the voice of late-afternoon "drive time" for several years. He continued his career on the TV side of WTAE as an announcer for Channel 4.

Bob Watt, staff director at WTAE-TV, remembers Mr. Dabecco as being a very private but amiable colleague and good friend.

"I knew him from the time I started at the station in 1969 and got to be very friendly with him," Watt said. "I was a great fan of Pittsburgh radio and Henry was the voice of KQV for years."

Mr. Dabecco hosted a weekly public affairs program during the '70s. "I directed him as he hosted 'Community Outreach,' " Watt recalled. "We had community leaders come in and talk about the town. The show was really produced for him."

After retiring in 1987, Mr. Dabecco spent the winter months in West Palm Beach, Fla., until his health failed two years ago. "He loved the heat, the sun," says his niece.

Mr. Dabecco, a longtime member of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, never married. He was very fond of his family, especially his nephews and nieces, whom he frequently joined for dinner and family gatherings. 

"Murrow was in Pittsburgh for an Alcoa event, and his evening program was being broadcast through WJAS, which at the time was a CBS affiliate," said Robert W. Dickey, president and general manager of KQV Radio.

"Henry asked Murrow for a job in New York City. Murrow, who had heard Henry broadcast that day, took his name and phone number. He contacted Henry shortly after and offered him a job. Henry never followed it up."

Henry R. Dabecco, of Mt. Washington, died of cancer on Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at Fair Oaks Skilled Nursing Facility in Brookline. He was 79.

Working afternoons at KQV, Mr. Dabecco could be seen through a large window broadcasting from his studio in the Chamber of Commerce Building at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Smithfield Street, Downtown.

His niece, Joanne Dabecco, said she was the envy of her high school friends when she took them to watch her uncle at the window. "And often I'd hurry home from school and turn on the radio to listen to my uncle," she said.

In a 1971 interview with Ed Blank, then the film critic for The Pittsburgh Press and now the film critic for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Mr. Dabecco said he was shy and bashful, especially in high school.

"I was often told that I needed to get out of my shell," Dabecco told Blank.

"He also said how important it was to be upbeat during the time you're on the air. He said that listeners turned you on to be entertained and not to listen to your problems," Blank said.

His shyness was evident during the years he ate breakfast at the Village Dairy on Shiloh Street, Mt. Washington. "He was a gentleman," said waitress Audrey Samstag. "He was the kind of person who never made his presence known. But once he spoke, everyone knew he was in the house."

Born and raised on Mt. Washington, Mr. Dabecco was one of seven children of Rocco and Josephine Dabecco, who emigrated from Italy. His father was a bricklayer.

Following graduation from South Hills High School on Mt. Washington, Mr. Dabecco enrolled at Carnegie Institute of Technology -- now Carnegie Mellon University -- where he received his degree in theater.

Prior to entering the Air Force during the Korean War, Mr. Dabecco was enrolled at a broadcast school in Cincinnati.

His family said Mr. Dabecco's interest in radio probably saved his life during the war. "One of the Air Force generals recruited Uncle Henry to open a new Air Force broadcast center in St. Louis," Joanne Dabecco said. "The entire group that he had trained with was sent to Korea and all of the men were killed in action."

Following his discharge from the military, Mr. Dabecco began his career at WCCI in Connellsville, Fayette County. In the ensuing years, he was employed by WJAS, KQV and WTAE. At WTAE, he appeared on television with Del Taylor in "Community Outreach." He retired from WTAE in 1987.

October 27, 2003 10:13 PM EST

LOS ANGELES - Rod Roddy, the flamboyantly dressed announcer on "The Price is Right" whose booming, jovial voice invited lucky audience members to "Come on down!" for nearly 20 years, died Monday. He was 66. 
     Roddy, who suffered from colon and breast cancer, died at Century City Hospital, according to his longtime agent, Don Pitts. He had been hospitalized for two months. 
     "He had such a strong spirit. He just wouldn't give up," Pitts said Monday. 
     Roddy had been ill for more than two years but tried to work as long as he could, said Bob Barker, host of "The Price is Right." Roddy had been with the game show for 17 years. 
     "The courage he showed during those difficult times was an inspiration to us all," Barker said in a statement Monday. 
     Barker recounted a recent visit to his friend: "I went to the hospital and sat on the edge of his bed and we laughed the whole time we were talking. He was still having fun." 
     Roddy's announcing stints included "Love Connection" (1981-85) and "Press Your Luck" (1983-86), but "The Price is Right" earned him his greatest fame. "The Price is Right" remains one of television's most popular game shows, and Roddy, with his flashy sport coats and booming voice, was a big part of the success. 
     "He started wearing those jackets when he joined the show," Barker said. "He was quite a character. He was important to the success of the show. He had the spirit of `The Price Is Right.' It's a fun show. We did it with the hope people will forget their problems for awhile." 
     Roddy, whose real name was Robert Ray Roddy, was born Sept. 18, 1937, in Fort Worth, Texas, Pitts said. 
     He was a graduate of Texas Christian University and a popular disc jockey in Texas when he decided to expand his career in Hollywood, his agent recalled. 
    Roddy's versatility made him a popular voice-over artist for commercials in Los Angeles, Pitts said. He got his big break in television with the 1977-81 satire "Soap." 
     Disc jockey Casey Kasem, who was the first announcer on the risque series, decided he did not want to stay with it and asked Pitts if he knew someone who could take over. 
     "I said, 'I've got a guy who's terrific,'" Pitts said. "Rod started with 'Soap' and then his career took off."
     Roddy, who taped his last show about two months ago, had colon cancer surgery on Sept. 11, 2001, and his left breast removed last March. 
     The diseases appeared under control following chemotherapy but flared up again, Pitts said. The two cancers, which Roddy had said were unconnected, prompted him to become a spokesman for early detection. 
    "I could have prevented all this with a colonoscopy and, of course, that's the campaign I've been on since I had the first surgery," he said in a recent interview on a CBS Web site. 
     Breast cancer, although typically associated with women, is diagnosed in about 1,500 American men a year, Roddy said in the CBS interview: "To everybody out there, 'Get a mammogram!' It can happen to men, too." 
     Roddy was single. The only family member he talked about was his mother, who died several years ago, Pitts said. 
     Private funeral services will be held in Texas, with a memorial service planned in Los Angeles in several weeks, CBS said. 
---
Associated Press writers Jeff Wilson and Lynn Elber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Saturday, March 29, 2003
By Cindi Lash, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

John Dove Gibbs, a former KQV executive who pulled off a broadcasting coup by using a 30-second delay to circumvent a ban on airing the Beatles' first Pittsburgh concert live in 1964, died of a stroke Tuesday in his home. He was 80.

Mr. Gibbs, of Mt. Lebanon, got into radio in the early 1940s when he was spurred to apply for a job as an announcer by friends who'd grown tired of hearing him make fun of the on-air talent at a station in Morgantown, W.Va. He spent four decades working in broadcasting and communications, becoming vice president and general manager at KQV and later a professor at Duquesne University.

A native of Cumberland, Md., Mr. Gibbs was the son of a Methodist minister who moved his family during the 1920s and '30s from Maryland to California and back east to West Virginia. Mr. Gibbs graduated in 1937 from Morgantown High School and attended West Virginia University before going to work as a laborer at a DuPont munitions factory in Morgantown, said his  son, Jeffrey F. Gibbs of Bethel Park.

While at DuPont, Mr. Gibbs entertained and exasperated co-workers by mocking the announcers on the local radio station. Finally, they dared him to try it himself if he thought he could do better.

"He climbed down off the roof, went home and put on his best suit and walked into the radio station," his son said. "He got the job."

After working at WCLG-AM in Morgantown, Mr. Gibbs moved on to Pittsburgh and KQV. From another on-air slot, he worked his way up through administrative positions to become vice president and general manager in 1957.

"After the big snow of 1950, he walked all the way from his home in Dormont down through the [Liberty] Tubes and single-handedly got the station on the air," his son said. "That in itself showed his dedication."

During Mr. Gibbs' tenure at KQV, the station was owned by ABC Radio, which used the station as a test market for rock-and-roll music. The station, which later began simulcasting on both the AM and FM bands from its window-encased, street-level studio at Seventh Avenue and Smithfield Street, emerged as a rock and Top 40 station with a national reputation.

Mr. Gibbs helped to arrange the Beatles' first appearance in Pittsburgh in September 1964, then enraged his rivals at KDKA by getting the Fab Four on KQV's airwaves first. Because the Beatles had insisted that their Pittsburgh news conference and concert could not be broadcast live, KDKA had planned to tape and broadcast the events an hour after they ended. 

Mr. Gibbs, however, beat them to it by broadcasting nearly live -- using a 30-second delay. He also introduced one of the first fully mobile broadcasting trailers and other publicity tactics aimed at keeping the public's ears tuned to KQV.

In 1972, Mr. Gibbs left the station after it was sold to another radio network. He worked briefly at 3WS Radio before becoming a professor of communications at Duquesne, where he remained until he retired in 1980.

Along with his wife of 55 years, Evelyn Forbes Gibbs, he was a longtime supporter of the Pittsburgh Symphony and particularly enjoyed the works of Beethoven and Mahler. He was also an avid tennis player and fisherman and was a member of a number of broadcasting clubs and associations.

In addition to his wife and son Jeffrey, Mr. Gibbs is survived by a son, Nathan Gibbs of Murrysville; a daughter, Jeremy Horgan of Aliquippa; a sister, Catherine Robertson of Chicago; and four grandchildren.

There will be no visitation. Plans for a memorial service are incomplete.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Dorsey's Knob Fund, Greater Morgantown Community Trust, P.O. Box 409, Morgantown, WV 26507. The fund will be used to restore Dorsey's Knob, a hilltop park with an expansive view where Mr. Gibbs played as a child.

Saturday, June 29, 2002
By Barbara Vancheri, Post-Gazette Staff Writer 

He ranted. He railed. He really let 'em have it.
Al Julius scorched officeholders, practitioners of political correctness and anyone or anything else that ticked him off during his tenure as a commentator on KDKA-TV.

But his most enduring legacy may be the annual Thanksgiving turkey drive that began with a $10 donation from a Washington County woman who asked him, "Would you see that a needy family gets this?" and grew into an enterprise that has raised more than $8 million. 

Mr. Julius, 73, died yesterday at Kindred Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He had been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in February, 13 years after he quit smoking. 

"He had that gruff exterior on the air, but he was a sweetheart," Ray Tannehill, his former KDKA-TV colleague, recalled yesterday. "He said what he believed. And it came across on the air."

Mr. Julius, a native of Brooklyn, agonized over the five commentaries he delivered each week and often rewrote them in light of breaking news, Tannehill said. "He was very, very dedicated."

That devotion extended to the turkey drive. 

The first "Julius' Turkeys" drive in 1982 raised $90,000. Through the years, the campaign evolved into KDKA's Turkey Fund. Families receive supermarket vouchers, purchased by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, from their local food pantries. 

Nothing about Mr. Julius was modest in size or tone, from the full beard he once sported to the length of his commentaries and sharpness of his opinions.

He didn't let people or institutions have it with both barrels so much as he aimed a cannon their way. That was true whether he was dissecting fashion dictators from Paris and Rome or suggesting that not all offhand comments are meant to be insensitive. He once growled, "The golden rule of politics is he who has the gold, he who spreads the gold, wins." 

For a special on KDKA-TV's 50th anniversary, Mr. Julius said: "Bill Burns brought integrity to the station. I brought maybe a kind of spice and garlic and cayenne." But even while giving the pompous and powerful heartburn, he was compassionate enough to suggest that the station open its lobby to the homeless overnight when temperatures dipped below freezing. 

"He was a kind man in his heart, regardless of all the bluster," his friend and former KDKA producer Jim Esser said. "He loved the community, the people and the audience, and he deeply respected them." 

People would walk up to Mr. Julius on the street "like he was a friend," Esser said. "They'd tell him their problems, and he was always willing to listen."

 In early 1991, KDKA-TV told Mr. Julius he no longer fit in with the station's plans. His departure came in the midst of a cost-cutting campaign at the station that resulted in 14 layoffs. Mr. Julius said he would have taken a pay cut to remain. 

"I was willing to make a lot of changes, but I'm not going to change who I am," he said at the time. "We had a difference of philosophy about the function of a commentator. I thought my function was to give people what they don't get in the news."

Mr. Julius returned in May 1995 for one final commentary. He did almost five minutes live on the 6 p.m. news, opening with the question, "Where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?"

He thanked Sue McInerney, the executive who fired him, and saluted the city he called home. "If you think that I am bitter and I look back in anger, you are wrong, because I would not have had these past four years of travel and enjoyment" with his wife, Kat, his children and granddaughters, he said. 

He added that he might have dropped dead on the set if he hadn't been pushed out the door and toward white-water rafting, camping, canoeing and other pastimes. But in characteristic Julius style, he also railed against the "bean counters" who have turned newscasts into "fluff and puff" by telling viewers what they want to know instead of what they need to know. 

Although Mr. Julius never lost his New York accent or bluster, he had come to consider Pittsburgh home. "He was a Brooklyn boy, but he had pride in Pittsburgh probably more than many of the native-born," his wife said. 

He arrived here in 1947 to attend what was then Carnegie Tech. After  graduating from the drama school in 1951, he went to Israel, where he was a member of the resident acting company of the famed Habimah Theater. Returning to the United States after six years, Mr. Julius switched from stage to radio.

 He started in Denver, moved to Pittsburgh's KQV as news director and then to WCAU in Philadelphia, where he worked as a talk show host. He had two stints at KDKA-TV -- from November 1973 to July 1978 and September 1981 to January 1991 -- sandwiched around a gig at KABC-TV in Los Angeles. 

 He was a walking, talking advertisement for the annual turkey drive, which survived his tenure at KDKA. Whether he was walking Pittsburgh streets, shopping or standing in the Benedum Center lobby during intermission, people handed him cash after acknowledging his name. 

"They say, 'You're Al Julius,' and they walk away; that makes you feel good," Mr. Julius told the Post-Gazette in 1990. "To me, that's like saying, hey, you're doing good work. That's about as close as you can get to approval in my business. You don't get applause." 

In addition to his wife, Mr. Julius is survived by a son, Rabbi Ethan Julius of  San Jose, Calif.; a daughter, Gari Weilbacher of Merion Station, a Philadelphia suburb; a sister, Elanor Reiter of Chicago, and four grandchildren. 

A graveside ceremony will be held tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at Mount Judah Cemetery in Brooklyn. Memorial contributions may be made to Chabad Fort Lauderdale, 3500 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308.
       (courtesy: Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Clark was at KDKA radio from 1959 until 1970. He also hosted a Saturday afternoon Dance Party on KDKA-TV from 1963-1967.  After leaving KDKA, Clark went to the West Coast and worked at KMPC [Los Angeles CA] from 1971-1978. He hosted "The Parent Game" on ABC-TV  in 1972. Clark also worked at  KYUU [San Francisco CA - 1978], KBRT [LA - 1980] and KYXY [San Diego CA from 1981-1986].(thanks to Johnny Williams 440 Satisfaction)