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A broadcasting pioneer who built several Michigan stations passed away June 1 at his Tucson home after a lengthy fight with cancer.

 

Tom Scanlan built WBKB, WBKP and WBUP and owned WGTU-WGTQ for a time as well. He received the lifetime achievement award from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in 2013. Scanlan had previously served in the military, helping run AFRTS in Turkey and American Forces television in Germany.

 

He was 76.

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A broadcasting pioneer who built several Michigan stations passed away June 1 at his Tucson home after a lengthy fight with cancer.

 

Tom Scanlan built WBKB, WBKP and WBUP and owned WGTU-WGTQ for a time as well. He received the lifetime achievement award from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in 2013. Scanlan had previously served in the military, helping run AFRTS in Turkey and American Forces television in Germany.

 

He was 76.

 

Tom was a fine man with many loyal friends, and a wonderful family. Tom was a leader in broadcasting, he will be missed.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Van Amburg the former KGO anchor and latter grumpy old man has died.

Rich Lieberman has the deadly details....

http://richliebermanreport.blogspot.com/2017/06/415-media-news-alert-bay-area-tv-news.html

 

and yes...,

 

He was a fine man...yet grumpy...and had many friends and family members that loved him.

Normally I would say "he will be missed"...but in his retired days... he became a Grumpy Gus, and didn't want any contact with anyone or anything TV or circle 7 related.

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  • 1 month later...
Dick Albert, a former WCVB meteorologist, has died at 73 due to complications of pneumonia. Dick work for WCVB for 31 years - starting in 1978 and retiring in 2009.

 

My condolences go out to his wife, two sons, friends and family.

 

This guy was good and trusted, just like Harvey, Don Kent and Bruce. He will be severely missed.

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  • 1 month later...
Longtime owner of Salisbury, MD's CBS station WBOC Thomas Draper passed away yesterday due to injuries sustained from a bicycle accident. Draper was 76.

 

Awful news, especially the way in which he passed. Rest in peace.

 

It's even more awful considering that Sinclair may soon come knocking at their front door.

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Very sad news out of Indianapolis. The Dean of Indiana Television News, Howard Caldwell had passed away yesterday at the age of 92.

 

Caldwell started at WRTV 6 (Formerly WFBM) as their main anchor in May of 1959 to his retirement in 1994. Caldwell was inducted into

The Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 1991 and The Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.

 

All of us at TVNT offers out prayers and condolences to Howard Caldwell's family and his friends and colleagues at RTV6.

 

Rest in Peace, Howard and Godspeed.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/indianapolis/howard-caldwell-longtime-indianapolis-journalist-has-died-at-age-92

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Sad news out of Albuquerque, New Mexico KQRE's pilot, Bob Martin, died in a helicopter crash this past Sunday. Bob was flying the stations owned helicopter Saturday afternoon. Bob has been a reporter both in the air and on the ground for over 40 years and covered all the major events in Albuquerque.

 

It is not clear what caused the crash but the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

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  • 2 weeks later...
3 people died working on the WSVN/WPLG tower. http://wsvn.com/news/local/3-dead-after-falling-from-television-tower-in-miami-gardens/

 

(as an aside, the reporter seems very uncomfortable. repeated himself a lot)

 

This is a terrible situation with the loss in life of these brave experts.

 

Yes...Experts...

You see only a handful of experienced and trained tower crews are left out there.

 

With the upcoming 'repack" there is a giant shortage of crews trained and available to do the high tower work. The repack may be delayed/ extended due to crew shortages.

 

Bless those workers and the families.

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  • 2 months later...
Truly sad news out of Buffalo Irv Weinstein has passed away at the age of 87 from ALS.

 

 

https://www.wkbw.com/news/remembering-irv-weinstein-a-buffalo-broadcasting-legend

 

Farewell to one of the broadcast icons of Western New York (though to be honest, I thought he had passed away before now and didn't know he was suffering from ALS)

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Horrible, horrible news...and she was on her way to her stepdad's funeral. My God...

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Yeah, it has hit everyone in Atlanta pretty hard tonight. Amanda Davis was loved by so many in the Atlanta DMA.

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Yeah, it has hit everyone in Atlanta pretty hard tonight. Amanda Davis was loved by so many in the Atlanta DMA.

 

One of these days maybe the industry will actually give a shit about the rampant alcohol abuse in TV news. 30 years of highs from the adrenaline spikes and the lows of daily news work.

I can tell you about folks who work the swing 3p-12a that by 12:30a they are completly shitfaced at home...awake until 5am...and running carpool with 3 kids at 8am. She reeks of booze in the AM. By the time she rolls in around 2:30pm most the boozy smell has been covered by strawberry body spray.

 

It's not a secret.

And she does good work and we all love her. But we also look the other way because she does good work...and nobody want's to be the one to mention the subject to her.

 

News people are supposed to be bullet proof and tough as nails.

Stations don't care. Sure they will pay for one trip to rehab but they never will deal with the core of the problem because stations are just getting cheaper and cheaper.

 

And lets be honest....

Many news people have no clue, and zero practical field training so they know what is really "out there" in the field and in the newsroom.

 

I would much rather work with somebody stoned then work with a chronic hungover crew member or teammate.

 

Stop drug testing for pot, test for opiates and screen for access alcohol abuse.

 

Amanda was hit by a transient event that mimicked a drunken stupor. I bet she even chalked it up to drinking like everyone else did. She and others ignored the warning signs...and her body gave up.

 

And if she was self detoxing off booze without direct Dr.'s supervision then she didn't stand a fighting chance.

 

Very sad, but the biz chews them up...and spits them out. Most never make it to 30 years...they die...or just burn out.

 

RIP Amanda

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One of these days maybe the industry will actually give a shit about the rampant alcohol abuse in TV news. 30 years of highs from the adrenaline spikes and the lows of daily news work.

I can tell you about folks who work the swing 3p-12a that by 12:30a they are completly shitfaced at home...awake until 5am...and running carpool with 3 kids at 8am. She reeks of booze in the AM. By the time she rolls in around 2:30pm most the boozy smell has been covered by strawberry body spray.

 

It's not a secret.

And she does good work and we all love her. But we also look the other way because she does good work...and nobody want's to be the one to mention the subject to her.

 

News people are supposed to be bullet proof and tough as nails.

Stations don't care. Sure they will pay for one trip to rehab but they never will deal with the core of the problem because stations are just getting cheaper and cheaper.

 

And lets be honest....

Many news people have no clue, and zero practical field training so they know what is really "out there" in the field and in the newsroom.

 

I would much rather work with somebody stoned then work with a chronic hungover crew member or teammate.

 

Stop drug testing for pot, test for opiates and screen for access alcohol abuse.

 

Amanda was hit by a transient event that mimicked a drunken stupor. I bet she even chalked it up to drinking like everyone else did. She and others ignored the warning signs...and her body gave up.

 

And if she was self detoxing off booze without direct Dr.'s supervision then she didn't stand a fighting chance.

 

Very sad, but the biz chews them up...and spits them out. Most never make it to 30 years...they die...or just burn out.

 

RIP Amanda

Why do i felt like i went to church? Powerful. Open communication in alcohol abuse in newsrooms or work environments or in life is badly needed. Someone no matter how much friends they have or approachable they are, could only show that much who they are. No one could really detect signs of one's stress that could lead to consequences, not even the one in stress. You never really recovered from problems, it's ongoing. Former ATL mayor Andrew Young said on CBS 46 (pardon me for paraphrasing a bit) that 'too many talented people don't have enough love in their lives + they have extra burdens, you'd think they have looks + material going on.' She'd felt alone when curtains close. Burden was her father's death + mother's hospitalization, taken care of others + not herself much. Yes we all have faults + here comes the phrases 'let him who is without sin cast the first stone' + 'Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones' but how much times do we say that to the point there may be fear of not confronting problems as one who cares, even as the stressed has to face the problems themselves? When one feels a loss, no matter how faultless they are, there's always a sense of guilt from what more could i've done, what signs did i miss when it comes to situations like this. Such levels of grief to deal.

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Sad news out of the Cleveland TV news market. Former WJW reporter Kathleen Cochrane has passed away from a brief illness she was only 38 years old. Thoughts and prayers to her family, friends and her colleague's at WJW.

 

http://fox8.com/2017/12/31/kathleen-cochrane-depiero-beloved-reporter-for-fox-8-passes-away-unexpectedly/

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Sad news out of Birmingham today, and it is with a very heavy heart we're sad to say that former long time WBRC morning and midday anchor Bill Bolen

has passed away today. Bolen worked at WBRC-TV (back when 'BRC was an ABC affiliate before switching to FOX in '96) for 40 years until he retired

almost seven years ago (January 28, 2010). Bolen came to 'BRC in 1969 an anchored the 10PM News before moving to mornings in 1973.

 

Bill Bolen was 81 years old. Thoughts and prayers are with Bill's family and to Mr. Bolen's extended family at WBRC-TV FOX 6.

Rest in Peace, Bill and Godspeed.

 

http://www.wbrc.com/story/35388666/bill-bolen-longtime-wbrc-anchor-has-passed-away

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