Doug Hoerth has passed away
Pittsburgh:
Doug Hoerth was found dead Tuesday night at his Bellevue home. He was 66. Hoerth was a staple on local radio for many years, most recently with his signature talk show on WPTT-AM (1360, now WMNY) and an oldies show on WJAS-AM (1320). He had also been heard on the old WTAE-AM (1250), KDKA-AM (1020) among others.
KQV's Joe Fenn interviews Lynn Cullen about her Memories of Uncle Dougie here.
KDKA-AM's Mike Pintek interviews former WTAE-AM PD Tom Clendening about his memories here.
Readers’ Forum
Wow – tragic and a shame. My first call in on a radio program was to his show when I was merely 9 or 10.
Pittsburgh radio has been quieter, and not in a good way, since Uncle Dougie left the airwaves. Now, even more so.
Todd - January 26, 2011 at 1:06 pm
We’ve lost a giant in Pittsburgh radio. There was no one out there like Doug. I was always hoping that he would surface somewhere on the radio again. Doug, Phil Musick, Laurence Gaines. What a loss we’ve had in the last year. RIP Uncle Dougie. You will be missed.
Chris - January 26, 2011 at 1:11 pm
I have no words to express how sad I feel…Doug was a great radio host, and a funny, wonderful man as well. He always made his guests feel welcome. He always made this ole Shop n Save lady feel like a princess. I loved being on the air with him. Sleep in peace Uncle Dougie. Kathy Svilar
Kathy Svilar (URL) - January 26, 2011 at 1:19 pm
sniff
Todd’s right – there’s been something missing ever since Uncle Dougie left the airwaves. He was one of the few radio personalities who knew how to properly conduct an interview.
For you Mark Madden fans – I remember Madden mentioning in an interview that Uncle Dougie was one of his influences in his career.
RIP, Uncle Dougie. You will be sorely missed.
JR - January 26, 2011 at 2:58 pm
KQV’s Joe Fenn chats about Doug with Lynn Cullen
Frank (URL) - January 26, 2011 at 4:26 pm
He will always hold a place in my heart for wacky humor and recalls of such goofy commercials as the one for the laundry detergent that made a washing machine grow 10 feet tall. His unofficial primer on New Jersey was another personal favorite … “The state tree is made of cement, the state bird is the stool pigeon and the state motto is, ‘I refuse to testify on the grounds what I say might incriminate me.”
Rest on peace, Uncle Dougie!
Rick - January 26, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Such a shame – Uncle Dougie was the best. I so miss the halcyon days of WTAE – Lynn Cullen, Doug Hoerth and Phil Musick. I really looked forward to their annual marathon when all three did the whole day together. We’ll never have talk radio like that again.
I ran into Doug at a Penguins game a couple years ago, shortly after the 2008 election. I told him I’d been missing the show since it was gone, but that I’d especially wished he’d been on the air during the campaign and election. He just smiled and said, “Me, too, brother – me, too.”
But somehow, I have this nagging feeling that somewhere, in some way, Gertrude Wilson is chuckling…but not me.
RIP, Uncle Dougie.
Alan - January 26, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Alan Serena of Renda Broadcasting issued this statement this afternoon … a full story including this comment is on the http://www.triblive.com website.
”There are few people that I have worked with that knew so much about so many different topics than Doug Hoerth. His WPTT afternoon shows were entertaining and not what you typically expected to hear on a talk station. From politics to pro wrestling to porn stars, Doug was as well versed as he was diversed in his subject matter. His passion was music, especially the oldies he played Sunday nights on WJAS. He was a unique individual. Off air he was a quiet, reclusive person. News of his sudden passing was sad. I know a lot of Pittsburghers hope they get a chance to say their final farewells to a broadcasting legend.”
Pat Cloonan (URL) - January 26, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Sad. He could talk about anything. I love that he didn’t care about watching the Steelers, that he admitted to loving the chick movie “Crimes of the Heart,” that he was thrilled to interview Sally Struthers, and most of all that he was a welcome diversion from nonstop political blather. What a shame that there’s no place for that kind of show anymore.
Rob - January 26, 2011 at 11:50 pm
Doug was truly a good guy, a nice person and a walking encyclopedia of not only oldies info, but one of the most well read men I’ve ever known. It was a pleasure to know and work with him. I will miss him.
Mike McGann - January 27, 2011 at 07:43 am
Never a fan of talk radio, I discovered Doug later than many of you, but it was quite a discovery. In this era of overly researched, predictable radio, he was a unique voice. An adult voice. Above all, he actually had something to say, and it wasn’t just political dogma. I hope he knew just how many people listened, and then missed him…..
Ron - January 27, 2011 at 10:25 am
I think it speaks volumes about radio in Pittsburgh that a legend like Doug Hoerth passes and the last station he worked for couldn’t take the time to eulogize him because they are busy whoring out their airwaves to businesses. Renda and folks like him should be ashamed of what they have done to radio and done to great guys like Uncle Dougie. Rest in peace Doug. You will be missed.
Ross - January 27, 2011 at 10:43 am
OMG!!!! I’m a libertarian/conservative talkshow junky to the core but there are many times I need a break from the issues of the day and when Doug Hoerth was on, he was the one I tuned to. I just liked his light banter on things line movies, TV and other general sundry subjects he would talk about. My condolences to him, his family, friends and fans out there, he will be missed.
I was hoping he would surface somewhere on the Pittsburgh talk radio scene and if he did, I was looking forward to 2013 on his discussions on the 50th Anniversary of JFK’s assassination. I always liked his discussion on that subject and I enjoyed his 2003 show on that.
Charles D. Mandus - January 27, 2011 at 1:04 pm
I worked with Doug for a few years after I interned at WTAE-AM in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. He was one of the oddest people I had the privilege to work with at that station—but his strangeness was his charm. My first day of running the production board at the station was for Doug’s show. I remember being told that Doug likes to do his show in the dark, so I had to draw the blinds and shut out the studio lights before he came in. I also was told to keep commercials handy because Doug would consume 2-liter bottles of soda while he was doing his show and sometimes would need to take extended bathroom breaks along with his smoking breaks. And I always had to have paper towels handy because he inevitably would spill his soda while he pounded on the desk or was looking for something in his gym bag (which acted as his briefcase). And I needed to have his Hoerth Horn ready for him (it was on a re-cueable tape cartridge and always needed to be in the #1 cart slot) so that he could fire it from his remote button in the studio whenever a caller said something stupid or he wanted to make fun of something. His personality and years in Pittsburgh radio would inspire an eclectic assortment of calls from characters all over Pittsburgh. Doug would talk with them until he thought the conversation was getting dull—which could be a minute or 15 minutes. He had a good sense of what the listener at home wanted to hear. My favorite was Phyllis, an odd little mousy voice who would call in regularly; Doug would have her sing a song of her choosing when she was done with her topic. He would always honk his horn while Phyllis was singing, especially when she couldn’t quite hit a high note. And then there were the interviews—Doug loved to read. He consumed books and was able to pick out the best pieces for his conversations with authors. As a young , impressionable journalism school graduate, I was amazed at how his interviews were more coffee talks than straight Q&As—they informed, provided insight, and entertained. He made it seem easy, but I realized that it seemed effortless simply because he knew the subject matter so well. I’ve come to believe that he was the best interviewer I’ve ever heard. He shined when interview celebrities too because he was an inquisitive fan of a lot of these people who always strived to provide his guests with the best interview they would ever sit through. It was my privilege to be interviewed by Doug too—after he heard Scotty, another producer, and I talking about the travails of finding some nice girls somewhere, he invited us both in to the dark studio and talked with us for the next 45 minutes on air. Running the board and the phone system for his Saturday trivia roundtable was frenetic and fun. He had five or six buddies in the studio with him, all on mic, and quickly took answers for trivia questions from the listening audience—I had to screen the calls and cue them up quickly to keep the flow of the show moving, all while trying to maintain a good sound level on all the people in the studio. It was chaos, but Doug made it work. He was the key for all the zaniness to come off as a good show. And he would always end his Saturday shows with a little ditty from Groucho Marx that seems ever so poignant as I write this little memoir and think of Doug’s brief, shining moment on the Pittsburgh airwaves: “Hello, I must be going. I cannot stay. I came to say I must be going. I’m glad I came, but just the same—I must be going.” Rest in peace, my friend.
Shawn Garry - January 27, 2011 at 2:36 pm
He was one of the best…I remember when he first came to town and filled in for the Marshall (may have been weekends), late nights on KDKA Radio. I was just a kid back then, but I would stay up all hours of the night listening to him, as he was so entertaining. I kept hoping with the format changes at KDKA they might put a local and live personality back on late night…I believe one of his best guests was Dr. Cyril Wecht…That was always entertaining with the two of them on the same show….We really lost a great entertainer and historian…!
Bob - January 27, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Uncle Dougie will be missed. I really enjoyed being one of the regular callers/ faxers to his shows throughout the years. There was always a sense of community with Doug’s audience. He would welcome you warmly into his show and would love to sieze the moment especially during disagreements. OH YEAH.......
Doug’s trots down the hall during breaks were legendary, along with classic segments such as Elaine Bly’s “healthy happy homemaker tips”....... “Doug ….you are SO Bad!”
I wish Phil L. , Zimp and crew all the best as well. If you need help with local arrangements, please reply. A one-hour audio-wake with the crew (Pintak hosting?) would be a fabulous send-off…......
Wexford Woody - January 27, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Of all the tributes to Uncle Dougie, no one has mentionned the day the Frank Sinatra died. Doug said he did not find out until he arrived at the studio to do his morning show. He then adlibbed a 4 hour tribute to Frank Sinatra which was remarkable.
Rich - January 28, 2011 at 11:41 am