Doug Hoerth–Three decades of great Pittsburgh radio

When radio host Doug Hoerth left the airwaves for good in 2007, I really missed him. After WPTT went in a different direction, unfortunately Doug’s life appears to have ended. He was found dead on January 25, alone, sad, and without purpose. His friends said that when he couldn’t find another radio job, he lost interest in life. He knew radio was over for him, and that broke his spirit.  That appears to be the general reaction, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Tony Norman’s tribute to Hoerth states Uncle Dougie was alone at the end but not necessarily lonely.  I hope so.

I started listening to Hoerth when I arrived in 1993. He was spectacular on-air with an encyclopedic memory on many subjects–music, especially of the 50’s and 60’s, sports, radio, movies, politics. I’m sure he memorized “The Godfather.” Although he had no college degrees he was an educated man.

Nobody loved being on the radio more than he, and few were better at it. He could be funny even describing his own medical procedures or divorces. He could present the sad and make it hilarious. Few opportunities for those like him are available anymore.

I identified with Doug Hoerth. We both came from “outside” to Pittsburgh, learned the area, and experienced career fulfillment. Not that I would have been any good at it, but I really like radio and would have enjoyed being on the air.

One of the casualties of this age is the absence of “local radio.” Way too much is syndicated, and homogenized, and unfortunately radio has declined to the point it reaches the “least common denominator.” Losing characters like John Cigna, Lynn Cullen, and Doug Hoerth make Pittsburgh a bit less interesting. The same can be said for way too many cities throughout the country.

When he was at WTAE, Hoerth had three guests every Friday afternoon. I used to call his show regularly, and he offered me a slot one Friday. It was fun to be there, participate with “the group” and see someone really good at his chosen profession who loved being being on the air. From his youngest days when he listened to the famed “Cousin Brucie” on WABC in New York, that is all he wanted to do.

He could do unforgettable monologues, yet he was also a great interviewer. He often secured the famous and prominent for wonderful dialogues.

The reason I feel his loss is personal. Both of my parents were in Detroit radio, my mother as a band singer, my dad as a producer. I met interesting characters through my parents, including Soupy Sales and Ed Sullivan. I can remember my parents letting me stay up late to visit with some of the personalities who stopped by the Rivard house. That was fun.

When I quit teaching in the early 70’s, I returned to Michigan State University to study broadcasting. In addition to my studies, I was a campus radio disc jockey and a play-by-play football and basketball announcer. I never worked on air as a career, but I’ve always retained a strong interest in broadcasting, radio, tv, and news.

God bless Uncle Dougie. He was one of a kind. In “Field of Dreams” a definition of heaven is being involved in those earthly things that give us joy.   If this is true, Doug Hoerth is doing a great show somewhere in the ether accompanied by his sidekick Laurence Gaines, Jr..