Readers Remember Bob Doll

Herewith, some notes on Bob’s passing from our readers:

I had the pleasure of experiencing one of Bob’s special conversations on small market radio. This one occurred in Dallas. You throw out a frequency – he knew. You mention a town – he knew.

He always had a story. He always had an audience - and I’m sure he still does!

—Dave Glass, Findlay Publishing Company, Findlay, OH

I first met Bob in 1976 when I was still a senior in high school and was given a chance to work at Bob's Country station in Otsego, MI, WAOP, doing co-op. I was so bitten by the radio bug, and Bob knew it; he finally had an opening and put me on the air. I've been behind a mic ever since, but I will always fondly remember the good times I had with him.

I had not talked to Bob in many years and was shocked when he called me mere weeks ago. It was so good to talk to him, and I finally got the chance to thank him for mentioning me in his Radio Funny Book.

I am still so saddened, but I have those great memories to look back on. My sincerest sympathy to his widow Barb, a woman who always treated me like one of the family, and to Jay and the staff at the newsletter. He was proud of all of you.

—Larry Long, Larry Long Voiceovers & WVFM/WKZO/WQLR/WNWN, Kalamazoo, MI

As I’ve been thinking about Bob today, it is hard to believe that I will never again hear that gravely voice on the other end of the phone line.

There are lots of standing jokes about the length of his phone calls, but I found that I actually enjoyed hearing from him every so often, and unless something else was very pressing, it was enjoyable to share Radio stuff with him.

It was clear to everyone who met him that Bob loved the Radio business and Radio people. I hope he has found a new audience of Radio folks to share his stories now that he is with his Lord.

—Hal Widsten, KWED/The Seguin Daily News, Seguin, TX

Sorry for the loss of Bob. A really big fan of Radio and its people. He knew them all and all about them.

—Gary Fries

While Bob Doll gave us a boatload of great advice over the past twenty years, he was an even better friend. He had an outstanding knack for putting small market radio in specific, and life in general, into perspective.

Very rarely did a month go by when I didn’t chat with Bob. One of my favorite Bob Doll memories was when my wife and I were in San Antonio a few years ago and wanted to take Barbara and him out to lunch. Bob said we’d have to wait and have dinner that evening instead, because he volunteered to call bingo each week at the “old folks home.” He was 73 years old at the time. I hope I can have that kind of attitude if I’m blessed to reach that age.

As I shared that story with Barbara when she informed me of Bob’s passing, she said he was concerned last Friday when he wasn’t able to call bingo because he wasn’t feeling well. Bob was an honorable man with a lot of character. He’ll be missed.

—Joe Jindra, KNCK/KCKS, Concordia, KS

Bob Doll probably knew more about more radio stations in the nation than anyone else.

His love for small town broadcasting—for broadcasting that made a difference in the lives of listeners—was incomparable.

His encyclopedic knowledge of stations, formats, owners and technical facilities was unmatched. He www.getcardsfree.comreally was the voice of localis-m and public service.

Bob will be missed greatly, but his guidance and love for radio will continue to be reflected in the thousands of small market station operators who learned to do radio the right way—the Bob Doll way.

—Larry Patrick, Patrick Communications/Legend Communications, Elkridge, MD

Nobody was prouder to be a small market broadcaster than Bob Doll. He helped so many people succeed in our business with his experience and wise counsel.

—John David, VP/Radio, NAB

The entire radio community has lost a true friend and great ambassador for small market stations. Bob’s encyclopedic knowledge of small-town radio was surpassed only by his friendly demeanor. His presence at this year’s Radio Show will be sadly missed, but he won’t soon be forgotten.

—Dennis Wharton, NAB press release

Bob was always fun to talk to. I was truly amazed by his encyclopedic knowledge of small-town radio. The first time I met him, I mentioned I was raised in a small farm town in southwestern Ohio (population 6,000). He asked me the name of the town. I said, “Oh, you’ve never heard of it. It’s called Hillsboro.” Bob’s response: “WSRW. Tom Archibald owned that station before Clear Channel bought it.”

I’m a spokesman, but I was truly speechless. I’m sure it will be tough for you to find someone—anyone—to replace his columns on the challenges and fun of being a small-market operator.

—Dennis Wharton, in an email to SMRN

I was a bit stunned to hear of Bob’s passing. During a couple of phone visits with Bob in the past few months I realized he was showing some age, but I didn’t consider it this serious.

When Bob started the Small Market Radio Newsletter, I was aware of it but I didn’t subscribe. After a couple of years I was at a meeting of the old Shepherd Group at the Hilton in St Louis, and Glen Olson of Iowa mentioned that Bob just kept pumping out meaningful information week after week in SMRN. In those days he typed it into a mimeographed report and he and Barbara folded and stamped each copy. They still lived up in Michigan. I plunked down my subscription price—probably did a trial for a quarter of a year—and began my relationship with Bob Doll.

I learned of his deep history and background in small market radio, as well as his ability to cut to the chase on business issues. Bob loved the creative and programming side of our business, but to him it truly was a business. He offered me astute observations, based on solid business practices. When the radio industry was flying high with out-of-sight ratios, I didn’t find Bob getting unrealistic. He didn’t expect unheard-of returns, or making piles of money with no effort. But he did clearly understand that we operated businesses, and I learned from his views.

When Bob ventured into writing a couple of books on radio, our friendship deepened as he probed my memory of the past; and of course, I relished in telling the stories, some of which he accurately re-told in his books.

Dependable, sincere, true to his values and his word: that’s my friend, Bob Doll.

—Dean Sorenson, Sorenson Broadcasting, Sioux Falls, SD

I was so sorry to hear of Bob’s passing. He was consulting for our little radio group when I arrived as general manager in 1993. He gave me sound advice, but more importantly, became a friend. Hardly a year went by that I didn’t get a call from Bob and we would have a great conversation on how things were going around the country in small markets.

As you mentioned in the newsletter, it always impressed me that he would remember minute details of our market and give me some astute advice based on his long history in our industry. I believe Bob took many of us under his wing because, like so many community broadcasters, he shared our passion for what a good radio station can do for the people it serves. He and I discussed many times that if you do the right things for your community, you don’t need to be overly concerned with satellite radio, IPODs, etc, etc. I wish I could talk to him one more time.

—Zack Fowler, Vidalia Communications Corp

I am shocked and saddened to learn of Bob Doll’s passing.

Bob was a former employee of Fairfield Broadcasting. He was on the sales team of our KalaMusic music syndication service. He specialized in small markets, of course. Bob had been a very successful small market broadcaster having managed and owned stations for several years.

When he joined us he had just completed the sale of his station in nearby Otsego MI, and he had already begun publishing the newsletter. Bob did a good job for us and for his clients. He was so knowledgeable, helpful, and likable, our customers found him to be a terrific resource.

Most of all Bob was such a good friend. I am so glad we stayed in touch after he retired and moved to Texas. I enjoyed our phone conversations very much, and it was always fun to see him at conventions.

I will miss him greatly.

—Stephen C. Trivers, Kalamazoo MI

I first met Bob when he acquired an FM permit for 100.9 FM, a Class A, licensed to Otsego, MI, an outer Kalamazoo suburb. It isn’t fair to say he paired it with his AM licensed to the same Otsego suburb; rather, his intent was to serve Allegan County, which had no station other than his AM daytimer.

I still vividly recall his coming to our KalaMusic suite at an NRBA convention in San Francisco and introducing himself to me and my business partner, Steve Trivers. He not only went on to be a longtime friend but also a colleague, when he joined our company after selling his stations.

I still recall, also vividly, giving my then-12-year old son, Kevin, the responsibility of making certain Bob could navigate around the NAB conventions and get back to our KalaMusic suite.

Some of your readers will recall Bob’s stories about his days in Frankfort, KY, and they—and I include myself among them—would sometimes laugh at his long-winded tales. . .but then he’d turn around and make a very salient and important point, highly relevant to what we were doing today. Bob often pointed out, for example, that radio’s live-and-local approach preceded by years any impact the Internet would have on our ability to reaching out to our local listeners.

It’s often been said. but having worked daily with Bob at KalaMusic for almost 10 years, I believe I’m truly in a position to say Bob was one of a kind.

He’ll be sorely missed; at the same time, he’ll be remembered fondly by those of us fortunate enough to have known him.

—Bill Wertz, Fairfield Broadcasting Company (1972-2006)/
Wertz Media (2006-present), Friday Harbor, WA

We are truly saddened here in Eastern Kentucky at the news of Bob’s passing. He had just called me a few months ago for one of our loooong talks about radio. Something he did regularly.

He served as president of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association about the time I became involved in radio management. When I was president of the Kentucky Broadcasters in 2000, I called him back to speak, to give some of the young ones a perspective of where we had been.

In 1995, I finished the work on my book, Towers over Kentucky—A History of Radio and Television in the Bluegrass State. It had taken over five years and Bob and I talked often. The next year he published his Sparks from the Plowed Ground. He was one of the first to praise my work and recommend my book to others. We both became writing junkies, I suppose, as I published two more books and he likewise.

He was a small-town radio icon for sure, and a unique guy who will never be replaced.

—Francis Nash, Go Radio, Grayson, KY

A great newsletter this week for a GREAT friend of small market radio. RIP, Bob. We’ll truly miss your leadership—and your stories!!!

—Randy Miller, Miller Media, Taylorville, IL