Obituary
Detroit Sports Broadcasting Icon Pat Caputo Dies at 67
Longtime Detroit sports radio host and columnist Pat Caputo passed away Thursday (5/7) after a battle with cancer at the age of 67. In a post on social media, Caputo’s family said he died following a diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer revealed earlier this year.
Read MoreLongtime WXYZ-TV News Videographer/Editor Wanda Doerner Passes
Wanda Doerner, a former WXYZ-TV (Detroit) News Videographer/Editor who worked at the station for more than four decades and was beloved by her colleagues in the news industry, passed away April 18 at 71.
Read MoreRemembering Bob Kevoian: 1950-2026
Bob Kevoian of the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Show died last Friday (4/17) at the age of 75 in Indianapolis. Bob & Tom’s roots go back to Northern Michigan, where the two met in an upscale “watering hole” called The Bar Harbor in Harbor Springs, MI. They were already in radio, working at two different Petoskey stations, when media sales rep Lucy Nalley (now retired and living in Grand Haven), suggested putting them together on 100,000 watt WJML-FM.
Read MoreFormer WEMU News/Program Director Clark Smith Dies at 74
The MAB learned late last week that former WEMU-FM (Ypsilanti) News and Program Director Clark Smith passed away April 7 at the age of 74. Originally hired as News Director in May of 1983, Smith was named Program Director in 2007 and filled both positions until David Fair was named News Director in August of 2012.
Read MoreLongtime Northern Michigan Broadcaster Vic McCarty Passes Away
Longtime Northern Michigan radio and television personality Vic McCarty has passed away. He died April 6 at Munson Hospice House in Traverse City. He had been battling stage 4 metastatic cancer.
Read MoreLongtime WOOD-TV Weatherman Buck Matthews Dies at 97
Buck Matthews, who for years was a household name in West Michigan as a WOOD TV (Grand Rapids) weatherman and show host passed away this past Monday (3/30). He was 97.Matthews joined WOOD-TV in 1961 and remained on air for more than two decades.
Read MoreFormer U.P. Radio Host Bruce Nelson Passes
Following his years in the Air Force, he worked at multiple radio stations in Kentucky. Nelson returned to Michigan in 1972 and was a well-known radio personality for WDBC, WBDN and WCHT/WGLQ, retiring in 1993.
Read MoreWest Michigan Radio Icon Reese Rickards Passes
One of the longtime voices of West Michigan has died. WBCT-FM (Grand Rapids) operations manager Dave Taft announced in a social media post that former DJ and host Reese Rickards died this past Tuesday (2/24).
Read MoreIn Memoriam: Ismael Ahmed
This past week, Wayne State University’s WDET-FM (Detroit) shared the sad news of the passing of Ismael Ahmed, the longtime host of This Island Earth and a beloved voice on the station. Ahmed passed away this last Saturday (1/31). He was 78. In a story posted on its website, the station noted that “Ismael was more than a broadcaster — he was a tireless advocate for culture, community, and justice, and his work touched generations across Detroit and beyond.”
Read MoreFormer Detroit Radio Air Talent Steve Monkiewicz Passes at 75
He had a lifelong passion for radio and spent many years doing what he loved, working for several Detroit-area radio stations including WXYZ-AM, WABX-FM, WRIF-FM, WCSX-FM, WLLZ-FM, and WWWW-FM.
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