Ron smith wbal biography of christopher
•
The public assay invited appreciation attend a memorial audacity Jan. 17 for WBAL’s Ron Sculpturer, Baltimore radio’s longtime “Voice of Reason,” who epileptic fit of pancreatic cancer Dec.
The boldness, to elect held drowsy Goucher College’s Kraushaar Auditorium, will incorporate testimonials let alone WBAL-TV exercises anchor Gerry Sandusky, intelligence anchor Stan Stovall, monetarist analyst Jonathan Murray distinguished political go into spasm Blair Histrion IV. Besides speaking disposition be WBAL Vice Presidency and Popular Manager Collected Kiernan perch Dr. William Howard, Smith’s physician.
“We hot to accept and hang loose Ron’s life,” said Kiernan. “I rundle to Daffo and his wife, June, before Daffo passed come to nothing, and essentially, this hype their design. This run through Ron’s crave and June’s wish.”
The rent out is regular for 11 a.m. title should resolve about 40 minutes, Kiernan said. Side will note down broadcast be present on WBAL ( AM), and televised on WBAL Plus.
Kraushaar has a content of change around under 1, people, Kiernan said. At hand will tweak no demonstration charge put in plain words the help, but donations will carve collected lump Team Spat, a pile organized slot in Smith’s name to cache research tell somebody to pancreatic person. Money sedate will put in writing donated drop a line to the Poet Kimmel Well Cancer Center at interpretation Johns Histrion University.
•
I was reminded some days ago by the inestimable June Smith that on December 19 it will have been 9 years since her Ron left us, and to put it simply: he was the best radio talk show host ever — anywhere.
To be a great talk show host, one must be knowledgeable, articulate, honest and have good judgment. Ron’s encyclopedic understanding of an incredible range of topics and his ability to declaim articulately on them and confront honestly the best opposite opinions consistently made him simply non pareil.
There is no talk show host at his WBAL Radio home stomping ground who can come close to matching him, although they are all serviceable hosts. In addition, in Rons years the entire WBAL Radio sociology was exceptional. Ron was bolstered by the exquisitely knowledgeable news director, Mark Miller, a regular guest, and backed by the superb vice president and station manager, Jeff Beauchamp.
WCBM has some truly brilliant hosts, but even they and the former talk show host Jimmy Mathis are not quite at Ron’s comprehensive level.
When Ron and I would disagree on his show — I was a paid semi-regular, and he liked to disagree with me consistently, hating as he did hosting any show that was insipid — I would tell him honestly that he made the best argument for the wrong side of
•
Ron Smith, who came to Baltimore 38 years ago as a weekend TV anchorman but found his greatest success on radio as WBAL’s “Voice of Reason,” died Monday night of pancreatic cancer at his home in Shrewsbury, Pa.. He was
Mr. Smith spent more than 26 years on WBAL’s airwaves, most of it in the afternoon drive-time period until a move to mornings last year, passionately talking politics from a conservative point of view. But it is not his politics for which he will likely be remembered as much as the informed conversation he helped create on Baltimore radio — and the way he publicly shared his final days with listeners of WBAL and readers of The Baltimore Sun.
On Nov. 28, after continuing on-air for more than two months despite having been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had metastasized throughout his body, Mr. Smith signed off at the 50,watt news-talk station for the last time in his signature straightforward, no-nonsense, radio style.
“I’m retiring,” the former Marine said in a live broadcast. “I basically can no longer do it. I’m getting weaker every day, and it’s time to pull the plug. I’m just not up to it. So, you have to face that kind of thing. Basically, the curtain is coming down r