In this week’s issue… CT TV legend succumbs to cancer – Remembering PA’s Adams – FCC still stalled by shutdown – Pittsburgh morning host exits
By SCOTT FYBUSH
*Many broadcasters are good at one thing. Only a few, like Geoff Fox, become stars in multiple capacities, which is why he’s being mourned by so many after his death a week ago.
A Brooklyn native, Fox first found fame in radio, working at WBT in Charlotte in the early 1970s and then at WPEN in Philadelphia, where his style fit perfectly with the full-service personality formats of the day.
But it was in TV where he really made his mark, starting in the late 1970s at WGR-TV (Channel 2) in Buffalo, where his radio personality was also a perfect fit for his new gig hosting the local edition of “PM Magazine.”
It was in Buffalo, as WGR-TV was transitioning to WGRZ, that Fox found the job he’d hold for most of the rest of his career, as he started doing weather on weekends and on a fill-in basis. In 1984, Fox moved to CONNECTICUT, settling in at WTNH (Channel 8) for what would be a 27-year run, eventually as the ABC affiliate’s senior meteorologist.
While at WTNH, Fox was also seen nationally, filling in occasionally on ABC’s Good Morning America.
After WTNH declined to renew his contract in 2011, Fox moved across town to Fox, as it were, joining WTIC-TV (Channel 61) as a meteorologist and science reporter. After being dropped from WTIC a year later for what was described as “inappropriate conduct,” Fox moved west, setting up a home studio in Palm Springs to provide remote weather forecasts to stations around the country, including a brief guest stint back at WTNH in 2017 and, for a time, Palm Springs’ KMIR-TV.
Over the last few years, Fox brought viewers and friends into his personal life as he battled pancreatic cancer, enduring years of treament and bouncing back several times. In September, he told his social media followers he had been diagnosed a third time and was entering palliative care. He died at home in California on November 11, at 75.
Whatever you’re using right now for automation playout, scheduling, archiving, remote connectivity, apps and streaming, I can help you do it better and probably less expensively now that I’m the US representative for Myriad broadcast software. It’s the best software package you haven’t heard of… yet. Come see us at the NAB Show or let me set up a virtual demo for you.
Looking to get into station ownership? Our StationSale division has some great new listings for you, including a very successful multimedia combo including radio/digital/print in one of the finest small markets in the region, a major market FM translator opportunity, a profitable Midwest FM, an inexpensive entry into a fast-growing Western market, and a turnkey profitable FM/AM/translator small-market combo that’s ready for a new owner. Drop me a line at scott@fybush.com and I’ll set you up with an NDA and all the details…
And if your noncommercial FM station is ready to think about translators, there’s a filing window coming this fall from the FCC and it’s the perfect time to start making plans.
In this week’s issue… New tech, lots of regulatory questions at the NAB Show - iHeart, Audacy make staffing cuts - Community expands in VT - Sox find new RI radio home - WEEI shuffles afternoons - FMs sign off...
In this week’s issue… The industry gathers in Vegas - SBS files for bankruptcy - New top 40 in PA - Retirement in Brockville draws honors
In this week’s issue… Audacy cuts local managers - Cape Cod, VT, western PA FMs sold - WVOM ousts Bangor legend, draws ire - New owner for NJ duo - AM surrenders in VT
In this week’s issue… TEGNA deal consolidates Hartford, Scranton, Buffalo stations - CBS to close radio newsroom - Buffalo's Snyder to retire - New FM cancels amidst allegations - Erie's Stehlin retires - New LPTVs on the way
